smile as she twisted to embrace him. “I am the Shen-Ma,” she said. “It will take more than that to be rid of me now.”
“The Shen…” Terlikk and Lam spoke at once, in wonder.
The young woman nodded mischievously.
“Then,” Terlikk said, “The Shen-Ma was not killed?”
She shook her head.
“She passed.”
“But how did she pass on?” Lam asked.
Ch’kara fully giggled now as Terlikk solved her game. “The Shen-Ma did pass on,” he said, “But furthermore, she passed — to Ch’kara!”
She lowered her eyes and sighed. “I grew very close to her in the short time I had with her, and am heartbroken she is no longer with us,” she looked up and met Lam’s eyes. “But one thing I do know is there are greater things to be done. When Lam embraced who he was, and what he came to do, I felt all else click into place as well. I knew then that I, too, was ready for what I am here to do.”
“And what is that?” asked Lam. She merely smiled and stared into the distance.
“Well, I imagine we’ll all find out soon enough,” her uncle said. “Why don’t you go see if the others need any assistance, Lam, and let us discuss some of our family matters. We’ve lost so much…”
Lam bowed as they had in the grove field, and left them to their talk. His eyes went immediately to the skies as he exited the cave. The cloud was still not overhead. Where had they gone? Why had The Remnant abandoned him, especially now that he remembered and accepted he had come from them?
He wandered deeper in the forest. When he thought he had gone far enough from the others, he climbed to the top of a tree and shouted into the sky, “WHERE ARE YOU? WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME? WHY DO I NO LONGER HAVE YOUR SUPPORT??”
Tears welled in his eyes as a mixture of sadness and anger boiled in his stomach. He felt utterly alone. He had Ch’kara, who seemed as if she intended to stay with him, but still, he was different. He could not shake the sinking feeling that he would always be alone in that way.
“SHOW YOURSELVES!!” he screamed as the anger once again reached a peak.
No response was given.
Lam climbed back to the ground, and headed back toward the cave in both disgust and a new resolve.
He was a member of The Remnant, a Cherisher from another star system. It was not only his duty to carry on the memory and knowledge of his people, it was expected of him. If the others of The Remnant had now left, then the entire fate of his society rested completely on him. He would transfer all the knowledge he had to the village remnant, and merge the customs of the two. His people would live on among these people.
Ch’kara met him a short distance from the camp. She stood looking tall and strong, completely refreshed. In her right hand she held a walking stick the height of her head.
They stood facing each other silently for a few moments, communicating with their eyes in almost the same way he had communicated with the others in the cloud. A calmness and understanding seemed to pass between them, and Lam felt a bond unmistakably present.
Finally, he motioned toward her walking stick. “You are the new Shen-Ma then,” he said. “That is very much like the one the old Shen-Ma had.”
“I am the Shen-Ma, Lam, and yet I am also still Ch’kara.” She reached out and laid her palm to his cheek. “Her essence passed to me. I bear her memories as well.”
Images of the cherishing he and the others had done within his own society flashed through Lam’s mind. The collecting of knowledge for the purpose of carrying on that knowledge seemed similar to what Ch’kara was saying had been done here.
He simply smiled in understanding as she took his arm, and together they walked toward the cave.
“You know it will be dangerous,” Ch’kara said just before they reached the cave. Lam stopped and looked at her. “To go back, for any reason.”
He chuckled that she had read his mind just as the Shen-Ma used to, but nodded. “I
“The Shen…” Terlikk and Lam spoke at once, in wonder.
The young woman nodded mischievously.
“Then,” Terlikk said, “The Shen-Ma was not killed?”
She shook her head.
“She passed.”
“But how did she pass on?” Lam asked.
Ch’kara fully giggled now as Terlikk solved her game. “The Shen-Ma did pass on,” he said, “But furthermore, she passed — to Ch’kara!”
She lowered her eyes and sighed. “I grew very close to her in the short time I had with her, and am heartbroken she is no longer with us,” she looked up and met Lam’s eyes. “But one thing I do know is there are greater things to be done. When Lam embraced who he was, and what he came to do, I felt all else click into place as well. I knew then that I, too, was ready for what I am here to do.”
“And what is that?” asked Lam. She merely smiled and stared into the distance.
“Well, I imagine we’ll all find out soon enough,” her uncle said. “Why don’t you go see if the others need any assistance, Lam, and let us discuss some of our family matters. We’ve lost so much…”
Lam bowed as they had in the grove field, and left them to their talk. His eyes went immediately to the skies as he exited the cave. The cloud was still not overhead. Where had they gone? Why had The Remnant abandoned him, especially now that he remembered and accepted he had come from them?
He wandered deeper in the forest. When he thought he had gone far enough from the others, he climbed to the top of a tree and shouted into the sky, “WHERE ARE YOU? WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME? WHY DO I NO LONGER HAVE YOUR SUPPORT??”
Tears welled in his eyes as a mixture of sadness and anger boiled in his stomach. He felt utterly alone. He had Ch’kara, who seemed as if she intended to stay with him, but still, he was different. He could not shake the sinking feeling that he would always be alone in that way.
“SHOW YOURSELVES!!” he screamed as the anger once again reached a peak.
No response was given.
Lam climbed back to the ground, and headed back toward the cave in both disgust and a new resolve.
He was a member of The Remnant, a Cherisher from another star system. It was not only his duty to carry on the memory and knowledge of his people, it was expected of him. If the others of The Remnant had now left, then the entire fate of his society rested completely on him. He would transfer all the knowledge he had to the village remnant, and merge the customs of the two. His people would live on among these people.
Ch’kara met him a short distance from the camp. She stood looking tall and strong, completely refreshed. In her right hand she held a walking stick the height of her head.
They stood facing each other silently for a few moments, communicating with their eyes in almost the same way he had communicated with the others in the cloud. A calmness and understanding seemed to pass between them, and Lam felt a bond unmistakably present.
Finally, he motioned toward her walking stick. “You are the new Shen-Ma then,” he said. “That is very much like the one the old Shen-Ma had.”
“I am the Shen-Ma, Lam, and yet I am also still Ch’kara.” She reached out and laid her palm to his cheek. “Her essence passed to me. I bear her memories as well.”
Images of the cherishing he and the others had done within his own society flashed through Lam’s mind. The collecting of knowledge for the purpose of carrying on that knowledge seemed similar to what Ch’kara was saying had been done here.
He simply smiled in understanding as she took his arm, and together they walked toward the cave.
“You know it will be dangerous,” Ch’kara said just before they reached the cave. Lam stopped and looked at her. “To go back, for any reason.”
He chuckled that she had read his mind just as the Shen-Ma used to, but nodded. “I
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