I see a path on the other side of the dwellings. I'm not sure where it leads, but a few men on that path are coming into the dwelling area. They're carrying some sort of cutting implements, and look like they've been working somewhere and are glad the workday is done. We finally stop at one hut and the taller of the two men starts to enter the hut. Turning towards us, he motions us to come in. I step into the hut with the other man behind me. The taller man motions for us to sit. He carries some small empty bowls and utensils from a shelf on the hut wall, places them on the mat on the floor and takes his seat with us. I can hear women speaking outside... a woman calls from the outside of the hut and the two men speak as the women enter in. They bring several bowls of food inside. In the bowls I see fish, some sort of crushed seed, and some vegetables. The two women place the bowls in the middle of the mat and take their seat with us. The taller of the two men looks at me, places his hand on his massive chest and says, Giff. I say Giff, and he smiles and nods. He reaches his arm out to the other man, palm up and says Sar. That man also smiles and nods. He introduces Maeya by name and she lowers her head a bit and smiles slightly. The last woman is introduced as Terra. She has a broad smile as she hands me a cloth wrapped around food utensils. I smile back to her and nod my head. Terra passes the bowl of fish to Maeya while Sar hands the crushed seeds in a bowl to me. After we all have food in our bowls, the women strike up a conversation between themselves. The men are busy with the food before them and refrain from speaking. Every so often both men slap my shoulder and gesture to the food while saying something to me, probably "eat... eat"! Every now and then Terra would glance at me, smiling. I'm not sure if she is trying to make me feel welcome, or finds me so strange looking that she can't believe her eyes! We finish our meal, and pick up after ourselves. Giff and Sar say something to the women and Terra speaks to Giff and motions toward the entrance. The two women start towards the entrance, followed by Sar. Giff motions to me and we make our way out of the hut.
Outside, I notice that people are making their way to the main area of the village. We join those in progress and follow them. Our group ends up at the village "square" and I follow their lead as we take places, seated in a semi-circle with the other villagers. Shortly, I hear singing and the children emerge single file from a small hut nearby, carrying some sort of flowering foliage... following them is an adult female. The children stand, forming a line in front of the assembled village. The adult sits down in front of them, legs crossed, facing the children. The children hold the foliage with both hands, diagonally across their chests. At a hand gesture from the adult, the children start singing while lifting up the foliage, starting a slow dance in unison. They turn slowly around, and after completing the circle, lower the foliage back across their chests and kneel down on one knee. They look toward the sky, still singing, and again hold the foliage upward. They lower it, and in a side-to-side motion with their arms, sway the plants from the left to the right, still singing, and again look towards the sky. After repeating this dance from the beginning again, the children embrace the foliage and lower their heads, and stand still. The adult rises and faces the children with her arms outstretched to the left and right. This signified the end of their performance, and some of the village folk shake rattles while some females make bird call sounds. It's easy to see that the crowd is pleased with the children's performance and that they are quite proud of them. The children walk to their parents and are promptly rewarded with hugs and smiles.
Apparently, the ceremony is over and we are dispersing. I figure that the plant they were dancing with has some special significance to the village and the children were giving thanks. Thinking over the show, the kids were cute, but it sure didn't take the place of a movie, or a football game for me... guess I'm just a city guy!
Giff, Sar, and Terra motion me to come with them. I follow them to a grassy area near the edge of the huts. Many of the villagers are taking their seat on the short grass, placing mats down to sit upon. We arrive at an already placed mat with a man and woman seated. The man bids us to sit with them. Terra sits down first next to them, kisses the man first on the cheek, and hugs and kisses the woman. I'm gathering that these are her parents. The two men clasp the hands of both the two already seated, shaking them warmly. Sar speaks my name, while gesturing towards me, speaking the name of the man to me... Trem. He introduces me to the woman... Leea. I clasp both of their hands, first Leea, then Trem. They're smiling while looking directly at me.
As all have taken their seats, one of the gray haired men in the crowd stands and gestures toward the sky briefly. Two women from the crowd stand up and walk toward the edge of the crowd. The elderly man takes his seat. They turn and face the crowd with smiles, bow their heads for a moment, then look straight ahead at the crowd. They outstretch their arms, with palms up, towards the crowd. At that moment, a few rattles and soft notes from a wooden flute can be heard. The two women dance slowly while smiling and gesturing with their hands, similar to the way a hula dancer moves her hands to tell a story. The dancers look up to the sky and lift their arms towards it... again; I believe this is a ritual of thanksgiving of some sort. The dancers are quite graceful and the crowd is hushed during their dance. Only the music and an occasional bird sound from a few women are heard. After a few minutes, the dance and music stop and the women take their seat. The villagers start chatting amongst themselves. Perhaps this is a winding down period from the day's activities in the village. Our group is having a good time swapping stories. They try and include me in the conversation by hand gesturing as they speak, looking at me and smiling. It just occurred to me that the woman named Maeya isn’t with us. Hmmm... I wonder where she is?
Dusk is now upon us, the bluish moon can be seen brighter, high in the sky. The fireflies can be seen flashing everywhere. It's really a calm beautiful evening. I think to myself, that if this was Earth, insects would be biting us unmercifully since we are outdoors, but they aren't. As it was at the lake, I again come to the conclusion that the eco-system is probably very well balanced and the insects are kept in check by other forms of wildlife. Getting darker now, the villagers rise from their seated positions and pick up their mats. Our group clasps hands again; Trem and Leea reach for me and both give me a hug. I smile to them and reciprocate. Terra also smiles to me and places her hand on my shoulder and pats it a couple times. She steps back, waves a bit and leaves with her parents.
The two men lead me down a path to a hut that has apparently been abandoned. The hut has a heavy cloth for a door that is folded back part way and tied off. Once we enter, the two men place some dried food they remove from their pouches onto a small table in the center of hut. They look all around with their arms extended with palms up toward me, and again motion with their arms around, looking towards me. I believe they are telling me that this will be my dwelling. I smile, and move my arms around the hut briefly also. They, while facing me, start backing out the doorway with an outstretched arm raised... I reciprocate while smiling.
Alone, I look around and notice flaps of heavy cloth that can be tied open. These are apparently windows. There are others that are placed higher up than a level that someone could easily look in. These are probably for ventilation. Noticing the doorway, there are also ties on the bottom corners that can be used to keep the door cloth closed, apparently so animals can't wander in. This hut has a frame bed, a small table that the food is set on, and a chair with no back. The bed has a suspension made from the same fibers as everything else around me. It actually looks comfortable, as I notice it has "give" when I push on it with a bit of force. The craftsmanship of this furniture is really remarkable considering the lack of technology! Hanging on the wall are several items tied and rolled up. Taking one roll off the wall and untying it, I find a couple of blankets and a cloth that can be folded to make a pillow. In another bundle, when untied and unrolled, are thin cloths of various sizes and pouches for carrying water and food, as well as eating utensils. All items are clean and appear unused. After the last couple days of "roughing it", I'm sure grateful for this hut and its contents!
I walk over, close, and tie down the door cloth. Things are getting quieter now, as it's almost dark. The only sounds are insects and some animals in the distance howling, (probably at the two moons). Stripping down to my shorts, I grab the blankets and pillow, lay one blanket on the bed, leave the other rolled at the foot of the bed, and lay on my back with my arms folded behind my head. I'm tired but have too many thoughts running through my mind to fall asleep immediately.
My thoughts drift back to the lab. By this time, I'm a missing person. I'll bet that what's really going to confuse the personnel at the facility was my "Harry Houdini" exit! Security knew I clocked into the lab, but I never came out. They'll never know what happened in the lab. The experiment was wiped clean, the crystals are gone, and all the equipment powered down after the preset timed shutdown. Suddenly, the reality sinks into my being that everything connected with my former life has also vanished forever. The only things from my past are the clothes I wear and my memories. Sadness also... the rest of my family is probably in tears at this time... they'll never know what has happened to me. I sigh, tears form in my eyes as I realize I have no one to blame but myself... I'll never see them again... like it or not, I am now an inhabitant of this world, albeit a strange looking one! No television, movies, fast food, no technology, no diversions of any sort. How will I fit in this world? I'm an alien here; I don't know the first thing about survival on my own. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. I must get a hold of myself and not allow my sadness turn to depression. Whatever it is I might as well "get with the program". I'll probably spend the rest of my days here. Enough…time to quit thinking and sleep...