Previous chapters can be found here:
April 6,12,18,25
May 3,11,16
Chapter 8
Abe’s eyes fluttered open. The light was subdued but he didn’t check things out too thoroughly because the room started spinning. Okay, there’s an easy fix to that problem. Just close the eyes. Right.
“He’s coming around.” He heard a voice near him say quietly.
“Have the basin ready, he may need it.” Said another voice.
Abe opened his eyes in earnest to see who was talking and they were right, he half sat up and vomited into the waiting basin. He collapsed back onto the bed moaning. “My head is splitting…what happened? Where am I?”
“Just rest.” the first voice said and they laid a cool cloth on his forehead.
“Good idea.” Said Abe and went back into oblivion.
The second time he opened his eyes, he remembered everything. He was in his bed in the infirmary. It was very quiet. The light was very low.
“Aeron wasn’t kidding was he?” he spoke aloud to no one in particular.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Oh, hello, it’s you. Sorry, I just…..” Abe gave Aeron a confused stare. “You are speaking English.”
“Yes, an interesting tongue. It seems to have an incredibly large vocabulary too.” Said Aeron
Abe rubbed his temples, which now were only throbbing dully.
“Yep, we borrowed words from everyone in the world. English never met a foreign word it didn’t like. That’s what my professor in college used to say.”
“Professor Whipple, right?”
Abe stared at him, with narrowed eyes. “How did you know that?”
“From our Moheen several hours ago. It’s the middle of the night. Everyone is asleep. I wanted to be here when you woke up. To explain.”
“Moheen?”
“This is our word for merging of the mind.” Answered Aeron.
Abe’s recently scrambled brain was trying to get a grasp on the idea that this guy could know the name of his English professor.
“You mean you know everything about me?”
“Everything. And I want you to know that those things will remain private between you and me. You have my solemn word on that. You see, when we learn Moheen, one of the first steps is to partition our minds so when we share thoughts with another, we only open the areas we choose. You do not have this skill, so I was exposed to everything.
My purpose was to learn your language in its entirety. This was the quickest way to do it. You needed to work with Doven long enough so that we could explain exactly what we were going to do in the Moheen so you wouldn’t feel like you were being… violated. And we wanted your arm to heal and for you to get somewhat comfortable in your surroundings. If you had been frightened when we merged, it would have been unbearable for you, and perhaps even your sanity would have been in jeopardy.”
“I’m thinking it might already be strained to the breaking point now.” Abe said in a rueful voice.
“Now, I want you to know what my plan is. Doven and I will do a Moheen in the morning. I will only allow him to have access to the language portion. He in turn will share with everyone in our colony. Then all of us will be able to speak your language.”
Abe was dumbfounded. He decided to make a confession.
“I have to admit to you that I was frustrated learning with Doven. It was so slow, and I wanted the tools from my world. The computers have translation ability now and I was angry that we had to crawl along with pen and paper like children.”
“There are times when it is useful to do Moheen. But do not underestimate the simple learning skills. They train the mind in other ways. They strengthen discipline and depth of understanding. In these areas a quick merge cannot compare. We make it a habit not to rely too much on this form of communication. Teaching our children in slow increments and with pen and paper and lots of books, develops their minds in more lasting ways than if the understanding was just ‘imparted’. One might become arrogant if one did not have to work to learn.”
“Interesting point.” Actually Abe was making all kinds of comparisons to what Aeron was saying and his own philosophy. His seemed to come up wanting.
“All right, you get some sleep, and I am going to bed too. I would say that by tomorrow at suppertime, you will be able to talk to anyone in the colony, except the children under thirteen. They have not learned the skills necessary as yet. But if they hear their parents speaking a new language they will be learning every day. Good night now, Sleep well.”
“Wait.” Abe said. “Tell me one thing before you go. What is the name of this world?”
“Our world is called Dhriana.” Aeron answered with a smile. Good night.”
Aeron moved quietly out of the room leaving Abe lying awake for quite a while. What an amazing place this was. There was so much to learn. So many questions to ask. And now it could begin.
April 6,12,18,25
May 3,11,16
Chapter 8
Abe’s eyes fluttered open. The light was subdued but he didn’t check things out too thoroughly because the room started spinning. Okay, there’s an easy fix to that problem. Just close the eyes. Right.
“He’s coming around.” He heard a voice near him say quietly.
“Have the basin ready, he may need it.” Said another voice.
Abe opened his eyes in earnest to see who was talking and they were right, he half sat up and vomited into the waiting basin. He collapsed back onto the bed moaning. “My head is splitting…what happened? Where am I?”
“Just rest.” the first voice said and they laid a cool cloth on his forehead.
“Good idea.” Said Abe and went back into oblivion.
The second time he opened his eyes, he remembered everything. He was in his bed in the infirmary. It was very quiet. The light was very low.
“Aeron wasn’t kidding was he?” he spoke aloud to no one in particular.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Oh, hello, it’s you. Sorry, I just…..” Abe gave Aeron a confused stare. “You are speaking English.”
“Yes, an interesting tongue. It seems to have an incredibly large vocabulary too.” Said Aeron
Abe rubbed his temples, which now were only throbbing dully.
“Yep, we borrowed words from everyone in the world. English never met a foreign word it didn’t like. That’s what my professor in college used to say.”
“Professor Whipple, right?”
Abe stared at him, with narrowed eyes. “How did you know that?”
“From our Moheen several hours ago. It’s the middle of the night. Everyone is asleep. I wanted to be here when you woke up. To explain.”
“Moheen?”
“This is our word for merging of the mind.” Answered Aeron.
Abe’s recently scrambled brain was trying to get a grasp on the idea that this guy could know the name of his English professor.
“You mean you know everything about me?”
“Everything. And I want you to know that those things will remain private between you and me. You have my solemn word on that. You see, when we learn Moheen, one of the first steps is to partition our minds so when we share thoughts with another, we only open the areas we choose. You do not have this skill, so I was exposed to everything.
My purpose was to learn your language in its entirety. This was the quickest way to do it. You needed to work with Doven long enough so that we could explain exactly what we were going to do in the Moheen so you wouldn’t feel like you were being… violated. And we wanted your arm to heal and for you to get somewhat comfortable in your surroundings. If you had been frightened when we merged, it would have been unbearable for you, and perhaps even your sanity would have been in jeopardy.”
“I’m thinking it might already be strained to the breaking point now.” Abe said in a rueful voice.
“Now, I want you to know what my plan is. Doven and I will do a Moheen in the morning. I will only allow him to have access to the language portion. He in turn will share with everyone in our colony. Then all of us will be able to speak your language.”
Abe was dumbfounded. He decided to make a confession.
“I have to admit to you that I was frustrated learning with Doven. It was so slow, and I wanted the tools from my world. The computers have translation ability now and I was angry that we had to crawl along with pen and paper like children.”
“There are times when it is useful to do Moheen. But do not underestimate the simple learning skills. They train the mind in other ways. They strengthen discipline and depth of understanding. In these areas a quick merge cannot compare. We make it a habit not to rely too much on this form of communication. Teaching our children in slow increments and with pen and paper and lots of books, develops their minds in more lasting ways than if the understanding was just ‘imparted’. One might become arrogant if one did not have to work to learn.”
“Interesting point.” Actually Abe was making all kinds of comparisons to what Aeron was saying and his own philosophy. His seemed to come up wanting.
“All right, you get some sleep, and I am going to bed too. I would say that by tomorrow at suppertime, you will be able to talk to anyone in the colony, except the children under thirteen. They have not learned the skills necessary as yet. But if they hear their parents speaking a new language they will be learning every day. Good night now, Sleep well.”
“Wait.” Abe said. “Tell me one thing before you go. What is the name of this world?”
“Our world is called Dhriana.” Aeron answered with a smile. Good night.”
Aeron moved quietly out of the room leaving Abe lying awake for quite a while. What an amazing place this was. There was so much to learn. So many questions to ask. And now it could begin.