had enemies. The sails could be operated from the shore by a special transmitter without running the engines.” Sokar bites into a juicy piece of fruit that dribbles down his chin.
“Computerized sailboats? But nothing here is driven by technology. At least nothing I've seen so far.”
“What's
computerized
?” Sokar asks, wiping his chin with his sleeve.
“It's - well – it's hard to explain, but you can operate anything from a computer, even ships, all because of a tiny silicon chip. Do your transmitters use silicon?”
“I never heard of it. I think they used crystal, very special crystal that no longer exists, not since the destruction.”
“What destruction?” David asks, feeling a nervous sense of
deja vu
.
“I don't remember much,” Sokar says, trying to recall painful, but faded memories. “I was very young. My mother died then. And Maati and I came to live with Bianca. After that, all of Coronadus changed. The people stopped striving for money and riches, gave up fighting over things. Everyone gets what they need. Nobody pays for anything, at least not with money. You have to give something in return.”
“You mean like bartering? Give someone food in exchange for clothes or mowing the lawn?”
“Yes. And if you have nothing to give, you give of yourself in some way.”
“That's why Rami gave me the Wind Rose,” David muses aloud. “I wonder what he thought I could give him in return.”
David takes out his compass and holds it up. “Do you know what our nautical position is, Sokar?”
Sokar cackles a laugh. “What are you doing with that thing?”
“Bianca says this compass is wind driven. I want to see if it really works.”
“It won't work in Coronadus. There's no wind. Ever.”
“What do you mean there's no wind?”
Now Sokar bursts out with a heartier laugh. “Bianca was right.”
“What do you – Oh, yeah,” David says sheepishly, restraining himself from asking that question. “Well, you guys are always giving me mysterious answers that I can never understand. Anyway, there has to be wind out here if the boats in your harbor set sail.”
“But that's why they don't set sail. At least, that's one reason they don't anymore.”
“You mean all those boats in the shed are never used?”
Sokar shakes his head with impatience. “Well, they can't go if there is no power for the engines and no wind for the sails.”
“I'll bet I can make the Wind Rose work. Watch this.” David opens his pouch of crystals and removes the little Singer. Instantly, the Wind Rose spins to SSE and holds its position.
Sokar is shocked and moves to look closer at the compass. “How did you do that?”
“It's my Singer crystal. It did it before, too. It shook your Mom up and she said to never let anyone know.” David looks out over the water toward the compass direction. Suddenly he stands straight up in the boat almost tipping it over.
“Sokar, look! Out there!”
Puzzled, Sokar peers toward the open sea. It takes a moment for his brain to absorb what his eyes witness. “I don't believe it. A ship. A ship is coming!”
In seconds, the wind builds up from dead still to a gale force. The picnic basket goes flying and Sokar almost falls out of the boat when he instinctively grabs for it. But as the ship comes closer, Sokar forgets the basket and gawks at the splendid sight before him. The dazzling clipper ship's sails are full blown, her crystal masts sparkle and glisten in the sunlight, and she moves with elegance and grace atop the water.
Unsteady on his feet, Sokar rises to stand next to David. “I must be dreaming,” he whispers. “Am I dreaming?”
The magnificent clipper is, indeed, the stuff of dreams, but for David she is very real. “No, Sokar. You're not. It's her!” David says, almost delirious with relief and joy. “She's here! She's here. Now I can go home.”
The Moon Singer stops and holds her position a few hundred yards away. The wind dies down just as quickly
“Computerized sailboats? But nothing here is driven by technology. At least nothing I've seen so far.”
“What's
computerized
?” Sokar asks, wiping his chin with his sleeve.
“It's - well – it's hard to explain, but you can operate anything from a computer, even ships, all because of a tiny silicon chip. Do your transmitters use silicon?”
“I never heard of it. I think they used crystal, very special crystal that no longer exists, not since the destruction.”
“What destruction?” David asks, feeling a nervous sense of
deja vu
.
“I don't remember much,” Sokar says, trying to recall painful, but faded memories. “I was very young. My mother died then. And Maati and I came to live with Bianca. After that, all of Coronadus changed. The people stopped striving for money and riches, gave up fighting over things. Everyone gets what they need. Nobody pays for anything, at least not with money. You have to give something in return.”
“You mean like bartering? Give someone food in exchange for clothes or mowing the lawn?”
“Yes. And if you have nothing to give, you give of yourself in some way.”
“That's why Rami gave me the Wind Rose,” David muses aloud. “I wonder what he thought I could give him in return.”
David takes out his compass and holds it up. “Do you know what our nautical position is, Sokar?”
Sokar cackles a laugh. “What are you doing with that thing?”
“Bianca says this compass is wind driven. I want to see if it really works.”
“It won't work in Coronadus. There's no wind. Ever.”
“What do you mean there's no wind?”
Now Sokar bursts out with a heartier laugh. “Bianca was right.”
“What do you – Oh, yeah,” David says sheepishly, restraining himself from asking that question. “Well, you guys are always giving me mysterious answers that I can never understand. Anyway, there has to be wind out here if the boats in your harbor set sail.”
“But that's why they don't set sail. At least, that's one reason they don't anymore.”
“You mean all those boats in the shed are never used?”
Sokar shakes his head with impatience. “Well, they can't go if there is no power for the engines and no wind for the sails.”
“I'll bet I can make the Wind Rose work. Watch this.” David opens his pouch of crystals and removes the little Singer. Instantly, the Wind Rose spins to SSE and holds its position.
Sokar is shocked and moves to look closer at the compass. “How did you do that?”
“It's my Singer crystal. It did it before, too. It shook your Mom up and she said to never let anyone know.” David looks out over the water toward the compass direction. Suddenly he stands straight up in the boat almost tipping it over.
“Sokar, look! Out there!”
Puzzled, Sokar peers toward the open sea. It takes a moment for his brain to absorb what his eyes witness. “I don't believe it. A ship. A ship is coming!”
In seconds, the wind builds up from dead still to a gale force. The picnic basket goes flying and Sokar almost falls out of the boat when he instinctively grabs for it. But as the ship comes closer, Sokar forgets the basket and gawks at the splendid sight before him. The dazzling clipper ship's sails are full blown, her crystal masts sparkle and glisten in the sunlight, and she moves with elegance and grace atop the water.
Unsteady on his feet, Sokar rises to stand next to David. “I must be dreaming,” he whispers. “Am I dreaming?”
The magnificent clipper is, indeed, the stuff of dreams, but for David she is very real. “No, Sokar. You're not. It's her!” David says, almost delirious with relief and joy. “She's here! She's here. Now I can go home.”
The Moon Singer stops and holds her position a few hundred yards away. The wind dies down just as quickly
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