The morning sun has set and the midday sun starts to set also, the evening
sun following their paths to hang low in the sky. The men returned to find
us busily sorting our garments for the eve. It was agreed we would not
discuss the trade negotiations until after the eve. We have had many
visitors throughout, and Samantha has learned much of our customs of
celebrations. I sense excitement from her to the eve's events and
expectancy from the others. I also sense respect between herself and Nina.
The time has passed quicker than any of us expected and I have
unfortunately not found time to speak once more with Daniel. Lanka had
taken some of the things we have prepared to the temple with the help of
Tealc and Darla. Jack is examining the 'fishing rod' as he calls it, which
Lanka had helped him, craft. I sense pride and contentment from him as he
explains, speaking of the afternoon with Samantha. I sense amusement and
acceptance from her as she listens as if it has always between the way
between them. She and Nina along with myself are pinning blossoms to the
cloaks we will wear this eve.
"Rani"
I look up to see Daniel, one of our ornamental figurines in his hands, looking over at me from across the table.
"Daniel, you are enjoying our preparations for this eve"
He does not seem surprised that I say this. He has come to the realisation I can read his feelings so easily.
"Yes, but I was hoping we could find some time to talk before then. Alone"
The word lingered in the air, tempting in someway. The preparations were nearly finished and the ceremony would not be until sundown of the third sun. We had some time to ourselves. I'm acutely aware of the eyes we've drawn in the short moment, but I smile and set the cloth I was pinning on the table by Nina.
"Of course, come we have some time before we need to prepare ourselves. Nina when Darla returns, ask her to prepare the oils for this eve."
I stand as Nina nods her head and exchanges a quick smile with Samantha before bowing her head down to her work once more. I sense amusement from all three, but lead the way upstairs to a mutter of 'You kids behave yourselves' coming from Jack. Irritation is evident in Daniel for a moment, but it passes as quickly as it comes. Leading the way along the passage by the bedrooms, I lead the way up the small staircase, into the small attic. Walking across the small space and opening another door into the open awned balcony at the top of the house. The view always made me pause for a moment. Looking down over the village, people bustling in and out of houses or coming to and from the temple carrying ware. In the distance the tip of the temple can be seen and in the other direction the hill leading into the alley where the Chapayah is situated. The children, caught up in the excitement buzzing around them sit by the path, weaving flowers into chains, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. The awning shelters us from the rays as the sun hangs low in the sky. We sit on a swinging seat Lanka had designed many moons ago. I feel Daniel relax as he sits back in the seat, taking in the view. I hate to spoil the moment but time is something we do not have to waste at this moment, another day and we could sit for many hours taking in the splendour around us.
"I was curious" began Daniel cautiously, although his caution is unnecessary "The ceremony you performed yesterday, do you do that with all newcomers to this planet?"
"Only the ones who tell me their name"
I smile at his surprise; it is not only their language we learn through the mind. I continue as he smiles.
"The last newcomers to come through the Chapayah were from a dying world. The false gods had treated them much the same as us, working them in mines. Then they left them, on a planet destroyed and with no hope. The handful that survived travelled through worlds looking for another home. When they came, there was so much pain and suffering. Fear. We were able to enact the ceremony with their leaders. After learning of their ordeal and they of ours they decided to travel our world and eventually set up villages five days walk from here. You may encounter them if you stay long enough. They taught their people our language and our people learned theirs. That was many moons past. At the celebrations of the three moons they travel to see us and us them, exchanging gifts as a sign of peace"
"How long has it been performed?"
"We are able to perform it with each other, it was not until after the Chapayah was brought that we encountered other races and therefore have only found we can perform the ceremony of passing and gaining knowledge with people outside ourselves. We perform the ceremony every celebration of the three moons between ourselves."
"So why the ceremony tonight?"
"Have you not noticed the still strange surprised looks from my people towards yourselves? There is much we can learn from each other but now you, or should I say, Jack, Teal'c and Samantha, hold and advantage over my people because you own a little knowledge of them. Our language and culture, our history. Only myself, Parn and Nina can interact with you. This eve we can pass on more knowledge of ourselves and the people will gain the knowledge to interact with you and show you and teach more of this planet and our people."
As I speak the lowering sun sends flashes of deep reds and yellows rippling across the sky. I watch as the children carefully gathered their long garlands and headed towards the temple, and the paths started to quieten as the villagers entered their homes to prepare for the evening. A nervous, excitement rippled up to me, rolling around in soft waves of expectancy. I enjoy to sit and imagine what the feelings flying around me could look like, whirling in waves and spirals, emanating into my skin with ease and mingling with my own feelings and senses. A tiny fleck of worry manages to infiltrate through the emotions and I smile and turn to Daniel.
"Everything ok?" he asks concern in his face.
"I'm sorry, I get caught up in a moment sometimes. Sitting here, I can feel all of my people, their excitement and expectancy. Their enjoyment of the preparations, their want to learn of you. It is to be a beautiful eve"
We sit for a moment, the changing colours of the sky glinting overhead of us, as I watch him I'm aware of a shadow, a void which first came to my attention when we performed the ritual with Parn. The shadow which stopped me from connecting with him. I also sense he is unaware that the void is there, or he denies it's existence. I am tempted to reach out to the void, my curiosity wanting to know what it is, why it has placed itself around him, strangely haunting it's oblivious owner. Shaking off my thoughts of infiltration, Daniel speaks once more.
"The ritual you performed last night. The others, can they feel, like you can feel, sense people's emotions?"
"They have limited empathic abilities yes. They will be able to sense each other's emotions, but very little. In close contact they will sense my own and others and if they truly tune in to the abilities they have gained from the ritual, they may sense even more. Why do you ask?"
"I've noticed a change in them, I knew it was from the ritual but I wasn't sure what it was. Can they read me, sense my emotions even though...."
In his pause, I feel confusion from him. I sometimes wish we could read minds and not just emotions, for emotions can only tell us part of a person. They can tell us one thing and the person could be thinking quite differently to our interpretation of what we sense from them. Daniel takes my hands in his, and his strange eyes pierce my own.
"When you were performing the ritual, I was aware of what was going on. I could feel you; I knew what was happening. I don't truly know how. And I don't understand why you had to pull back. What was it that stopped you from going ahead with it"
He is truly unaware of the void and barrier hanging around him, and I wonder if it is right for me to tell him of it. A cool breeze surrounds us, and I glance to the sky, which is a dark hue, the sun is nearly set and the first moon will soon rise. I stand in silence and lead him inside once more, away from cooling air, turning to him once more.
"During the ritual, we reach out with our minds and are able to connect with each other, we connected with the others. But when I reached out to you there was a barrier. You were aware of what we were doing, I thought you did not want to be part of it. It would not have been right for me to forcefully perform the ritual on you."
A surge of need hit me and I steel myself for a moment. Daniel was asking me to give him the gift we had shared with the others last eve, as if he was alone and bereft without it. Without questioning he stood, my hands in his looking into my eyes.
"Something happened to me some time ago. I've been searching for answers, I don't know how I was aware of what you were doing, and maybe I was afraid of what may happen to you for gaining knowledge of me. That may be why you felt the barrier. Maybe I'm afraid of finding out the answers I've been searching for"
His words were softly spoken, as if he was speaking to assure himself. But still the need and want, his search for answers were emanated in his raw emotions I can feel from him. Slipping my hands from his I leave him for a moment and light two oil bowls which lay on small tables each side of the door, letting the dim light penetrate the darkening room. Sitting on the hard floor, I bid him to sit in front of me.
"Daniel, you want me to perform the ritual with you?"
"Rani"
I look up to see Daniel, one of our ornamental figurines in his hands, looking over at me from across the table.
"Daniel, you are enjoying our preparations for this eve"
He does not seem surprised that I say this. He has come to the realisation I can read his feelings so easily.
"Yes, but I was hoping we could find some time to talk before then. Alone"
The word lingered in the air, tempting in someway. The preparations were nearly finished and the ceremony would not be until sundown of the third sun. We had some time to ourselves. I'm acutely aware of the eyes we've drawn in the short moment, but I smile and set the cloth I was pinning on the table by Nina.
"Of course, come we have some time before we need to prepare ourselves. Nina when Darla returns, ask her to prepare the oils for this eve."
I stand as Nina nods her head and exchanges a quick smile with Samantha before bowing her head down to her work once more. I sense amusement from all three, but lead the way upstairs to a mutter of 'You kids behave yourselves' coming from Jack. Irritation is evident in Daniel for a moment, but it passes as quickly as it comes. Leading the way along the passage by the bedrooms, I lead the way up the small staircase, into the small attic. Walking across the small space and opening another door into the open awned balcony at the top of the house. The view always made me pause for a moment. Looking down over the village, people bustling in and out of houses or coming to and from the temple carrying ware. In the distance the tip of the temple can be seen and in the other direction the hill leading into the alley where the Chapayah is situated. The children, caught up in the excitement buzzing around them sit by the path, weaving flowers into chains, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. The awning shelters us from the rays as the sun hangs low in the sky. We sit on a swinging seat Lanka had designed many moons ago. I feel Daniel relax as he sits back in the seat, taking in the view. I hate to spoil the moment but time is something we do not have to waste at this moment, another day and we could sit for many hours taking in the splendour around us.
"I was curious" began Daniel cautiously, although his caution is unnecessary "The ceremony you performed yesterday, do you do that with all newcomers to this planet?"
"Only the ones who tell me their name"
I smile at his surprise; it is not only their language we learn through the mind. I continue as he smiles.
"The last newcomers to come through the Chapayah were from a dying world. The false gods had treated them much the same as us, working them in mines. Then they left them, on a planet destroyed and with no hope. The handful that survived travelled through worlds looking for another home. When they came, there was so much pain and suffering. Fear. We were able to enact the ceremony with their leaders. After learning of their ordeal and they of ours they decided to travel our world and eventually set up villages five days walk from here. You may encounter them if you stay long enough. They taught their people our language and our people learned theirs. That was many moons past. At the celebrations of the three moons they travel to see us and us them, exchanging gifts as a sign of peace"
"How long has it been performed?"
"We are able to perform it with each other, it was not until after the Chapayah was brought that we encountered other races and therefore have only found we can perform the ceremony of passing and gaining knowledge with people outside ourselves. We perform the ceremony every celebration of the three moons between ourselves."
"So why the ceremony tonight?"
"Have you not noticed the still strange surprised looks from my people towards yourselves? There is much we can learn from each other but now you, or should I say, Jack, Teal'c and Samantha, hold and advantage over my people because you own a little knowledge of them. Our language and culture, our history. Only myself, Parn and Nina can interact with you. This eve we can pass on more knowledge of ourselves and the people will gain the knowledge to interact with you and show you and teach more of this planet and our people."
As I speak the lowering sun sends flashes of deep reds and yellows rippling across the sky. I watch as the children carefully gathered their long garlands and headed towards the temple, and the paths started to quieten as the villagers entered their homes to prepare for the evening. A nervous, excitement rippled up to me, rolling around in soft waves of expectancy. I enjoy to sit and imagine what the feelings flying around me could look like, whirling in waves and spirals, emanating into my skin with ease and mingling with my own feelings and senses. A tiny fleck of worry manages to infiltrate through the emotions and I smile and turn to Daniel.
"Everything ok?" he asks concern in his face.
"I'm sorry, I get caught up in a moment sometimes. Sitting here, I can feel all of my people, their excitement and expectancy. Their enjoyment of the preparations, their want to learn of you. It is to be a beautiful eve"
We sit for a moment, the changing colours of the sky glinting overhead of us, as I watch him I'm aware of a shadow, a void which first came to my attention when we performed the ritual with Parn. The shadow which stopped me from connecting with him. I also sense he is unaware that the void is there, or he denies it's existence. I am tempted to reach out to the void, my curiosity wanting to know what it is, why it has placed itself around him, strangely haunting it's oblivious owner. Shaking off my thoughts of infiltration, Daniel speaks once more.
"The ritual you performed last night. The others, can they feel, like you can feel, sense people's emotions?"
"They have limited empathic abilities yes. They will be able to sense each other's emotions, but very little. In close contact they will sense my own and others and if they truly tune in to the abilities they have gained from the ritual, they may sense even more. Why do you ask?"
"I've noticed a change in them, I knew it was from the ritual but I wasn't sure what it was. Can they read me, sense my emotions even though...."
In his pause, I feel confusion from him. I sometimes wish we could read minds and not just emotions, for emotions can only tell us part of a person. They can tell us one thing and the person could be thinking quite differently to our interpretation of what we sense from them. Daniel takes my hands in his, and his strange eyes pierce my own.
"When you were performing the ritual, I was aware of what was going on. I could feel you; I knew what was happening. I don't truly know how. And I don't understand why you had to pull back. What was it that stopped you from going ahead with it"
He is truly unaware of the void and barrier hanging around him, and I wonder if it is right for me to tell him of it. A cool breeze surrounds us, and I glance to the sky, which is a dark hue, the sun is nearly set and the first moon will soon rise. I stand in silence and lead him inside once more, away from cooling air, turning to him once more.
"During the ritual, we reach out with our minds and are able to connect with each other, we connected with the others. But when I reached out to you there was a barrier. You were aware of what we were doing, I thought you did not want to be part of it. It would not have been right for me to forcefully perform the ritual on you."
A surge of need hit me and I steel myself for a moment. Daniel was asking me to give him the gift we had shared with the others last eve, as if he was alone and bereft without it. Without questioning he stood, my hands in his looking into my eyes.
"Something happened to me some time ago. I've been searching for answers, I don't know how I was aware of what you were doing, and maybe I was afraid of what may happen to you for gaining knowledge of me. That may be why you felt the barrier. Maybe I'm afraid of finding out the answers I've been searching for"
His words were softly spoken, as if he was speaking to assure himself. But still the need and want, his search for answers were emanated in his raw emotions I can feel from him. Slipping my hands from his I leave him for a moment and light two oil bowls which lay on small tables each side of the door, letting the dim light penetrate the darkening room. Sitting on the hard floor, I bid him to sit in front of me.
"Daniel, you want me to perform the ritual with you?"