‘Now, as soon as a branch touches another branch or main trunk, they join up. In effect, this means that the forest is really one huge tree with lots of main trunks going down to the ground beneath. This gives it tremendous strength, and as they need the light of the greater sun, they keep on growing up to reach it.
‘Another interesting thing, the giants are supposed to have cut down certain trees, and then cut them up to make things, I don’t understand that myself. But then, there are many things about them I don’t understand!’
‘We cut the stave plants to make our staves from, so maybe it was something similar with the giants.’ said Kel.
Mec hid his little grin, this young man was catching on fast. Maybe he was right in his choice, after all.
‘The next story also concerns the giants. They are supposed to have made things, as you do, like the staves, but these things the giants made were huge, and powerful by all accounts. It is said that the things which they made led to their downfall in the end.
‘They are supposed to have flown in the air like some of the flying lizards and the huge birds which live in the top of the forest, but I don’t see how that’s possible. And another strange tale, it is also said that they could float on water, and went great distances on it, but we know that water pools are only quite small really, and can be walked around without much trouble.’
‘As you know, you are limited to making simple things, like gourd cups and bowls, and the staves. Perhaps the taboo against making things comes from the time of the giants. If we make powerful things, maybe we would go the way of the giants.’
‘I don’t see why.’ retorted Kel, suspecting that Mec was going to turn out to be just like the others in the group, no interest in anything new.
‘I don’t see why we shouldn’t make anything which will help us to survive better. There’s always something new threatening us. This new creature under the trackway bark is a good example. If we don’t find a way of getting rid of it, we will be confined to little areas of the forest where it doesn’t want to go, and if enough of them turn up, that’ll leave us no room at all.’ Kel was getting a little cross, and didn’t bother to hide it.
‘But what about the taboo which discourages us from making things?’ asked Mec.
‘To my way of thinking, that’s a load of old superstition, and not really worthy of real consideration.’ replied Kel, really warming up to the argument.
‘It isn’t the things we make which could cause so much trouble, but the people who use them. A stave is just a piece of wood, and a Cutting Knife is just a piece of special stone with a sharp edge, it’s what we do with them that really counts. Perhaps the giants had something like the Wobbly fruit, or something which gave the same effect, and things got out of control.’
Mec was very pleased that Kel took up the argument, and gave as good as he got. He hadn’t been wrong in his estimation of the young lad. Mec decided that now was the right time to tell Kel what he really had in mind all along, and then proceeded to do so.
‘As you may know, we Story Tellers keep in touch with each other, exchanging ideas and knowledge. We are the keepers of the Stories, making sure that they are passed on down through the generations, and kept as pure as possible.
‘As well as dispensing medical herbs to the sick, setting broken bones and trying to enlighten the groups for which we are responsible, it is our duty, or so we feel, to pick out bright young people like yourself, and try to get them to expand the frontiers of our knowledge by exploring the forest and what ever may lie beyond.
‘I have chosen you to be my explorer, to go forth and see what is really out there which we don’t know about, and hopefully bring back that knowledge for the good of all.
‘There is another group like ours, not too far from here, and it has a bright young lad like you who doesn’t like his life as it is. I have arranged for him to visit us after the midday food break, so he should be here soon. I would like you to be friends with him, and see if you think he would make a good companion for you in the future. I can’t see you staying with the group much longer, and the only other thing to do is explore the forest, and for that you will need someone to help you and share in the discoveries you may come across.’
Kel looked surprised, things were moving along a lot faster than he had expected, and the concept of leaving the group for an extended period of time had not occurred to him before. The idea of a companion was a good one, and he felt the better for it.
‘There is one more tale I would like to tell you a little more about. It is to do with the time of the Great Lights. We don’t know what they were or who brought them about, but we think it was something to do with the things which the giants had made, and probably got out of their control.’
‘The stories are very old, and most likely
