Chapter Five: An Unexpected Explanation
The silver-haired elfling looked up at the older elf standing next to him. He bit his lip, not sure if he should ask the question or not. Tentatively, six year old Celeborn reached out and gently tugged on his brother's sleeve. His brother, Galathil, smiled down at him.
"What is it, Cel?" He asked.
"I… wanted to ask you something important." Celeborn replied. Galathil knelt down in front of his younger brother.
"What did you want to ask me?" He asked. Celeborn swore he felt his face redden and he bit his lip, hesitant to ask.
"Well, the other day I heard Alya talking to naneth. She said her sister had a miscarriage, and I was wondering, what's a miscarriage?" Galathil smiled, but nit unkindly.
"Well, you know how before a baby is born, they grow in their mother's tummy, right?" He asked. Celeborn nodded. "Well, a miscarriage is when the baby goes to Mandos before he or she is born." Celeborn's eyes widened.
"The baby dies?" He exclaimed. Galathil pulled his brother into a hug, mentally kicking himself for being so frank when answering his little brother's question. "Why, Gal? Why would Mandos take the baby before he or she had a chance to know his Ada and Naneth?"
"It's not like that, Cel. The baby usually wants to go to Mandos." Galathil replied. Celeborn looked at his brother in confusion.
"How could someone not want to live?" He asked. Celeborn loved life and he couldn't understand how someone could not love life. Galathil had to think about Celeborn's question for a moment or two. He really should be having this talk with his younger brother when he was a bit older. Celeborn looked at his brother inquiringly and that was when Galathil had an idea. He picked his brother up and walked further into the gardens.
"Well, that's the thing." He said. "The babies do want to live, but they want to live in a… different form." Celeborn frowned.
"I don't understand." He said Galathil smiled.
"When a baby decides to go to Mandos before they are born, they want to live as something else, like a… tree." Celeborn gave his brother a look that plainly said he thought his big brother was crazy.
"Why would anyone want to live as a tree?" The younger asked. Galathil couldn't help but laugh. He thought he sounded pretty ridiculous, too.
"That's not exactly what I meant." He replied. Celeborn nodded.
"What did you mean, then?" He asked.
"When a baby decides they want to be born as something else, what they really want is for their life-energy to be replaced in something else." Galathil replied.
"Like a tree." Celeborn said with a grin.
"Yes, smart-aleck. Like a tree." Galathil sighed good-naturedly.
"But, what's life-energy?" Celeborn asked, his young features twisting into a look of confusion.
"Well, let's see." Galathil replied, searching for a way to explain it in a way that his six year old brother would understand. Celeborn grinned.
"You don't even know what it is, do you?" He laughed.
"I do. I'm just… trying to find a way to explain it in a way that you'll understand." Galathil replied. " Let's see. Basically, life-energy is the energy inside of you. It sustains you, keeps you alive. It flows through you. That's what the baby wants. For their life energy to be converted into something else, so they can, in a way, live as something else. So, you see, Cel, the baby doesn't really die. He or she is just changed into something different." Celeborn nodded. He was pretty sure he understood now.
"So, could a dwarf baby be changed to an elf baby? Could they have their life-energy changed like that?" The elfling asked.
"No." Galathil replied. "No, not like that."
"So, if I had wanted to, could I have chosen to be born as a tree?" Celeborn asked.
"Enough with the tree!" Galathil exclaimed in exasperation. Celeborn burst out laughing.
Chapter Five: An Unexpected Explanation
The silver-haired elfling looked up at the older elf standing next to him. He bit his lip, not sure if he should ask the question or not. Tentatively, six year old Celeborn reached out and gently tugged on his brother's sleeve. His brother, Galathil, smiled down at him.
"What is it, Cel?" He asked.
"I… wanted to ask you something important." Celeborn replied. Galathil knelt down in front of his younger brother.
"What did you want to ask me?" He asked. Celeborn swore he felt his face redden and he bit his lip, hesitant to ask.
"Well, the other day I heard Alya talking to naneth. She said her sister had a miscarriage, and I was wondering, what's a miscarriage?" Galathil smiled, but nit unkindly.
"Well, you know how before a baby is born, they grow in their mother's tummy, right?" He asked. Celeborn nodded. "Well, a miscarriage is when the baby goes to Mandos before he or she is born." Celeborn's eyes widened.
"The baby dies?" He exclaimed. Galathil pulled his brother into a hug, mentally kicking himself for being so frank when answering his little brother's question. "Why, Gal? Why would Mandos take the baby before he or she had a chance to know his Ada and Naneth?"
"It's not like that, Cel. The baby usually wants to go to Mandos." Galathil replied. Celeborn looked at his brother in confusion.
"How could someone not want to live?" He asked. Celeborn loved life and he couldn't understand how someone could not love life. Galathil had to think about Celeborn's question for a moment or two. He really should be having this talk with his younger brother when he was a bit older. Celeborn looked at his brother inquiringly and that was when Galathil had an idea. He picked his brother up and walked further into the gardens.
"Well, that's the thing." He said. "The babies do want to live, but they want to live in a… different form." Celeborn frowned.
"I don't understand." He said Galathil smiled.
"When a baby decides to go to Mandos before they are born, they want to live as something else, like a… tree." Celeborn gave his brother a look that plainly said he thought his big brother was crazy.
"Why would anyone want to live as a tree?" The younger asked. Galathil couldn't help but laugh. He thought he sounded pretty ridiculous, too.
"That's not exactly what I meant." He replied. Celeborn nodded.
"What did you mean, then?" He asked.
"When a baby decides they want to be born as something else, what they really want is for their life-energy to be replaced in something else." Galathil replied.
"Like a tree." Celeborn said with a grin.
"Yes, smart-aleck. Like a tree." Galathil sighed good-naturedly.
"But, what's life-energy?" Celeborn asked, his young features twisting into a look of confusion.
"Well, let's see." Galathil replied, searching for a way to explain it in a way that his six year old brother would understand. Celeborn grinned.
"You don't even know what it is, do you?" He laughed.
"I do. I'm just… trying to find a way to explain it in a way that you'll understand." Galathil replied. " Let's see. Basically, life-energy is the energy inside of you. It sustains you, keeps you alive. It flows through you. That's what the baby wants. For their life energy to be converted into something else, so they can, in a way, live as something else. So, you see, Cel, the baby doesn't really die. He or she is just changed into something different." Celeborn nodded. He was pretty sure he understood now.
"So, could a dwarf baby be changed to an elf baby? Could they have their life-energy changed like that?" The elfling asked.
"No." Galathil replied. "No, not like that."
"So, if I had wanted to, could I have chosen to be born as a tree?" Celeborn asked.
"Enough with the tree!" Galathil exclaimed in exasperation. Celeborn burst out laughing.
I really hope that material wasn't too "heavy," if you know what I mean.