Chapter 18
of Protection

MENUS

1
2_TWO PUFFS
3_CHORES
4_SCRIBING
5_THREATS
6_MUSTS
7_GIGGLING SNEAKERS
8_SPOTTED BEASTS
9_ALL IS WELL

1

Again, it was early in a rise. Returns had passed, many dangers encountered. As a result, they experienced many strange new emotions. I had seen how they had no fear in Harmony. They had no pain in Harmony. They had no worries or grief, in Harmony. They all came to see that things were very different in the substance world.

Many dangers were encountered and perils overcome. I was to see that through danger and outright terror they survived. Their survival was stressed at every level and they conquered all using the Codes. They bore strong children and taught them the Vision of Good.

Brave was strong to the Vision of Good, and placed it above all else. The Vision he learned from his parents, He was as tall as BOY and the hair on his face was now starting to stand out. BOY showed him how to shave. Brave wanted his face clean, and he was now shaving every deck pushing his fingers around, stretching his face, the angle of the blade, the length and strength of the stroke. When Brave looked in a puddle of water to see his face, he laughed and grunted with dismay. He had missed many places and needed to cut more. Many mishaps happened and they all healed quickly by placing soft fluff on the cuts.

2 TWO PUFFS

One cooler day, BOY asked Brave to come with him to seek metal ores, and to forage in the far valleys. They had been there last return, and had set an overnight site for them to come back to. It was on a ledge half way up the first valley’s cliff. The cliff could be seen as a dot from the cave, many miles away. As they travelled to the far valleys and were within hearing distance, they made two beats on their drum. ‘All is well’. Two beats would come back from the cave. ‘All is well’. When they reached a few miles it was too far for the drums to be heard.

Later in the day BOY and Brave arrived near the base of the ledge. They piled branches high with grasses then dragged them through waters in the valley. The grasses became soaked and they dragged them up the steep climb. Then they built a fire on the ledge and had set timing to let the fire speak.

As the fire grew, Brave fed wet grasses to the fire. Smoke poured high and turned darker. When the smoke was straight and thick BOY slowly swung a large leafy branch through the smoke. The smoke sputtered and he did it again. The smoke sputtered again.

Heart was sitting on the wall in front of the cave waiting to see the smoke. Heart’s heart beat fast and she yelled;

Mother, look, the smoke, it is the smoke, and it has two puffs. They are well. Do I answer them now?

AMI smiled happily and said: Yes, two puffs and then wait.

Hope and Heart had built a fire on the ledge for just this reason. They soaked grasses and threw them on top of the fire. As all the children gathered around, Heart made two swings over the smoke with a branch of leaves. The smoke did not separate into puffs. It continued like a wave. Heart frowned. AMI asked her to just try it again in the way she was shown. She took a deep breath and swung the branch at the right speed. Two perfect puffs rose from the smoke. Each puff was a sight to behold.

Somehow I could see everything at both ends, and at the same time. When the smoke did not clear on the first swings BOY and Brave laughed.

But the next two were perfect puffs. They rose in the sky like two balloons floating away. Everyone jumped up and down at both ends. Two puffs, ‘hello, all is well’.

BOY talked to Brave;

Son, the smoke can talk for us. We know two puffs, or two beats, is of good. We know three puffs, is of not good. Let us make more meaning to the puffs by setting the timing between the puffs and the groups of puffs and add the plant colours to the puffs. We can then pass the puffs between us, and also beyond.

Yes, they could talk over long distances, with the smoke. They could change the message with the puffs. The number of puffs, the size, the wave and they could even change the colour of the smoke with certain plants.

They set meanings to the puffs and the time between each puff. Two puffs meant hello or goodbye. Three puffs, warned of danger. Four puffs they were returning. Then, they put a combination of puffs together that expressed many things. Amazing, perhaps the very first wireless and soundless communication and they could do it in relays. ‘Two puffs, hello, all is well’.

3 CHORES

Meanwhile, back at the cave Valor was hard at his chores. He was riding on Snort’s back towing carts of supplies to the cave. Oink and Ahoo ran alongside.

Valor took guard. With Father and Brave gone, he is the sixteen return old Protector in Sanctuary and would defend against all threats. He carried his spear with a sharp metal point lashed on to it and he had a long knife in his sash along with his sling. He had learned well of their use from his Father. He knew all their lives could depend on it. He preferred to be barefoot over wearing sandals and he let his hair grow down his back.. He also wore a feather of greeting in his headband.

Hope is now seventeen and a Nurturer in Sanctuary. She teaches the Vision of Harmony to the young. Her blue eyes twinkle when she laughs and she laughs causing others to laugh. Her long light hair covered the marks on her neck.

4 SCRIBING

Heart is twelve returns and wishes to help anyone who needs it. She is curious to learn all the plants and their cures. Everyone could see Heart is not well. AMI knew the cures Heart needed were far off and would take a dangerous journey to obtain. AMI and BOY would prepare for the timing to go. Heart was always cheerful not talking of herself.

Hope and Heart taught the younger the marks on the wall and the Codes and the wisdom-of-vision as taught to them. They were working with AMI in the garden. I saw them hoeing the ground, and watering the plants, and picking foods into baskets and singing in words and sounds.

I also saw Trust scribing the marks on the wall onto the fiber scribe-ment, with a long feather plume and the dark boiled juices of plants. He set the marks near the breeze and they set firm and would bend with the scribe-ment. The juices became part of the scribe-ment. Trust was eleven and also a Protector with the same weapon gear as Valor. He was also trained well. Their lives could depend on it.

Bold and Joy were both six and were tending to the young Happy of three and the youngest Love of one. They played with them and taught them the marks on the wall. They fed and bathed them and made toys with interlocking sticks. I saw them teaching the motions and games they would make of the sticks.

Bold made a ball from a hollow coconut. They would each throw the ball, and kick it back and forth. They made games with the ball. Bold and Joy would push the ball with a stick. What joy, a ball and a stick! I thought, within the technology of my world not one of us could know such joy. A ball, and a stick. I had a ball as a child. Never thought of pushing it with a stick.

5 THREATS

The Protectors were taught early of the dangers and how to overcome. Over the returns they had a few dangerous animal events. Some had come close to the cave but tracks showed that most just passed through.

The constant fire and flames kept most animals far away. If any threat did come near, they were usually successful by using animal sounds and threats that warned the animal not to near.

6 MUSTS

AMI and BOY taught their children the motions, to understand as part of life. They learned early to love the motions for all their being. They taught them the music and the songs.

They taught them to breathe deeply each day with their senses closed and vision nothing, nothing at all. Seek only time-out. They had always taught them. AMI said,

The Light and the Dark time-outs hold time visions of Good in eternity. Time-out erases pathways created by the voices of destruction and imprints an error. This creates wisdom and wise use of the Codes.

They were teaching them how to enter time-out and create indestructible vision with the wisdom to use the Codes.

7 GIGGLING SNEAKERS

That dark, pandemonium set throughout sanctuary when a pack of giggling sneakers crept near the Honk pen looking for easy meals. There were loud squacks and jumping around in the pens. Brave who slept by the wall first saw the sneakers pawing the pen walls looking for a way to break in and feast on the honks. Brave set his sling and hit one on its hind. It yelped and crunched down. Then he hit another. Ahoo ran out and charged at the first one. They all ran off in a group and stopped at the fence.

The sneakers huddled together it seemed as if working out a strategy to get the honks. They started to return when AMI and Brave let their slings loose on the intruders. Several rocks hit their target and the sneakers scurried off to look for easier pickings. They giggled as they sneaked away into the dark. Ahoo stood in front of the pens.

8 SPOTTED BEASTS

Now at the cave, with BOY and Brave away, screams came from the garden. There was terror in their voices. My eyes were drawn to Valor who spun instantly, snapping the rope buckles away from the cart. He raced Snort to the garden with his spear leading on Snort’s fastest gallop.

Trust grabbed his spear and ran to stand before the garden facing where the girls ran from. He would not leave unless they were all safely in the cave. Valor arrived and slid off Snort’s back and tapped him to run away. Valor ran to Trust, they stood side-by-side. Spears pointed, both ready.

Ahoo ran above the tall grasses and chased a vicious spotted beast out from the grass. Once out of the grass, other heads full of teeth appeared over the top of the grasses. Ahoo raced to the boy’s side in the garden. It was too late to run. The beasts snarled as they emerged and started to encircle the boys. There were several, six, I could count. Ahoo made a vicious display and was ready for battle.

AMI made sure the rest of the children were all safe in the cave. AMI blocked the door off and yelled to Valor and Trust;

Bold will signal your father and I will join you in the fight.

She had Bold continue to signal and answer. She gave out spears, then sealed the entry and ran to the garden with a club and her spear.

The beasts were hooting to each other as they neared. Gnashing teeth dripping frothy foam was forming around their mouths. Their heads were pointing down with their shoulders hunched, and their bodies sloping straight ahead. The boys were beside the garden fence. There were three sides open. Valor told Trust to stand to the back side.

AMI ran fast to the boys. Two beasts ran toward AMI out in the open and one leapt at her head. AMI dived at the beast and aimed her spear direct to its chest. The spear plunged deep into flesh. The beast then fell kicking with its hind legs and died where it fell. At the same time one bit and pulled at her leg. AMI swung and caught its hind leg with her club. The creature’s leg made a loud snapping sound and the beast shrunk from the bite and hobbled away toward the bush. AMI fell in pain.

There were many quacks and honks and baas and oinks. There was panic everywhere.

At the same time four beasts were circling the boys and began a ferocious charge. Two circled to the back side toward Trust. Trust thrust his spear firmly when the first one jumped at him. He scrunched his eyes and held tight. When the spear connected, the spear broke in half in his hands. His spear hit the beast in its neck and it tumbled away to the side. Trust drew his knife for more and stood defiant for the next. When the next beast lunged at Trust, Ahoo jumped in between against razor teeth and a vicious fight broke out. I saw Ahoo with the top of an ear bitten off, and his jaws around one beast’s throat. That beast drew back and ran as Ahoo bit at its legs.

At the same time Valor caught a beast’s leg with his spear and that beast lay in pain. Then he drew his knife and ran after a circling beast. He jumped on its back wrestling it to its side. It scratched and bit at Valor. Then Valor pulled its hairy mane back toward him and drew his knife across and into its throat. The beast howled and latched onto Valor’s arm. Valor plunged the knife again and again.

Valor arm was covered in blood, but the beast moved no more. He removed his arm from the beast’s mouth, and rolled the carcass to the side. Three beasts lay dead, three more, on the run. Ahoo nipped at their heels as the beasts fled for their lives. Snort was in hot pursuit. They both walked side-by-side on the way back. AMI ran to the boys. They all crashed on the ground together.

They were bloody and torn. Ahoo leapt over top. They cried and then laughed. They had defeated a pack of deadly beasts.

Trust could not help a few tears as he lamented he was afraid and that he had killed an animal. They each felt the same. These were protectors. They fought with their lives. AMI too.

Joy carried Love and the children ran to the field and lay together in a pile. No one moved. No one talked. Just jumpy breathing and close hugs. No more sounds from the honks. Oinks and Ahoo stood around. An eerie silence swept over the garden. I heard some sobbing. AMI breathed a deep breath and checked all were well. Scrapes and bites they can fix quickly. She then put her hand on Heart’s shoulder and whispered;

9 ALL IS WELL

Heart run, keep signalling your father ‘two puffs’. They will see it on the way.

AMI gathered all the children to the cave, and set about tending to wounds, and making foods for the children and for BOY and Brave when they arrive. Hope and Heart set the fire and helped AMI with the foods. They made tea for everyone and spread good words to the younger ones. Each set about their chores. They all thought about BOY and Brave. When will they arrive?

Meanwhile, when BOY and Brave had seen the three long dark puff signals of great danger, they flew into action. No one need say a word. They doused the fire and ran as BOY then said,

We can run at a pace, we will be there before Big-light is gone. We must run fast, we must run light; we must carry only the drum and our weapons. Hie.

Brave said;

Father, do not talk, let us run.

They ran like the wind. Over rocks and branches, through mire and creeks. Sometimes BOY led then Brave leapt in front. They did not rest and the idea of pace was gone. They fell, they tripped. They lunged. They ran faster than wind. They had no other thought. All they had was in sanctuary. They were halfway and on a rise when Brave saw the puffs over the rise. Two puffs, ‘all is well’. Brave stopped and yelled to BOY ahead of him,

Father, Stop. Two puffs, two puffs, all is well. All is well.

He choked, and as the words came out his eyes swelled with tears glistening from his eyes. BOY stopped and saw the puffs. Two puffs of white smoke. All is well. They grabbed each other with the long hug. BOY’s eyes scrunched tight and tears ran down Brave’s back. They stood together holding hands as they looked over sanctuary way.

They were tired and sore but that meant nothing to them. They continued their run, but now at a pace. Their thoughts became peaceful and they now trotted along. All is well. When they arrived a few miles near the cave they beat two beats on the drum. They heard it in the cave and two beats came back.

Then everyone laughed and cried of great joy. When they neared the edge of the fields, Brave hung the drum over his chest and beat a song on his drum with two sticks and the cave came into view. Valor was sitting near the garden waiting, with his spear in hand. He jumped and yelled to the cave. He then ran to them with great happiness.

Big-light was setting and dinner was ready and everyone was safe. All gathered around the fire. There were great stories of bravery to tell. AMI threw scented plants on the fire. BOY played a few notes on the flute, then Heart played the strings in tune. Brave joined in with the drum and the stories started. Their animal friends just sat and looked in amazement. They sang and the danced long into the night. They did the motions and time-out together. Sleep came with smiles on their faces.

Time appeared in this way in Of Animals