Zzadaya
FIRE, DESTRUCTION, AND TERROR ENGULF.
THE TRANSGRESSORS FIND SOLACE.
AN ERA ENDS.
CLOSED NOW IS THE DOOR, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
Light streamed from the dual suns and cut a path through the blackened darkness. It skimmed over the otherworldly-blue sea and struck a sheer cliff face rising 1,800 meters above the surface of the bay. The rays of light illuminated rocks similar to sandstone, but permeated by pebbles of ruby and emerald. Other rays revealed the true extents of the island. It spanned a length and width twice the height of the enormous pillar of stone at its center. The terrain gradually sloped downwards from the pillar’s plateau to the smooth, gently rolling lowlands. From the sky, the island resembled Nature’s golden spiral, with the cliff situated at its center. The gap at the rear of the island allowed the placid ocean to connect with the inland bay. As the sun rose higher in the morning sky, the full grandeur of the thirteen-island archipelago of Tekeema was unveiled.
The main district of Tekeema, found on the central island, sat in the shadow of the great cliff. During this year’s first Longest Day celebration, the citizens gathered in the main district to acknowledge the students that diligently completed their studies. The students were given stone pendant necklaces to signify their acceptance into the adult society. One ordinary graduating student, named Falet, seemed quite distracted during the speeches; his mind appeared preoccupied with something. Dosef, his best friend, tapped him on the shoulder from the seat at his right. “Etii naara kaloo? [Are you okay?]” he asked.
Falet responded, “Naara lemel ezeeyoo. [You speak the truth.]”
“Eel naara zookel etiiyepoo. [What are you thinking about?]”
“I was just wondering where my life is going to take me.”
“Everyone wants to know that answer before they begin a new journey. The journey of life is different, because few people can know what the future holds for them. Don’t busy yourself with such stupid questions.”
“It’s nice to think about, though.”
IN LONG NEGLECT, A TOME SLEEPS.
SMILES OF IGNORANCE ON TEKEEMA,
FORGOTTEN ARE THEIR ORIGINS.
A CHILD’S EYES HOLD THE KEY.
After the lengthy, boring ceremony was over, Dosef and Falet quickly slipped away from the festivities with the intent to go exploring on one of the other islands-their island. Dosef had found it on a fishing trip the previous year. During a heavy storm, unable to return home, Dosef had landed on the tiny, uninhabited island seeking shelter. In a large, dry cavern, he waited for the storm to abate. With nothing else to do, he had ventured into the cave, but found it to be without end. The dust on the floor of the cave was thick with age. When Dosef could no longer hear the storm, he returned to his craft and rushed home to inform Falet of his discovery. Since that day, the two of them have spent all of their free time personalizing and exploring the tiny island.
After the craft carrying the two boys landed on the island, they immediately headed for the cave. A month ago, they had begun to venture farther and farther down into the planet’s interior-down into the labyrinthine cave system. Today, on a perfectly normal trip down, on a perfectly normal day, in a perfectly normal year, two quite unusual things happened to Falet. First, as he was walking down one of the unexplored segments of cave, his feet suddenly shot out in front of him and he slid down the incline at a tremendous speed! Second, at the instant when he hit the ground, he blacked out.
WORDS CALL THROUGH THE BLANKET OF TIME.
THE ANCIENTS SPEAK,
ONE LISTENS,
BUT HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND.
“Naara etiiyiloo? [Where are you?]” Dosef shouted in the darkness. “Naara etiiyiloo? [Where are you?]” he repeated. To his dismay, he heard no response. He tried to piece together what had happened. He had heard Falet’s cry come from ahead on his left. He had spun his head around quickly enough to catch a glimpse of Falet as he slid into the black pool of night. Immediately, Dosef had run to the Falet’s last location. Looking down at his feet, Dosef now saw the cause of Falet’s tumble: a slick marble surface on the floor of the cave. Looking up to the ceiling, he saw that the entire tunnel’s surface was also coated in marble. Three questions rose to his mind: “Who put would put a marble coating down here?”, “When was it done?”, and “What is its purpose?”
Falet awoke to hear the sounds of running water. He looked around at his new environment. He had stopped sliding at the side of an underground river. On the surrounding walls, phrases were carved in an ancient script, one that looked strikingly similar to his native script. Falet could see that the marble tunnel continued into depths unknown, yet he felt a compulsion to stay put and fully investigate his surroundings. He began the examination on the left side of the cavern and moved in a clockwise fashion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shiny object near the back wall, so he walked over and bent to pick it up. “Just a stupid rock,” he thought to himself. When Falet stood up, his newly acquired necklace snagged a rock and his motion was arrested. Closer inspection of the culprit rock revealed a complex set of buttons on the underside. An uncontrollable, instinctual urge overtook Falet, and he began to press the buttons in a certain sequence, as if he knew it by heart.
He heard three distinct clicks and a loud groan come from the walls. The rocks beside him sank back into the wall, revealing a passageway.
A COMPANION TEXT-WRITTEN TO AID.
HIS PATH-FIXED FROM THE START.
STARLIGHT SHINES DOWN UPON THE ANSWER.
THE QUESTION IS WHAT HE SEEKS.
Dosef carefully lowered himself down the steep incline with a sturdy rope and harness. At the bottom, he noticed a distinct set of wet footprints leading from the river to the wall opposite him. As he neared the wall, he spotted a hidden doorway and entered. The interior shocked him. The walls were filled with paintings depicting Tekeema in various stages of development. The odd thing was that the archipelago did not exist; only one, larger island could be seen in the artwork. He followed the visual histories chronologically down the grand hallway. At one point, the lush scenery appeared wilted and the sky was a deep red. Falet interrupted him, “Dosef! Tena. [Dosef! Hello.]”
“Where have you been?”
“I’ve been examining a book at the other end of the hall. Come quickly.” Dosef reluctantly followed his friend. On a singular pedestal, in the center of a grand room, a book lay open. Dosef approached it.
“What’s it doing all the way down here?” he asked.
With a firm tonality to his voice, Falet spoke. “I believe that I’m one of the lucky few. I know what I am to do. A new journey awaits me, and you are to follow.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
