'Let me tell you a story about a strange experience I've had', said Tuck, putting down his cup of goat's milk.
The rest of the unit heaved a collective sigh. Tuck's stories were the worst. They were always long, slow tales from his time at the monastery, interspersed with obscure eschatological jokes. Which he would explain dutifully if not everyone had laughed.
'Oh oh guys!', Chipak interrupted desperately, 'Did you hear the one about the magic rope that was terrible at debating? It tied itself into knots. Hahaha well will you look at the time? Yawwwwn time for bed eh fellas?'
'We haven't even dined yet.', pointed out Gul'dan. He hadn't listened to one of Tuck's stories before.
So Tuck began his tale.
'I had been sent to the forest of Mamui to collect a herb. Brother Cust had fallen gravely ill. Brother Solmyk said that the herb that could cure him grew deep inside forests. I volunteered to bring it. Mamui was the closest large forest to us, but it was still far. Our monastery was in the dry, dusty province of Pariniz. The forest was at the border of Pariniz and the green, agricultural county of Soliniz.'
' I passed through Soliniz quite recently', said Gul'dan ' Quite dry and desolate it looked.'
Tuck didn't seem to have heard him. 'It took two days to reach the forest.' he continued, 'First I took a bullock cart from Kemam to Paripata. That is thirty three miles. But from Paripata to Mamui there was no straightforward way. So I went to Somam which is fifteen miles away from..'
'Wow Tuck I I'm almost giddy with suspense with your fascinating tale!' interjected Chipak, 'I can tell this will be a mighty fine story and not dull at all. But sorry sorry, pray continue. You said you had reached this forest.'
'No, so I first went to Somam' said Tuck and went on to first his journey to Mamui and then the flora and fauna of the forest in minute details even as Chipak felt he would die of boredom.
'After entering the forest, I had to walk for an hour and a half to reach the hilly area where the herb grew. I climbed up and, with the help of the drawing brother Solmyk had given me, managed to locate the herb. I filled my satchel with it. I was about to head back but then I thought, who knows when I will come here again? Let me spend a little more time exploring this place.'
'At the time, brother Solmyk had been teaching me about herbs and their uses. I tried to find the herbs that I had learned about. Whenever I saw something that could be useful or something I could not recognize I took some of it with me. You know, when I went back I had so many herbs with me brother Solmyk joked that he was glad I hadn't brought the entire hill like you know who, haha!'
Gul'dan was about to ask who but Marlowe swiftly elbowed him in his ribs and cut in
'Ha ha ha what a riot that brother Solmyk!' Everyone laughed manically.
'Who..larious. Very funny!' said Gul'dan, quickly catching on.
Pleased with the reaction to his joke, Tuck continued.
'Now I will tell you about the strange experience that I had. While collecting herbs on the hills I found a cave. I was about to pass it by. Dangerous animals could be inside, after all. But then I heard a strange sound from inside. It sounded like the pitter-patter of rain! I wondered what was going on.'
'I decided to look inside. It was completely dark and I couldn't see a thing. But the sound of rainfall grew clearer. The smell of rain soaked earth was unmistakable. I left my satchel outside and stepped in. Sure enough, it was raining inside the cave!'
Chipak and Marlowe looked at each other. This didn't seem like a typical Tuck tale, this sounded actually interesting. Even Ea, who till then had been daydreaming about Nissa Ben Naga and her fighting enemies together seemed to wake up suddenly. 'Were there clouds inside the cave?' She asked.
'I couldn't see.' replied Tuck, 'It was too dark. I thought I should leave as my clothes were getting soaked. But my curiosity got the better of me. I decided to stay for a bit and try to find out what was going on.'
'A little later my eyes and ears became accustomed to the darkness and the sounds of rainfall. I still couldn't see much but I could hear something. There was a sound coming from deep inside the cave. It sounded like someone sighing or breathing heavily. I tried to walk towards the source of the sound.'
'Strangely, the deeper I walked inside the cave the heavier the rain became. If I walked back towards the entrance it would become light again. Anyway, I kept walking although it soon became extremely difficult to do so. I was drenched.'
'I managed to get quite close to the where the sighs where coming from. It seemed right before me, although I couldn't see what or who it was. I reached out. My hands touched something. Suddenly I was overcome with strange visions. I fell down.'
'What visions?' everyone in the group gasped.
'I saw vast green fields.' replied Tuck, 'I saw harvests. I saw groups of people dancing. As I saw these my heart became filled with strange feelings that I had never felt before. I felt glory. I felt deep loneliness. I felt powerful. I felt powerless and incredibly sad. I felt some emotions which I cannot describe in words. Then finally, I started feeling a strange detachment from everything'
'I lay there feeling detached and getting drenched for a while. Then my sense returned to me and I ran for my life. I ran out of the cave, collected my satchel and headed back to the human world.'
Tuck paused to sip his drink. The group wondered if there was a twist in the tale.
'Returning from Mamui to the monastery is even trickier than getting there. You have to take a different route. First you have to go to the town of Mamuk-ok which is forteen miles..'
'Ouch my leg, my leg! Some insect seems to have bitten me! Alas!', shouted Chipak and scampered away on one leg with the apparent intention of tending to the other.
'I think I heard a horse calling me! Great story, Tuck.' said Ea and promptly disappeared.
'Yes, great story Tuck.' said Marlowe, ' Uh, I better check what happened to Chipak's leg.'
'Umm' said Gul'dan, unable to come up with an excuse.
Tuck looked at him and smiled. Here, he felt, was someone who would love to hear more about the details of his travel from Mamuk-ok to the monastery. He proceeded to describe them to Gul'dan.
------------------------------------------
'I wonder what was special about the cave?' asked Ea, after recounting Tuck's story to Nissa Ben Naga, 'I feel like you know the answer. Do you really?'
Nissa remained silent for a moment before speaking. 'Tuck lived in Pariniz, yes. It's a dry, barren land. Did he tell you that the forest he went to divides Pariniz from the neighbouring province of Soliniz?' She asked.
'Yes, he did. He also said Soliniz was a prosperous agricultural province. But Gul'dan said that when he traveled there it was dry and desolate.' Ea replied.
'Pariniz and Soliniz. Same soil, same climate, same everything. Yet one was barren and the other was fertile, yes.' said Nissa Ben Naga, 'Why do you think this was so?'
Ea thought about this for while. 'Rain God?' She finally asked.
'Smart kid. Yes, there was a Rain God in Soliniz. His name was Saparo. He was the reason behind Soliniz's prosperity, yes.' said Nissa, 'Now do you understand what your friend saw?'
Ea's eyes opened wide. 'Oh!' she said, 'Oh.'
'Yes.' said Nissa, 'I think so. When Saparo knew his time on this earth was coming to an end, he went to that cave to die. Gods always do that, yes. They don't want anyone to see them in their moments of weakness and disease. They often lose control over their powers then.'
'Is that why it was raining inside the cave? Saparo had lost control over his powers?' asked Ea
'Perhaps. Or perhaps he wanted to go out with one last rain. He had been close to his end. I believe when your friend touched Saparo he somehow peeked into his mind. He saw the harvests and rain dances and he felt the glory and the power and finally, the detachment, yes.' said Nissa, 'That is what happened. Your friend Tuck unknowingly sat at the deathbed of a dying Rain God.'
The rest of the unit heaved a collective sigh. Tuck's stories were the worst. They were always long, slow tales from his time at the monastery, interspersed with obscure eschatological jokes. Which he would explain dutifully if not everyone had laughed.
'Oh oh guys!', Chipak interrupted desperately, 'Did you hear the one about the magic rope that was terrible at debating? It tied itself into knots. Hahaha well will you look at the time? Yawwwwn time for bed eh fellas?'
'We haven't even dined yet.', pointed out Gul'dan. He hadn't listened to one of Tuck's stories before.
So Tuck began his tale.
'I had been sent to the forest of Mamui to collect a herb. Brother Cust had fallen gravely ill. Brother Solmyk said that the herb that could cure him grew deep inside forests. I volunteered to bring it. Mamui was the closest large forest to us, but it was still far. Our monastery was in the dry, dusty province of Pariniz. The forest was at the border of Pariniz and the green, agricultural county of Soliniz.'
' I passed through Soliniz quite recently', said Gul'dan ' Quite dry and desolate it looked.'
Tuck didn't seem to have heard him. 'It took two days to reach the forest.' he continued, 'First I took a bullock cart from Kemam to Paripata. That is thirty three miles. But from Paripata to Mamui there was no straightforward way. So I went to Somam which is fifteen miles away from..'
'Wow Tuck I I'm almost giddy with suspense with your fascinating tale!' interjected Chipak, 'I can tell this will be a mighty fine story and not dull at all. But sorry sorry, pray continue. You said you had reached this forest.'
'No, so I first went to Somam' said Tuck and went on to first his journey to Mamui and then the flora and fauna of the forest in minute details even as Chipak felt he would die of boredom.
'After entering the forest, I had to walk for an hour and a half to reach the hilly area where the herb grew. I climbed up and, with the help of the drawing brother Solmyk had given me, managed to locate the herb. I filled my satchel with it. I was about to head back but then I thought, who knows when I will come here again? Let me spend a little more time exploring this place.'
'At the time, brother Solmyk had been teaching me about herbs and their uses. I tried to find the herbs that I had learned about. Whenever I saw something that could be useful or something I could not recognize I took some of it with me. You know, when I went back I had so many herbs with me brother Solmyk joked that he was glad I hadn't brought the entire hill like you know who, haha!'
Gul'dan was about to ask who but Marlowe swiftly elbowed him in his ribs and cut in
'Ha ha ha what a riot that brother Solmyk!' Everyone laughed manically.
'Who..larious. Very funny!' said Gul'dan, quickly catching on.
Pleased with the reaction to his joke, Tuck continued.
'Now I will tell you about the strange experience that I had. While collecting herbs on the hills I found a cave. I was about to pass it by. Dangerous animals could be inside, after all. But then I heard a strange sound from inside. It sounded like the pitter-patter of rain! I wondered what was going on.'
'I decided to look inside. It was completely dark and I couldn't see a thing. But the sound of rainfall grew clearer. The smell of rain soaked earth was unmistakable. I left my satchel outside and stepped in. Sure enough, it was raining inside the cave!'
Chipak and Marlowe looked at each other. This didn't seem like a typical Tuck tale, this sounded actually interesting. Even Ea, who till then had been daydreaming about Nissa Ben Naga and her fighting enemies together seemed to wake up suddenly. 'Were there clouds inside the cave?' She asked.
'I couldn't see.' replied Tuck, 'It was too dark. I thought I should leave as my clothes were getting soaked. But my curiosity got the better of me. I decided to stay for a bit and try to find out what was going on.'
'A little later my eyes and ears became accustomed to the darkness and the sounds of rainfall. I still couldn't see much but I could hear something. There was a sound coming from deep inside the cave. It sounded like someone sighing or breathing heavily. I tried to walk towards the source of the sound.'
'Strangely, the deeper I walked inside the cave the heavier the rain became. If I walked back towards the entrance it would become light again. Anyway, I kept walking although it soon became extremely difficult to do so. I was drenched.'
'I managed to get quite close to the where the sighs where coming from. It seemed right before me, although I couldn't see what or who it was. I reached out. My hands touched something. Suddenly I was overcome with strange visions. I fell down.'
'What visions?' everyone in the group gasped.
'I saw vast green fields.' replied Tuck, 'I saw harvests. I saw groups of people dancing. As I saw these my heart became filled with strange feelings that I had never felt before. I felt glory. I felt deep loneliness. I felt powerful. I felt powerless and incredibly sad. I felt some emotions which I cannot describe in words. Then finally, I started feeling a strange detachment from everything'
'I lay there feeling detached and getting drenched for a while. Then my sense returned to me and I ran for my life. I ran out of the cave, collected my satchel and headed back to the human world.'
Tuck paused to sip his drink. The group wondered if there was a twist in the tale.
'Returning from Mamui to the monastery is even trickier than getting there. You have to take a different route. First you have to go to the town of Mamuk-ok which is forteen miles..'
'Ouch my leg, my leg! Some insect seems to have bitten me! Alas!', shouted Chipak and scampered away on one leg with the apparent intention of tending to the other.
'I think I heard a horse calling me! Great story, Tuck.' said Ea and promptly disappeared.
'Yes, great story Tuck.' said Marlowe, ' Uh, I better check what happened to Chipak's leg.'
'Umm' said Gul'dan, unable to come up with an excuse.
Tuck looked at him and smiled. Here, he felt, was someone who would love to hear more about the details of his travel from Mamuk-ok to the monastery. He proceeded to describe them to Gul'dan.
------------------------------------------
'I wonder what was special about the cave?' asked Ea, after recounting Tuck's story to Nissa Ben Naga, 'I feel like you know the answer. Do you really?'
Nissa remained silent for a moment before speaking. 'Tuck lived in Pariniz, yes. It's a dry, barren land. Did he tell you that the forest he went to divides Pariniz from the neighbouring province of Soliniz?' She asked.
'Yes, he did. He also said Soliniz was a prosperous agricultural province. But Gul'dan said that when he traveled there it was dry and desolate.' Ea replied.
'Pariniz and Soliniz. Same soil, same climate, same everything. Yet one was barren and the other was fertile, yes.' said Nissa Ben Naga, 'Why do you think this was so?'
Ea thought about this for while. 'Rain God?' She finally asked.
'Smart kid. Yes, there was a Rain God in Soliniz. His name was Saparo. He was the reason behind Soliniz's prosperity, yes.' said Nissa, 'Now do you understand what your friend saw?'
Ea's eyes opened wide. 'Oh!' she said, 'Oh.'
'Yes.' said Nissa, 'I think so. When Saparo knew his time on this earth was coming to an end, he went to that cave to die. Gods always do that, yes. They don't want anyone to see them in their moments of weakness and disease. They often lose control over their powers then.'
'Is that why it was raining inside the cave? Saparo had lost control over his powers?' asked Ea
'Perhaps. Or perhaps he wanted to go out with one last rain. He had been close to his end. I believe when your friend touched Saparo he somehow peeked into his mind. He saw the harvests and rain dances and he felt the glory and the power and finally, the detachment, yes.' said Nissa, 'That is what happened. Your friend Tuck unknowingly sat at the deathbed of a dying Rain God.'
