Survivors

 

 

 

 

Douglas lay on the lounger looking up at the night sky.  The stars were brilliant, sparkling in the fantastically clear night sky.   Last night he had been in the same chair; only last night it had been raining.  He just sat back and let the rain soak his naked body.  He didn't go inside until somebody took his hand and led him in sometime after dawn.  He remembered somebody drying him off and leading him to his bed, staying with him for the day.   He didn't go to school.  He barely remembered eating.  He remembered going into the backyard sometime after it had become dark and sitting back in the lounger again and not moving, just like the night before—and that was where he was now.

 

Douglas wondered if one of the stars in the sky above him was Sol or Alpha Orion. He wondered if he would ever go back to Sol or make it to Alpha Orion. But he didn't want to be anywhere right now except in this chair under the stars.  He just wanted to be alone—totally alone, just him and the rain or the stars twinkling in the black sky.

 

He thought about what had happened three days ago.  He recalled walking home from school thinking he was ready for anything and noticing something about the balcony door across the street.  The door was open.  That was what had bothered him; the balcony door on the vacant house being open.

 

Then there were flashes of light and bodies falling everywhere.  He fired his rifle more than once and then was hit by something that felt like a giant fist hitting him in the gut.  His belly was still sore. He remembered waking up in the mud with people everywhere. He remembered being taken up to his room and put into bed alone, wondering where Scooter was before he fell asleep on the bed.

 

Douglas looked at the stars and felt tears stinging his eyes. Someone he had been responsible for was dead.  That boy should be alive right now, full of life and not some lifeless body.  He should have turned everything over to the Hakaanen adults right from the start.  Why did he suddenly think he was good enough to protect everybody? Maybe, he thought, it was because he didn’t trust the governor to protect them, and so he and his friends would have to take care of themselves.

 

He spent all of the day after the battle in bed.  He didn't bother going to school, but then was told no one in his group was going to school.  They were all too shook up over what had happened on the street.  He didn't want to talk to anybody.  There were knocks on his door, but he told whoever came to go away.

 

Mike had tried coming into the room once, but when he stepped in Douglas screamed at him to get the fuck out. Mike shrugged and eased back into the hallway. Kallama brought food and set it down inside the door. Douglas didn't eat it. 

 

While he was lying wounded in the street he heard that someone had died in the battle. ‘Scooter, send me a thought.’ He had seen the body taken away with the blanket covering it, just like they did on Earth.  It was then he knew he had failed.  After all that happened, getting them through so much, he had failed right in his the front yard.  He failed the whole group and he failed the boy who was carried away.  And nobody could change that.  Nobody.

 

‘I’m here, Douglas.’ Douglas felt a moment of relief when he received Scooter’s thought. The body did not belong to his boyfriend and lover—but he still didn’t know who it had been.

 

There was another knock at the door, jarring him out of his thoughts.

 

"Go away!" Douglas said.

 

"Please let me see you.  Let me talk to you," came the quiet voice from the other side.  "Please!"

 

"Go away, go away go away, go away."

 

"I......."

 

"NO!  GO AWAY!"

 

He waited and heard nothing then rolled over and slept.  Just before dark he woke up, and went back into the yard.  He sat in the lounger and looked up at the dark sky.  When the rain came he didn't move.  He let the rain fall on him and cleanse him.  He wished he could clean out what was inside of him as easily.

 

The next day he did the same thing.  He stayed in bed, he barely ate, and told anybody knocking on the door to go away.  It was well after midnight when he got out of bed and walked out into the back yard and sat in the lounger again. The night was warm and the stars were bright and full.  Neither of Inferno's two moons were in the sky to dim the brightness of the stars above him. That was the night he thought about the number of stars, the vastness of the universe, and how much he missed home.

 

He didn't know how long he had been sitting in the lounger.  He didn't want to get up from it and he didn't want to move.  He hated being alive.  He wondered why the rifle that wounded him hadn't been set on kill, and he half wished it had been.

 

He heard the sliding door open behind him.  Somebody was coming out into the yard. He wanted to yell to the person to go away, but he no longer had the energy.  The boy coming out back sat in the grass next to Douglas's lounger.

 

"Beautiful night.  The stars are awesome.  Our home is up there somewhere,” Scooter said.

 

Douglas didn't say anything.  He'd been ignoring the boy next to him for two days.  Closing his mind, trying to close his heart.  He wished he would just leave him alone; he didn't deserve him anymore.

 

"Douglas.  Douglas.  Don't do this.  Don't shut me out.  I don't know why you're doing this.  I love you Douglas.  Talk to me.  Let me help you."

 

Douglas stared up at the night sky, saying nothing.  He tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears.  Scooter kneeled next to the lounger.  He placed his head on Douglas's chest and looked into his boyfriend’s eyes.  Douglas tried to ignore the pressure on his chest, but it was hard to ignore the wetness of Scooter's tears as they dropped on to his chest.  It became even harder to ignore Scooter climbing up on the lounger and lying partly on him, hugging him tight.

 

“Douglas, I love you so, so much. Let me help you get through this.  We can do it together."  Scooter felt Douglas shake as his lover started shuddered and started sobbing. Scooter held him tightly, kissing the wet cheek next to him.

 

"Scooter, I'm so sorry I shut you out,” Douglas sobbed. “I love you so much.  I didn't want you or anybody to feel my hurt."  He shuddered again.  "I screwed it all up so bad."

 

"You did the best you could. You did an awesome job.  Everybody said so at school today.  Everybody."

 

"If it was so awesome, then why is Jordan dead?"

 

Scooter held his boyfriend tightly under the canopy of stars.  "You weren't like this when we thought we lost Matthew. You were sad but you came back strong and you led us to safety.  You brought us here. You know you're not at fault."

 

"Scooter, we never knew what happened to Matthew.  We never saw him dead.  We had to move on or more of us would die. We did what we could to find him. Yes, it affected me and hurt me, but I knew we had to keep going. I had to lead so we could survive. But this is different.  Way different."

 

"How?"

 

Douglas took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky.  "Matthew was one of us. He was kind of quiet, and he was younger and smaller than the rest of us, but we loved him.  Mike made him his brother.

 

“Jordan was different.  He could bully people, like he did with Matthew or with the twins.  On the ‘Starkeeper’ we never accepted him as one of us.  We pushed him aside and let RC take care of him.  We even ignored the good things he did for Matthew on the ‘Moonduster” because we didn't want anything to do with him. When we made it to the valley, I treated him like he was nobody.  He had no friends, no partner, and I did nothing to make things better.  We'd all have sex together, and he'd jack off alone."

 

"He did a lot of it to himself," Scooter said.

 

"Did he? Or did we never give him a chance?"

 

"You let him be a scout to help find a way down to the valley. You did that for him," Scooter reminded him.  "You had a big talk with him before he ran away to Robert Charles. I saw you try Douglas.  You had so many other things on your mind it was hard to give him attention. We all should have helped you make Jordan feel like one of us—it shouldn’t have been just you trying to help him. We never were totally safe until now and you had to watch out for all of us."

 

"When we got here in the valley, I ignored him.  Scooter, I didn't even like him.  I kept wishing he wasn’t with us because I thought he didn’t fit in.  I helped to set him aside from everybody.  I was a jerk, and because of that he ran to RC and now he's dead.  I could've done something about that.  It's why it’s different from when we decided we had to give up searching for Matthew.  Jordan didn't have to die.  It's my fucking fault."

 

Scooter got up from the lounger and lay on his side on the grass.  He patted the ground next to him.  Douglas rose from the chair and lay down next to him, looking straight into his face.

 

"It's like by ignoring him and not making him feel like he was one of us, I killed him.  He never should have been in that house.  He should have been somewhere safe."

 

“Jordan ran away after you had your talk with him. You reached out to him and he still ran off. What else could you do, lock him up?”

 

Douglas ignored him. He wiped the moisture off of his cheeks and stared up at the starlit sky.

 

Scooter moved closer to Douglas.  "Douglas, listen.  Do you know the whole story of that battle? Do you  know everything that happened?" Scooter was certain he didn’t, since Douglas had ignored everybody who reached out to  him since the battle with Robert Charles and his gang.

 

"I know that Jordan is dead.  What else is there to know?"

 

Scooter stroked Douglas's back.  "There was a lot of shooting.  We were hurt and burned a little from a shot that was heavy stun.  Even though we knew that Robert Charles wanted to kill us, only one boy died in the battle. Haven't you asked yourself why?"

 

"Well, we had our guns on heavy stun. Jordan was shooting at us because he was the best shot. And then Jordan got shot with RC's rifle and....oh...shit.  I think I see."

 

"You’re right—RC let Jordan do the shooting up until then. Jordan used to practice in the crew practice area all the time and was an excellent shot. He hit what he wanted to hit, including you. Jordan had his rifle on stun.  From what I heard RC didn't know that.  He thought Jordan was killing everybody he hit. But RC wanted to be the one to shoot and kill you and Jordan stopped him.  He grabbed the rifle from RC, but it went off by accident and killed Jordan.  RC's rifle was set to kill."

 

"Why didn't Jordan just shoot RC?  Why did he go and try to grab the rifle?"

 

"I don't know. Everything was wild and crazy right then.  But Jordan saved our lives by having his rifle on stun.  If Jordan isn't in that house, more than one of us dies.  Maybe everyone who was in the street then would die, who knows? The point is Douglas, why did he decide to take his rifle off kill?  Do you remember that meeting you had before he ran away?"

 

"Yeah.  All the good it did."

 

"What was the last thing you told him?"

 

Douglas thought for a few seconds.  "That I was sorry for how we treated him and that we loved him.  No matter what, he should always remember that we loved him." Douglas had told Scooter, Mike, and Alex everything about his talk with Jordan.

 

Scooter kissed Douglas lightly on his neck.  "I think he remembered what you told him. Jordan died saving us.  For sure he saved your life.  I'm thinking maybe he died helping people who loved him, people he knew loved him in spite of all his flaws.  I think in the end Jordan discovered who his real friends were."

 

"Jordan seemed pretty confused about a lot of things."

 

"He wasn't confused when he died.  He picked us over RC.  He died a hero and knowing exactly who he loved.  And that's his leg…leg…"

 

"Legacy."

 

"Yeah, legacy.  Brain fart. So you've been beating yourself up over nothing. We all love you Douglas, and I love you beyond love."

 

"You're right, Scooter.  I locked you all out.  I thought I needed to be off by myself.  I was wrong.  I needed your love and everybody's love.  You guys are my family, you're my whole world.  Thanks for hanging with me the last couple of days.  I know I was pretty miserable to be around."

 

Scooter hugged Douglas tightly and close to him.  "My love for you is unconditional, through the good and the bad."

 

"What did I do to deserve you?"

 

Scooter rolled Douglas over and started rubbing his hardness against Douglas.  They kissed deeply.  They made sweet love in the night under the star-filled sky.

 

 

 Enghar was still a bit shaken by what he had seen coming around the corner.  He had thought everybody on the street was dead.  He sat down and cried until Bandar showed up a couple of minutes later.  It was Bandar who called for help while Enghar could do nothing but cry.  He was mad at himself for losing his cool and doing nothing.  He was mad at Mycroff for telling Orzano about the empty house.  He was mad at himself even more for not figuring out sooner what was going on.

 

He was sad to learn one of the round-eared boys was dead, the one named Jordan.  He was happy to know that the round eared-boys who had become his friends were all still alive.  He remembered the first time he saw Jordan in the hospital and how he thought Mattoo was scared of him. Then Jordan ran off to join the Shkah and everybody said bad things about him.  Mattoo didn't like him at all, and Mattoo was his lover, which meant Mattoo had to be right about him.

 

Enghar remembered Mattoo staying with him after everything settled down. Mattoo talked to him and touched him.  Sometimes he just sat with him saying nothing. Enghar knew that plans were being made for permanent homes for the round-eared boys, but no plans had to be made for Mattoo. Enghar knew that Mattoo’s home would be with him and his family.

 

The next day Enghar went back to school, he and Mattoo getting a ride from a family friend.  Douglas and Scooter were just walking up to the school yard as Mattoo and Enghar arrived.  Enghar smiled and waved and they waved back.  Then he walked Mattoo to his classroom and kissed him and wished him a good day.

 

When he got to his own class he saw Mycroff.  Mycroff walked over and hugged him.

 

"I'm so glad to see you back," Mycroff said.  "I missed you."

 

"You gave them away!" Enghar snarled angrily.

 

"Huh?"

 

"You told the Shkah boy where Dooglass and everybody were staying.  You helped set them up and almost got them killed.”

 

"No, I didn't.  I just thought he was some kid from the north end.  I didn't know he was Shkah.  I never would have said anything if I’d known that."  Mycroff started crying. "Everybody keeps saying I have a big mouth.  I guess they're right.  I'm sorry, Enghar.  You know I would never do something like that on purpose."

 

Enghar grabbed him and hugged him.  "I know, Mycroff, and I’m sorry I yelled at you. This has upset me so much.”

 

"I'm sorry too, that I said too much," Mycroff sobbed. Enghar hugged him tighter and they headed for class.

 

"You want to spend the night with me?" Mycroff asked.  "No school tomorrow."

 

"Can Mattoo come too?"

 

"I just want you tonight.  I have something special to talk about."

 

Enghar hesitated.  He wanted Mattoo to be with his friends.  He wanted Mattoo to be with him all the time.  But Mycroff had quickly become a friend since he came to the capital city to stay.

 

"Okay.  But next time can I bring Mattoo?"

 

Enghar didn't notice the hurt look on Mycroff's tear stained face.  "Yeah. Sure.  Next time."

 

 

Douglas was happy to be in front of the group again.  He sat on the tall stool in front of the classroom that their teacher, Modar, used.

 

"First, I want to say I'm sorry for the past couple of days.  I acted like a jerk."

 

"There is nothing to apologize for, Douglas," Mike said.  "Absolutely nothing.  And I think that's how everybody here feels.  It was a rough time for all of us.  I just want you to know we were all ready to be here for you.  We all love you.  You don't have to close us off when times get tough. You don't have to do it alone."

 

"Thanks, Mike.  I guess I forgot that and I'm sorry. You’re all the best friends a guy could ask for". He looked into Scooter's eyes.  "Thank you, my love, for staying with me."  He looked at the rest of his friends.  "Thank you all for being great."

 

"No, thank YOU," Mike said.  "You got us here.  We're all safe. If not for you, we would be dying or dead in the desert on the ‘Moonduster’.”

 

"I think since we're all here, we should have a moment of silence for Jordan.  He saved some lives, mine being one of them. He was a brave boy and a hero.”

 

Douglas broke the silence by asking what would happen to Jordan. "I mean, will there be a burial and whatever? I was really out of it the last couple of days.”

 

Alex told him there would be a ceremony at the Temple of Life in the Deep Forest the day after tomorrow.  He was told their ceremonies were very short, but very special. He said that the Hakaanen didn't bury their dead, they cremated them. They had already decided to attend the Hakaanen ceremony together.  Douglas realized that while he was sulking alone in his room he had missed a lot.

 

"What about RC?" he asked.

 

"RC is going to have a trial at the capital.  They don't have many murder trials here.  Bandar told us that there's only been two murder trials since the last Hakaanen ship came, and that was over twenty years ago. I guess during the raids Robert Charles did all of the killing and he is being charged with all of the deaths, including Jordan.  Some of the Shkah are being charged for helping him.”

 

“I think the word is being accessories,” Scooter interrupted.

 

“Yeah, that’s the word. The two Shkah boys who were with RC in the house were caught trying to get back home.  They will be charged with something, and so will the Shkah leaders."

 

"What do the Hakaanen do with murderers?" Travis asked.

 

"They don't have a death penalty," Alex told him.  "They usually are locked up for life in their prison. The prison has only five prisoners and has room for twelve. The five prisoners are four Shkah and RC."

 

They talked a while longer about getting their permanent homes, and finally settling down. They wanted to return to Andorn now that they were out of danger. Then Modar came into the room and started up their lessons again.

 

 

Enghar and Mycroff were sitting in Mycroff's room playing a game of Lapla. Mycroff had a new deck of cards, an expensive present from his parents. Because of limited raw materials, only a certain number of new games were made each year—most of them were hand-me-downs.  Enghar's cards were old, sticky, and flabby.  The slick new cards felt good.  Mycroff was beating him badly making Enghar happy they weren't playing for real money.

 

Matthew had been disappointed he hadn’t been invited to go with Enghar. Enghar told him Mycroff was a new friend and they both wanted to get to know each other. He promised Mattoo he would be able to come with him next time, which made Matthew feel better.  Even so, Matthew felt jealous of Mycroff.  He was afraid Mycroff was trying to steal the boy he loved so much. Enghar was the best thing to come into his life. Matthew cried himself to sleep, feeling alone and homesick for the first time since his rescue.

 

While walking to Mycroff's house, Enghar thought about Mycroff's feelings toward Mattoo and about how Mycroff had shot off his big mouth to the Shkah boy.  For a moment he wondered if maybe he had given away the information on purpose to set up Matthew and his friends.

 

From what he had learned about Mycroff so far, he didn’t seem to be that calculating. Mycroff was who he seemed to be, a friendly, happy boy who loved to talk. Enghar believed that Mycroff didn't know who the Shkah boy was. He simply had a big mouth and liked telling everybody everything. Enghar felt badly for even thinking ugly thoughts about his new friend. He just wished that Mycroff had asked Mattoo to come to the sleepover.

 

Even though he was losing to Mycroff in Lapla, Enghar was having fun.  They played another hand with Enghar losing more chips.

 

"You said you had something to show me," Enghar said as they took a break.

 

"Yeah.  Let's put the cards away."  Mycroff loaded the cards into the card box and then lay down on his bed.  Enghar hopped onto the bed and lay beside Mycroff.  Mycroff stared at Enghar, his cock becoming hard almost instantaneously. Pretty soon he was jacking off intensely and, like any horny, pubescent Hakaanen boy, Enghar had no qualms about joining him. 

 

It was the first time he and Mycroff had done anything sexual together—they hadn’t even talked sex in their short friendship.

 

Enghar could see that Mycroff was eager to cum fast. When Mycroff shot his clear cum over his belly, Enghar quickly followed him.

 

Mycroff saw him shoot and said, "You, too?"

 

"Yeah, I just started doing it. What about you?"

 

"A month ago.  Do you know what that means?"

 

"Yeah.  I'm pretty sure."

 

"It means we can decide who our Meshanna will be.  It means we can become linked to somebody for life.  It means we can do the Ceremony of the Soul.  This is so totally awesome, Enghar.  Look at us!  Some boys can't decide until they're 13 or 14, and we can right now."

 

"Um...what are you saying, Mycroff?"

 

"Sit up," commanded Mycroff. “I want to ask you.”

 

“But we hardly know each other,” Enghar protested.

 

“You have to do it,” Mycroff said matter-of-factly.

 

Enghar knew what this meant—they had learned about the Asking Ceremony in school. Mycroff sat up on the bed and so did Enghar.  They sat facing each other, moving in close to each other, their legs wrapped around each other, their soft boy penises almost touching.  They held each other’s hands.

 

 Enghar knew that when one boy (or girl) wanted to do the Asking Ceremony, then the other party was required to take part, no matter what they thought about being asked. Enghar was surprised that Mycroff was asking him since they’d only known each other for a few days. But he also knew how impulsive his new friend was. 

 

They touched foreheads. Since Mycroff had started the ceremony, he did the talking.  "Enghar, my love of our youngness, I ask you, with all my heart, all my soul, and all my spirit, to be my soulmate and my heart's love for life.  I ask you to be my Meshanna."

 

Hakaanen children learned how to Ask when they were eight years old and they all practiced it alone until they had each part of the ceremony memorized. They wanted to be ready for the day when they planned on either Asking someone to be their Meshanna or having somebody Ask them.

 

Being Meshannas wasn't like being boyfriends or partners; those kinds of relationship changed sometimes.  A Meshanna might become one's partner, or might never become a partner.  However, Meshanna would always be in the souls of each other.  They might be young when they Asked, but in their hearts they knew who the right person was.  Even if it turned out they chose never to live together, a Hakaanen's Meshanna was always there for him or her.  Together, with the help of the priests, they would learn to grow together in heart, spirit, and mind.  The priests would help take the link they discovered between them and show them how to make it grow in incredible ways through adulthood.

 

Enghar gave his memorized answer.  "Mycroff, my love of my youngness, I answer your request by saying I will take into my heart, my mind, and my spirit your love and I will give you my answer at the time of decision." The two boys finished with the requisite kiss on the lips.

 

To become Meshannas boys had to be able to produce semen and girls had to have experienced menarche, although they didn't Ask just because their bodies were ready.  Most weren't as young as Mycroff and Enghar, but not everybody was sure who they wanted as a Meshanna even in their early teens. 

 

Mycroff, however, was afraid of losing Enghar to Matthew, even though he wasn't even sure if a Hakaanen could have an alien Meshanna since that situation had never happened.  Yet, Mycroff knew Enghar and Mattoo were becoming close, which was okay with him, but he wanted Enghar to be his Meshanna.  He wasn’t sure why—he’d only known Enghar for a few days. He wondered if anybody had ever asked someone to be his Meshanna just after meeting him.

 

After they became Meshannas, Enghar could have any partner he wanted, but he would be Mycroff's Meshanna, which was something he would be for life. Mycroff had a lot of friends, but he found Enghar to be exotic, not because he was from a different town, but because he had an alien being as his boyfriend.

 

The time of decision after being Asked was three to five days.  No one was allowed to make the final decision until three days had passed, but they had to decide by the end of five days. If the waiting time expired, the two could not perform the Asking Ceremony again unless there were extenuating circumstances that met the purview of the priests.

 

 Requests weren't turned down often, but it wasn't unusual, especially with boys and girls who were young, like Enghar and Mycroff.  Enghar knew his father turned down a request when he was thirteen, then turned another down just after he turned fourteen. Not long after he turned fifteen, Enghar’s father made a request to perform the ceremony to the boy he had turned down when he was thirteen, and the boy accepted.  As he matured, he realized the wonderful connection he had had with that boy. 

 

Hakaanen youth were taught that picking a Meshanna wasn't easy.  They both had to be absolutely sure the choice was right. It was preached to them to pause and not leap into the ceremony. There would be plenty of time to do that with the right person. 

 

Becoming Meshannas was a two-way decision.  It meant each of them wanted the other without question.  It meant being absolutely sure—undeniably and unequivocally sure.  Because a Meshanna was for the rest of their lives and beyond. Meshannas were forever.  They learned in school when they studied the ceremony that if they had any doubt to decline the Asking, or to put it off, like Enghar's father had done.  Meshannas were forever. If both parties ended up making an impulsive decision and were not really matches, the priests and the Questioning quickly made that apparent. Mistakes could not be made when Meshannas were chosen.

 

Enghar knew all of this. He knew he wasn’t ready to be Mycroff’s Meshanna. But more importantly, he knew he wanted Mattoo to be his Meshanna. Enghar and Mycroff fell asleep tangled up in each other with Mycroff feeling good about what he asked and Enghar feeling very confused.

 

 

There was no school the next morning.  The boys went from house to house to visit, but on the whole the day was boring.

 

"Can you remember the last time you sat around being bored?" Mike asked Alex.

 

Alex and Stevie were playing around with three Hakaanen musical instruments: they were a string, a percussion, and a keyboard instrument.  They had borrowed them from a friend of Hajo. The sounds were much different from what they were accustomed to, but they busily taught themselves how to use the instruments and loved the sounds they made.

 

"Who's bored?" Alex asked as he ran his fingers up and down the keyboard. Mike sighed, wishing he had something to read.  He had learned Hakaanen well enough to be able to read a beginning book about boys searching for their lost vort puppy.

 

Wow, how exciting, he thought to himself. He finally closed his eyes and listened to Stevie and Alex make music.  Brandon was off with Scooter and Douglas, so it was just him and the brothers in the house. As the music played on, he fell asleep.

 

Brandon was with Scooter and Douglas most of the day.  Bandar was teaching them how to play Lapla.  They were picking up the game quickly.  Bandar thought at this rate he better be careful playing it for money—the round-ears were quick learners. 

 

Matthew and Enghar invited Logan and Ethan over to their house and taught the twins some new games.  Enghar discovered the twins weren't very interested in sex, which was fine with him—they were still young. As they played various games, both Enghar and Matthew couldn’t help but think the twins were sexy cute.

 

After Brandon left, Douglas and Scooter talked about their future. Once they got better at using the Hakaanen language they were going to be moved into permanent homes. They were happy to learn that they would be relocated to Awanstor. Even though their time there has been short, it had a homelike feeling for them.

 

 Douglas felt that the group wouldn't need a leader anymore; their adventure was all but over. But, they were now like a family and would need their time together as a group.  In spite of the openness and friendliness of the Hakaanen, the Earth boys were still an alien species from a different planet, and would never be able to completely fit in. 

 

Douglas had led Hakaanen men and boys as well as the Earth boys in the battle against the Shkah.  As much as they could be, the "Starkeeper" boys had been accepted by the Hakaanen. They had made many good friends among the Hakaanen boys.  Only the governor and his followers seemed to have anything against them.  Otherwise they were heroes in the Big Valley.

 

The next day the ceremony for Jordan would be held.  It was going to be a Hakaanen ceremony.  Bandar, Hajo, Enghar, Mayor Andorn, Modar, and Enghar's father, had all worked to help them understand the ceremony and the traditions behind it.

 

That night, the boys slept in their own beds.  The day had been quiet and safe, so very different from what they had become used to.  Slowly, adults were once again at the forefront of their lives, which were returning to quiet and "normal".

 

 

 The next day the boys rode to the ceremony in wagons and carriages that had been procured by Mayor Andorn and Enghar’s father, Dr. Lokor. They rode into the country towards the hills. They found themselves traveling up a winding road and into a forest.  They traveled down to a small dell in the Big Valley.  Douglas caught sight of a huge amphitheater built into the side of the dell. On the other side was a large wooden building, with six needle-like wooden towers soaring into the sky. It was one of the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen.  The wood of the building was stained a reddish hue, the red looked deeper when contrasted with the green forest around it. Each of the needles was painted a different color.

 

"This is a Temple of Life," Bandar informed Scooter. “There are some smaller ones, like the one near Awanstor, but this one near Orkyl is the biggest. The temples were built for us to celebrate life and the God Jeswa."

 

"So it's a church," Scooter said.  He used the English word church.  His mind couldn't come up with a Hakaanen word.  He had wondered why he hadn't seen anything looking like a church in the Hakaanen villages.

 

"I don't know the word. This is our Temple of Life,” Bandar explained.  “We come here for special celebrations. It is different than the Building of Life which is where the atmosphere machinery is."

 

"But this isn't a celebration," Scooter protested.  "Jordan is dead.  How can this be a celebration?"

 

"It is a celebration because we celebrate Jorrdaan's life," Bandar said simply.

 

Douglas was pleased to see so many of their Hakaanen friends at the ceremony. Enghar, Mycroff, Bandar, Hajo, Prekan, Laryar, Perryska, Mayor Andorn, Enghar’s father and mother, along with many of the hosts and volunteers who had helped them during their brief stay at Awanstor. Misha and Kynon, the two brothers with whom Jordan had lived, and their fathers were in the temple. Douglas was quite surprised to see Governor Rebosh sitting in a seat in the temple.

 

Everyone in attendance, including the Earth boys, was dressed in a white robe.  Each robe had a colorful design or colorful trim stitched into it, with some having both. The "Starkeeper" boys were able to help design their own robes, and they were quickly tailored for them.  Some (like Travis's or Ryan's) were quite beautiful and artistic.  Others (like Douglas’s and Mike’s) just had simple colored trim on the collar and the sleeves. 

 

The boys were amazed that the Hakaanen dressed in their traditional garb for the celebration. This was obviously not a place where nudity was tolerated.

 

A priest in a blue robe with red and yellow trim strode to the front of the large room and started the ceremony.  He said a few words, most of which the Earth boys, except Scooter, didn’t understand. In deference to the boys, Scooter was allowed to stand up and translate what the priest had told them. In essence, the priest had told the audience that “Jorrdaan” had lived too short a life and still had much to discover. He said that the boy had been fortunate to have had so many good friends among the round-ears. The priest’s final words sent shivers of guilt running through Douglas.

 

 The Priest then asked each person there to say something about Jordan.  Scooter translated each short statement for the audience, including the one he made.

 

"Jordan wanted to be accepted and loved by all of us," Scooter said.  "He gave his life for us and made us all see the love that was locked in his heart."

 

When Douglas's turn came he said, "Jordan taught me something.  He taught me that to get someone's love and loyalty I have to give him mine.  Love and friendship is not a one way street.  I told Jordan that I loved him and that we loved him, but I don’t know if I really believed those words.  I am sad that Jordan had to die to let all of us know that he really loved us..  All I can say is the same thing.  I love you, Jordan.  We love you, Jordan. Thank you, Jordan."

 

Because every statement had to be short, the governor's was too.  "Like Dooglass, I learned something.  The round-ears have taught us all about love, honor, and loyalty. They have made a difference in all of us.  The young one, Jorrdaan, helped to show us all that.  Thank you all for being here for him."

 

Douglas wasn't sure if Governor Rebosh really meant what he was saying, or was saying it because the election was coming up, but it was nice to hear his words.  If what he said was true, then they were on the way to being fully accepted by the Hakaanen.  They would need that acceptance if they were going to spend the rest of their lives on Inferno.

 

The last part of the ceremony saw those closest to Jordan pick up a lock of his hair. The locks had been cut from his head and placed on a white cloth spread on a table at the front of the room. The locks were partly wrapped in brown paper.  That part of the ceremony was meant to be kept for life as a show of love for the deceased.  Their tradition was to lay out six locks of hair. That morning as they ate breakfast, the boys agreed that Mike, Douglas, Scooter, Alex, Matthew, and Travis would each take a lock.  Douglas carefully laid his in the large pocket of his gown.

 

After the ceremony everyone went outside into a courtyard.  There was food, drink, as well as music being played by a couple of Hakaanen boys who were in their older teens.  Earth boys and Hakaanen boys found good things to say about Jordan while they ate. Even those who didn’t know him were able to come up with something to say, even if it was simply to comment on his bravery for surviving his trip through the desert to the Big Valley.

 

 The Earth boys loved the Hakaan Celebration of Life.  Because of it, they would always think of Jordan with love. They got in the wagons and carriages and rode back out of the dell.  Douglas looked back at the beautiful setting. He had gained added respect for Hakaanen tradition and culture. He wondered if he would ever return to the dell and its beautiful temple. Little did he know he would be back in less than a month.

 

Next: Ost Lesha Dray

E

mails are always welcomed. Your email is my payment for writing. Douglas. thehakaanen@hotmail.com