A Planet Made of Music

Story by Alquin Gliane

Illustrations by Anait Semirdzhyan

Chapter 1 Mark

Wind blew through Sabrina’s hair as she looked for a place to sit on the rocks of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Looking out, she saw the white sails of tiny sailboats in the sparkling waves. The sun’s reflection was so bright, it hurt her eyes.

Sabrina sat down and opened her heart to the ocean’s rhythm. The crashing waves seemed moody today despite the bright sunshine. She unslung Jolie from her back and nested the guitar between her crossed legs. She began strumming in A minor, the music swelling and receding with the waves.

Looking down, she saw a familiar figure make its way across the sand, just beyond the reach of the lapping tide. Dressed only in red swim shorts and sneakers, the youth ran across the shore. He looked up, at the sky above the horizon. Most runners kept their eyes on the ground when they ran, mindful of hazards in their path. Some looked ahead. But her brother looked up, and she loved him for that.

He’s a natural, she thought, watching his effortless form. His running is as easy and rhythmic as the ocean tide. Why does he look up? she wondered. Isn’t he afraid he’ll step or trip on something? And what is he looking at? What does he see?

On the shore, Mark kept time in his head. Inhale: one, two. Exhale: one, two, three, four. Inhale: one, two. Exhale: one, two, three, four. Repeat. He ran a good pace along the sand, hewing to the water’s edge. He enjoyed running on the beach more than any of his other routes. It felt like he was one with the sand, water, and wind.

Mark had joined his high school cross country team in the fall of last year. It was the only one on Islandtown, but it had a fair amount of talent. His coach said he had a pretty good stride and that with some practice, he might be able to make varsity in his second year.

One, two. One, two, three, four.

Besides running, Mark also loved sailing. He still remembered when his grandfather first took him out on his sailboat when Mark was three. The waves, the solitude, the stars. Oh the stars! The night sky mesmerized him.

And now he couldn’t believe his luck! His uncle said they would build a sailboat this summer! Since then the only things on his mind were getting better at running, and being out in the water, in his very own sailboat! His heart beat stronger, and his pace quickened. Making a left at the end of the beach, Mark headed home.

Bounding up the stairs three at a time, Mark made a beeline for the bathroom. He shucked off his shoes, shorts, and shirt, then stepped into the shower. The warm flowing water and soap lather felt good over his face, skin, and body. He inhaled deeply the lavender smell of the soap. He thought of his run---6 miles at about a 7 minute pace. Not bad, but he wanted to get down to a 6 minute pace. He would have to work harder. Run faster on shorter distances and then build up the distance at the faster pace. He scrubbed harder and faster.

While drying up and putting on fresh clothes - khaki shorts and a white t-shirt, he glanced at the wall clock. It was 8:00 a.m. on the dot. His mom must have just left for work. He glided down the stairs and veered right towards the kitchen, the source of the smell of banana nut bread.

“Is anything better than homemade bread?” he thought to himself as he stuffed large pieces into his mouth, downing each mouthful with milk. Then he headed to the garage where his sailboat was taking shape.

His uncle had measured the wood pieces for the bottom of the boat. It was cedar wood, and Mark liked its smell. He set to cutting out the pieces using the circular saw and the work bench. After putting on his safety equipment – goggles, apron, and work gloves, he set to work. His saw roared and sliced through the wood, spraying sawdust all over and generating a burnt wood odor.

Omar came out of the house and approached the garage. Barefoot and dressed in yellow shorts and a white undershirt, he silently watched his older brother work.

“Can I help?” asked Omar when the saw stopped roaring.

Mark looked up and saw his brother. “No, Omar, this is too dangerous. Maybe later when we start painting.”

“OK.” The younger brother turned around and walked back into the house. When Mark later came in for a break, Omar was building a tower made of Tinker Toys. It was a tall skyscraper, with a yellow flag at the top.

It’s leaning a little, Omar,” Mark commented, his head tilted at the same angle as the tower.

“Yeah, I know. But I’m afraid if I try to fix it the whole thing will go down. But look how tall it is!”

“Yeah,” Mark nodded. “Not bad,” he said over his shoulder, on his way to the refrigerator.

As Mark grabbed the milk it occurred to him that he hadn’t seen Sabrina at all this morning.

“I wonder where she is?” thought Mark. “Probably somewhere playing Jolie.” She sure sounds good on that guitar, Mark thought, as he pinched off another piece of banana bread. Not realizing he was doing it, he started humming a tune he had heard Sabrina playing the last few days.   

Chapter 2   Starlight

Mark continued working on his boat. 

For the wood, his Uncle Dan had cut down 3 cedar trees.  There were plenty on the island.  Following the measurements from a diagram they had sent out for from a boating magazine for $25, they cut up the different parts of the sail boat:  the bottom, the sides, the seat, the rudder, and the mast.  Mark’s uncle taught him how to use the circular saw, always being careful to use the guard and the work bench properly.  Then they joined some pieces with gussets; others with pegs, nails and glue.  In order to get the sides to bend, they clamped pieces to forming braces and let them stay that way over several nights.  It took them the whole summer to make the boat.  The work was tiring, but Mark could see the progress they were making every day.  The boat kept getting closer and closer to being finished, and as he worked he pictured the finished boat in full sail out on the ocean, he at the rudder. 

The craft measured 14’ long and over 6’ wide.  The mast stood 10’ tall.  There was no cabin, but two  benches stretching across the boat provide comfortable seating for four adults. 

When the structure was completed, Mark painted the exterior of the hull a light blue and the inside trim white.  Omar, who was allowed to help, painstakingly painted the benches.  Mark was pleased with his brother’s handiwork.  Sabrina painted large yellow and gold fish on the sides.  She positioned the wriggling creatures so that when the boat was in water, it looked like the painted fish were jumping out of the water.  Sabrina also painted the name of the boat on the flattened rear of the vessel. 

Uncle Dan did most of the work in making the mast, for which he needed long sections of “clean” cedar, free of knots.  These were sawed then milled to form three long staves, which he glued together to form the mast.  Mark helped his uncle fix and bolt the mast to the bottom of the boat.  For the sail, his uncle bought swaths of bright yellow polyester and Mark’s mom cut and sewed them to size, according to their sailboat diagram.

By the end of August, the sailboat was finished.  The whole family prepared to go to the ocean shore  the next Saturday for the boat’s maiden voyage.  They borrowed a hitch from their neighbor to bring the boat to the dock area. 

The day of the launch was cloudy and gray.  The wind blew, making the water choppy.  Omar feared  the boat might take in water on its first outing.  When they set the boat on the water and it stayed afloat, everyone cheered.  Then Mark, Uncle Dan, Sabrina, and Omar all climbed in.  Mom claimed she was afraid of the rocking.  The boat remained afloat after everyone boarded and everybody cheered again.  Uncle Dan proclaimed “Starlight” a seaworthy vessel.  Mom brought out some chicken sandwiches from her basket, which they ate on the dock bench as they viewed and appreciated the sailboat they had made.  Fizzy orange soda, Omar’s favorite, completed their lunch. 

Mark loved sailing at night, when the stars were out.  The bright needlepoints of color that glittered against the black sky beckoned to him.  He looked up at them for hours, thinking how far they were, wondering if there was another boy, just like him, a million miles away, doing the same thing he was and gazing at the sky in his direction.

Mark liked being by himself, reflecting, and sailing at night was the perfect way to do that.  Omar often asked to accompany him if he found out he was sailing.  If he said no, Omar whined terribly.  Mark usually relented because he wanted to be a good brother.  One night, Sabrina surprised him by asking if she could go, too. 

“Well, I guess so,” Mark said somewhat regretfully.  There went his nice quiet time by himself.  And tonight he especially had an important matter to think over.  But as they were preparing to leave, he thought it over and decided this could be fun.  They rarely did anything together, all three of them.  When Sabrina said she’d bring her guitar, Mark brightened up even more.  He loved her music.  Listening to her playing the guitar felt a lot like sailing his boat.   Looking at the stars while she played might even be better than being by himself. 

The wind was calm that night and the sail barely ruffled.  Once on the boat and at sea, the three set about doing their own things.  Sabrina sat on the front deck of the boat and started plucking an F minor chord.  It sounded mysterious, like the night sky.  Mark stayed at the rudder, steering the boat.  Omar sat on the port side, looking into the water for fish.  He had brought a small fishing rod, and plopped the hook into the water.  However, he had forgotten to bring bait. 

“No fish is gonna bite if you don’t put bait on it, Omar!” chastised Mark.

“That’s OK.”  Omar turned towards him.  “I don’t want to catch them anyway.  I just want to see if they’ll come,” he replied.

If there had been another boy sailing on another planet, light years away, looking at the sky in the direction of Islandtown, he would have seen something new.  A new constellation formed that night, composed of the bright stars of Sabrina’s hands and ears, Omar’s heart, and Mark’s twinkling blue eyes. 

Chapter 3  Sailing

“Hey, did you see what I saw?!” Mark shouted, eyes wide.

Omar looked up from the water.  Sabrina turned around. “What?’ they both asked.

“The sky changed!  The moon disappeared!  The Big Dipper disappeared!  Then other stars appeared, but it wasn’t the Big Dipper, or the other constellations!”

“What?” asked Sabrina.

“You heard me!”

“My eyes were closed,” replied Sabrina.  Then she looked up at the sky, and looked confused.  “But that’s the Big Dipper right there,” she said, pointing.  “And Orion, over there!”

“Yeah…I know that’s the way they are now, but that’s not the way they were just a few seconds ago!”  Mark explained.  He turned towards Omar.

“I was just fishing.  I didn’t see nothin’”said Omar, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.

“Well, okay,” Mark said hesitantly, thinking how crazy what he had just said sounded.  He looked up again at the sky.  “Maybe I was hallucinating.  Just go back to what you were doing.”

And so they did.  Sabrina resumed her position, placed her guitar on her lap and strummed a serenade.  Omar picked up his fishing pole, still without bait, dropped the line into the water, and continued to hope for fish to come to him.  But they didn’t.

Several minutes passed.  The wind blew gently against Mark’s face.  He gazed at the stars, which relaxed his mind, and his thoughts started roaming. 

Mark saw the same thing happening as before.  This time, he kept quiet and paid closer attention to what he saw.  He was astounded.  Still, he forced himself to keep quiet, hoping one of the others would see it, too.  

“Hey!” Omar yelped.  “The water disappeared!  I can see stars at the bottom of the ocean!” 

Both Sabrina and Mark turned to him. 

“I don’t think that’s the bottom of the ocean, Omar,” Mark said.  “I don’t think we’re IN the ocean anymore.  I think our sailboat is…traveling.”

“Traveling?!  Traveling where?” asked Sabrina, who was now looking up to a different sky than she was used to.

“I don’t know…”  Mark said slowly and somberly, eyes to the sky with twinkling stars.

“Do you think we’re in trouble?”  Sabrina asked Mark, getting up and walking closer to him, trying to hide her concern from Omar. 

Omar sat up.  In a disappointed voice that betrayed no fear, he said, “I was having such a good time, thinking when dad took me fishing just before he left….”

“Hey!” Mark exclaimed.   “I was thinking of dad, too!  How it would have been great if he was here in the boat right now.  With us…”

“Me too!” cut in Sabrina.  “I was remembering when he and mom gave me Jolie for my birthday, and the look of happiness on his face when I started playing!”

“We were all thinking of dad!” Sabrina and Mark yelled simultaneously wide-eyed to each other, even though only a couple of feet separated them.

Mark thought for a minute.  He looked at the sky, which was now all around them---above, front back, both sides and below.  Stars and groups of stars twinkled and changed right in front of their eyes.  Their light came in different colors:  white, blue, orange, even red.  Then he said, “Do you think the Starlight is taking us to dad?”

Sabrina and Omar didn’t answer.  Omar had a blank look on his face. 

Mark said, “I don’t know if that’s what’s happening.  I’m guessing we could go back home if we STOP thinking of dad.”  He paused, then continued, “Omar, are you scared? Are you worried about leaving earth…”

“No way!  I want to see dad!!  I’m not scared!”

Mark was surprised at his brother’s bravery.  And pleased.  “Well.  Okay.” Mark turned to his sister.  “How about you, Sabrina?” 

“I am scared, actually…but I also feel the same as Omar…I want to see dad!”

“I guess that makes all 3 of us, then.  Let’s keep thinking of dad and see what happens!”

Chapter 4     Another Place

Everything changed.  For a time they were floating in space while stars blinked on and then off in front of them.  Occasionally a shooting star whizzed by and they all watched its path.  It reminded Omar of being in a Planetarium.  Then the stars stopped changing, and they were back on the ocean.  But it wasn’t the ocean.  It was a lake, a small lake!  And it wasn’t night anymore.  The hillside in which the pond was situated was bright with light.  It seemed like mid-morning light to all of them.  Although they didn’t see a sun, there was definitely a lot of “day” light.

“I think we’re here!’ shouted Mark, looking around.

“Wherever HERE is,” agreed Sabrina, also looking around. 

“This place looks cool!” exclaimed Omar. 

Starlight had “landed” on a small lake on a blue-green hillside, which looked down onto a long valley flush with green trees and low brown bushes.  Although Mark had never been there, it reminded him of pictures he’d seen of Scotland. 

There was, however, no wind.  Mark said, “Well, it doesn’t look like our sail will catch anything here, so let’s row to the shore and see what we can see.  If thinking of dad is what got us here, then let’s see if he really is here.” 

As Mark took to the oars, all three hoped the same hope in their hearts. 

They reached the shore, disembarked, and tied the boat to a nearby bush using rope that was part of their boating gear.  Mark looked from one end of the valley to the other.  He didn’t see anything.  Or anyone.  Neither did Sabrina or Omar.  And since there was no wind, everything was eerily quiet.

 “Hey Dad!”  Omar yelled through his coned hands, surprising both Mark and Sabrina.  “Are you here?!”

“Be quiet, Omar!”  Mark said as he slapped his brother’s shoulder.  “We don’t know what kind of people live here!  What if they want to hurt us?”

“Oh,” Omar said softly.  “I didn’t think of that.” 

“It’s all right,” comforted Sabrina, lightly touching his shoulder.  “But we better keep quiet until we have a better idea of where we are and what the people here are like.  We want to see them, but we don’t want them to see us.  At least at first.”

“That’s right,” Mark agreed. 

The three started to walk down towards the valley.  They noticed the brown bushes had sprouted buds of purple and blue when viewed from closer up.  Sabrina touched the leaves of the plants.  There was a sweet, fertile smell to the land.  

After walking for 20 minutes, Mark said, “I don’t know.  I don’t see anybody.  How’d we get here?  I thought for sure Starlight took us here because we all were thinking of dad…. We all were thinking of dad, right?” Mark asked, looking up and down the valley.

“Of course I was!” responded Sabrina, with some hurt in her voice.

Silence.

Mark turned towards Omar.

“Of course I was!” claimed Omar, looking at him.  Then he averted his eyes.  “But then maybe I got hungry,” he said quietly. 

Mark rolled his eyes and groaned.  “You what?  You mean we may have gotten sidetracked to another planet because you wanted a donut?”  Mark would have kept going but he saw his brother’s lips starting to quiver.

“Well I guess you can’t help it if you’re hungry,” he hurriedly added.  “We didn’t bring any food with us.  Maybe we can look around and find some fruit or something.” 

The three walked less than 50 yards when they came upon some trees that bore what looked like grapes.  Sabrina picked one and tried it.  “Hmm these are delicious,” she said.  “They’re sort of like carbonated grapes!” feeling the fizz in her mouth. 

Omar came up to her and asked for one, as he wasn’t tall enough to reach the fruit.  “Hmm!  And so juicy!” he exclaimed as he took some more from his sister. 

Then Mark joined them.  “Hmm.  You’re right!” he said.  And the three enjoyed more of the fruit.

BURP! went Sabrina.  “Oh, excuse me!” she said, covering her mouth.

BURP!! went Omar.  Such a huge noise coming from Omar made both he and Sabrina giggle.

“Well, I guess the carbonation has to find its way out,” said Sabrina.

Then Mark released a big one from the other end and they all bended over in laughter and snorting.  

Chapter 5   Drums and Strings

They were still laughing ---Sabrina and Omar had tears in their eyes---when faint drum beats started to come from the upper end of the valley.  All three immediately held their breaths.  They scurried behind one of the larger trees. 

The drum beats became louder and a group of people emerged behind a rock formation.  A drummer led the way, but he didn’t have a drum.  He beat his bare and barrel-like chest with his two fists.  The part of his chest he was pounding appeared flat and flexible, like the surface of a drum. 

Mark counted about 55 of them.  They all looked masculine.  Their roundish, thick, and sturdy-looking bodies sported long dark brown hair at the top, even the men.    Their clothing consisted of loose, light-colored tops---Mark thought he saw buttons, and dark shorts or skirts.  They wore strapped sandals on their feet.  The men’s shirts had large openings in the chest area, where their “drums” were exposed.

Mark wondered how they made such a loud sound!  The men were not that tall, perhaps 5’6” or 5’8”.  Yet their sound reverberated throughout the valley. 

The lead man and two others were beating their chests.  The rest of the group followed, some silent, some talking casually among themselves, although the children couldn’t understand what they were saying.  They reminded the children, who were hiding behind trees about a hundred yards away, somewhat of a group of people in a parade.  After the drumming people passed, the three followed them, making sure to keep a safe distance to not be noticed. 

About a mile into their journey, the drummers stopped beating their chests, but continued walking.  After a mile more, a castle could be seen above the trees.  And here the children felt the first sense of a breeze.  Sabrina’s heart lightened as she watched the leaves on the trees rustle and heard the familiar accompanying sound. 

As the children came closer, they could see some of the details of the castle’s high wall, and of the  main tower in the middle that was made of crystal.  In fact the whole castle sparkled in the daylight like it was made of quartz.    

The crystal castle was surrounded by yellow-leaved trees, over two stories high.  To the three’s surprise, the trees canceled out sound.  The wind lightly rustling through the leaves was all Sabrina heard as they walked through.  Their talking and footsteps became silent.  No sound came out when they spoke.  The three looked at other questioningly, then shrugged their shoulders and continued shadowing the silent drummers.  Once past the trees of silence, a clear blue stream circling the castle prevented the group from entering the city.  The drummers walked up to the stream, while the children stayed behind the last stand of trees.

Twenty drummers, all men, stepped forward from the group.  One of them walked three steps further, turned, and faced the group.  He extended his arm with a closed fist, then beat a slow and steady rhythm on this chest.  The drummers joined him in unison.  It was a very large, deep pounding, strangely captivating as Omar, Sabrina, and Mark started to move their bodies to the beat.  Sabrina and Mark nodded their heads and Omar bent his knees up and down to the rhythm. 

After a few seconds of this drumming the walls of the castle started to disappear.  The children couldn’t believe their eyes.    

The interior of the castle became visible, as if through a haze.  Mark made out several levels of the castle, and the large majority of people gathered in a central courtyard, on the second “floor”.  The tall and slender people, dressed in gauzy white robes, appeared focused, yet calm.  Their long blond hair shone brightly, like it was generating its own light.  Mark thought he saw both sexes, with the men being taller and thicker.    

When the exterior wall of their castle started to vanish, a group of twenty of the inhabitants, comprised of both men and women, raised their arms.  The children saw what looked like strings stretching from their arms to their side.  Keeping their left arm raised, the twenty slid the long fingers on their right arm back and forth, left and right, across the strings, and clear tones rang out.  They followed the rhythm of their leader, who had stepped out in front of them, in conductor-like fashion. 

The strings played to the beat of the drums, and collectively, the two groups almost sounded like an orchestra.  The strings then began to add an internal rhythm to the drum beat, sort of a rhythmical harmony.  The three thought it was catchy, and found their heads moving to the strings’ rhythm.  The walls of the castle became solid again. 

“Whoever these people are, they sure are musical!” cried Omar.  What he said wasn’t heard, because they were still within the trees of silence, but Mark and Sabrina nodded in agreement to his sentiment.

“Uh-huh,” agreed Sabrina, still rocking her body to the beat. 

The drummers suddenly changed the song while keeping the same rhythm.  They beat a thunderous downbeat in unison every four beats.  Ten more of the drummers joined in.  The walls of the castle started to disappear again. 

But the strings played on the strong downbeat, adroitly running scales from the base note of the drums to two octaves higher.  Solid went the walls. 

“They’re having a musical battle!” cried Sabrina and Mark.

Then the strings poured it on and captured the song altogether.  Music radiated from the castle and the three felt the air around them vibrate with sound.  The front drum people started to disappear!  Their leader yelled something and the group turned around and retreated hastily.  As the leader ran past them, still hidden behind the last row of trees, Sabrina thought she saw her father.  

Chapter 6   Stranger

When the drummers seemed a like a safe distance away, the three came out from behind the trees and out into the open space in front of the castle.

“Hey!  Did you see the leader?” asked Sabrina, her eyes wide.

“Who?” asked Mark.

“The leader!  He looked like Dad!”

“Dad?!” replied Mark and Omar, turning and looking in the direction of the drummers.

“Yes!  When he ran by with the rest of the drummers, I caught a good look at his face!  He looks a lot like Dad!”

“But dad’s tall and skinny!” Mark said.

“I know.  But I swear he looked like Dad!  Maybe on this planet he’s shorter and rounder.”

“Okay…”  Mark crossed his arms, closed his eyes and considered their options.  He opened his eyes.  “You think we should follow him?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Sabrina, stroking her chin.  “It was his group that attacked the castle.  Without any reason that we know of…But he’s the reason we’re here in the first place!”

“I want to follow him,” chimed in Omar.

Mark and Sabrina looked at him.  “Okay,” they said, nodding. 

The siblings were about to re-enter the forest of yellow trees when they saw a youth walking towards them on the path.  Tall, slender, and blond haired, he was obviously one of the string people.  He had emerged from the trees on the right side of the path, with his head and attention turned towards the direction of the drummers.  When he turned around and saw Mark, Sabrina, and Omar walking towards him, he looked surprised.  And a little scared. 

“Oh,” he said hesitantly.  He looked around him for another way to walk but found none.  “You don’t look like Thumpers.”

“Oh,” said Mark, figuring out his concern.  “We’re not Thumpers.  And you don’t have to worry, we won’t hurt you.”  He looked the boy over, who seemed about Sabrina’s age.

“Oh, good,” the blond boy replied, relieved.  “I was coming home when I heard them attacking the city.  I hid behind the Asher trees until they left.  I’m glad they didn’t get into our castle!”

“Yeah!  We saw the battle.  It’s quite a group of musicians you have in there,” said Sabrina.

“Musicians?”

“Yeah.  It’s people who play violins.  And other instruments,” explained Mark.

“Violins?”

“Oh, forget it, Mark.  I don’t think he understands,” Sabrina said. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Mark.  “Well, we’re going to go on our way.  It was nice to meet you.”  Mark wondered if he should shake his hand.  He also wondered if the boy had strings on his sides, just like the people inside the castle.  He couldn’t see any, but the boy’s arms were down. 

“Don’t you want to go into the castle?  My mom and dad would be happy to meet you.  You can take some food for your journey!” 

“Food?”  asked Omar.

“Yes, we’ve got Chumney and Riller and lots of good Brice and Nellons.”  Omar didn’t recognize anything he said, but was hungry enough to try anything. 

The youth continued, “And where are you going, by the way?”

“We’re going to…” Sabrina started.

But Mark cut her off.  “We’re going back to our boat at the lake at the end of the valley.  We want to make sure it’s still there.  It’s our only way back home.”

“Well, that’s not too far away.  But you can still meet my parents if you’d like.  They love meeting people from faraway lands.  As long as they’re friendly, that is.”

“Food,” mumbled Omar, with thoughts of juicy chicken legs dancing in his head. 

Mark rolled his eyes at Omar.  But he knew he himself was hungry.  And so too, probably, was Sabrina.

“Okay, we’ll accept your kind invitation,” he said to the boy.

“Great!”  The youth began towards the castle.  “This way, then,” waving them to follow him.

“I’m Luca, by the way.”  The boy turned around and touched his hands to his chest.  Mark noticed the strings on the outside of arm arm, extending upwards underneath his long white robe. 

“And I’m Mark.”  Mark touched his chest similarly.  “And this is Sabrina and Omar,” he gestured to his siblings. 

“We’re glad to meet you,” the two responded, nodding and making eye contact with Luca.

The youth continued facing them while walking backwards.  “And I’m glad to meet you!  And I’m glad you were able to avoid the Thumpers!”

Luca led them towards the rear of the castle, where a small glass bridge crossed the blue stream that encircled the building.  It was so clear, it was difficult to see, but once Luca touched it and started to cross, the shape of the bridge became more apparent. 

Once on the other side of the bridge, Luca looked to his right, then to his left.  When he was certain no one was watching he knocked on the side of the castle three times.  A section of the castle wall suddenly opened, surprising the siblings. 

“Quickly!  Inside before anyone sees us go in!” Luca ushered them into the doorway.

Once inside, Luca thanked the guard who had opened the door.  “Thank you, Brin!”

“You’re welcome, Luca.  But you better be careful!  We just thwarted an attack by the Thumpers!  They could have captured you!”

“I know!  I saw them!” Luca smiled to his friend.

Brin shook his head as Luca walked away with his guests. 

At the children’s feet lay very bright, almost white, paving stones.  An open courtyard greeted them as they walked through the doorway.  Large pots of flowering plants bordered the walking paths.  Broad leaves of deep green, blue, and brown greeted them.  Sabrina admired some white flowers shaped like small orchids, with bright yellow centers.  Luca plucked one and handed it to her, smiling.  After breathing in its bright sweet smell, she gently placed it between her head and left ear. 

Luca walked across the courtyard and took the group up a wide flight of cream stone stairs to the second level.  It took some effort on the children’s part to climb the flight of taller-than-average steps.  Once at the top, Luca knocked on the second wood door along a wall which faced a smaller outdoor courtyard.

The door opened, and a tall, lithe woman appeared, with blond, almost white, hair.  She wore a gauzy light blue robe, sprinkled with yellow glowing flecks.  Wafting out of the door came smells of fresh-baked bread, citrus fruits, and other strange yet enticing odors.  The children became more eager and curious to go inside. 

Once she saw the boy, the woman raised her arms while simultaneously raking the gold strings on each arm with her long fingers from the opposite hand. 

“Luca!” she exclaimed, as she hugged the youth.  “I was so worried!  We were attacked by Thumpers and I didn’t know where you were!”

“I’m all right, mother.  You didn’t have to worry.  I can take care of myself!” he said, somewhat ashamed of her attention and worry.

The lady held the boy at arm’s length, frowned at him, and shook her head.  Then she saw his companions. “And who did you bring with you?” she asked.

“They’re my new friends, mama!  This is Mark, and his sister Sabrina and brother Omar.”

“Glad to meet you,” they all replied and nodded at her. 

“Well come in, come in!” the lady waved them in with her hands.  As they passed by, all three couldn’t help but stare at the gold strands that hung on the outside of her arms. 

After complimenting the lady, who introduced herself as Klim, on the beauty of her house, the children were brought to a table and foods were laid out before them.  The items looked different than what they were used to, but they tasted similar to the foods on earth, although in novel ways.  They thought Nellons tasted like fried doughnuts with ice cream centers.  Chumney was something like spiced meat chips.  And Brice was a drink made from the juice of the grapes that they had eaten from the tree when they first arrived.  All three ate heartily, especially the Riller, which tasted like fresh-baked honey bread.

“Yumm” accompanied the lip-smacking and chewing throughout the meal.

The lady left them to attend to other matters.

After they finished eating, Luca asked if they would like a tour of the castle.

“Sure!” they replied.

But when Luca opened the front door, it was blocked by three figures:  his mother, his father, and a third man whom Luca recognized, but whose name he did not know.

“Are these the three you spoke of?”  Luca’s father asked the man.

“Yes!  I saw them with the Thumpers when they attacked the castle!”

“Well!  Then we’ll have to keep them under guard until we find out who they are and what they were doing with the Thumpers,” his father said as he studied the children.

“No!  We were with them, but we’re not part of them!  We mean you no harm!” declared Mark.

“Well, if that’s true, then we mean you no harm also.  But you’ll have to prove your innocence to the elders.  For now, we’re going to have to keep you secured!”

Luca’s father and the man named Krumm grabbed the wrists of the three children and led them away.  Omar tried to pull away, but he could not.  The man’s grip was iron-tight and his arm barely moved.  He looked up at Sabrina, but her face showed she could do nothing about it.  She took hold  of Omar’s free hand with hers when she saw the look of concern on his face. 

For his part, Mark’s mind raced through their alternatives as well as what the worst-case scenario for them could be.  He decided, for the moment, that not putting up a fuss was their best option.    For there was no way they could escape from all the people in the castle, even if they did manage to get away from these two strong men. 

“No!”  Luca pleaded with his mother while grabbing her arms.  “They’re my friends!  They didn’t do anything wrong!”

Chapter 7     Prisoners

In the world where they came from, the children would not have called the place of their forced stay a “jail” or “prison.”  Located on the third level of the castle, their place of securement seemed to them more like a well-appointed apartment with many creature comforts. 

Two cushioned sofas took center stage in the living room, with a square wooden table between them.  Embroidered designs of birds and flowers decorated the cushions, and the table looked like it had been chiseled out of one piece of wood, for no seems or joints could be found.  To the children’s delight, the cushions musical emitted tones when they were sat upon.  There were three cushions per sofa, and Sabrina and Omar sat on each one to see what they sounded like.

Large framed windows allowed plenty of light into both the living room and kitchen.  Houseplants with flowers grew vigorously in the rooms.  They did not grow from pots, but rather organically from wooden elements in the rooms.  Green leafed vines with yellow and pink flowers crept along the window frames.  Straight, foot-long blue grasses sprouted directly from the wood of the rear of the sofas.  This made the children think that the wood in the room must somehow still be alive! 

Riller and a glass pitcher of water on a silver platter welcomed them on the counter of the eat-in kitchen.  The children found wooden cups, plates, and metal utensils in the cabinets and drawers.  When they poured water into the cups, the gurgling was also musical, like ascending tones in a scale were being played by the water.  All in all, they loved their new digs, the only caveat being that they could not go outside.  The only access to their quarters, the front door, was locked.  In addition, a very tall stern-looking guard was stationed outside. 

The fear Omar felt when he was grabbed by the string man had dissipated.  He enjoyed the water and Riller, and musical cushions cheered him up.  Mark and Sabrina, however, remained concerned.  They ran different ideas through their minds as to how to get out of their mess. 

Luca showed up an hour after they had arrived. 

“I’m so sorry you were brought here.  I know you’re not one of the Thumpers”, he apologized.

“Thanks, Luca.  We’re glad you believe us”, said Mark, who along with Sabrina stood up from the sofa when he came in. 

“Yeah’, said Sabrina.  She sat back down (toot!) and gestured Luca to join them.  “And at least the accommodations here aren’t that bad.  It’s actually a pretty and comfortable place,” she said, looking around, her eyes stopping on a sunlit houseplant with pink star-shaped flowers. 

Omar had brought some Riller from the kitchen and seated himself on the other end of Sabrina’s (ding!).  His legs swung back and forth as he ate, a sign Mark and Sabrina took to mean that he was enjoying himself.  Their minds relaxed a little.   

“When do you think your elders will come and talk to us?” asked Mark.

“I don’t know.  I left before father came back.  I was upset.  I’ll find out for you, though.” 

“Maybe we can make these walls disappear like the Thumpers did!” said Omar, chewing a piece of Riller.

“We’re not able to do that, Omar.  And even if we could, we’d have to get past the guard,” replied Sabrina.

“Maybe we could leave through the rear wall,” Omar said, looking outside at the guard through the window.

Both Mark and Sabrina turned towards their younger brother, then at each other, eyebrows raised. 

“Luca, what’s on the other side of the rear wall?” Mark asked.

“The outside of the castle.  However, there’s at least a 30 foot drop to the ground.” 

“Oh”, said Mark.

“Could we use a rope to climb down?” asked Sabrina.

“Hmm.”  Mark thought for a little bit.  “How does that work, Luca?  How did the Thumpers make the walls disappear?”

“I’m not sure, exactly.”  Luca turned to Sabrina and then back to Mark.  “It has something to do with taking the attention from the wall to the Kearing.”

“Kearing?” Mark and Sabrina asked.

“It’s what the Thumpers make when they pound their chests.  We do it by playing our strings.”

 He raised his left arm and rubbed the taut gold strings with his fingers.  The room came alive.  An energy passed through the children’s bodies.

“You mean music?!” said Sabrina, both sure and uncertain that music was what Luca was talking about.

“Yes, if that’s what you call it.” 

“But your people made the wall solid by their music,” objected Mark. 

“Yeah, I know.  That’s what I’m not sure about.  Some Kearing makes things solid, but some Kearing breaks things down.  At school they tell us it’s all about the attention you give or don’t give to an object.  All things are basically frozen Kearing.  The clouds, the grass, even us!  They’re “frozen” in that form by your attention.  If you make Kearing, he stroked his strings again, your focus shifts to the Kearing that you make, and so other frozen Kearing is set free.  I guess in a way, Kearing is a magnifying glass for your mental energy.

“Oh!  I think I understand!” exclaimed Sabrina.

“You do?” Omar asked.

Sabrina turned to Omar.  “Yes!  I wonder if I had my guitar if I could make the wall disappear.”  Sabrina turned the thought over in her mind, trying to imagine how she could do it.

“Your guitar?” asked Luca.

“Yes.  It’s an instrument that I use to make Kearing.  It has strings like those on your arms, but I pluck or strum them instead of run my fingers through them.”

“Oh neat!  Where is it?”

“At the lake at the end of the valley.”

“Mmm.  My parents strictly forbade me to go outside the castle.  And I’m sure they told Brin to keep me here.  I won’t be able to persuade him like I usually do for at least a few days.”

“That’s okay,” said Mark.  “We don’t want you to get in trouble on our behalf anyway.  We’ll have to figure out another way.  Or maybe the elders will understand that we’re not with the Thumpers and let us go.”  He hoped that that would be the case, but if they didn’t, then what? 

The three agreed that talking with the elders seemed like their next step.  Luca said goodbye but promised that he would be back soon. 

Omar went back to the kitchen for more Riller.

Chapter 8     The Elders

Less than an hour after Luca left, Mark, Sabrina, and Omar watched as three distinguished looking Strings walked up to their apartment.  When a harp melody sounded outside the door, Mark opened it. 

The elder Strings introduced themselves as Rhone, Elan, and Pesha.  From the way he took charge of the situation, Rhone appeared to be the leader.  He wore a bright red gown of silk-like material and, like his companions, gold sandals.  Both Elan and Pesha wore light yellow gowns, also of sheer, flowing material.  Their hair grew straight, white, and luminous.  A gold comb decorated with shiny blue flowers kept Pesha’s finer locks in place.  

Sabrina studied Pesha and though she looked kind.  She could be mistaken for an angel, Sabrina thought.  The two males presented more serious demeanors, although they did not seem angry or cruel.  Their light green eyes mesmerized all the children.

“It is good to meet all of you,” Rhone said when Mark introduced himself and his siblings.  Rhone made sure to make eye contact with all of them.  He took a few moments to survey the room, then began.  “The reason you have been brought and secured here is because you were seen with the Thumpers when they attacked us.” 

“Yes, sir,” Mark responded, “but we weren’t with them.  We just followed them.”

“You were following them?”  Rhone took in Mark’s presence.  He looked away toward the ceiling, then looked back at Mark and asked.  “Why?”

“Well, it’s sort of a long story.  We’re actually from another planet.”

“Another planet?”

“Another …place.  Far away from here.” 

“And what brought you here?”

“We’re looking for our father.”  Sabrina brought up the courage to speak.

“Your father…” Pesha repeated. 

“Your father left you?”  Rhone asked.  The children looked thoughtful, but did not speak. 

“And you believe he is here?  You’ve seen him here?”

“No,” Mark said.  “We think he may be here, but we haven’t seen him.  The Thumpers were the first group of people we saw, so we just followed them.” 

Pesha studied Sabrina’s face and eyes. 

“So you were just watching the Thumpers, then?” asked Elan.

“Yes,” said Mark.  “We always kept a safe distance from them.  They didn’t even know we were there.  We hid from them when they retreated, just like Luca did.”

“You do not know any of the Thumpers?  And don’t intend to betray us to them?”  Pesha asked.  Looking at the sunlight coming through the window, she stood motionless, discerning the slightest change, tension, and movement in the room.

“No,” Mark stated emphatically.  “We would never betray you to them.  We saw that they attacked you first.”

“Yes, they attacked us,” Elan said.  “That’s the second time in 30 dreamings they’ve visited us with ill intentions.  This is the first time they tried to attack the castle.  Luckily we were prepared.  We don’t know why they’ve become hostile to us.” 

“Maybe you should ask them,” spoke Omar for the first time.

Rhone turned towards the boy and smiled.  “Yes, that might be a good idea, little one.  But we can’t ask them while they’re trying to destroy our home.  We have to figure out another way.”

Rhone made eye contact with Elan and Pesha, who both nodded slightly.  Then he addressed the children.  “Thank you for answering our questions and concerns.  We need some time to discuss among ourselves.  I am sorry, but for the time being, you will have to stay here.”

“Are you comfortable?  Do you have enough to eat?” asked Pesha.

“We’re fine,” Mark declared.  “But we would really like to get back to our boat.  We came here by boat and we want to make sure it’s still there.”

Pesha’s tone became authoritative.  “That cannot be allowed at the moment.  You must give us more time to consider our options.” Then she turned and led the three out the door.

After watching them leave through their window, Sabrina looked at Mark. 

“She knows that dad is one of the Thumpers,” she said.

Mark looked at her, concerned and confused.  “How would she know that?”

“I could tell she knew what I was thinking!  She may not know that dad’s there.  But I’m sure she knows that we’re connected to the Thumpers somehow.  I couldn’t keep that from running through my mind!” 

“Oh, great!” sighed Mark.  His shoulders slumped and he hung his head as he rested his hands on the window sill.  “We might be stuck here for awhile, then.”

THUD!!  They all heard the sound from the kitchen, like someone falling down.  They looked at each other, then ran to the source of the noise. 

A short, gray haired man sat on the brown tile floor, arms crossed over his knees.  Upon seeing him, they all wondered where he came from, for there was no door in the kitchen.  The man wore dark pants, a dark green shirt, a light blue denim jacket, and white running shoes with blue stripes.  He looked disheveled, like he usually did, and carried a large pack on his back.      

“Weird Bill!” they all exclaimed.

The man turned to them with a big grin.  “Yes-Yes!  I’m here!  My apologies for the clumsy entrance!”

Sabrina saw a neck and tuners sticking out of his backpack. 

“And you’ve brought Jolie!” she screamed as she stepped closer next to Bill.  She reached out and touched her closest friend.

“Yes-Yes! I have indeed!”

Chapter 9     Weird Bill

Sam crossed Johnson Street Tuesday morning like he usually did every other morning on his way to work at his auto shop.  Once across the street, he passed Uncle Bob’s, a convenience store, and Aunt Mary’s Pancake House.  Past a few more establishments, and he’d be at the shop.  When he passed by the concrete steps of the orphanage, however, he saw an unusual object - a baby wrapped in a blanket!  It was a very small infant, ruddy faced and closed-eyed, with a wisp of dark hair. 

“Please take care of my baby, because I can’t,” said the handwritten safety pinned to the blanket. 

Surprised, delighted, and scared all at once, Sam looked up at the doors and windows of the orphanage to survey for any signs of movement and life.  It was only 5:30 in the morning, and no lights were on.  He looked down both sides of the street to see if anybody else was around.  Confident that no one had seen him or the baby, he took the swaddled package into his arms and hurried to the auto shop. 

“A baby!!” he thought to himself as he looked down at the pink wrinkled face.  Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered all the years he and his wife had tried in vain to have one.  When Natalie passed away, Sam had thought he would finish his life all alone.  He entered his shop and closed the door. 

Sam named the baby William and raised him as his own.  The boy never knew his parents.  Fearful that the state would ask where the child came from, Sam never sent him to school.  So William’s boyhood memories consisted of just him and Sam. 

Although William didn’t come from Sam’s seed, he did possess his adoptive father’s mechanical aptitude.  Even before he could walk, Sam would see him spinning the mobile above his head like a helicopter.  When he placed electronic toys in his crib, the infant learned how to turn them on in a few tries.    

Since Sam was reluctant to hire a baby sitter, he brought the child with him wherever he went, including the shop.  When the youth started to walk, the toddler would follow Sam around as he worked on the cars, tiptoeing to see what he was doing.  Little by little, Sam explained cars to his son.  And Sam was a good and patient teacher.  He told him the names of the tools and how they worked; what the parts of the cars were and what they did; and over time, when a part failed, what was the most likely cause of failure.  To Sam’s great pleasure, William was great with the tools and the cars.  He loved tinkering with them and intuitively seemed to know how they worked. 

Sam didn’t know it, but the boy’s social isolation forced him to become good with machinery.  All the emotion and energy one would devote to other people, William devoted to his tools and the cars.  They were his surrogate friends.  He treated a car as he would another person.  He talked to it.  Move its parts around.  Spent time with it.  And little by little he developed a relationship with it.  The car would then tell him things:  I need oil.  My bearing is broken.  I’m not being shifted correctly. 

When William was only 12 years old, Sam promoted him to being his assistant.  And he was a competent one, too!  It took him only 15 minutes to change oil; 5 minutes to change a tire.  Wrenches, screw drivers, and other tools were natural extensions of his hands. 

Sam’s customers became used to seeing him, and assumed he was just an employee.  The customers’ reactions to William gave Sam confidence to take him around the town, the grocery store, bank, hardware store.  He gave William more responsibility, and the young man took to it, for he loved working with his friends.  Spending a lot of time in the shop, it became his second home.  Sometimes Sam would come in the morning and find William asleep in the car he was working on. 

William was only 16 when Sam died, and he inherited the auto shop.  Though he possessed no formal identification such as a birth certificate, people didn’t care because he excelled at fixing their cars.  The local bank eagerly took his money and opened an account for him.  Fortunately Sam had introduced him to all aspects of the business, including the accounting.  He took to numbers almost as well as he did to machines.   

William’s business thrived.  However, in his late 20’s he started to get a chronic cough.  It got worse and worse.  He found out the cough was due to solvents he was inhaling at work.  By the time he went to see the doctor and found this out, however, it was too late.  His lungs were already damaged. 

The doctor told him the Detroit city air wasn’t good for his damaged lungs.  That was when William decided to move to Islandtown.  One of his long-time customers moved there and she told him the air was great.  The island looked beautiful in the pictures she emailed him.  It definitely did not look polluted.  His lungs might recover there, he thought. 

Once on Islandtown, William got a job at a machine shop.  His boss loved him because of his skill with all the machines.  The brake press, punch press, and sheet roller were always in good working order under William’s care.  He understood the gear ratios, could figure out the electrical systems, and knew when the metal was bending due to fatigue and overuse.

William loved the climate of the island, which was always warm.  It rarely got below 50 at night.  The sun warmed him, and his lungs eagerly breathed in the fresh air supplied by the great variety of trees.  He would often take walks on the sand by the sea.  His lungs started to feel better, and his cough went away. 

One night William had a dream.  It was Friday night, after a particularly long week at work.  A brake press had gone down and the crew had worked overtime that whole week to bring it back to production.  Completely exhausted, William fell asleep wondering why everyone had to work so hard just to make a living.  He thought, Shouldn’t things that people need like food and shelter come to them automatically, without toil?  Why couldn’t life be like fruit on a tree where all you had to do was pluck it and you were fed?

William dreamed of a garden with a fruit tree in the middle.  With dark green leaves and a golden glow, the tree bore red fruit bursting with sweet juicy flavor.  In the dream William bit into the fruit and it tasted so delicious waves of pleasure radiated through his whole body. 

The next morning William opened his eyes to a tree outside his window.  It was a mango tree and the sun was coming up just behind it.  It seemed like the tree and its fruit were being given to him---just like in his dream.  The tree was offering him its fruit!  And that was William’s epiphany.

The next Monday, to his boss’s dismay, William quit his job at the machine shop.  He visited his bank and withdrew the money he had saved from his auto shop business and bought a cottage on a small piece of land on the north side of the island.  He farmed his land, raising potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and green beans.  He kept a quarter of his land barren, so that he could rotate some of his plants every year.  He bought chickens for eggs and purchased a cow for milk.  He planted peach and orange trees.  Cherry trees were tried the next year and they took, too.  Then he planted almond and pecan trees for their nuts.  The land responded to his care and blessed him with its produce.    

Unlike in his dream, farming the land took a lot of work.  It was hard physical work.  He got up early to feed the animals.  The crops had to be weeded regularly, which required William to get on his hands and knees.  When harvest time came, he had only a short amount of time to gather the vegetables or fruit and prepare them and store them in the cellar so they could keep until the next harvest.  But the work didn’t seem like work.  It was cyclical.  And it felt natural.  Good.

His work produced a bountiful harvest.  After the harvest, William could relax.  With so much free time on his hands, he got a part time job as a mechanic at Islandtown School.

Chapter 10     Running

Mark knelt down and tied the laces of his running shoes.  He had the track all to himself this afternoon.  Physics, his last class period of the day, got canceled.  That’s awful, he thought with a smile when he heard about it. 

Stadium seats lined the straight sides of the track.  A maintenance man was working on one of the lawn sprinklers in the grass area inside the gravel running paths.    

Mark jogged slowly around the track to warm up before he started his workout of twelve x 400 meters.  He would run the first few on one minute and thirty seconds.  Then he would whittle a few seconds each lap until he got down to under one minute.  That was the goal anyway.  He’d see how he felt after the first five. 

The first 400, once around the oval track, felt pretty easy.  After clicking off 1:30 on his watch, he walked 200 meters, then prepared himself for the next 400.  The next two 400’s  that he ran also felt good, clocking each at one minute and twenty seconds.  Another 200 meter walk and he started the fourth 400.  The first 100 meters of the 400, the straight part of the oval track, he ran fast but it felt pretty easy.  As he ran around the next 100, the curved top part of the oval, it also felt easy, so he decided to go for his goal of under one minute for the 400.  Hitting the straight away, he increased pace until his lungs were working at full capacity.  As it was a straight run, it was easy to keep his balance and he turned he turned over his stride even faster.

Mark felt like he was flying, his forefoot barely touching ground before exploding again off the track, propelling him forward.  His rabbit pace started to tire his legs, though, as he hit the final curve, the last 100 meters.  He tightened his stomach, kept pumping his arms and legs, and forced himself to maintain his breathing, concentrating to maintain his balance as he tilted his body to stay in the middle of his lane.  Slapping his watch as he ran over the white marker line, it read 59 seconds!  Just made it!  He smiled as he slowed, stopped, and hunched over to catch his breath.

“Whoo!  Not bad, Andersen!” a tall, red-haired, freckled boy shouted at him.  Walking along side him was an almost-as-tall dark-haired youth.  Both had the slender runner’s build.

Mark looked up.  “Oh.  Hey Dale! Hey Jimmy.”  He nodded slightly to each one.  The two boys were coming from the direction of the school building. 

“Thanks,” Mark said, still catching his breath.  He straightened up and fist-bumped them.  “It felt pretty good!”

“Yeah, maybe next year you’ll be good enough to try out for varsity,” said Dale, the red-haired one.  The two boys removed their backpacks and set them on the nearest stadium seat.  They took out their running clothes and began to change. 

Mark’s smile broadened.  “We’ll see.”

“Hey, Weird Bill is out there,” said Dale, looking out into the field and nodding in Bill’s direction.

Mark shrugged.  “He’s not so weird.”  It irked him for people to make fun of the school mechanic.  Mark didn’t know him, had never even talked to him.  But he seemed like just a quiet old man to him. 

Jimmy supported his friend, “Christina said her mom said that he was able to talk to her dead husband.  That Bill told her mom things that only her dad could have known.”

“Really?” asked Mark, now thinking about his own father.

“Yup.  And you know how he’s always ‘meditating’,” Dale said, stressing and teasing his last word.  He turned both his palms upward and rolled his eyes.  “Sort of out of orbit if you ask me.”  Jimmy snickered along with his friend.

Mark looked out at the grass.  It looked like Bill had fixed the sprinkler and turned it on.  Water arced out in measured spurts while slowly rotating across the field.  After patting the sprinkler and saying something to it, Bill took off his denim jacket, walked into the middle of the spray path and sat down in a semi-lotus position, with his knees resting on his clasped arms.  He closed his eyes and turned his face towards the sun, smiling whenever the water from the sprinklers passed over his body.

“Well,” Mark chuckled.  “Maybe you have a point.” He turned back to Dale and Jimmy.  “Well, anyway, I have to go meet Sabrina and Omar.”

“Okay, Andersen.  See you next Tuesday, if not earlier,” Dale said as he fist-bumped Mark. 

“Later,” he said, leaving the two putting on their running shoes.  Mark liked doing speed work on his own, and since he had already met his goal, he decided it was time to go.  The image of Bill sunning himself in the rain stuck in his mind, though, as well as what Jimmy said about him talking to spirits.

Meanwhile, Bill had planted himself in the middle of the track field.  Feeling and imagining himself to be a hibiscus plant with many yellow blooms, he dug his roots deep into the ground, turned his flowers towards the sun, and basked in its warmth.  Then he smiled as the refreshing rain blessed him, every 30 seconds. 

***

“Hey!”  Mark yelled as he caught up to Sabrina and Omar as they issued out of the front door of school.

“Oh! Hey!” responded Sabrina, turning her head to make eye contact but not breaking her stride.  She saw that he was in his shorts.  “Did you get out early today?”

“Yeah, Mr. Roberts went home early cause of the flu.”  Mark stayed behind the two, the sidewalk not wide enough for all three of them.

“Again?” asked Sabrina.

“Yeah,” Mark shrugged.  “Works for me.  I get the track to myself since no one else is out yet.”

“I wish we got out early,” said Omar.

“You get out earlier than I do,” responded Mark.

“Well, earlier than we do would be even better!”

Sabrina reached into her backpack and pulled out an envelope.

“Here!” she said to Mark as she turned around and pressed the envelope against his chest.  “It’s from Treeeeenaa,” she said in a singsong voice.

Omar shifted to falsetto, pressed his hands together near his face, cocked his head, and batted his eyelashes up at Sabrina.  “He’s so beauuutiful!  His eyes are soooo bluuue!”

Sabrina and Omar burst out laughing.

Mark laughed too.  And turned slightly pink. 

“Okay!  Okay!”  Mark said.  He folded the envelope and slid it into his shorts pocket unopened.  

Chapter 11     Meeting

Sabrina stepped in front of Mark and Omar as the two were about to leave the house.

“I want to go, too,” she said.

Mark looked at Omar.  Then back at Sabrina.  “We’re just going outside for a walk,” he said innocently, raising his hands palm up. 

“No you’re not.  You’re going to Weird Bill!  To see if he can tell you anything about dad!”

Marked looked at Omar again, who had his head down.

“Omar!?”

“I couldn’t help it!  She had a chocolate chip cookie!” he whined, still not looking up.

“And if you don’t let me go, I’ll tell mom,” Sabrina said shortly, crossing her arms.

Mark looked at her and frowned.  “Okay, Okay!”  he surrendered.  “But we better get going now so we can come back before she realizes we’re all gone!”

***

It took a good 45 minutes of fast walking for the three to reach Bill’s farm.  He lived in a small wood cottage which had only 3 rooms:  kitchen, bathroom, and living room, which doubled as his bedroom.  A flickering orange light glowed from inside the house, whose window shades were closed.  The three gathered themselves by the doorway and Mark readied himself to knock when the door opened. 

An old man about Mark’s height appeared.  He wore reading glasses and held a paperback in one hand.  Dressed in jeans and a red checkered flannel shirt, Bill looked quite normal, Mark thought. 

“Well Hello!  Hello!  Come in!  Come in!” 

“Oh.  Thank you, Bill,” Mark said as they stepped into the house, which had few furnishings and was uncluttered.  A warm fire burned brightly in a small stone fireplace in the center of the living room. 

Bill laid his book on a blue cloth placemat on the round wooden kitchen table, upon which sat a burning candle.

“I’m Mark and this is Sabrina and this is Omar,” Mark said as he pointed out his siblings, who bowed their heads and smiled at Bill.  Bill offered his hand to all and as he or she offered a hand in return, he shook it both eagerly and vigorously. 

“Yes, Yes!  I recognize you from school.  Are you alright?”  He eyed each of them, blinking once or twice.  Somewhat like a doctor might have.  His eyes were alert and curious. 

“Yes, we’re fine,” Sabrina reassured him.

“Well, that’s good!  Then...”

“We’re here to ask you about our father,” blurted Omar, as Mark and Sabrina were thinking how to phrase their question.

Sabrina turned from her brother to Bill. “Yes!  We’d like to ask you about our father,” she repeated.

“Oh!  Well!  This might take awhile, then.”  Bill asked, “Would you like to have a seat?” and motioned them to the four chairs around his kitchen table.  The simple wooden chairs looked hand made, with low backs and seat cushions of different colors:  red, yellow, green, and blue. 

After the three had seated themselves,  Bill remained standing.  “Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, we’re fine,” Mark and Sabrina responded simultaneously.

“Mmm, I’m sort of thirsty,” offered Omar, lightly raising his right hand. 

Mark and Sabrina looked at each other, somewhat peeved.  But Bill seemed happy to have someone accept his hospitality. 

“Do you like Coke, Omar?” asked Bill.

“Yes!  That would be great!  Thank you!”

“OK.”  Bill smiled and turned towards the refrigerator. 

With his attention away from them, the three took in the rest of the house.  They were curious about the man who was called “Weird Bill” by all the students, both in grade school and high school. 

A small twin bed and wooden rocking chair occupied the combination living and and bed room.  The bed consisted of a mattress and pillow on a frame, no headboard.  It was covered with what appeared to be a light blue blanket, though it was hard to tell by the fire light.  The rocking chair sat at an angle to the fire.  Sabrina imagined Bill reading his book while rocking in the chair.  The book which now saw in front of them, was titled “The Animals in the Sea.” 

Mark and Omar noticed a small picture hanging on the wall over the fireplace.  It was wood framed black and white photo of an older man with a toddler on his knee.  Both were looking at the camera.  The man was smiling, while the toddler wore a dazed look.

Bill stepped towards them with the Coke and a peanut butter sandwich made of whole wheat bread, cut in two. 

“Here you go, Omar.  I figured you would like some peanut butter sandwich?”

“Yes, I do!!”  Omar replied.  He accepted the plate and took a bite of the sandwich.  “MMM!  This is great!” 

“Why thank you, Omar!”  Bill smiled.  “I’m glad you like it.  I just baked the bread this morning!”  He paused, then looked at Mark and Sabrina.  “So.  How do you think I can help you?”

“Well,” Mark started.  “Our father went to war 3 years ago.”

“And he never came back,” Sabrina added.

“We were told that you could talk to spirits,” continued Mark. 

Bill eyed Mark and Sabrina closely as they talked.  “Oh you were, were you?  And you believe that?”

“We don’t know,” Mark said.  “But if you did talk to spirits, maybe you could talk to our dad.  And tell us where he is…if he’s still alive, that is…”  Mark’s voice trailed off, and he looked away.

“Oh…”  Bill paused.  “Well.”  He looked at the children.  “I’m afraid I don’t talk to spirits,” he said calmly. 

“Aww,” Mark and Sabrina sighed. 

“But maybe I can find out something about him for you.”

“You can?” they asked hopefully. 

“Maybe.  I won’t know until tomorrow morning.  Or later, even.  Can you wait until then?”

“Sure we can, Wei… Bill,” Mark said, catching himself.  “We can wait another day or two.  It’s been 3 years since we’ve heard from him or about him at all!”

“I will talk to you soon, then.”  Bill tapped the surface of the table with his fingertips.    

“Great!” Mark said, and the three made their way to go. 

“That was the best peanut butter sandwich I’ve ever had, Weird Bill!” Omar said as he shook his hand good bye.

“Omar!”  Mark and Sabrina said simultaneously.

“It’s okay!  It’s okay!”  Bill said to Mark and Sabrina, placing his hand on Omar’s shoulder.  “I know what the kids call me.  I don’t mind it, really.  I AM different from most!”

***

That evening Bill took his routine walk around his property.  It was a clear night and all the stars were out and bright.  He posed the children’s question to them.  Their twinkle came the answer.  He nodded.

The next morning Bill was mopping the high school hallway.  Mark ran up to him and asked him if he came up with anything.

Bill looked deeply at him, nodded, and smiled.  “You will find your father in the STARS!” he said, pointing a finger at the ceiling.    

Mark didn’t understand what Bill meant and wanted to ask him to explain.  But the way Bill said it made him want to think about and so he kept his mouth shut. 

A hesitant, “Thank you,” was all Mark could say.  Then he turned around and walked away.  He pondered what Bill said all through the rest of his classes that day. 

“What does he mean?”  Mark wondered.  “Where would we get a rocket ship?”

When he got home, he still didn’t understand, so he decided to go sailing that night and think about it.  

Chapter 12     The Musical Planet

The children helped Bill off the kitchen floor and onto his feet then hugged him.  He took off his backpack, gently pulled Jolie out of it, and placed her in Sabrina’s outstretched hands. 

“I thought you might want to have her!” Bill said.

“Oh, yes!”  Sabrina agreed, sliding the shoulder strap over her head and, with a flick of her fingers, giving the guitar a quick strum.  She began to tune the guitar. 

Mark pulled out one of the kitchen table chairs and offered it to Bill, who bowed a thank you and sat down.  Then he poured him some water.  As the liquid hit the bottom of the glass, a musical “glug” sounded, and continued up the scale until Mark finished pouring.  Bill started, his attention snapping to the glass of water.

“D major, I think,” Sabrina offered, almost finished tuning her guitar.

“This planet is musical,” continued Mark.  “You wouldn’t believe what the people can do with their  bodies.” 

“You don’t say,” Bill said, picking up his glass and swirling the water before drinking.  Mark opened one of the cabinets to get a plate so he could give him some Riller. 

Omar approached Bill and shook his knee.  With Bill seated, they were eye-level to each other.  “How did you get here, Bill?”

The man looked at the boy and squinted his eyes thoughtfully.  “That’s a story for another time, Omar.”  He placed his hand on his shoulder, eyes twinkling.  “Perhaps I’m unique in more ways than one!”

Tilting his head, Omar looked at him, puzzled.  Mark returned to the kitchen table with a plate and started to cut a slice of Riller from the loaf. 

Bill continued, “Last night I took my walk outside and I noticed three stars in the Orion nebulae that I’d never seen before.  And that’s when I realized that you three had done it!  You had found your way to the stars!  And so quickly!!”

“Did you think about dad, too?”

“Not really…I didn’t know your father at all.  But I do know you!”

“Oh!”  Sabrina exclaimed.  “So you thought about us?  And that’s how you got here?”

Bill furrowed his brow and pursed his lips.  “In a way,” he said.  “It’s a little more involved than that.  Perhaps I can explain better another time.”  He gave Omar’s shoulder a squeeze, then turned back to Sabrina.  “But for now, I believe you needed that guitar for a reason?”

Sabrina looked at him, then her face brightened when she realized what he meant. 

Mark suddenly remembered their plight.  “Oh, yes!  You’re right Bill!  We’re prisoners here!”

“Uh huh.”

“And we need to get out!”  Sabrina added.  “I want to try to do what we saw earlier today.  I want to see if I can make this wall disappear,” she said, nodding at the kitchen wall. 

“Okay!  Let’s see.”  Bill motioned for her to play.  Mark and Omar turned to their sister.

Sabrina started picking the notes of an F major chord her fingers deftly plucking each note.  Everyone looked at the wall in anticipation.  But nothing happened.  She started again, this time weaving a plaintive Spanish melody into the chords while everyone willed the wall to disappear.  It was beautiful and everyone was entranced, but again nothing happened. 

Sabrina stopped playing and let her arms fall down to her side.  “I guess it doesn’t work for me,” she sighed. 

Gentle knocking came from the front door.  Mark left to see who it was and everyone was happy when he came back with Luca.  He was shocked when he saw Bill, and was about to ask about him how he got there, when Sabrina said, “We’re trying to see if we can make the wall disappear!”   

He turned to her and suddenly forgot about Bill.  She was holding something he had never seen before…something with strings…

Sabrina followed his stare to her guitar.  “It’s a guitar,” she said.  “Her name’s Jolie, and she makes music.”  She started plucking away and Luca drew back, startled. 

“Why that’s amazing!” he exclaimed.  He came forward and held out his hands. 

“Can I see?” he asked.  After Sabrina handed over her instrument, Luca turned it over and over, eying it from various angles.  He plucked the strings, and his eyes shown with amazement. 

“You make Kearing from it!” he exclaimed.  “It makes Kearing!” he repeated, holding the guitar in front of him like a prize. 

“Yes, it does,” Sabrina said.  “But unfortunately, I can’t seem to do anything with my Kearing.”  She took Sabrina back and slung her back on.” 

“Well, let’s see if both of us together can do something,” Luca said excitedly.  He encouraged Sabrina to play.   His face lit up again when Sabrina started picking the strings.  After listening to her for a few minutes, Luca raised his left arm, exposing his gold strings, and joined her. 

Everyone immediately heard the difference in the quality of Luca’s music.  His whole body and person moved to his sound.  They could hear his spirit, his being, in his playing, and they couldn’t help but be drawn to it.  The best way to describe it was that Luca was in his music.    

Sabrina stopped playing and watched Luca while listening to him play.  Then she closed her eyes.  Luca’s sound was so pure, like a pillar.  She began to see his music as a vertical beam of light shining in darkness.  As his notes changed, the beam changed shape, direction, and brightness. 

Her eyes still closed, she opened herself to the experience of his music.  She began nodding her head to his rhythm.  She understood.  Then she joined him again. 

Starting with a slow and steady cadence, she plucked the notes of the C chord in a smooth and hypnotizing manner.  She urged her soul into her music and her fingers didn’t fail her.  Everyone was drawn to her sound, which seemed to them to come alive.

With her eyes still closed, she began to “see” her own music now.  Playing a harmony to Luca’s melody in C, the plucking of her guitar notes appeared as fluttering lights dancing around his solid stream of sound.

Then Sabrina began to hear other sounds as well.  She saw musical lights that corresponded to different objects in the room.  The silver platter was a group of bright staccato notes.  The floor was a layer of solid bass sounds with a hollow middle.  Sabrina also heard notes and saw lights that belonged to Omar and Mark!  Their bodies and clothes were a mix of bright, dark, smooth, and wavy notes; scintillating, cacaphonic notes.  Mark’s eyes appeared as white light beams, like a welder’s torch, with a sound of Christmas bells.  A clarion trumpet call emanated from Omar’s chest of molten yellow and orange drop cookies.  His sound was warm and accepting. 

Listening to her brothers’ music, Sabrina also heard a Song, subtle and distant.  The Song bore a largeness and depth that she has never heard or experienced before, making her brothers’ music sound like echoes.  She wanted to listen closer and follow, but her purpose at hand kept her. 

With her eyes closed, Sabrina continued to listen around the room.  The exterior wall of the kitchen had a sound similar to the floor, a bass Vroom type of sound, with a hollow middle.  It had a metronomic, marching quality to it, reminding Sabrina of the beginning of The Little Drummer Boy.

Sabrina sensed Luca in her thoughts, his presence in her mind.  As his music blended with hers, he experienced what she was experiencing and knew what she was thinking.  This union made him smile as he continued to play with his eyes closed.    

Sabrina’s golden notes fluttered around the fixed bass sounds of the wall.  They alighted on them and touched them.  The music comingled.

Mmm.  Sabrina tuned to the music of the wall. 

This music and my music are the same!    

The music of the wall and I are one, and all that is required for the wall to not-be is an overriding desire to be…

Free

A “Whoom!” sound startled Mark, Bill, and Omar.  Where there once was a wall, the three now looked out to the green forest and pink sky.  Luca and Sabrina stopped playing and opened their eyes to a different world.  Mark and Omar looked at their sister with mouths open, like they were seeing her for the very first time.  

Chapter 13     Escape

“Wow!” Mark and Omar exclaimed simultaneously.  “How did you do that?!”

“You wouldn’t believe it!” Sabrina said, blinking her eyes and shaking her head, trying to come out of her trance.  “I saw the music!  Mine and Luca’s!  It was bright and colorful!  It moved like birds!  And butterflies!”  She moved to a kitchen chair and sat down, still holding Jolie by the neck with her left hand. 

“What?! the two responded.  “Really?!”

Sabrina looked at them with wide eyes.  “And you two!  You’re music, too.  I saw you as music!  Everything is made of music!!”

“Of course,” said Luca, as he joined them.  “Everything is Kearing!  But we can talk about that later.  For now, we have to get you out of here before the elders or anybody else visits you again!” 

“You’re right!” Mark said.  He walked over to the edge of the floor where the wall used to be.  “Whoo!  That’s a pretty long drop.  Where can we get rope?” 

“I can get rope,” Luca said as he walked up to Mark’s side.  “You think all of you can climb down?”

Mark turned around and looked at Omar and Sabrina, who had questioning faces.

“Well, we don’t really have much choice,” he said to them.    

After Luca left, Sabrina and Omar sidled to the open edge of the room and looked down.  It was about a 30 foot drop to grass. 

“Whoa!  We have to climb a rope down?”  Sabrina asked, talking more to herself than anybody else.

“It will be okay,” Mark reassured her as he put his arm around her shoulder.  “We’ll tie one rope to your waist so we’ll have you even if you slip.  The other rope you’ll grab onto as you step slowly down at an angle, like rapelling.  I’m pretty sure you can do it.”

“Pretty sure?” she asked.

“You made the wall disappear.  Can’t you make stairs appear?  To take us to the ground?” asked Omar, still looking down the drop. 

“I don’t know Omar.  I don’t have a clue how to actually make something.  It was pretty much by luck that I figured out how to disassemble the wall,” Sabrina answered. 

It took Luca only a few minutes to come back with two coils of yellow rope.  They asked him if he knew how to make stairs.

Luca smiled, but shook his head.  “It takes years of practice to make things that actually remain.  I’ve tried making simple things like clouds and leaves.  But they disappear again in a few seconds.  I wouldn’t trust your walking down any stone steps that Sabrina and I could manage to conjure up.  I think this rope is your best chance,” he said, holding up one coil then handing it to Mark.  “It’s made of some soft yarn material, but very strong.” 

Mark took it and confirmed both of what he said.  It reminded him of the yarn his mom used to knit.  Then they began the work of climbing down from their prison. 

They let Omar down first.  “Here, Omar.  Grab the rope like this and try to walk down the wall, like this,” said Mark, holding the rope waist high in front of him with two hands and walking backwards slowly with his feet close to the ground.  The rope became taught with the weight of Bill and Luca on the other end, allowing Mark to lean his weight backward while balancing at the edge of the floor.  Sabrina’s jaw tightened as Mark tested the rope and leaned back, but then he stepped back inside.  “We’ll tie another rope around your waist, in case you slip,” he said, placing his hands around Omar’s hip. 

Bill had tied knots at every foot on the rope the boy was holding.  The knots helped him to grab the rope more easily, and Omar made his way down with no problem. 

“That wasn’t that bad!”  Omar said to himself as he landed on the ground.  If the group had more time, he would have asked to do it again.

Then Sabrina went.  She was fearful, but as she hesitantly backed out of the room, she felt the support of the rope around her waist.  A lifeline.  It gave her courage and she managed to get to the ground. 

Mark was next.  With Bill and Luca holding on to his rope, he safely made it down. 

Last was Bill.  He regularly hiked Islandtown’s steepest slopes, so he told Luca he would have no problem.   Still, Luca was a little concerned, since he wasn’t sure he could support Bill on his own, if something did happen.  So he tied the waist rope around the kitchen faucet, should Bill slip.  But, as he promised, Bill easily made it down on his own.  Once down, the three made their way behind the adjacent building, where Luca said he’d meet them.   

***

Unlike the other Strings, Brin was thick with muscle - in the chest, arms, and legs.  He had a narrow waist, but his paunch noticeably filled out his gown, which was dark velvet red.  It was a handsome gown, befitting those who guarded the castle, and with his blond hair the man cast a striking figure.  He was brushing off some tree flower petals that had fallen onto his shoulder, when Luca walked up to him with a Coco in each hand. 

“Hey, Brin!  How are you doing?”  Luca took a bite off one end of the Coco in his right hand.  The guard hungrily eyed the red sauce that trickled out.  The sweet meat dough treat was one of his favorites.   

“I’m well…Umm!  Those look good, Luca!  How about sharing the other one with your old friend?”

“Why would I want to do that, Brin?  What have you done for me lately?  I can’t even get out of the darn castle and explore the forest like I love to do!”  He chomped down on the middle section of the Coco.

“Oh, now,” rejoined Brin.  “You know your parents told me not to let you go!  I have to follow them.  And you know it’s for your own good, too.  Those Thumpers may capture you!  And then, what?”

“Anyone with any brains could avoid them” Luca answered.  “They always travel in groups.  I’d have to be deaf to be captured!”  Luca tossed the last section of the first Coco into his mouth, smacked his lips, and licked his fingers, glancing at Brin every now and then through the corner of his eye.  He pretended he was about to bite into the second one when he saw his friend had become crestfallen.

“Oh, all right!  I was kidding anyway.  You can have this one,” said Luca as he handed the cylindrical pastry to his friend.

Brin snatched it from his hand and chomped down on it.  He closed his eyes and savored the sweet saucy taste.  He hadn’t eaten in four hours.  “Mmmm!  This is SO good, Luca!  Thank you!”

Brin had just finished off the remaining Coco and was licking his fingers, when the look of his face changed from ecstasy to puzzlement.  Then alarm as his eyes become larger! 

He bent down and grabbed his stomach, then looked up at Luca, who looked confused. 

“You did this!”  Brin pointed at him with a shaking finger.  His stomach was bloating and he clenched his sphincter so what he feared wouldn’t happen.

“Did what?” Luca asked innocently.  “I had the same Coco you did!  Do you have to go to the bathroom?  You look like you do.  I promise I’ll guard the gate for you.  I won’t leave!”

Brin eyed him suspiciously, but accepted the promise as his need to go became more urgent.  He scuttled to the nearest building, hunched over and legs pressed against each other.  “Oh nooo!..” Luca heard him say as he rushed through the entrance door.

Once Brin was gone, Luca waved at the four hiding behind a castle wall and led them out of the gate.  Luca remained behind after telling the group how to get to the Thumpers.  He hugged Sabrina when they said goodbye, making Mark and Omar look at each other with raised eyebrows.  

Chapter 14     The Table

To avoid being seen by the guards at the front of the castle, Bill, Mark, Sabrina, and Omar first walked farther away from the rear of the castle then swung their way back towards the front through the forest, all the while keeping clear of the guard lookout posts that Luca warned them about.  It was easy to keep their bearings because the castle was always within sight above the treetops.  They walked back to the valley where the three initially landed, and turned right at the same rock outcropping that they saw the Thumpers come from.  Soon they came to a river and followed that all the way to the Thumpers’ homes, just as Luca had described to them. 

The group stayed close to the river bank.  Mark, who had picked up a walking stick, led the way.  He was followed by Omar, who had managed to carry a bag of Riller from the castle.  Then Sabrina, with Jolie slung on her back.  Bill kept the rear, wearing his backpack which was significantly lighter now without Sabrina’s guitar.  As they walked, they noticed some new vegetation.  Blue moss started to appear everywhere.  Some green willow-looking trees became more common.  Lots of mushroom-like growths appeared on the path.

They heard the Thumpers before they saw them.  The sound and beat of drums made the children think the Thumpers were having some sort of celebration.  They quickened their pace as the river widened into a valley.  Some of the plants and grasses became smaller, and shriveled, as they came closer and closer to the source of the sound. 

Then Bill and the children saw the first of the Thumpers’ homes.    They were mushroom-shaped.  And in fact, that’s what they were---giant mushrooms.   The large plants had been carved out, creating living spaces on the inside.  Wood doors and windows with shutters completed the look.  The mushrooms did not look dried out.  They must have still been alive!     

Strangely, there was no one around.  Bill and the children did not see anybody when they peeked inside the windows. 

As they drew closer to the drums, the music began to affect their bodies.  Their torsos and hips rocked and swayed to the beat.  They couldn’t help it!  They followed the drums to a clearing free of trees and bushes. 

There in the clearing, an amazing sight greeted them.   Twenty feet above the ground was suspended a huge circle of stone.  It must have been almost 200 feet across and almost two feet thick.  The children didn’t know what it was, for there was nothing in their world that resembled it.  Was it a flying saucer?  A giant stone kite?

The stone wobbled slightly as it floated above them.  Below the giant saucer, arranged in a circle beneath the outside edge of the stone were Thumpers, pounding on their chests the musical beats which the children had followed.  Some had sweat on their foreheads, their eyes closed in deep concentration.  It occurred to Bill, Mark, Sabrina, and Omar all at once:  The Thumpers were keeping the stone saucer in the air with their music! 

The floating piece of rock had a large crack down the middle, resembling a lightning bolt.  In unison with the music, the two halves drew together, making a loud bumping noise.  However, the halves separated again, the crack preventing them from becoming one.  The Thumpers’ music grew louder and more urgent, and the two halves again bumped against each other.  This time the meeting was more powerful, accompanied by a loud “crunch”.  But again, they drew apart.  Then the music reached a fever pitch, the rhythm at times becoming out of sync on the third try.  Sweat fell profusely from the larger drummers, and you could see from all of their faces that they so much wanted to put the two pieces back together again. 

But it did not work.  After the third attempt, the drum beats slowed and grew quiet.  The floating goliath slowly drifted down onto four square blocks, which the children hadn’t noticed until now.  Each block formed the corner of a square, about one hundred feet on a side.  It was apparent now that the stone saucer was really a large stone table top --- a broken one.  It rested on the square table legs, with the cracked portion resting on the ground. 

The Thumpers stared at it.  The children saw sadness, frustration, and even tears on the people’s faces.  Some of them threw their hats down on the ground, perhaps in surrender, perhaps in anger.

The crowd bean to leave and go back to their mushroom houses.  A few stayed on, continuing to stare at their broken table in disbelief.  The day’s light lost its brightness; night was approaching.

“It’s no use, Bola’n”, the children heard a tall Thumper say to one that looked like their father, to Omar and Mark’s amazement.  The two were standing next to each other, surveying the damaged stone.  “We cannot fix the table.  Our home no longer is.  We must find another!  We must conquer the crystal palace!”

“But Nelik,” replied Bola’n, who raised his hands in argument.  “You saw their defenses.  We were not able to break through!  We were barely able to get out before we got dissolved!” 

Bola’n wore knee-length trousers and a cream long-sleeved shirt.  It had a large opening at the chest, from which his drum protruded.

“We must try again!” countered Nelik, pounding once on his chest.  He was similarly attired, except his shirt was light blue.  “We can do it when fewer of them are there!  We can try it when they go out to gather food!”

The children were nearby, listening in on the conversation.  Suddenly Bill encircled them all with his arms and walked them as a group to the attention of the two men.  Initially the children resisted, but then recovered their composure by the time the Thumpers noticed them.

“Rom!  Who are you?” questioned Bola’n, in an aggressive tone.

“We are…friends,” said Mark.  As he was speaking, he couldn’t help but study Bola’n’s face which did bear a striking resemblance to his father’s.

Nelik eyed them suspiciously, demanding, “Where do you come from?  Of what group are you?  And why are you here?”

“We are from a faraway land,” said Sabrina hesitantly.  “We’re here to help.”

“Help!?  How can you help?” asked Bola’n.

“Well… we actually can’t help.  But we think the Strings may be able to help you,” added Mark.

“How can the Strings help us?” asked Nelik, who crossed his arms in front of his barrel chest.

“They have musical power.  Kearing power,” said Sabrina.

“Yes, they do,” Bola’n nodded.  “But we do too, placing his large hand on his chest drum.  And we cannot bring the Table back together again!  We have tried many times!”  He gestured toward the stone slabs only a few feet behind him. 

“Yes, we saw,” continued Sabrina.  “And heard.  But you have a certain type of Kearing and they have another type of Kearing.  Maybe if you brought your powers together both of you could succeed where you alone have failed.”

“No!” exclaimed Nelik.  He turned to Bola’n.  “That is a ridiculous idea!  The Strings would never help us.  We must attack them and secure their castle for our new home!”

Bola’n placed his hand on Nelik’s shoulder.  He mulled over what was said, rubbing the hairs on his chin.  “I like the idea of asking for their help more than attacking them.  Especially since we haven’t been successful!   I wish we thought of it before!  We’ve already attacked them twice.  There’s no way they’ll help us now!”

“Why didn’t you ask them for help at first?” asked Mark.

“They’re so different from us!  Why would they?  We’ve always been separate from them!”  answered Bola’n.

“Hmm,” mumbled Mark and Sabrina.

Then Omar, who had been mesmerized by Bola’n and all his movements til now, said, “Maybe they don’t like you attacking them and would help you if that would mean you would stop.”

Bola’n looked at Omar, and nodded.  “Hmm.  You are wise for such a young man.”

Bill smiled, and rested his hand on Omar’s head.

Omar continued to stare at Bola’n’s face, his mouth slightly open, his heart swollen with pride at the Thumper’s compliment. 

Chapter 15     Siri

Bola’n looked at Nelik, who still seemed angry. 

“We will think this idea over and discuss it with our leaders,” the Thumper chief said.  He looked up at the sky.  The Orion Nebula was becoming visible, with its beautiful milky garnet star cluster.   

“Stardream is approaching,” stated Bola’n matter of factly.  “We are retiring to our shrooms.  Where will you three go from here?”

“We don’t really know…yet,” said Mark, his voice trailing off. 

Weird Bill cleared his throat.  “We are tired from our journey here,” he said.  “Do you have any place where we can sleep?”

“Yes, we do!”  answered the Thumper, eager to offer these helpful strangers a place to stardream.  “When the table cracked, a group of families felt that was bad braka! and left the tribe.  You can sleep in one of the shrooms they left behind.  I’ll have Siri take you there and get it ready for you.”  He scanned the area of the nearest mushroom houses and spotted his daughter. 

“Siri!” he yelled, then thumped his chest three times.  A girl that seemed younger than Sabrina, wearing a red blouse, knee-length white shorts, and sandals ran to Bola’n.

“Yes, father?” 

Siri was short like the rest of the tribe, but, unlike them, skinny.  Like the men of the tribe, the top part of her chest had expanded, and the skin became taught over a hollow center.  Although her hands were smallish, they had rounded knuckles, perfect for pounding. 

Bola’n took her aside and they spoke for a while.  Then Siri turned to them with an infectious smile and happy eyes.

“Hello!  My name is Siri and I’ll be glad to take you to your place of stardream.”

She led them to a path, illuminated by tulip-like flowers with incandescent centers.  They passed two small mushroom shrooms, then Siri opened the door to the third one.  When Bill walked inside, to his delight he saw a room furnished similarly to his.  To his left sat a round wooden table with 4 wooden chairs.  To his right the walls of the mushroom had been hollowed out to form two “beds”.  A bluish purplish silky furry material covered each, and a long pillow the width of the bed, also covered with the silky material, lay at the top.  Siri opened a wooden chest between the two beds and took out two cloth blankets. 

“Will you be okay sharing the fossa?” she asked. 

“Sure!” said Omar.  He stepped to the fossa then sat on it.  It jiggled underneath him like a bed of jello. “Hey!”  He shifted his weight around to magnify the jiggling.

Sabrina turned to Siri and pointed to the drum on her chest.  “We heard and saw your people play their drums.  You have a great beat!”

Siri put her hand on her Thoom! and said, “Oh, thank you!  I am very lucky.  I am a female but have been blessed with the Thoom!”  She flicked a triple beat with her knuckles.  Her Thoom! popped with the sound. 

“Neat!” exclaimed Omar, jumping from the bed and coming close to her.  “Play some more!”

“Certainly!”

Siri thumped on her Thoom!, expertly alternating fingers and hands.  The beats popped from her chest and made everybody want to dance along.  In addition to her chest drum, she tapped the door with her foot in contrapuntal rhythm.  The effect was delightful and Bill and the children clapped and shouted when she was done.  Siri smiled gleefully and covered her drum with both hands in appreciation.  

“Wow, you’re really good at that!” Bill beamed at her.

“Why thank you!  I’m glad you liked it.  And I’m glad I am able to do it.  Father says I have the gift!”

“Yes, you do,” agreed Bill.  He wanted to know more.  “We’re sorry about your table, Siri.”

Siri’s face grew dark.  “Oh, yes.  It was horrible when the table broke.  We don’t know what caused it.  The tribe heard a giant “crack” early one morning, about 14 cycles ago.  The table is the heart of our tribe.  We have always had the table with us.  The elders cannot remember when it was not there.”  She paused and stepped to the window, looking in the direction of the stone.  “The table resonates our Kearing.  When we play, a very low sound emanates from it.  You can barely hear it, but it is there.  Touch the table when someone is thumping their chest, and the table vibrates.  Somehow the table magnifies our Kearing!” 

“It’s like a giant speaker!” said Omar. 

Siri looked puzzled at Omar’s words, but continued.  “And now it is broken.  The plants, our food, do not grow like they used to.  We did not know it, but the Kearing from the table must have contributed to the abundance of our harvests.  When the table broke, the plants became thin, limp, and weak.  We have to travel farther and farther to get good food.  Some thought it was a bad sign, and because of that left us. 

“Even more, we can no longer eat together as a group.  The table was perfect for us.  All the adults could gather at the table during maja, our main meal time.  And the adults would put the children on the table and they would dance and play and even run around on it.  We never imagined that the table would break.  We never even thought that it could break.  We believed it was unbreakable.”

Siri turned back to the children.  “We tried and tried to heal the break, but we couldn’t.  Our Kearing didn’t work!  That was when the leaders, including my father, decided to attack the Strings and their Crystal Castle.  They thought the magic of the castle would heal the spirit of our tribe and our people would be happy again.  But their attacks were thwarted by the Strings.  And we are still here with our broken table.   Because of it, people have lost their pride in our community.  Some have let their shroom deteriorate, not keeping it clean or not making needed repairs.  If we don’t rekindle our spirit soon, it may mean the end of our tribe!”

Siri looked very sad, now.  Bill and the siblings were heartbroken for her.  

Chapter 16     Stardream

Glowing red and green gases bloomed across the night sky of He’lah, pricked by points of bright white light.  Bill and the children looked out the window of their shroom, open-mouthed. 

“Wow!” everyone exclaimed.

“And I thought our night sky was beautiful,” Mark said, scanning the wonder before him.

Omar was the first to break from their reverie.  “Let’s check out the food our neighbor brought over,” he said, as he made his way to the table.

Before she left, Siri had knocked on a neighbor’s door and asked if they had any spare food for the visitors.  The neighbor gladly brought what his family had left over from their dinner. 

“What’s this?” asked Sabrina, pointing at a bowl of orange marmalade-like substance.  She dipped her fingers in it and pulled it back out.  A string of orange stickiness clung to her finger, tracing a sagging line to the bowl. 

“Umm…Yum!  I’ve never tasted anything like it!  It’s delicious!” 

That was enough for Omar.  He tried it.  “Oh!” he said, eyes lit up and a big grin on his face.  He reached for another bowl.  “What is this?” he asked.  Inside was something that looked like white yogurt.

“What did Siri call it?  ‘Fraish’ I think,” replied Sabrina.  When she coated her finger with it and tasted, lemon mint flavor tingled on her tongue.

They located some knives and spread it over Riller, washing it down with a drink that looked and tasted like Hawaiian Punch. 

“I must say, I like the taste of their food!” said Omar. 

“Me, too!” added Mark, as he put another piece of bread in his mouth. 

When they all felt they had enough to eat and drink, they turned their attention to their sleeping arrangements.  They decided Omar would share a fossa with Sabrina, since he moved around a lot when he slept.  And Mark would share with Bill.  After settling in and covering themselves with their warm and furry blankets, Stardream arrived. 

As soon as Mark, Sabrina, and Omar closed their eyes, they entered into a dream state.  However, unlike dreams on earth, this one was crystal clear.  And it was shared by all of them.

In their stardream, the tops of the Shrooms disappeared.  Above them ranged an open sky filled with bright points of light, colorful gases, and streaking comets.  The stars were bigger and brighter than when viewed from earth.  And they seemed to be getting bigger and closer by the second.  It was as if He’lah itself was moving towards the stars.  As Mark, Sabrina, and Omar moved farther and farther into outer space, there was one star, and one planet that came into their minds...

***

“Wake up, up there!  You’re gonna be late for school!”  Nancy Andersen shouted from the base of the stairs.

Mark heard his mom’s voice, then opened his eyes.   He was in his bedroom.  He sat up and looked around.  His soft light blue flannel blanket covered his bed.  Running posters decorated the wall.  The sunlight shone on his dark maple dresser, just like it always did.  He smelled bacon and pancakes.  It was Dennis bacon, his favorite.  Yup, he was definitely home! 

He stepped out of his room just as Sabrina, in a nightshirt, stepped out of hers.  She gave him the same puzzled look that he gave her.

“Are we back home?  Weren’t we just on another planet?” asked Mark.

“He’lah?” said Sabrina, finishing his thought for him.  “I thought I might have been dreaming.  But I must not have been if you remember it, too!”

“Yes!  The Thumpers…and Strings…and the broken table.  We went to sleep!  And now we’re here!”

Omar came out of his room barefoot, in red shorts and a white t shirt.  “Hey you guys!  We’re back home!  What happened to the Thumpers?  And Siri?  And the food?”

“We don’t know, Omar,” said Sabrina.  “But it seems we’ve gone back to earth!”  She looked back at Mark.  “Do you think we should tell mom?”

“No way!”  Mark answered.  “She’ll think we’re crazy!  And we have no proof.  Maybe if we go through the day, something will happen, or we can figure it out.  We can meet right after school to talk about it.”

“What day is it anyway?” Sabrina asked.

“I don’t know.  If it’s the day after we talked with Bill, it’s Thursday.”

“And where is Bill?!” asked Sabrina.  “Do you think he’s back at his cottage?”

“I don’t know,” said Mark.  “I’ll ask around when we get to school.  Okay.  That’s a plan then.  See you two after school.” 

***

After their last class, the three met at the grade school playground and sat on the swings.  Mark sat on the flexible brown plastic seat, hands grasping the chains supporting it. 

“Well there was no sign of Bill,” Mark started, rocking the swing while keeping his feet on the ground.  “I asked Mr. Thompson and he said he didn’t know, that Bill was always punctual and always showed up.”

“Hmm,” said Sabrina. 

Mark continued.  “How do you think we got here?”

“We must have all been thinking about mom and earth when we went to sleep,” said Sabrina, her swing barely moving.

“I was,” said Omar, swinging slightly back and forth.  His legs were too short for his feet to touch the ground.  “I miss mom.  But I still want to see dad.  I mean Bol’an.  It’s weird.  I want to remain with both of them, but I can’t.”

Sabrina reached over from her swing and patted Omar’s back.  “It’s okay, Omar.  I feel the same way.  Maybe we can get back to He’lah tonight.  We’ve seen mom and she’s okay.  So now we can go back and try to help the Thumpers repair their table.”

The three agreed on their plan.  During dinner, Omar was dying to tell their mom about their little trip, but Mark and Sabrina’s stern looks convinced him to remain quiet.  When they went to bed, each tried to think of He’lah and Bola’n and Luca and Siri and the Thumpers.  For that was how they got there the first time….

Chapter 17     Help

Sabrina felt something pushing against her side.  She opened her eyes.  It was Omar’s hand, though his eyes were closed and he was clearly sleeping.  Then she looked around the room, eyes widening as she realized where she was. 

Oh my God, we did it! she thought as she sat up and surveyed the fossas and kitchen table and chairs of the Shroom. 

Mark woke up next.  He sat up, blinked and looked around the room as his eyes adjusted to the already bright morning light.  He looked at Sabrina and a grin spread over his face.

“We did it!” he said to her, in low and slightly nasal voice. 

“I know!” replied Sabrina in a whisper.  “Was that a dream, or an actual experience?”

“I don’t know.  I’m not even sure if this is real,” he said, arms motioning around the room. 

A light knock came from the door.  Mark got out from under the covers and walked to the door barefoot.  It was Siri.

“I didn’t mean to wake you!  I’ve brought you breakfast,” she said, holding up a wooden tray of earthen bowls and pitcher.

“Oh, it’s okay, Siri.  Sabrina and I were already awake,” he said, opening the door wider.  “Come in!”

Siri set the tray down on the kitchen table.  As if on cue, Omar started to move around, though his eyes remained closed.  Bill also heard the commotion and woke up.  He opened his eyes, although he remained on the fossa unmoving. 

Sabrina walked over to the kitchen, joining Mark and Siri.  “We dreamed we were back on earth, the world where we came from, Siri,” she said, leaning on a chair. 

“Oh!  That’s great!  Stardream allows you to do that easily.  I have a few places I like to go, too.”

“Really!?” Mark and Sabrina said simultaneously. 

“Yes…” Siri was about to explain when a loud knock came on the door.  When Mark opened it, Bola’n strode into the Shroom.    

“Oh good!”  he said.  “You’re all awake.”  He started pacing back and forth in the middle of the room as he talked.  He wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt today, along with knee length brown shorts and sandals.  “We discussed the matter of the Strings with our leaders and have decided it is in our best interest to apologize to them and ask them to help us.  We will tell them of our broken table and request their aid.  We have also decided the sooner we meet with them, the better.  That is why I am here so early.  We will leave later this morning!” 

“I think that’s a wise decision,” said Bill, sitting now on his fossa, bare feet touching the floor.  He seemed very alert for someone who had just woken up, and surprised everyone a little with his first words that morning. 

Taking a minute to let the news sink in, Mark and Sabrina looked at each other.  Then Mark turned toward Bola’n.  “Yes,” he said, nodding.  “You’ve made the best decision.” 

“Good, said Bola’n.  “I’m glad you agree, since it was your idea!  Then we’ll see you in a little while in the courtyard, near the table.  I’ll leave you to your breakfast.”  After smiling at Mark and Sabrina, Siri followed her father out. 

***

So a little while later, three Thumpers, Bola’n and a couple named Ton and Mia, set off towards the Strings’ castle to present their message and request.  The children and Bill accompanied them.  At the last minute, the group decided to bring Siri also.  She would present, along with Ton and Mia, gifts of food and flowers that the Thumpers had prepared for the Strings.    

They set off for the castle with high hopes, following the river out of the valley.  As they approached the rock outcropping, they heard the tiniest vibration in the air, like the wings of bees buzzing all around them.  The sound quickly intensified into string music, an energetic, jumping melody.  It came from the top of the rock cliff, 50’ above them.  Despite the music, the Strings were nowhere in sight. 

As they were looking up, scanning for the source of the music and any Strings, a large piece of rock sprung off from the side of the cliff and hurtled towards them.

There was little time to react.  Everyone ran off in different directions as the boulder came crashing down to where they were just at.  Crack!  The cart that was carrying the food and gifts was crushed, with only sections of a few wooden pieces visible under the large rock.  Juice from the fruits squirted outwards.

Bola’n and the other Thumpers ran towards their left and hid behind some large bushes.  Bill and the children hurried to their right and found cover under a tree. 

“They’re attacking us!” yelled Bola’n, something everybody else had already figured out. 

Another boulder jumped from the side of the cliff and fell towards them, landing next to the first.

The Thumpers felt helpless.  They did not have numbers and were not prepared for an ambush.  They had no plan and no retaliatory music.  Despite this, Bola’n started drumming a beat.  The other Thumpers, including Siri, joined him. 

Mark watched and listened as the Thumpers valiantly retaliated.  However, he didn’t see any visible effect from their efforts.  Another large rock, at least ten feet across, hurtled down towards them, shaking the ground upon its landing.  The Kearing of the Thumpers failed to dissolve or re-direct the huge projectiles.  Their music is too soft and weak, he thought. 

Siri realized the same thing.  She thought hard as she listened to the Strings’ music.  “It’s a very simple melody with a jumping quality to it.  It’s repetitive and does not change.  It’s very engaging!” she thought and understood why the rocks would jump off the cliff at the sound of it.  Her eyes became wider.

“I have an idea, father!”  Siri said to Bola’n.  He looked at her daughter and stopped playing.  Ton and Mia stopped also.  Siri started beating her Thoom! the very next beat after the downbeat of the Strings’ melody.  The other Thumpers joined her.  With the beat of their drums, the Strings’ melody became awkward to the listener, as now there were two downbeats, right after each other!

It might have been her imagination, but the size of the next falling boulder seemed smaller! 

Yes !, thought Siri.

But then the Strings played louder.  The projectiles regained their original size, then became even bigger!  Thankfully, they still fell on the path and not on the groups’ sheltered areas. 

“We must disrupt their melody!”  Siri yelled to Sabrina, still under the tree.  “They’re too loud to overpower!”

“Okay!” Sabrina yelled back and took Jolie out from her backpack.  Beginning on the same downbeat as Siri’s, she played her favorite jig.  Its simple jumping melody competed with the Strings’ song, and distracted listeners from their music.    

Still, because she alone played her song, it did not penetrate the Kearing of the Strings.  The rocks kept falling. 

Then she heard one of the Strings joining her!

What?!  Why?! she thought.  She looked at the top of the cliff but then realized the music was coming from behind her.  She turned around.  Luca!  With fingers stroking his golden strings, her friend strode quickly towards her, a big smile on his face.  He joined Sabrina’s melody with his music. 

Although Luca added only one more instrument to join the Thumpers and Sabrina, it tipped the scales in their favor.  Finally their Kearing carried enough force to dispel the Strings’ music.  The fact that the sound of his music matched that of the Strings while his melody conflicted with theirs was another deciding factor.  They had confounded the Strings’ Kearing.  Weighed down by the syncopation of the Thumpers and Sabrina’s and Luca’s alternate melody, the Strings’ music limped rather than danced.  Their Kearing lost its power. 

The boulders stopped falling.    

Silence.

Sabrina turned around and hugged Luca.  Then Mark and Omar joined them in a group hug.

“That was great, Luca!” she whooped.  “You saved us!”

“I helped you to save yourselves!” he beamed.  As he embraced his friends, Luca caught sight of a figure at the edge of the cliff.  Sabrina and the others followed his gaze. 

It was a tall stately String named Crim.  The heads and torsos of other Strings flanked him.   They were all wearing white robes, which were ruffling slightly in the breeze.

Bola’n stepped out from behind the rocks.  Siri, Ton and Mia followed.  “We are not here to attack you!” Bola’n yelled up to the leader. 

“That is what you did the last two times you visited us,” Crim yelled back. 

Out from behind the trees, Luca appeared, with Bill and the children behind him.  “These are my friends!” he yelled to Crim, gesturing to Sabrina and the others.  “They are honest!  They tell the truth!”

“Please come down and hear us out!”  Bola’n yelled.  “There are only three of us and a little girl.  We can do no harm to you.  We had brought you gifts of food and flowers,” his arm gesturing to the large rock with cart mashed underneath, “but unfortunately they were smashed by one of your boulders.  We were lucky we were able to escape!”

“It was not luck!” Crim responded.  “We only intended to turn you back.  If it were otherwise, the results would have been different!” He declared confidently and gravely. 

Then Crim raised his left arm and revealed gold strings.  He rubbed the long fingers of his right hand over them.  The other Strings followed.  It was a soft vibrating sound, one continuous note.  In a few seconds they lifted slightly off the ground and were transported down to the level of the Thumpers.  To Mark and the others, it seemed like they were riding an invisible escalator.  There were ten Strings in total, and they landed lightly in front of Bola’n. 

“I’m just learning how to do that,” Luca confided to Sabrina.  “It’s harder than it looks.” 

“It doesn’t look all that easy to me, Luca,” said Sabrina, who was amazed at the sight. 

Bola’n explained the plight of the Thumpers to Crim and the other Strings.  Then he made his request for the Strings’ help to heal their broken table.

“And what will happen if it does not work?” asked Crim.

“Even if it does not work, you have my word we will not attack your castle again.  It was wrong of us to attempt to steal your home because we had lost ours.  We are sorry.”

Crim looked at him solemnly, then at the other Thumpers, then Bill and the children.  “We will present your story and request for aid to our elders.  You will have our answer within three days.”

Chapter 18     Mar and Mer

Bill and the children returned with Bola’n and the Thumpers back to their home.  The rest of the day, Mark, Sabrina, and Omar spent time with Siri, who presented them with a little drum.  She had made it herself by hollowing out the trunk of a small tree and covering it with a leaf that had the toughness of leather.  Omar immediately claimed it as his and he and Siri played together until it started to become dark. 

He’s not that bad!  Mark and Sabrina eyed to each other as they listened. 

The next morning, Bola’n knocked on their door as was his custom.  When he walked in, he greeted the children with a great surprise.  Two surprises, actually.  A pair of tiny Thumpers perched atop his broad shoulders, Bola’n supporting each one with his hands. 

“I brought you my pride and joy this morning!  Meet Mar and Mer, my twins!”  They looked like miniatures of Bola’n, with brown hair and eyes, and wearing red jump suits and brown sandals.  Each child measured the length of Bola’n’s arm, and their wide chests did not yet sport drums. 

“Hi!” Mar and Mer said, simultaneously. 

“Ooh, they’re so cute!” exclaimed Sabrina as she hopped off her chair at the table and walked up to Mar, on Bolan’s left shoulder. 

“Hello Mar,” she said to him.  “I’m Sabrina and these are my brothers Omar and Mark.”  Both brothers smiled, waved, and said “hello” as she introduced them.  Mar responded by beating his chest, resulting in a fleshy “thud”, not the clear and loud “Thoom!” the adult Thumpers produced. 

Sabrina brought her hands up to Mar to see if he would come to her, and he did.  She hugged him close to her chest, but he started wriggling so she brought him down to the floor.  She then helped  Mer dismount also. 

As soon as Mer’s feet hit touched the ground, he started chasing his brother around the room in noisy abandon.  Mar ran under the kitchen table with his brother at his heels.  Then he jumped onto the fossa and laughed as it jiggled.  Without slowing down he ran up against the wall of the shroom for a couple of steps.  Brought back down the wall to the fossa by gravity, then jumping down to the floor, he was about to jump into the other fossa when Mer beat him to it and started jumping up and down on the bed.

The chase was accompanied by a beat-song, created by the twins slapping whatever they ran past---the table, chair, fossa, wall---accompanied by slaps of the hand or chest.  Mer would hit whatever Mar did, both sometimes beating the object two or three times, creating the tune. 

“Alright, alright, you two, that’s enough!”  Bola’n commanded.  “I didn’t bring you here to create havoc!  Let’s go outside where you won’t cause as much harm!”

Instead of chasing after them, he waited patiently until Mar ran by his legs, then deftly grabbed his chest one-handed and hoisted him above his head, the boy’s legs still pumping.  He placed his son  behind his head, his legs around his neck, and made his way outside, bending down and being careful not to bump Mar’s head on the top of the doorway.  Mer followed closely behind.

“Have a good morning!” he yelled goodbye to the children without looking back.

Sabrina watched them go and closed the door behind them, thinking what a wonderful family Bola’n had here!  She was all smiles, but when she turned around towards her brothers, all she saw on Omar’s face was glumness.  In an instant she knew the reason.  Her father, Patrick Andersen, used to carry Omar on his shoulders exactly as Bola’n carried Mar just now.  

Chapter 19     Healing

On the third day, Bola’n and the others were starting to give up hope.  But then a large contingent of Strings arrived in the afternoon.  There were 30 of them, including Crim and Pesha the Elder.  All were wearing white robes.  A golden sash around her waist distinguished Pesha’s.    

Bola’n greeted Crim and Pesha and expressed the appreciation of all the Thumpers for their help. 

“We are glad to help,” stated Pesha.  “You should have asked us before you attacked us.”  She looked directly into his eyes.

Bola’n looked down in shame.  “We are sorry, Pesha,” he said, eyes remaining downcast.

After the greeting and introductions, the Strings and Thumpers gather around the broken table and developed a plan.  Crim and his men were confident they could repair the table.  It would be just like slicing the rocks from the cliff, only in reverse, they reasoned. 

The Thumpers set the tone with slow heavy bass beats.  Seven drummers joined in with quicker rhythms.  The table started to elevate as the Thumpers closed their eyes and concentrated on their Kearing. 

Fifteen Strings joined in with their melody, playing in time with the Thumpers’ beats.  It was a victorious song having the sound and mood of a coronation hymn.  With zest the Strings hands moved back and forth, their music reminding Sabrina of songs by Vivaldi and Handel.  The Strings closed their eyes as their Kearing pushed the two parts of the table together.  The crack began to disappear and a large cheer erupted from the crowd.  Then the remainder of the Strings joined in, doubling the force of their Kearing.  Mark and Omar looked at each other as they felt their chests vibrate.  They watched as the broken pieces of the table blended together to become one.  The crack completely disappeared and another great roar rang out from the crowd.

Mark and Omar high-fived each other.  But Bill did not join their celebration, for he was watching Crim’s and Pesha’s faces.  He noticed concern on their brows and closed lids.  As the music decreased in volume, the table drifted down to its supporting structures.  As it settled onto its legs, the table cracked in the same place as before and its two pieces fell to the ground.  Silence fell as everyone stared at the broken pieces in dismay. 

Bill walked over to Crim.  “What happened?” he asked.

“You won’t be able to understand because you don’t see Kearing,” Crim replied.  “Even most of the Strings and Thumpers did not see.  But there is a dark void where the table is broken.  It is a space that our Kearing can’t penetrate.  We covered it with our music, and on the surface the table looked healed, but underneath the crack was still there.  I am not sure if we can heal it!” he declared soberly.

Sabrina stood by one of the table halves and studied it, forlorn.  Pesha came up by her side.  “We didn’t heal it,” the elder said.  “It is sad.”

“Yes, it’s very sad,” agreed Sabrina.  “Seeing the table in two pieces like that.  It reminds me of my family…when my father…” she looked at Pesha “left us.”  A pause.  “We were broken.”

Pesha saddened at Sabrina’s words and placed her hand gently on the girl’s shoulder, conveying sympathy through her cool blue eyes.  They both turned and looked at the table.  Then Pesha said, “Yes, it is a severe crack that keeps their table in two,” she said.  “We will try again.”  Sabrina heard resolve in her voice. 

Pesha walked over to Crim and told him of her decision.  He looked at her, puzzled, but saw the  determination in her eyes.  He walked over to Bola’n and told him they would try again.  Although they had difficulty believing, the Thumpers still yearned for their table to be healed, so they agreed to try again. 

Using the same music they played before, the Thumpers raised the table, and again the Strings brought the two sections together. 

Not knowing what happened the first time, Sabrina joined the Strings in their melody and closed her eyes.  She saw the black chasm that marked the crack on both pieces of the broken table.  Its still darkness challenged the color and movement of the music all around it.  A rainbow of cubic crystals, vibrating, moving, and flitting among and into themselves composed the table.  Their music sounded like high pitched xylophones, which thrilled in one’s chest when he heard them.  Muscular red wings of the Thumpers’ Kearing supported and lifted the structure in the air.  Around the table and along the black chasm, the Kearing of the Strings shimmered in blue waves, pressing the sections together.  But Sabrina saw the blue shimmer could not overpower the crack.  Wherever it tried to cover the void, the blue would fade and then disappear. 

Eyes still closed, suddenly Sabrina heard a lone String playing with the main melody.  The Strings’ song was in A major, a Kearing of victory.  But the lone String’s note was a half step lower than the third of the chord.  It was changing the song from major to minor, from a happy one to sad.  A few of the Strings, all women, upon hearing it immediately joined the note, joined Pesha, who was its source. 

After establishing a new mood to the Strings’ song, Pesha took the lead in the melody, vaulting above the other players in a falling musical line that was quickly supported by a few women Strings. 

As Pesha played, Sabrina saw her Kearing as a golden thread.  Pesha’s melody easily penetrated the impenetrable black chasm of brokenness.  It wove through both sides, and wherever it touched the black void transformed into gold. 

Sabrina cried as she watched this.  Pesha’s melody was strangely familiar.  An image of her father appeared in her mind, coming to her from a deep place.  Sabrina joined the song, already knowing how to play it. 

Pesha’s Kearing spread out in all directions, the exalted falling line of agony commanding attention.  Birds turned their ears to hear.  The air in the valley became clearer.  Seed in the richer loam cracked open.  Her golden thread gathered force and color.  Weaving through the black chasm, it left a brilliant golden seam along the length of the original crack, stronger than the void from which it emerged.  The table would never break again.     

The table floated back down to its legs.  This time, it remained one piece.

Chapter 20     Sorrow

There was silence once the table settled down.  Then everyone saw it was, indeed, repaired, and a large roar erupted.  All the Thumpers hugged each other and all the Strings hugged each other.  Even the Strings and Thumpers that were standing next to each other hugged each other, a little embarrassed afterwards.  The Andersens and Bill formed a group hug.  There were tears in their eyes.  In fact there were tears in many of the Thumpers’ and Strings’ eyes.

Bill saw Pesha standing apart from the crowd, not really joining in the celebration.  A strong hand clasped him on the shoulder.  “That’s why she’s an elder,” Crim beamed to Bill, nodding in Pesha’s direction.

Bola’n announced a celebration.  Thumpers ran home and to the nearby fields to gather food.  As they did so the entire community began to play a beat-song.  Every Thumper tapped his Thoom! to the simple melody, wherever they were.  In the field, at their home, in the courtyard---each one joined in the catchy beat!  The air in the entire valley pulsed with the music.  The repaired table, which shone with a new brightness, also vibrated to the beat.  A concert where everyone is the band, the children thought. 

Food and drink were brought to the table and everyone partook, the Strings also taking seats at the table. 

Bola’n walked up to Pesha and Crim to thank them personally.  “We couldn’t have done it without you,” he said to Pesha.

Pesha’s white gown and gold sash also appeared brighter now.  She bowed.  “We are glad to help your people.  Hopefully this is the start of a new friendship between us.”

Bola’n was humbled by her attitude of forgiveness.  He started a new song of appreciation for the Strings, and the rest of the Thumpers joined in.  Crim and the other Strings bowed down in acknowledgement, raising their left arm and gold strands and waving to the Strings.

The celebration wound down.  Sabrina walked up to Pesha, who had finished eating, but was still seated at the table.  She smiled when she saw her.

“Hello, young one.  Come and have a seat by me.”  She patted the place next to her on the bench. 

“Thank you.”  Sabrina sat down and looked at Pesha’s bright eyes.  “What a beautiful song, you played!  It healed the table.”

“Thank you, Sabrina.  You helped me.”

“I did?”

“Yes!  Our conversation beforehand.  You said the broken table reminded you of your father.  And how your heart felt broken, just like the table, when he left.  I have felt that pain, too.”

The two looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments.  Then Sabrina spoke.  “You have lost a loved one?” 

Pesha nodded.  A shadow of pain crossed her face. “I lost my first and only child when he was very young.  I was not able to bring forth another.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” 

“Thank you,” said Pesha, squeezing Sabrina’s shoulder.  “After talking with you, I realized the strongest emotion I have ever felt was that sadness.  We mistakenly tried to use a song of joy and victory to heal the table.  Joy and victory are strong forces.  In our lives, well, they make it worthwhile.  But sorrow.  Sorrow carries so much power!”  Pesha formed two fists. 

“Sometimes when one feels the deepest sadness, as when one loses our dearest, it feels like the whole universe is helpless against our pain.”  She paused and looked to the horizon.  She sighed.  “We, including you,” tapping the girl’s arm, “were able to bring that power to bear to heal today.” 

Sabrina listened.  And realized the wisdom in Pesha’s words.  “Brokenness on brokenness, resulting in healing,” she said.

Pesha nodded.  A faint smile registered on her eyes and face, despite her pain. 

Sabrina looked away for a little while, then said,  “You knew we were here to see Bola’n.  Back at the castle.  When you were questioning us.”

Pesha’s face cleared.  A real smile appeared.  “Yes.  I sensed a hesitation on your part, an untruth.  Then I sensed a closeness…a relationship between you and one of the Thumpers.”

“Our father disappeared two years ago.  And we came here hoping to find him.  The stars led us here…”  She looked at Pesha, who seemed both wise and compassionate.  “We think Bola’n might be our father.”

Pesha considered what Sabrina said, and became puzzled.  She studied her, wondering whether to speak.  “But Bola’n has lived here all his life, little one.  He has children.”

“Yes, we know…now,” Sabrina responded.  “Siri is great.  Mar and Mer, the twins.  We know Bola’n’s life is here.  He doesn’t know or remember me, or Mark, or Omar.  But he sure looks like our father!  He seems to have the same way of doing things and going about things, too.”  She paused.  “We just don’t know!”  Sabrina turned away, with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, come here, little one,” said Pesha, taking the girl into her arms and hugging her tight.  “I am not sure either.  Maybe it is possible.  In the stars somehow…”

Chapter 20     Home

After the celebration was over, the Strings left for their home as night came.  Mark, Sabrina, and Omar retired to their Shroom.

“Wow.  Can you believe it?  They healed their table!” exclaimed Mark as he lay back on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, thinking about all the events that transpired.

“Yeah, I know,” agreed Sabrina, sitting on the other bed with one foot crossed under her thigh.  Omar was lying on the bed beside her.  “And Pesha.  She’s amazing!”

“That song of hers.”  Mark shook his head.  “So sad.  It made me think of dad.”

“Me, too,” said Sabrina.

“And me!” added Omar. 

The three were silent for a few moments.  Outside insects buzzed in harmony.  Sigh.  “So what do we do, now, guys?”  asked Mark, looking outside his window at the dark sky with red streaks.  “The table’s healed.  Bola’n doesn’t remember us.  And he has his own family.”

“Yeah, I know,” agreed Sabrina reluctantly.  “I guess there’s no reason for us to be here anymore.”

“But I like it here!” whined Omar.

Mark sat up and looked at him.  “What do you want to do?  Stay here forever?  Never see mom again?  Or your friends?” he asked, motioning with his hands.

“No…,” said Omar, thinking now about those Mark mentioned.  But also wanting to stay in Helah with Bola’n.

“Let’s sleep on it,” suggested Sabrina.  “We’re all pretty tired.  Maybe it’ll be more clear tomorrow after a good night’s rest.” 

“Or after a good night’s Stardream!”  exclaimed Mark.  “Do you think we can all wind up on earth again?” 

Sabrina turned to him, with a smile on her face, eyebrows raised.  “Only one way to find out.”

Not waiting for Bill, they undressed to their underclothes and went to sleep.  They all decided to concentrate on their mom making pancakes.  As they drifted off, the tops of the Shrooms disappeared, leaving the glorious red sky of He’lah above them.  They floated to the stars…and to earth…

***

“Breakfast is ready!” Nancy Andersen shouted from the foot of the stairs.  They hurried down the stairs, not quite believing their plan had been so successful!  Each took a seat around their kitchen table---Mark with his back to the window, Sabrina to his right, and Omar to his left, where their mother was tending to their pancakes on the stovetop.  She wore her white terry cloth bathrobe and her hair sported the “just got up” look.  As she was laying the pancakes on the platter, she caught all of them looking at her. 

“What?” she asked, looking at each of her children, spatula in hand.  “Have I suddenly become beautiful?  Why are you all looking at me like that?”

The three looked at each other and grinned. 

“Oh nothing mom,” said Sabrina.  “We just realized how much you do for all of us.  And we’re really grateful!”

Mrs. Andersen looked at her daughter quizzically.  “Are you okay, Sabrina?”  She reached over and touched the back of her hand to Sabrina’s neck. 

***

After breakfast, the three grabbed their books and headed to school together.  Unlike the calm sunny day before, this morning the wind blew and gray clouds covered the sky. 

“How come we’re not tired?” asked Mark.  “Technically we haven’t slept in two days!”

“I don’t know,” replied Sabrina.  “I was wondering the same thing.  Maybe that’s another reason why we should come back.  I doubt if we can keep going back and forth between He’lah and Earth without having to pay a cost sometime.”

“Who cares?” said Omar cheerfully.  “We should just keep going!” 

After parting with his siblings at their grade school, Mark met up with Jim and Dale, his track friends, before class.  During recess, Sabrina got together with Sara, who played the flute.  They discussed their upcoming duet for an end of school year project.  And Omar tested his friend Stephen’s new hand telescope.  They spied on Mia’s ears from across the class room during Reading.  They quickly put it away when she turned around and gave them her “I’ll get you” look.  From their friends, the three learned that it was Friday, the day after they left from their previous Stardream. 

***

Omar was twirling around the lamp pole in front of their school when Mark arrived.  After a quick “Hey,” they all started walking towards home.  Each wore a backpack, with Sabrina carrying Jolie’s case additionally. 

Mark spoke first.  “I think it’s time to come back here, guys.  All of our friends are here.  And I definitely don’t want to leave mom for any extended period of time.”

“Yes,” nodded Sabrina.  “What do you think, Omar?” 

“Yeah, I guess it is, too,” Omar replied.  “Everything and everyone we know is here.” 

“And we’ve seen dad,” said Sabrina.  “Or Bola’n.  He has his own life to live, now.  He has Siri and the twins.   It’s good to see he’s happy.” 

Mark and Omar were quiet in their agreement.  Sabrina continued, “The last time we saw dad he went to a war.  And at He’lah he learned the importance of cooperation instead of war.  Maybe that’s why he wound up there.”

The three remained silent until they were a stone’s throw from their house.  Mark stopped in his tracks.  Sabrina almost bumped into him.

Mark turned around to face his sister and brother.  “Okay, it’s decided,” he said.  “We go back here, tomorrow…permanently.”  He put his hand out in front of them, palm down.  The other two put theirs on top and in unison they raised their arms up in a big “Yes!” 

Chapter 21     Farewell

The three passed around the loaf of Riller, each thinking this would be the last time they would be tasting its rich honey flavor.  They washed it down with the fizzy grape juice Brice, which was their first drink on the planet.  All had been brought by Siri, their new friend.  They would indeed miss this place, they thought.  Three rapid fire thumps from a bass drum beat outside their door, and Bola’n stepped in when they replied, “Yes?”

“Hello, my friends!” he greeted them with a smile.  “How are you all doing this fine morning?”  The skies were bright and through the doorway they felt a pleasant breeze.    

“We’re doing very well, Bola’n,” replied Mark with a smile, tossing a Chumney chip into his mouth and crunching.  “Thank you.” 

Mark looked at Sabrina and Omar, who were looking right back at him.  “But,” continued Mark, turning back towards Bola’n, “we’ve decided to go home.”

“Oh…”said Bola’n.  The smile left his face and he turned away.  A muscle in his cheek twitched.

After a pause, he turned back to them.  “Well!  I knew this time would come.  But I didn’t know it would come so soon!”  He looked down at the ground, then continued.  “I want to tell you how grateful we are to you.  Our table would still be broken if it weren’t for you.  If it did not get repaired, my people would have probably moved elsewhere.  And now we have new friends in the Strings!  All done with your help!”

“Thank you, Bola’n,” said Sabrina.  “We were glad to help.  And it wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t change your course; if you didn’t admit you were wrong about attacking the Strings; and if you weren’t humble enough to ask for their help.” 

Bola’n nodded.  “Yes.  We have learned the value of teamwork.  We wanted to chase away the only people that could help us!”

“Maybe that’s why your table was broken---to bring your two tribes together!”  Sabrina said.

Bola’n looked at Sabrina and considered what she said.  His eyes sparkled.  “Hmm.”  He then took a step to the window and looked out at the sky and trees.  He paused a moment, as if he were formulating something to say, then turned around and made eye contact with all three. 

“Pesha told me your story before she left,” he said.

The children remained silent.

“As you can see,” he said, spreading his arms, “I have my own life here.  I do not believe I am your father.  But I want you to know, that if I were, I would be so proud of all of you---your courage, talent, and desire to help others.  You are truly amazing!”

The children did not move and continued to look on him in silence, belying their three racing heartbeats. 

Bola’n wondered why they didn’t respond, then continued.  “And I want you to remember one thing.  You can always come back!  Siri and Mar and Mer would definitely enjoy seeing you again, as would I!”

That woke the children from their reverie.  Their eyes widened and brightened.  They turned to each other with big smiles on their faces. 

“We never thought of that!” Mark and Sabrina laughed in unison.

Omar jumped up from his chair, ran to Bola’n and hugged him tight.  Bola’n returned the hug without hesitation, and brought the boy’s head against his.  He looked at Mark and Sabrina, who eagerly followed Omar’s example.

***

That afternoon, Bill, Mark, Sabrina, and Omar trekked back to their boat at the lake, all carrying food and gifts from the Thumpers.  They said goodbye again to Bola’n, who came to see them off.  Once settled in the sailboat, they rowed a short distance to the center of the lake.  As one they all thought of Earth, their mom and uncle, and their friends. 

A wind blew on the water reflecting the pinkish sky.  Bola’n watched the wind fill the boat’s sail.  Sabrina’s and Mark’s head grew bright.  A second later the same brightness emanated from Omar’s chest and Sabrina’s hands.  Bola’n blinked to check his vision.  After his second blink the boat was gone.    

“Wait!” Bola’n heard a youth’s plaintive voice behind him. 

Bola’n turned around.  It was a String!  A boy with blond hair in a white robe, running full speed towards him, waving his arms frantically, gold strings flapping at his sides.

“Wait! I didn’t get to say goodbye!  Sabrinaa!!” the boy yelled. 

Coming fast, Bola’n realized the boy wasn’t shouting at him, but to the boat that was no more.  Even from a distance, he saw the sad, desperate look on the youth’s face, with tears in his eyes, just like his.   

No End