Chapter 20
The following day, everything was topsy-turvy. Tree Tzemat was bustling with activity. Their guests filled the stairways and dinning hall, were helping in the gardens, and the kitchen was a buzz of activity preparing larger meals. There was much laughter and conversation in the native language that overwhelmed Abe, who he fled to his room. This wasn’t the day to begin his new routine of chores. He’d wait till things settled down in a few days.
He decided instead to begin a personal project that had occurred to him on his way back from Naphor’s.
Rummaging around in the cupboard, he found paper, pen and ink. He pulled the small table and a chair over to his balcony that overlooked the great hall.
He scratched out a title on the fine yellow parchment.
A History of Abraham Talbot of Earth
He stared at the words for quite some time. And then began to write the account of all that had happened to him since landing on Dhriana.
* * * *
After dinner that evening, Abe joined the crowd that meandered its way toward the concert hall. He stood in the wide archway, taking the place in and trying to decide where to sit. There really was no bad seat anywhere in the hall. Abraham chose a place in the back row on one end of the left-hand side of the room. Soon he saw Barney flitting here and there talking to people and scanning the crowd looking for someone. Then he spotted Abe and came bounding up the steps.
“Here you are! May I sit with you?”
“Sure! Said Abe, be my guest!”
“Isn’t it exciting? So many guests and for such a happy occasion.”
There was much chatter and visiting as the place filled up. There was room for everyone, with seats left over.
Then the orchestra and choir began to file out onto the raised platform and everyone stood up and applauded. Last came the conductor and he motioned for everyone to be seated. He turned and addressed the audience in the native language. Barney translated into Abe’s ear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our concert tonight. Welcome to all our friends and family who have come to share this evening with us. We are proud to perform for you tonight, a symphony composed by our own Calhan, son of Rolan. This is his first complete symphonic work and we hope you will enjoy it. It is entitled - - and here Barney hesitated. Oh, I don’t think I know a word in English to convey this to you Abraham. I have to think about it.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay.” Abe whispered.
The conductor faced the orchestra and raised his baton.
The symphony began with one violin. Abraham was not prepared for what was happening. There were notes being played he had never heard before. The melody of the violin was a plaintive one that spoke of heartbreak and longing. Soon other violins began to echo the melody and harmonize with it in such intricate ways that his mind was reeling.
Quite suddenly the full orchestra joined in. He leaned back in his seat, stunned by the power of it. He had never heard anything like this in his life. After about the first five minutes, the choir joined in and he openly began to weep. He had no idea how to explain what was going on with him. It was like seeing a revelation. Suddenly understanding mysteries. Vistas of possibilities opened and the impossible seemed a clear and present promise. When he thought he could stand no more, there would come another movement that raised the level of emotion once more. Time stopped. The music became all.
In the finale the voices fell to a whisper and the other instruments dropped out one by one, and then the violin repeated the plaintive melody from the beginning. And as the last strains echoed through the room, all that remained was a profound silence. He was not the only one overcome with emotion.
The applause began slowly and grew to a roar, when the composer, a young man in his twenties came out on the stage and took a bow. People were crying and laughing and sitting in stunned silence everywhere. Each expressing their own response to what they had heard.
Abraham felt like he would never be the same again. He had been changed by hearing this music. Like being dipped in holy waters of some kind, and he didn’t even believe in holy waters.
Barney sat without moving and for once was quiet. This spoke volumes to Abe. At last, Barney said through tight lips… struggling for control,
“Abraham, I think I will be going to my rooms now. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Okay Barney, you go on, see you tomorrow.”
He scurried off and Abe saw him dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. People were leaving in groups, murmuring quietly now, not wanting to break the spell that the music had woven.
He was trying to comprehend what had just happened to him. He thought about the thousands of recordings of music that had been available to him on Earth. Music pervaded his days back then. He listened to many kinds of music too. For a geek type techno head, he had very eclectic tastes. But he realized now, that he had never really heard that music. It was too easy to take it for granted. To stop it in the middle and go on to something else, or to use it for background noise for whatever else he was doing at the moment. His ability to have music all the time, in any configuration he wanted it, in any combination of styles, had - - and he felt ashamed to admit it, trivialized it.
And further, he had only been to one or two live performances in his life and those had been techno rant concerts where many of the instruments were programmed by computer and other parts were played live by the performers.
This had been. . . living, organic, and he would not be able to play this over and over on a digital player until it lost its power by sheer repetition. This kind of music demanded your complete and total participation. It took its proper place as an almost sacred event. Not as a backdrop for something else. Before his love affair with technology was in full force, there was a time early on in life when he had heard Mozart as the ring tone for someone’s cell phone. He wondered what Mozart would have thought of such a thing. He thought that the guy would be outraged, and rightly so. Abraham had to admit that this was music as it was meant to be heard. In person, with a group, with the musicians present and then remembered with the heart.
He looked around and realized the place was almost empty now. He was about to get up and leave when he saw Kirah coming toward him. He sat back in his chair and waited. She came up solemnly and sat down next to him, the fragrance from the flowers in her hair flowing around him.
“What did you think Abraham?” she asked quietly.
“To tell you the truth, I am almost without words. I have never heard anything to equal it. Ever.”
“It is an exceptional piece even for our world, I must tell you. And we have a long and rich tradition of fine music.”
“I wonder what inspired the composer?”
“I just spoke to him about that.” She said hesitantly.
“What did he say?”
“Well, I know you don’t know much about our religious beliefs, but I will try and make this as simple as possible. Since G’var Daath first grew on our world, we feel that we have come a step closer to God. That He is not as distant and unknowable. Here she stopped, searching for the right words. “We are - - expecting another level of awareness to come, and many of the elders think that the time is soon. This piece of music was about that expected event and the emotions that surround it. I hope that makes sense to you.”
Abe let this sink in. Once more he felt like an outsider. He was so ignorant of religious thought of any kind. He had been raised in a secular household and to be honest, had developed a more than mild contempt for religious types as he grew up. It seemed that those who were against the amazing advances in technology so often were religious. This constantly re-enforced to him that they were off base. It made it doubly easy for him to dismiss their arguments. This contempt was so engrained in Abe that he found it very difficult to even contemplate that there might be something to Marshall’s arguments. Or that those who shared his views might actually have something that he, Abraham, lacked. It’s always hard to entertain the possibility that your enemies might possess knowledge that you do not. And for the first time in his life, a string of thoughts made it through Abe’s incredibly formidable defenses…..What if they are right? What if there IS a God? What if God is REAL?
Even as the thought surfaced, his customary disdain kicked in and his inner voice started to babble….But faith is weak, it’s for the weak minded. It’s a crutch to escape from the realities of the world, a place to hide from progress and the evolution of technology. Don’t take one step in the direction of the Luddites. Unthinkable! Impossible!
But still, the question had been asked and it hung in the air, looming large.
These thoughts raced through his mind in a flash. He didn’t know what to say.
“Well, I don’t know anything about his motivations, but I could never deny that it was an amazing piece of work, and I am glad I was able to hear it.”
She looked at him, seeming to know what was going on with him. He wondered in a short stab of panic if she could read his mind. But then remembered that Naphor had taught him it was wrong, not to mention impolite to do so.
“I think I will go now.” Abe managed to mumble.
“Yes, it’s getting late, and everyone else is gone.”
Sure enough the hall was empty now.
They parted where the staircases went in different directions. An irony that was lost on Abe at the moment.
Chapter 21
The next day Abe knocked on Kirah’s study door. She opened it with a warm smile on her face. “Good morning!” She said. “Did you sleep well?”
“Very well, he answered. I am here for my lessons. Did your father speak to you about them?”
“Yes he did, and I agreed. Please come in.”
“I have a request though before we begin.”
“What is that?”
“Well, I noticed some kind of, I’m not sure, structures? That are far above the fourth level of the apartments. What are those?”
“Oh, you haven’t seen the retreats yet? I didn’t know Father hadn’t taken you there.”
“I think we ran out of time in our tour.” Abe said.
“Well, let’s go see them now shall we?” We can get up to the fourth level from this end of the hallway.”
He followed her out the door and to the left. They climbed several long flights of stairs to a door that opened from a wide landing. She opened it and there along the outer edge of the trunk of the Tree, was a walkway with a solid railing. Every now and then, they would come to a large branch there would be an opening in the railing and you could walk out onto the branch. At the first opportunity, she took one of these branches, although to use that term is misleading as the “branch” was larger than some redwoods he had seen. They walked out and out and took a few turns as the branch divided here and there. Finally they came to a. . .well, it could only be described as a tree house. It was enclosed on three sides. There was an alcove to put bedding, a table and two chairs. Thick branches grew to make a leafy roof. It had railings with vines growing on them. There were a few empty shelves and a cupboard. He noticed a couple of phosphorescents there with the hoods pulled down over them.
“These are retreat places. People come here for solitude. We furnish them with some of our favorite things. Books, art, or projects that they are working on, that sort of thing. You can sleep here if you like when the weather is mild and just be alone. This one is not spoken for. You just have to find one you like that is vacant and you can bring a few of your things here and people will know to look for another one.”
“Mine is on the other side of the Tree. I have used it since I was thirteen. Children aren’t allowed to come here until that age. It’s a great privilege when you are allowed your own private place. Especially at that age when solitude becomes more important to you.”
“If you like this one, it can be yours. You can bring a little something up later on today if you want.”
Abe spoke finally shaking his head. “It seems like the Tree thinks of everything doesn’t it?”
“Well, the way I think of it is, that the One behind G’var Daath thinks of everything. And I thank Him for that.”
Abe didn’t know what to say to that. But he was still impressed.
“I think I’ll take you up on the offer and I’ll bring some things up here later.
Although, I don’t have much, just some clothes and a few papers I have been working on.”
“I’ll tell you what, I will give you a book or two you can put here.”
“Great!”
They retraced their steps and were soon back in her study, where she had a pitcher of some kind of juice and two mugs sitting on a side table. They had a drink and then she started teaching him the Dhrianan alphabet.
They worked the rest of the day, only taking a break for lunch. She set him to copying the letters onto a blackboard. She wrote them out in a large neat hand, and he copied, erased and copied again. While he was occupied, she searched through her books until she found three that satisfied her.
“Take these with you.” She said with a twinkle in her eye. “And don’t be thinking foolish things about being like a child. These are a good place to start.”
She handed him the books. He opened one and found beautifully done illustrations of words that began with letters of the alphabet. They were all original drawings. He was not used to reading anything so fine.
“On my world, this book would be worth a king’s ransom. An original hand written and illustrated book would sell for thousands of dollars. I am afraid something will happen to it. I’ll be afraid I’ll ruin it somehow.”
“Well if a page gets spoiled the book gets taken apart and it is replaced and then rebound. It is a common thing. Look, this page here, she leafed through the pages… this one had to be replaced once when I got berry juice on it one warm day. I was 5 years old at the time. Doven repaired it for me.” She smiled at the memory.
“I will be as careful as I can with it.”
“Books are written to be read. Don’t think about it overmuch Abraham.”
“Thank you. I’m off then to claim my Tree House!”
“Use it in good health, she said, her eyes dancing.”
Suddenly he was overcome with affection for her and almost dared to give her a kiss on the spot. But thought better of it at the last second. And waved goodbye and quickly left the room.
But the moment of hesitation was not lost on Kirah.
She smiled a slow smile, standing alone in her study, and a blush rose to her cheeks.