David finally releases his grip on his brother's arm. "Come, walk with me.
I wish to walk in the starlight."
The two brothers walk outside the cottage. While they were eating their meal the dusk had darkened into night. David gazes up into the sky with appreciation, the sheer intensity with which they sparkled was one of the things he missed while dwelling in the cities of men. Surf thunders on the beach below them and the air is rich with smell of the green life of the earth. He leans back on the 4 wheel drive and fixes his gaze again on the western horizon.
"Who are we? WHAT are we?" David repeats his earlier question.
Simon replies, "We are The People, The Children of the Stars…"
David gazes at his brother, "That's what we call ourselves, what do the humans call us?"
Simon shrugs, "Patupaiarehe, pakepakeha…"
David interrupts, "those are the Maori names for our people, what do the Newcomers call us?"
"The Newcomers, as far as I know, are not so aware of our presence among them to give us a name. Quite frankly, I prefer it that way."
"Simon, you are being evasive, if you looked up patupaiarehe in a Maori/English dictionary what translation do you get?"
The end of Simon's mouth twitches, "Fairy." Playfully he flips brother around examines the space between his shoulder blades. "Dear brother, alas, you seem to have lost your wings," he quibs.
David turns around to face him. "Look Simon you know I am not talking about the creatures found in modern day picture books but beings in European mythology who bear an incredible resemblance to our own people…"
"And you should know, David, that when the people first heard those myths some of us went to Europe in search of our kindred and what did we find?" Simon challenges David with a stare. "Little magic, an industrial revolution ripping the heart out of the countryside and if there were any elves we certainly didn't find any. Their myths of Elves are just that, a myth"
"The Europeans would also say that The People are also a myth, Simon," David says softly, "and you know the lie of that. Maybe the reason we couldn't find our kindred in Europe was for the reason that Tolkien describes; they either left for the blessed realm or they diminished, became those flittery creatures of bedtime tales."
"Then why hasn't the same thing happened to us?"
"If you look at our legends, I think we were given the same chance to go the Blessed Realm but we were too enamoured of the forests and seas of this world to give it much serious thought. As for the fading maybe we were given the grace to dwell in this land until the humans came. They simply came much later here than any other land on this earth.
"Can't you feel it, Simon? We are also fading, diminishing. I don't want to become some rustic creature of the bush or a pseudo-human that finds it increasingly harder to keep up the lie of being human. I just feel that there is much more that I could be, something that transcends this current existence."
The intensity of the emotion in his brother's voice stuns Simon; he finally finds some words to say. "And you really hope to find your answers in a fiction book written by an English professor on the other side of the World?"
David looks at him solemnly, "but are they works of fiction? I thought so until I stumbled a web site devoted to some of Tolkien's so-called fictional languages. I say, "So called" because there is a definite relationship those languages and our own. Look, come over to the cottage there are some files on the computer I want you to see."
They start to head back to the cottage, "So you are going to head out in the boat tomorrow and try and find the straight path, what happens if you just end up in Australia? I hope you are taking your passport with you."
David laughes, "If that happens, I'll arrange to have the boat transported to Ireland and try again." Then he turns serious again, "but I don't think that will happen, not if the dreams I have been having recently are anything to go by."
David sees the look of concern return to his brother's face but before he has a chance to open his mouth a phone rings in his brother's car. Simon walks over to answer it.
He hear the voice of his boss in the Department of Conservation, "Is that you Simon? We have an whale stranding on our hands." Simon hesitates before he answers; he finds it hard to switch back to English especially after the intensity of the exchange with his brother. "Yes, it's Simon."
"Simon, you sound a bit strange. Are you off with the fairies or something?"
Simon starts at this statement, "I'm visiting my brother at his bach."
"Strange, it says down here you're on a biodiversity survey near Punakaiki, something about giant wetas. Never mind, it does mean that you are the right man in the right place. Look a rather large pod of pilot whales have stranded themselves on a beach 10 k's north of Punakaiki. You're the best men I have when it comes to dealing with marine mammals, by God there are times I think you can talk to them, I want you down there pronto."
Simon swears under his breath, not now, not while this matter with David is unresolved.
"Look, I've got a bit of a family crisis here at the moment, is there someone else you can send?"
"Look Simon, I'll make a bargain with you. You get your butt down to Punakaiki and sort out those whales and I won't discuss your appropriation of department property for private use when you get back to the office on Monday. Is that clear?" With that the call ends. Simon stares at the phone and then brightens as he recalls the clan of The People that live in the bush near Punakaiki.
"They'll help me with David," he thinks as he turns to tell David of his departure.
The two brothers walk outside the cottage. While they were eating their meal the dusk had darkened into night. David gazes up into the sky with appreciation, the sheer intensity with which they sparkled was one of the things he missed while dwelling in the cities of men. Surf thunders on the beach below them and the air is rich with smell of the green life of the earth. He leans back on the 4 wheel drive and fixes his gaze again on the western horizon.
"Who are we? WHAT are we?" David repeats his earlier question.
Simon replies, "We are The People, The Children of the Stars…"
David gazes at his brother, "That's what we call ourselves, what do the humans call us?"
Simon shrugs, "Patupaiarehe, pakepakeha…"
David interrupts, "those are the Maori names for our people, what do the Newcomers call us?"
"The Newcomers, as far as I know, are not so aware of our presence among them to give us a name. Quite frankly, I prefer it that way."
"Simon, you are being evasive, if you looked up patupaiarehe in a Maori/English dictionary what translation do you get?"
The end of Simon's mouth twitches, "Fairy." Playfully he flips brother around examines the space between his shoulder blades. "Dear brother, alas, you seem to have lost your wings," he quibs.
David turns around to face him. "Look Simon you know I am not talking about the creatures found in modern day picture books but beings in European mythology who bear an incredible resemblance to our own people…"
"And you should know, David, that when the people first heard those myths some of us went to Europe in search of our kindred and what did we find?" Simon challenges David with a stare. "Little magic, an industrial revolution ripping the heart out of the countryside and if there were any elves we certainly didn't find any. Their myths of Elves are just that, a myth"
"The Europeans would also say that The People are also a myth, Simon," David says softly, "and you know the lie of that. Maybe the reason we couldn't find our kindred in Europe was for the reason that Tolkien describes; they either left for the blessed realm or they diminished, became those flittery creatures of bedtime tales."
"Then why hasn't the same thing happened to us?"
"If you look at our legends, I think we were given the same chance to go the Blessed Realm but we were too enamoured of the forests and seas of this world to give it much serious thought. As for the fading maybe we were given the grace to dwell in this land until the humans came. They simply came much later here than any other land on this earth.
"Can't you feel it, Simon? We are also fading, diminishing. I don't want to become some rustic creature of the bush or a pseudo-human that finds it increasingly harder to keep up the lie of being human. I just feel that there is much more that I could be, something that transcends this current existence."
The intensity of the emotion in his brother's voice stuns Simon; he finally finds some words to say. "And you really hope to find your answers in a fiction book written by an English professor on the other side of the World?"
David looks at him solemnly, "but are they works of fiction? I thought so until I stumbled a web site devoted to some of Tolkien's so-called fictional languages. I say, "So called" because there is a definite relationship those languages and our own. Look, come over to the cottage there are some files on the computer I want you to see."
They start to head back to the cottage, "So you are going to head out in the boat tomorrow and try and find the straight path, what happens if you just end up in Australia? I hope you are taking your passport with you."
David laughes, "If that happens, I'll arrange to have the boat transported to Ireland and try again." Then he turns serious again, "but I don't think that will happen, not if the dreams I have been having recently are anything to go by."
David sees the look of concern return to his brother's face but before he has a chance to open his mouth a phone rings in his brother's car. Simon walks over to answer it.
He hear the voice of his boss in the Department of Conservation, "Is that you Simon? We have an whale stranding on our hands." Simon hesitates before he answers; he finds it hard to switch back to English especially after the intensity of the exchange with his brother. "Yes, it's Simon."
"Simon, you sound a bit strange. Are you off with the fairies or something?"
Simon starts at this statement, "I'm visiting my brother at his bach."
"Strange, it says down here you're on a biodiversity survey near Punakaiki, something about giant wetas. Never mind, it does mean that you are the right man in the right place. Look a rather large pod of pilot whales have stranded themselves on a beach 10 k's north of Punakaiki. You're the best men I have when it comes to dealing with marine mammals, by God there are times I think you can talk to them, I want you down there pronto."
Simon swears under his breath, not now, not while this matter with David is unresolved.
"Look, I've got a bit of a family crisis here at the moment, is there someone else you can send?"
"Look Simon, I'll make a bargain with you. You get your butt down to Punakaiki and sort out those whales and I won't discuss your appropriation of department property for private use when you get back to the office on Monday. Is that clear?" With that the call ends. Simon stares at the phone and then brightens as he recalls the clan of The People that live in the bush near Punakaiki.
"They'll help me with David," he thinks as he turns to tell David of his departure.