Zu Hause IP 19
The boys stood at the bow of the Schip, united in curiosity and sadness. Sad that this trip, this wonderful trip, would soon be over. They were also curious to find what awaited them next, in this the Visser’s second city, and then in the mountain of the Dwarves. Zu Hause, seen from the Schip, seemed very similar and yet completely different than Koenig. The basic plan of the city was similar, but whereas Koenig had backed up against the swamps, Zu Hause was set at the base of the West Ridge Alps.
Seth had only been here once before, and considered it one of the most beautiful places on the island. It was the oldest settlement of the Dwarves, and their terracing was most advanced at this city. The terraces covered almost the entire mountain range in view. The Dwarves used the material they dug out of their mines, material which would otherwise be an unsightly mess, to make their terraces. They intentionally dug everything they could in the shape of square blocks, used these blocks to make walls on the mountainside, and then would fill up the area behind the walls with the rest of the detritus.
As in everything the Dwarves did, the terraces were a work of art. Each family or group responsible for a terrace planted it in their own way. Occasionally some, newly constructed, had the 'bare wall' look, but most of the terraces were covered over with vines, or trees, or even, in a couple of cases, with grass. These coverings were only on the walls, however. The terraces themselves were planted with food crops.
Even the city itself was a work of art. It 'fit in' with the surrounding mountains, a difficult task.
The three boys came down the ramp together, with Wynforr just behind them. The crew had been effusive in their goodbyes, and each boy knew that they were welcome back to that Schip any time. The episode with the islands had put the capstone on what the transformations of Seth and Tristan had started. Tristan’s mind was full of the memories and sensations, and he was looking forward joyfully to their next adventure.
But what he wasn't prepared for, as he chatted with Seth and Mgwan, was for Wynforr to reach up from behind him, tap him on the shoulder, and say, “Elf”… in that language.
“What?” he responded in Visser, confused.
“Elf. We are going to speak Elf now. And you need to transform back.”
“What? Why?” Tristan began, but Seth, who had been following the conversation, said, “Of course,” in Elf.
The three others walked on, chatting in Elf, discussing what they had learnt from the voyage, but Tristan hung back. He was not happy. In fact, he was angry. He didn't want to speak Elf. Specifically, he didn't want to change back into an Elf boy. He was having too much fun. He followed along behind them, nursing his hurt, but his brain was unconsciously collecting the conversation in front of him, “So, why is he upset?”
“Well, of course I cannot say for sure, but my estimation would be that he does not wish to make the transformation back into Elf. If he were in his home environment there would be no difficulty. But in this alien environment, the two ways of seeing the world are competing.”
“What do you see as the principal differences?”
“Well, the one that is predominating right now probably has to do with the gatekeeper function. As an Elf, his gatekeeper will block many of the sensations from communicating directly with his conscious mind. In Visserknap form this is not true. You might say that he has become addicted to these sensations and is not anxious to give them up.”
“Are there corresponding advantages to being an Elf?”
“Oh, in several different ways. Indeed, the gatekeeper itself is an advantage. But it is very different. The gatekeeper organ makes it possible for an Elf, even a Elf boy, to analyze a situation much more accurately than those of other races, who are continually distracted with minor sensory impressions.”
As the conversation continued ahead of him, Tristan engaged in two activities simultaneously. The first was nurturing his grudge; the second was analyzing the data that was presented in the conversation. He compared, unconsciously, the data presented with his record of his own sensations and actions. There was certainly a logical connection. But there were also some missing factors. Soon his conscious mind was also engaged, and he broke quietly into the conversation, “There is a factor you are not taking into account. The Visser race has a much higher social consciousness as well. Thus by abandoning it, I face the fear of 'abandoning', as it were, the relationships that this consciousness has provided.”
“That is a factor that I had, indeed, not taken into account,” Wynforr admitted. “Perhaps because, in my role as Elf, I unconsciously realized that the relationships themselves would not, actually, be destroyed, and so eliminated the subconscious or emotional factors that would remain. Certainly a Visserknap turning back into an Elf could be worried that relationships he had built up during his time as Visserknap could be damaged by his return. Do you think that any of the social sense could be actually learnt, by the Elf brain, and thus maintained?”
“Perhaps, but the immediacy of the social sense will make the reactions much slower, more awkward. Now, it is true that the analytical nature of the Elf brain will permit an increased…” As they walked, and later sat and talked, Seth and Tristan's bodies finished reactivating their gateway organs, and deactivating the Visserknap parts of their brain. It would finish the bulk work that night. There was no hurry. The next day, therefore, three Elves and a Marshman walked up 'The Great Stairway' which led from Zu Hause to the city of the Dwarves.
As they walked, Seth thought over the new message he had received from his Father, the one he had picked up at a hotel in Zu Hause. It said that the attacks on the Dwarves had moderated some. It seemed the Dwarves were using their engineering skills to ‘make it hot’ on any raiders. And the fact that they lived underground, and were now much more aware of the possibility of attack, meant that the raiders were killing almost no one in their raids, but merely causing irrational destruction.
Indeed, while the Dwarf King was still unconvinced, the rural Dwarves understood the difference between the raiders and the King’s troops; and had frequently given information to the latter that had several times enabled the King to surprise groups of raiders.
Another development was afoot, however.
Links
Coming of Age: IP1
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AUG 14
Prologue IP0
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AUG 11
