‘The stones must have come from the forest floor, it’s the only place I know of where they can be found. Someone at some time must have brought them up here, and either forgotten about them, or died. I expect they would be pleased to learn of the good use you have put them to. I think I shall make a string for myself, it could guard the cave entrance for me at the time of the Lesser Sun.’
It was decided that on the morrow, the two travellers would set out on their adventure, first telling their friends in their respective groups what they were going to do. Kel said he didn’t think there was much point in doing that, as no one seemed to care what anyone did in his group, and Moss added that it was much the same in his.
‘Why do you think they are like that?’ asked Kel.
‘It has always been so, at least as far as I know, but every now and then, people like you two turn up and they have a different attitude to life, and that is what makes them special and able to go on the journey I have suggested.’
‘I do wish more people were like you two, we could all survive far better then. The forest is changing and new life forms are appearing, you may not notice it, but I am much older, and I have seen the changes. I can see a time, when as a people, our groups will not be able to take care of themselves, and then they will be no more, and that is sad.’ There was a note of deep sorrowfulness in Mec’s voice.
‘Well, let’s see what we can find,’ said Moss, ‘there may be something out there which will change things. Who knows what we’ll discover. There could be another race of people like us but with a bit more interest in life, and if we can bring the two groups together, it may well benefit us all.’
Mec looked thoughtful for a few moments, and they waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts, and tell them more.
‘According to the old legends, and they are very, very old, there used to be many different races of people in this world, and the differences you would find hard to believe. It is said that they had different coloured skins, some were very tall, while others were short, but I don’t know how their sizes related to ours. It would seem that some were very clever, and they were responsible for all the wondrous things that were made, and we think this lead to their consequent downfall. The clever ones appeared to control the less clever ones, who were quite content to just live a simple life, rather like your own groups, I would think. A lot of the stories were so unbelievable that over time, they were not told any more, at least, that’s what my Story Teller told me.’
Mec paused, as if deciding whether to say any more.
‘There is one story I heard from a Story Teller from another group, when I was young like you, but I find it hard to believe. Long long ago, the clever people made a travelling device which would take them up to the Lesser Sun and they were able to get out and walk about on it!’
‘I know, it’s hard to believe, and I for one think that the story may have been added to over the years in the telling of it, and something else really happened which has been totally forgotten. But then again, it could well be true, as may some of the other seemingly impossible stories. Perhaps you might come across another Story Teller from another group, and then you could get him to relate some of the stories he has.’
‘But if they were so clever, why did they destroy themselves and everything they had made?’ asked a baffled Moss,
‘You are more clever than us, and we are more clever than the other members of our groups, but we wouldn’t destroy what we have, let alone ourselves.’ Kel too, could make little sense of what appeared to have happened so long ago.
‘Perhaps if you meet other Story Tellers, you might get some answers to your questions about the old times, and if you do, I would very much like to know what you find out. But that is enough of the old tales, we have other more important things to talk about.’ Mec was keen to arm his young travellers with all the knowledge he thought might be useful.
They talked on, covering all the possible dangers which Mec thought might be out there in the unexplored world he felt sure existed beyond the confines of the forest. Several more of the old legends were told, each holding some item of interest for the forthcoming expedition, until it was time for the two youngsters to leave for their own groups, and retire for the coming time of the Lesser Sun.
If the truth be known, neither slept too well that night as the level of excitement reached a high point neither of them had ever experienced before, and even Mec found himself going over the things he had said, to make sure everything had been fully covered.
During the hours of darkness Kel’s ‘Tinkle Stones’ sent forth their musical warning notes, and he leapt to his feet from half sleep with the blade tipped stave in his hand. There was nothing there that he could see, just the gentle beams of the Lesser Sun painting the surrounding trees in its silvery light, the only sound being the occasional snore from a group member, deep in sleep and oblivious to the rest of the world.
Kel couldn’t get back to sleep properly, and spent the rest of the night trying to imagine what the next day would hold for them, and would they actually survive ’till the following night.
In this half awake, half dream like
