NAAN (The Rabanians Book 1) Page 6

  We lay at the bottom of the hill for a while. When we felt recovered again we stood up and started to climb the hill. A few buildings and houses appeared on the horizon as we reached the peak of the hill. To the left of the houses was a crowded forest that extended all the way to high mountain ranges in the distance. The area to the right of the houses was flat but further away outcroppings of white stone began to appear. We looked at the scenery in silence and tried to catch our breath.

  “Did you notice?” I asked.

  “What?” said Dug.

  “There are no Flyeyes here.”

  Daio looked around. “It's too early to say.”

  Dug nodded, “I never saw such a view in my life,” he said quickly squeezing all words in one breath. “Not in real life,” he added.

  “I doubt they will look for us here,” said Daio and gazed around him. “They wouldn't come here even if they knew. This place is worse than the prison on Seragon.”

  No, it's much better than Seragon, I thought to myself, Seragon itself, not its prisons. Besides I was sure they’d been about to kill us so the comparison was pointless.

  We stayed there for a while. Finally I stood up and started to go down the hill.

  “Where are you going?” asked Daio

  “There,” I said, pointing towards the line of small houses.

  “As long as the shuttle is here we should stay hidden,” he said and started to come down after me. “We can’t stand out. If the people here find out we arrived on the shuttle we may find ourselves on the way back to Seragon tomorrow.”

  He was right, but there was something about this place. I sat on the ground and started digging in the dirt with my hands.

  A light hovercraft whistled by above us. It zipped past the houses from the right, flew over them, and disappeared over the horizon to the left.

  “Looks quite advanced,” I said.

  “Another reason we should lay low for a while,” said Dug as he went down the hill.

  “I agree,” said Daio. He pointed to the distant forest to our left, “Let's hide there.”

  “That is a long walk,” said Dug.

  Daio looked around. “This place is too open and in any case we need to get as far away from the airport as possible. I don't see much choice.”

  “We need to find something to eat,” I said and looked at the sky that was beginning to turn gray.

  “Maybe we'll find something in the forest,” said Daio.

  “Their Aion is starting to set,” said Dug and we all looked at the horizon to our right. The star just barely peeked over the horizon. “It's going to get dark soon and I don't think we should walk in the dark.”

  Daio gazed at him.

  “I actually think it's the perfect time.”

  When he started to walk I stood up and followed him. Dug said something I couldn’t understand and grudgingly followed, limping on his injured leg. We found a trail not long after that seemed to lead in the direction of the houses we had seen. On the trail the walk became easier.

  The darkness didn't come as I’d expected; the gray of twilight seemed to last forever as we walked. I knew sometimes the angle of a star’s path is so shallow that daylight fades very slowly. I looked back to see how Dug was doing. Then I understood.

  “Look,” I shouted.

  Daio stopped and looked back. For a moment Dug thought we were looking at him, but he quickly realized it was something behind him.

  “Another Aion,” said Daio.

  “No, it's a nearby planet,” I said.

  We stood and watched the rising of the planet until it was almost as if daylight had returned.

  “So there is no real night in this place,” said Daio.

  “No wonder the place is deserted,” said Dug, “How could anyone get any sleep here,” he added with a chuckle.

  We continued to walk. We rested several times along the way, but finally we were too exhausted to continue.

  “Come on. The forest is close,” said Daio as we lay on the ground gasping.

  “My leg is killing me, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, and I can’t walk anymore. I’m stopping,' said Dug.

  “I am tired, hungry, and thirsty too,” said Daio, nodding to himself. He gazed at the forest. “Maybe we'll find something to eat there.”

  I didn't think he really thought so. He looked back at us.

  “We’ve been lucky so far that no one has seen us walking on this trail. Let's just get behind those trees.”

  I took a deep breath and forced myself to my feet. My legs hurt so badly that I started to feel sorry for Dug.

  “Need help?” I asked him. He was still lying on the ground. He looked at me, took a deep breath and reached his hand up.

  “You can lean on me if you want,” I said as I pulled him up.

  “No need,” he said, but I could see the pain on his face.

  It took quite a while to finally reach the forest, but it was worth it. A few minutes in we heard water. The strength came back into our legs and we ran towards the noise. A small creek bubbled between the trees.

  I lie down on my belly and thrust my head under the water. Daio and Dug soon followed me. I removed my shoes and stepped into the stream, then sunk down until the water covered my legs. Daio and Dug saw the joy on my face and were soon reclining in the water beside me. For several minutes we sat and enjoyed the cool water numbing our aching muscles. Suddenly I saw Dug's eyes locked onto something. He pointed across the stream where a wooden house was barely visible, hidden deep in the forest.

  Daio stood up.

  "This is a great opportunity to meet some of the people of this planet,” I said looking at him.

  “Not as long as the shuttle is here,” he said.

  “You are taking this issue with the shuttle too far,” I said, “Even if we wait a few days to come out of hiding, they’ll still know we arrived on the shuttle. This place is practically deserted. There is almost no shuttle traffic out here and whoever lives here is probably smart enough to know that people don't just fall from the sky. And besides, what are we going to eat? You want us to starve to death?”

  “It looks like an isolated house,” said Dug, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself. “If we talk to them, at least we'll know what to expect from the people here.”

  Daio gazed at the house again. “I don't see any movement,” he said, sounding pleased.

  “Maybe it’s abandoned,” I said, “Maybe someone left some food.”

  The planet hung above us. The gray light around us reminded me of a rainy day in Seragon.

  “Maybe one of us should check out the house,” said Daio. “One is less risky and if there are people there they won't feel intimidated.”

  “I’ll go,” I said immediately.

  Daio looked at me and nodded. “I’ll go.”

  “I look younger and less intimidating, and it's about time you stopped worrying about me so much,” I said.

  In my mind I wondered though. If all of this really were my fault, then maybe if he’d watched me more carefully none of this would have happened.

  “I’ll go,” he repeated as if I hadn’t said anything.

  “You’re breathing like a horse. I’m quicker. If something goes wrong I’m more likely to get away.”

  He gazed at the house and frowned. We put on our shoes. I stood up before they finished and started toward the house. Daio and Dug followed. A few minutes later we reached to the edge of the clearing around the house.

  “Maybe they are asleep,” said Dug. “They need to sleep sometime even if there is no real night here.”

  The clearing was carpeted with dried leaves. Here and there the stumps of trees poked through. The house had a small front porch. A few long boxes that looked like small boats were aligned with care along a low fence surrounding the porch.

  “I’m going,” I said.

  “What will you say to them?” asked Daio, “We know nothing about them.”

  “They can’t be wor
se than our neighbors in Seragon,” I said.

  “Stop being clever! What will you do?”

  “I don't know. I'll think of something. What will you do?”

  “I don't know,” he said but he wasn’t in a hurry to reply.

  “I’ll try to be nice,” I said restlessly.

  “How will you be nice? You don't even speak their language,” said Dug.

  I gazed at him. “I'll sign with my hands that I am mute. I am sure there are mute people here.”

  Daio nodded but I had already started walking into the clearing. My steps on the dried leave made an annoying crunching noise, so I looked for cleared spaces in between to step on them. When I reached the porch a strange feeling came over me. I thought it was the lack of oxygen, and that I was a bit dizzy, but the feeling didn't go away when I stopped in front of the stairs. I looked back. Daio and Dug's heads were peeping from behind a tree. I looked back at the house and then realized that it was simply smaller than I expected. The stairs, the door at the edge of the porch, the fence around the porch, they all were scaled down as if it was a house of little people. I wondered if it was some trick of the shadows cast by the large planet’s strange light. This thought faded when I started to climb the stairs. I felt like I was in some sort of a children’s story, and I was the giant that walked into town.

  “Hello,” I called and immediately put my hand to my mouth, remembering too late that I was supposed to be mute. I waited a few seconds and then walked up to the front door and knocked. My knock was hesitant and weak, as if I was unsure of myself, which was completely true. I knocked again, this time more firmly. I waited a few seconds but there was still no response. I walked to the window beside the door and shaded my eyes to look inside. The house was quiet. I went back to the door and tried the handle. It opened with a squeak.

  “Hello. Is there anybody here?” I called wondering what I would say if someone answered my call. No one did and the house was silent.

  “Hello,” I called again.

  I smiled. I could be spouting juicy curses as long as they sounded soft and pleasant. I bent a little, so as not to hit the doorframe, and went inside. A table and a few chairs were in the space next to the entrance. It looked like a small lobby. A cloth roll was on the table and the cloth was unspooled across its surface and onto the floor. On my right was the entrance to a small kitchen. From where I stood I could see the sink and beside it a counter. I walked into the kitchen and tripped over the cloth on the floor. The rest of the roll fell to the floor on the other side of the table.

  The thought of food cubes filled my head and I started to look for food. I noticed a small basket on the counter next to the sink. I walked over to it. There were dark cookies inside the basket. I knew they were cookies right away. I had tasted one once when Daio came back from a meeting with a rich client in Seragon City. He’d saved me a small piece to show me what rich families ate. Two days later, with the taste of the cookie still in my head, I found a video on the network that showed how they were made. The video showed large fields on exotic planets. It showed how they grew all sorts of grains. The most memorable thing was the rich, gold color of baked goods fresh from the oven. I stared at the basket wondering if the shuttle had brought us to one of those worlds. I reached out my hand and took one of the cookies. It felt a bit spongy. I brought it to my nose and breathed in its rich smell.

  I took a hesitant bite and a wonderful sensation filled me. I took another bite, this time with less hesitation. I chewed with great joy.

  I took a third bite, and suddenly remembered Daio and Dug. I picked up the basket and rushed to the porch, waving them in. They didn't understand my waving at first. Only when I raised the cookie in my hand and took another bite, did Dug hurry from behind the tree and limp quickly across the clearing. Daio soon followed him.

  “There is no one here,” I said chewing.

  Dug and Daio each took a cookie and started to eat with great joy.

  “Did you make sure there was no one in the house?” asked Daio, while chewing.

  I looked at him as if I had something stuck in my throat.

  We went inside the house. “Hello,” shouted Daio. He looked around. Seconds passed in silence. “The people here must be small,” He said almost whispering as if he was still expecting someone to answer.

  “Small or not, they eat like your rich friend in Seragon,” I replied looking at the other doors wondering what would happen if someone stepped out of one. Daio and Dug headed into the kitchen as I approached one of the doors and opened it. No one was there. I checked the other room as well but it too was empty. I went back to the kitchen. In no time the three of us finished off everything there was in the basket.

  “Those,” said Dug and chewed twice, “are outstanding.”

  “Amazing,” said Daio.

  I nodded in agreement. “A bit different than your friend’s cookies,” I mumbled.

  “It's not a cookie,” said Daio, “A cookie is supposed to be sweet. This is bread.”

  I nodded. Our diet in the outskirts of Seragon had consisted entirely of synthetic cubes.

  Daio walked to the small lobby and pointed towards the cloth on the table. “I think this looks like a burial shroud,” he said, still chewing.

  “Now that you mention it, those boxes on the porch could be coffins,” I said.

  “So this is a gravedigger’s house?” asked Dug.

  “And he is not on vacation,” said Daio.

  “How can you tell?” I asked

  He lifted the small piece of bread in his hand. “This is not synthetic.”

  Dug looked at him wondering.

  “It's fresh. The people are nearby somewhere. We were simply lucky they are not at home.”

  We quickly searched the house. We found clothes in the closets, but they were too small for us by at least three sizes.

  “No terminals anywhere,” I said, admiring the books on the shelves. I took one of them down and squinted at the odd letters. They only reminded me how far we were from home.

  We went back to the kitchen, checked the cabinets, and found a treasure trove of fresh fruits in one. Another cabinet contained a few sealed food boxes. We put it all in a small bag we found there and left the house with our loot.

  Our tiredness was starting to show. When we were a good distance from the house, we lay down among the trees and fell asleep.

  When we awoke the planet was up high in the sky again.

  “It's so odd that there is never full night here,” said Daio as we walked to the creek. “The light reflected from that planet is so bright that it's impossible to know when the day starts and when it ends.”

  “I guess people born here don't think it's that special,” said Dug.

  “Maybe it's time to go into the city,” I said, “The shuttle must have left by now.”

  “I didn't hear it taking off,” said Daio.

  “What’s a Seragonian shuttle doing here to begin with?” asked Dug.

  Daio nodded, “I agree, it's strange.”

  Dug looked around. “That shuttle crossed the entire galaxy to get to this abandoned planet. It doesn’t make sense,” he said more forcefully. “Why didn't we land on any of the large, advanced planets along the way? There must have been something the size of Seragon. Why land here?'

  “You mean from a business perspective,” said Daio.

  Dug nodded. “For a start.”

  Daio lifted his eyebrows. “I have no idea,” he said after few seconds.

  “In any case we can’t hide forever,” I said, “We are far enough away from Seragon that we don’t have to worry about them, and maybe the people here won't care so much about what we have or have not done.”

  We walked to the edge of the forest and looked at what looked like a small town in the distance. The planet was about to set and the Aion was about to rise.

  “We can’t go in together. It may be too much for the people here,” said Daio.

  “What are you pro
posing?” asked Dug.

  Daio gazed at the houses. “We can split up. Everyone will take a different path.”

  “We know nothing about the place and you are dividing it into areas?” wondered Dug.

  “It looks like a small town,” I said, “One of us can go through the middle, and the others can go through the edges. We can meet back here once the planet rises again.

  “Sounds good,” said Daio, “Dug, you take the town’s main street. It will be easier on your leg. Let’s meet back where we slept, next to the creek.

  I nodded. “So we are set,” I asked and looked at them.

  “Okay,” said Dug but I could tell he was not happy. “I'll take the main street.”

  Dug began walking. Just in front of him there was a large mound. Beyond it was a trail leading into the town. Dug went down the mound and started toward the town. His breathing was improving and he felt he was adjusting to the thin oxygen of this new planet. Still he knew it would take a while until he felt really comfortable. The trail merged with a paved road as he approached the town. In front of him, to his right was a large open space. On its far end were few large wooden structures. At first he thought the town was deserted, but at the first junction two small people surprised him. Except for their size they looked completely normal. They stared at him and one of them held the other’s arm as if he wanted them to run. Dug smiled at them, but they didn't smile back. They started to walk quickly away without taking their eyes off him.

  He crossed the street and continued to walk into the town. He turned when he heard a noise from behind and a car rattled by him. Three wooden boxes, like the ones he saw at the house in the forest, protruded from the rear of the car. He stooped and watched the car as it drove away, wondering about the odd coincidence.

  More people started to show up on the sidewalks, and more cars passed by on the road. It seemed as if the town was waking up. Short people passed by him, and stared at him with surprise. Some looked him up and down as if he was something unique. Others looked away in fear.

  In one of the alleys that split off from the main street he saw people unloading cargo from wooden, wheeled carts onto stands spaced along the alley. He walked towards one of the stands and found them piled high with fruits. The man on the other side of the stand watched him for a second and then said something that sounded to Dug like a reprimand. Not wanting trouble, Dug limped away quickly.