Zollocco: A Novel of Another Universe (27 page)

When I awoke in the morning, a bird was bathing in the bowl and light was streaming like a halo on bird and bowl from the porthole. The bird, disturbed by my movement, flew back out the porthole. I got out of bed and went over to the white bowl. A gold feather, small and downy, floated with petals and flowers. The baby was a girl and the mother was fine I knew.
A brisk rap on door, and the Third Mate's voice, "Wake up call, priestess, and the Captain has asked me to inform you that we have just received word that the mother is out of danger and the infant is a healthy girl."
I smiled and yawned, and called, "Much obliged!" and yawned four or five times more.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Pterodactyl

Had I missed the Sister Septuplet Fissures? I hurried into my clothes and out to the deck to see.
The Steward saluted me, "We've just passed the Sister Septuplet Fissure." He pointed and I saw in the distance light streaming from the cavern ceiling. The fissures were formed as a series of triangles and circles.
"Look through the telescope here, you can still see the Sister Septuplets clearly," he said leading me to one of the several telescopes anchored to the railing.
I looked through the scope and burst out laughing. Seven child's drawings of girls glowed against the dark and craggy rock. Triangles, circles, lines straight and squiggly formed the seven luminous girls.
"More light was needed in the this area and a sculptor asked if she could design a fissure. Naturally the Naval academy was all for it since it is much safer to know when the rocks will fall than wait for nature to take its course. The geologists showed the sculptor where the weak points were in the rock, and the sculptor set to work designing the fissure along the fault lines. Then she got some explosives and began blasting away. She seemed to be quite reckless in her work. It was thought her artistic frenzy would just end up a crazy mess of holes, but it didn't. She was a true ollave of stone. The first ship to sail under her masterpiece was truly blessed to have that premier sighting."
I liked the image of the single-minded purpose of an artist blasting holes in the face of a world, not to destroy it but to prepare for and shape the natural occurrence of a fault line's destined rupture.
"If you look the other way, priestess," the Steward continued helpfully, "you can see the spaceport on the horizon. It's an island, with huge holes in the dome above it. The spacecrafts settle over the dome's openings. The crafts rest there on the natural launch pads while they are loaded and unloaded. The island is a resort of shops, hotels, and beaches. The island is volcanic and so there are wonderful farms and botanical gardens."
"What is the name of island?"
Aviary Isle. At one time, the only birds left on Aridia were found here. Now a few species have migrated to the villages that can support them. There are thousands of birds on the island. Keep your mouth closed when you look up at the spacecraft!"
"Are the volcanoes still active?"
"Oh yes, thank the Forests! Half a pregnancy ago, a whole new beach was created. Already that beach is sprouting vegetation. Please excuse me now priestess, I must assist other passengers in getting ready for landing." With that, the Steward scurried off.
I was left to muse on my future. Without a doubt, the Toelakhan would be waiting for me when the ship docked. Like fissures opening in the ceiling of the cavern and rocks dropping on the decks of passing vessels, the Toelakhan's continued harassment of me was inevitable unless I, like the frenzied sculptor, prepared for and shaped the events of my life.
The island, like an image under a magnifying glass, ballooned in size and clarity with the change of perspective our approach created. I walked to the stern where noisy, greedy birds soared and snatched at the tidbits thrown by passengers. As we neared the island, more and more birds hovered over the boat shrieking for food. Yellow birds trailed in the water quietly waiting for a hand-out, or diving for the crumbs dropped by their airborne brethren. I caught a glimpse of a school of purple fish passing under the yellow, swimming birds. A pair of birds which were dusty blue with black stripes, alighted on the rail of the ship. They began an amiable squawking at one another. I listened to their conversation.
The bird to my left said, "Did you really meet one of those birds the Wild Rain Sect brought us Twitter-Loo?"
The bird to my right said, "I sure did Plumebelle. He told me that he was a freed zitam."
At the word "zitam" Plumebelle extended her wings shook them, and folded them back in again. "So, it's true, Zollocco's adopted human freed the zitam."
Twitter-Loo dipped and bobbed earnestly, "Yes, by golly! And do you know what?"
"No, what?" Plumebelle hopped closer to Twitter-Loo to catch the expected tidbit of information.
"That zitam bird isn't going to live on Aviary Isle; he is going
right on out to live in a topside village!" Twitter-Loo was so excited to be delivering this news that she stretched up tall and spread her wings out wide.
"No!" Plumebelle was amazed.
"Yep, he says those villages are just like home. He can't wait to pick a beetle off of a hot reed stalk and build a nest on a reed roof," said Twitter-Loo while she squatted down comfortably on the rail.
"My goodness. I bet the humans will be glad to have him eating those beetles they find such a nuisance. Say, is that human listening to us?" Plumebelle tipped her head sideways to inspect me.
Twitter-Loo also looked at me. She gave a half-hearted squawk at me for food.
Another bird of their variety alighted on the rail beside Plumebelle and Twitter-Loo. "Twitter-Loo, Plumebelle," said the newcomer.
"Well hello Aria," Twitter-Loo and Plumebelle screeched in chorus. "We think that human is listening to us."
After she smoothed her wings with her beak Aria said, "Well, you know, she just might be. I heard that priestess who freed the zitam might be on board."
Plumebelle complained, "Hasn't she been spotted yet? I'm getting awful tired of trying to remember to watch out for her. I can't even remember what it is we're supposed to tell her."
Plumebelle shifted back and forth on the rail in her annoyance. Just then, a wave buffeted the ship and the three birds all lifted up and flapped their wings still clutching with their claws the rail, until the ship settled again.
Tucking one claw under her belly for a rest Twitter-Loo said, "Plumebelle, you are the kind of bird that gives birds a bad name. Can't you remember anything for more than three minutes?"
"Don't pay her no mind Plumebelle," said Aria, "I bet she doesn't remember the message either."
"Well, sure I do," complained Twitter-Loo.
"Oh, then what is it?" challenged Plumebelle.
"Uh, uh, the Toelakhan now what was it?" Twitter-Loo tried to concentrate and all of her feathers fluffed out in her effort.
Aria and Plumebelle screeched in amusement.
Aria, bobbing cheerfully, repeated for the others the message meant for me, "The Toelakhan are waiting on Aviary Isle to arrest her. She is to go to the spaceship called the Bird Watch which will fly her to the Realm of Circle."
Twitter-Loo shrieked and fluttered on the rail, "Look, that human understood! She must be the priestess we are looking for. We have won the prize! We have won the prize! Oh bird, oh bird, oh bird!"
Plumebelle flapped, annoyed at Twitter-Loo, "Don't make such a dither. You are disturbing my concentration. I think the human is trying to communicate with us."
Aria stretched her wings, nibbled with her beak at a misarranged feather, and then said, "Yes, Twitter-Loo, let's see if the priestess can communicate with us."
Twitter-Loo twittered assent.
I concentrated.
Plumebelle cocked her head, "I think she just said, `Birds will you help me?'"
"Yes, she did," agreed Twitter-Loo.
"What do you want us to do?" Aria nervously asked me as she hopped up and down.
I concentrated. Some of the yellow birds landed on the deck and waddled around me. The birds that had been flying stopped screeching for food. Some of them alighted on the deck and on the railing. The other passengers who had been feeding the birds and watching the nearing of the Isle stared at me, opened mouthed.
I concentrated. "Interfere with the Toelakhan's attempt to seize me. Make sure I can walk through the streets free from Toelakhan harassment," I said in the Remembered Tongue.
All at once, the birds screeched in unison. They agreed, and found my request funny. The yellow birds dove back into the water. The hungry birds resumed their pestering for food, and Plumebelle, Twitter-Loo, and Aria flew directly for the Isle to spread the word.
The passengers, spooked by me and the birds, disappeared from the deck. I was left alone to ponder the information that the Bird Watch would take me to the Realm of Circle. It seemed that mystery would soon be solved. I could see a row of Toelakhan already assembled waiting to snare me when I got off the boat. Soon the Captain's voice blared out of the loudspeaker, giving the precautions about docking, and thanking us all for sailing on the Bedouina. The Captain, the Mates, and the Adventurers were assembled at the gang plank to bid farewell to other passengers. I approached them, my staff in one hand, my basket slung over my shoulder. We all exchanged thanks and good wishes.
The Captain says, "Unfortunately we seem to have delivered you right into the hands of the Toelakhan. There they are, four of them, just waiting for you to step off the ship.
I looked at the Toelakhan who stood stiffly still among the milling crowd on the dock, and then up at the birds circling overhead.
"Hurry up!" called Plumebelle, "We want to have some fun!"
"Never mind," I said to the Captain, "I can't keep running from them forever."
Desertwave spoke, "My wife, son and, I owe you our special thanks. We have named our son Saemun after the Forest of your Dawn. We, Sorceress of Beachton and First Adventurer of Bedouina, give you our names for your journey."
Desertwave then opened his hip flask, "Drink of this sweet water of Aviary Isle and you will be sure to return to us."
I drank, and returned the flask. I said a final goodbye to my benefactors, and then I strode down the gangplank. From the gangplank, I surveyed the scene before me. Sea birds fluttered overhead; sea birds sat in a neat row atop a lunch-shack; and sea birds perched on the pier's supports. Little birds hopped around the ground eating the crumbs disdained by the sea birds. Vendors cried out to the visitors to take boat tour or coach tour, buy this funny hat or those souvenirs. A cluster of people at the dock's edge threw coins into the water to watch children dive for the money. It was like all sea-side resort towns; busy with the swap of money, and cheerful with the vendors' financial satisfaction, cheerful with the tourist's excitement, cheerful with the children's enthusiastic diving. I was nearing the bottom of the gangplank. The Toelakhan were scuttling towards me. The spaceport was at the other end of the long street. Way above us, a few spacecraft were perched over the holes in the cavern's ceiling.
I heard a screech and angry twitterings. I looked back over my shoulder. The Toelakhan guards were directly behind me, but they were distracted and halted by the flight of a small bird cutting in front of them as it winged swiftly from the pursuit of a much larger sea bird. The small bird screeched, "Toelakhan mothers lay cracked eggs!" in feigned distress.
Pretending bloody intentions towards the little bird, the big bird screamed, "I drop on the Toelakhan!" A large white splat fell from the large bird on the face of a Toelakhan.
I made my way through the crowd down the street towards the spaceport, smiling to myself at my feathered friends' ruse. That Toelakhan would be busy for a few minutes cleaning his face. The other Toelakhan continued their pursuit of me. I reached a large roundabout. In the island of the roundabout was a statue of a sorceress with a bird on her arm and her staff raised to cast a spell. At least a one hundred birds hopped around at the statue's base. The statue itself was laden with birds, and yellow and white droppings streaked the bronze sorceress. The birds were all cooing happily.
When they caught sight of me, they kept the same happy sound to their cooing but added the statement, "Here she is, get ready."
In the next moment the hundred-plus birds flew upwards as though one bird, making the sound of some enormous flapping beast. They flew directly towards me. I dodged to the side of them and ran across the round-about as I heard the cursing, shouting, and even screaming of the Toelakhan engulfed by the birds who, flapping and squawking, surrounded the Toelakhan. The light was suddenly getting much brighter. I looked up and saw a circle of blue sky appearing overhead. A spaceship was taking off. A pink pterodactyl-like bird was circling above me. I knew from my life in Zollocco that featherless birds don't eat insects. They preferred warm-blooded prey, and they always circled before they went in for the kill. I ran.
Claws seized my hair and yanked me into the air. I screamed. I almost dropped my staff in my fright. The pink pterodactyl bird tightened its hold on my hair with one claw and grabbed with the other my clothes and the straps of my basket. I screamed again.
The monstrosity rumbled at me, "I'm not going to drop you."
We soared over the wall of the park and over the houses and stores. I learned that I was afraid of heights. My scalp hurt. I worried the pterodactyl bird might pull out all of my hair.
The pink monstrosity rumbled at me some more, "You had no hope of getting to the spaceport by human means. Look below, you can see all the Toelakhan running around trying to figure out how to get you."
I said, "They might shoot at us."
The pterodactyl rumbled mightily in mirth, "I'm an endangered species. They won't dare to do it here on Aviary Isle in front of all of these citizens of Aridia." The pterodactyl then gave a piercing shriek of pleasure. I lost several decibels of my hearing forever.
I reached up and took a firm hold of the pterodactyl's pink claw to try to hold myself up so my weight would not be supported by my hair. The pterodactyl clutched harder on my clothes and shoulder with his other claw, and then let go off my hair. Now my scalp didn't hurt anymore, but that was because I was so busy thinking about the pain in my shoulder. The pterodactyl took a hold of my entire head with the claw that had released my hair. Now this position, although highly disconcerting, was definitely more comfortable.
Looming to the right of us was a crowded and long line in front of a banner which read "Bird Watch." The pterodactyl circled and began his descent. The ground was rushing up to meet us. I was sure I was going to be smooshed. I screamed many times. The pterodactyl approved of my bird-like behavior and added his screams to my cacophony. With this fanfare of our own making, the rosyhued pterodactyl bird set me gently at the head of the line and then landed himself. Naturally, the crowd parted for us immediately.
I didn't have any money to pay for passage. The pterodactyl was not accustomed to thinking in terms of finances and so did not understand my failure to go through the gate. The crowd around us watched intently. The ticket taker watched me suspiciously. Probably thinking that like a pterodactyl chick I needed a little prodding to leave the nest, the monstrosity butted me towards the gate with his tsquare