CHAPTER TWENTY -EIGHT<\/p>\n
Once again, there came a bumping on the bottom of the boat<\/p>\n
when a form threw itself at the side. This time, it breached and<\/p>\n
landed up on the gunwale. The rubber-sided boat crumpled under<\/p>\n
the weight. We were looking into the low-angled sun, and, for a mo-<\/p>\n
ment, we were blinded by the contrast of brilliant light and silhouette.<\/p>\n
A voice vibrated in my inner ear: a good voice, a welcome<\/p>\n
voice, a sweet voice, the voice of Laughter Ring.<\/p>\n
One form was joined by another as Little Brother, too,<\/p>\n
plopped himself on the edge of the boat. Even Fred seemed to<\/p>\n
understand that these two odd creatures were friends. \u201cSorry we\u2019re<\/p>\n
late!\u201d toned Little Brother. \u201cFortunately, we got here in time for the<\/p>\n
main course. In this case, coming just for dessert would have been<\/p>\n
a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
I translated for Peter as Laughter Ring chided her mate for<\/p>\n
his tasteless remarks. Peter laughed and then grabbed his side,<\/p>\n
wracked with pain from his injuries. Sitting there, it suddenly<\/p>\n
dawned on him that the dolphin had indeed been speaking and, with<\/p>\n
sign, I had been talking back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do talk!\u201d he croaked in mouth-speak. \u201cAnd you talk<\/p>\n
to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, score another point for belief and believing,\u201d I signed in<\/p>\n
mock indignation. \u201cYou thought I was making this all up?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter grinned sheepishly.<\/p>\n
I turned back to Laughter Ring. \u201cWhat is happening now?\u201d<\/p>\n
I signed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a great debate raging beneath us even as we<\/p>\n
speak.\u201d she toned. \u201cHarmony called the Conclave, but the Nar-<\/p>\n
whal of the Horn are trying to establish rules to ensure their con-<\/p>\n
trol. Harmony is wise to the Narwhal\u2019s twisted sense of fair play<\/p>\n
and, with our help, has created his own alliance with the blues, the<\/p>\n
humpbacks, and the dolphins. He had enough to control the Con-<\/p>\n
clave with the support of the dolphins alone, but he felt he needed a<\/p>\n
mandate. The decisions here will be hard, and the results far-reach-<\/p>\n
ing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused to digest the fact that politics was universal in our<\/p>\n
world of twisting values and philosophies. \u201cYou say the decisions<\/p>\n
will be far-reaching. Far-reaching to what extent and to whom?\u201d I<\/p>\n
asked tentatively, sure that I already knew the answer.<\/p>\n
Laughter Ring turned her eyes downward and vibrantly toned,<\/p>\n
\u201cFor eternity, the decision will affect the sandwalker and all his chil-<\/p>\n
dren\u2019s, children\u2019s, children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I claim the right to speak for the sandwalkers and to<\/p>\n
sing their defense.\u201d I gambled that somewhere in the Song of the<\/p>\n
Sea was a rule or value that allowed the accused to present their<\/p>\n
own case. I sat in the boat defiantly, feeling like a drowned rat.<\/p>\n
Little Brother turned to Laughter Ring and said, \u201cI do not<\/p>\n
know the song that well, but I will take her message to Harmony if<\/p>\n
he wins the mandate. If not, I will have to put the question to the<\/p>\n
Narwhal of the Horn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though it was very late the sun still burned in the sky, adding<\/p>\n
a twisted, dreamlike quality to an already crazy day. As we waited,<\/p>\n
the sun dried our clothes, and the chills dissipated. In fifteen-min-<\/p>\n
ute intervals, I opened the tourniquet on Peter\u2019s leg, allowing the<\/p>\n
blood to circulate in hopes of avoiding complications later.<\/p>\n
The waters around us teemed with life; the sea snapped with<\/p>\n
anticipation. Every so often, Little Brother or Laughter Ring would<\/p>\n
slip off the side of the boat to seek news of the debate. Each time,<\/p>\n
they returned shaking their heads in dismay.<\/p>\n
Nearly an hour later, Laughter Ring again went to seek news.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t but a minute before she leaped back to the boat. \u201cHarmo-<\/p>\n
ny will have his way. The Narwhal of the Horn are very, very angry.<\/p>\n
Godwin the Avenger, their choirmaster, proclaimed the Conclave<\/p>\n
canceled and urged all to leave, but none would. Now, they are<\/p>\n
bound by the Conclave and its great import. The Narwhal have<\/p>\n
remained, but they are dangerous still, very dangerous. Watch them.<\/p>\n
Never turn your back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what of my demand for the sandwalker\u2019s defense?\u201d I<\/p>\n
waved angrily, caring not for the petty political dissent.<\/p>\n
Laughter Ring paused, \u201cGodwin agreed and there was yet<\/p>\n
another debate. At this point Harmony was against anything the<\/p>\n
Narwhal were for. He said, \u2018No!\u2019 and dove to the deep. Moments<\/p>\n
later, he rose and acquiesced. No matter his prejudice, he is hon-<\/p>\n
or-bound by his duty to the Song of the Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor, you see, many, many tides ago, he was a Scribe, a dis-<\/p>\n
passionate recorder of the song. His pod, an old, old group of Great<\/p>\n
Whale with a song nearly as old as the Song of the Sea itself, died<\/p>\n
the Thousand Deaths of the Sandwalker. With that death came the<\/p>\n
death of his greatest love and his greatest enemy. He believes the<\/p>\n
Narwhal killed his family, his friends –if not by deed, then by intent.<\/p>\n
The Song of the Sea echoes within his empty soul, and his blood is<\/p>\n
on fire as he seeks the final answer to the final question. He has now<\/p>\n
proclaimed you the leader of the sandwalker . . . the symbol of all the<\/p>\n
dryside near this sea and throughout the dryside all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
In relief, I laughed but in anxiety. I signed, \u201cAh, I have just<\/p>\n
been made queen of the dryside earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughter Ring shook her head gravely, \u201cThis is no laughing<\/p>\n
matter. What happens here will reach far into the future, for all the<\/p>\n
tides that remain in the waters of life. Here, you will speak for the<\/p>\n
sandwalker. You will be the first to hear the decision. You will be<\/p>\n
the first to suffer the punishment if indeed punishment is rendered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sobered by her comments, I explained to Peter what was to<\/p>\n
happen. Moving Fred-the-dog from atop my duffel bag where he had<\/p>\n
made an impromptu bed, I spread out and checked my equipment.<\/p>\n
Peter checked the regulator and the tanks while I quickly slipped<\/p>\n
out of my jeans, my dry suit worn below. With the multiple layers of<\/p>\n
the suit, even the cold waters of this northern inlet wouldn\u2019t bother<\/p>\n
me for a while. Long before hypothermia could set in, I would be<\/p>\n
out of air. Long before I froze, the Conclave would have decided.<\/p>\n
Geared up, Peter strapped the tanks to my back while I pulled on<\/p>\n
the flippers. I asked Laughter Ring, who was now in the water with<\/p>\n
Little Brother, where I would meet the great Harmony.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat,\u201d toned the dolphin, \u201cI don\u2019t know. Harmony will send<\/p>\n
for you, I guess. There has never been such a . . .\u201d<\/p>\n
Her comments were cut off as the world seemed to explode<\/p>\n
right before us. Like a geyser gone mad, the water first twisted and<\/p>\n
boiled, sucking into itself, and then shot into the air. Out of this<\/p>\n
foam and froth breached the most powerful form I have ever seen.<\/p>\n
Against the backdrop of the never-dying summer sun was the great<\/p>\n
white whale, Harmony!<\/p>\n
He breached so high that he appeared to stand on his tail<\/p>\n
some eight meters above us and was so close I could touch his<\/p>\n
pearly, opalescent skin. In contrast to the explosive breach, like<\/p>\n
velvet he dropped, rushing softly back into the sea. I could hear the<\/p>\n
mighty vibration in my inner ear as he toned loudly, \u201cTell the spin-<\/p>\n
dly-finned sandwalker, my sweet dolphin friends, that Harmony will<\/p>\n
speak to it now!\u201d<\/p>\n
With shaking hands, I pulled the mask over my face and<\/p>\n
bit down hard on the mouthpiece, my source of life-giving oxy-<\/p>\n
gen. Holding the faceplate, I leaned back and rolled into the sea.<\/p>\n
Though the suit insulated me, it still seemed an icy shock to slip<\/p>\n
into those waters. I dropped down and down as I gained my bear-<\/p>\n
ings. I spun around, weightless in nearly twenty feet of water.<\/p>\n
There, before me, suspended in the crystal waters of life with<\/p>\n
shafts of sunlight forming a curtained background, was Harmony.<\/p>\n
His tail and fins moved effortlessly, keeping him exacting still in the<\/p>\n
water. I, on the other hand, had to wave my arms and legs wildly<\/p>\n
in an attempt to maintain buoyancy and position. Behind him in a<\/p>\n
cathedral setting floated a wall of dolphins, flipper-fins, and whales.<\/p>\n
The water vibrated with snaps and buzzes of language as<\/p>\n
Little Brother explained to Harmony that I could hear the song and<\/p>\n
that he could speak to me directly.<\/p>\n
Harmony seemed unimpressed and unmoved as he angrily<\/p>\n
sang, \u201cYou say she can hear our song? After all of eternity, there<\/p>\n
now is but one sandwalker who has bothered to listen? To see if we<\/p>\n
sing? To see if we think? To see if we feel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Floating in the water, I listened as this great whale sang his<\/p>\n
powerful accusations my heart pounding in my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have reached out to the sandwalker since the beginning<\/p>\n
of time,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe offered our song to him and have been<\/p>\n
rewarded with death. We have welcomed him to our seas, and he<\/p>\n
has turned the seas sour with his greed and our regret. We have<\/p>\n
offered the laughter of the dolphin, and the sandwalker has ripped<\/p>\n
him from the sea in their woven webs. We have offered to the sand-<\/p>\n
walker the whale and his singing of the song, and we have received<\/p>\n
in return an audience that refused to listen and opted instead to<\/p>\n
devour the choir.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the distance, I could hear the insistent, hypnotic whisper-<\/p>\n
ing of the Narwhal, Godwin, \u201cThis is good! This is good! Kill the<\/p>\n
sandwalker! Kill the sandwalker!\u201d Faintly, others echoed the chant,<\/p>\n
the Narwhal sentiment, but no verdict had yet been reached.<\/p>\n
Harmony, disregarding the Narwhal, continued his song. \u201cThe<\/p>\n
dolphins, Laughter Ring and Little Brother, have brought to us great<\/p>\n
tales of the ability of the sandwalker, and now, for the first time, they<\/p>\n
bring one to hear the song. After all that has transpired since the<\/p>\n
beginning of time and from the first tide that rolled from an other-<\/p>\n
wise still sea, the sandwalker has decided that possibly this is the<\/p>\n
tide to reach out to his brethren. This is the tide to sing the Song<\/p>\n
of the Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
From afar came the piercing whisper of the Narwhal, \u201cNo!<\/p>\n
No! No! Not true! Not true!\u201d<\/p>\n
Harmony paused, turning slowly in the water, tail slightly<\/p>\n
down. The light cast from above drove a silvery spike shimmering<\/p>\n
through the water. The last vestiges of his song echoed off into<\/p>\n
the distance.<\/p>\n
He then continued, \u201cWell, the sandwalker is here. This sand-<\/p>\n
walker has appeared in the defense of all the sandwalkers. Hear<\/p>\n
me, all who live in the sea and sing the song. The sandwalker has<\/p>\n
defiled the sea for the final time. The sandwalker has killed the last<\/p>\n
creature of song for sport, not to eat the meat, but to let it lie fallow<\/p>\n
and rot in the sea, violating all that is holy. The Conclave sings<\/p>\n
now and will cast their lots. My ruling is, and I ask for your voice<\/p>\n
in the chorus.\u201d He paused dramatically and I held my breath fear-<\/p>\n
ing the worst of verdicts. He slowly turned in the water and looked<\/p>\n
down at me and then in nearly a monotone he softly toned, \u201cI find<\/p>\n
the sandwalker guilty! The sandwalker should die, his death to be<\/p>\n
allowed as preScribed by All That Is Right in the World and recorded<\/p>\n
by the Song of the Sea!\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence was stunning. In the distance, like lightning<\/p>\n
crackling down a copper wire, came the delighted, static whispering<\/p>\n
of the Narwhal of the Horn, \u201cYes! Yes! Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the proclamation could be mandated by the mammal<\/p>\n
mass of the Conclave, I signed to Laughter Ring, who translated,<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! I have the right to sing the song. I have the right to offer de-<\/p>\n
fense. I call upon my right. Of all that is holy, let me sing!\u201d<\/p>\n
The little dolphin\u2019s voice vibrated loud and true in the crys-<\/p>\n
tal, still waters. Harmony, who had turned away during the passion<\/p>\n
of his proclamation, slowly focused his attention back on me. He<\/p>\n
nodded his head in a quizzical movement, \u201cShe said that? I heard<\/p>\n
nothing. Yet, dolphin, you say she has called for the right to sing<\/p>\n
the song? What proof have you that this is not some silliness, a<\/p>\n
jest at a very inopportune time? I warn you this is not a time of<\/p>\n
laughter, dolphin, and–friend or not–your lot can be cast with those<\/p>\n
you support.\u201d<\/p>\n
I signed again, \u201cWatch my hands, my arms, all of my body. I<\/p>\n
cannot sing out loud. I have not the voice and you could not hear it<\/p>\n
if I did. So instead, I sing with all of me, but, still and all, the song is<\/p>\n
sung. Please listen and watch as I try to explain the evil and wrong<\/p>\n
that has been committed against all that live in the sea and all that<\/p>\n
live on the dryside, too!\u201d<\/p>\n
Harmony moved closer and closer as I signed. He listened as<\/p>\n
word after word was instantly translated and broadcast into the sea.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were wrong,\u201d I signed. \u201cWe have done monstrous evil in<\/p>\n
ignorance of our action. For greed alone, we have destroyed that<\/p>\n
which was never ours to own, but only to borrow. For Earth belongs<\/p>\n
to Tomorrow. If Earth is the gift and Tomorrow the receiver, then we<\/p>\n
give nothing. For we are destroying the gift itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop,\u201d roared Harmony in a tone so heavy with vibration<\/p>\n
that my head wanted to explode, \u201cDon\u2019t speak in riddles! Don\u2019t<\/p>\n
play games with the song as it is being sung! Do not, sandwalker,<\/p>\n
mock us!\u201d<\/p>\n
I sucked in a large gasp of the canned air to still my pound-<\/p>\n
ing heart and continued, \u201cI do not mock the song. I play no<\/p>\n
games. I, a sandwalker, am here to plead our case. We, the sand-<\/p>\n
walker, are guilty!\u201d<\/p>\n
Closing in, the Narwhal\u2019s whisper scraped like a knife on a<\/p>\n
rock. \u201cOhhh, yesss! Yes! Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n
The waters echoed silent-still. No movement. For a mo-<\/p>\n
ment, there seemed to be no other life than mine, isolated and<\/p>\n
alone in the presence of All That Is Right in the World. Then my<\/p>\n
body tingled as a thousand voices spoke at once–a cacophony of<\/p>\n
sound and vibration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d roared Harmony in disbelief. The waters once again<\/p>\n
settled into silence. \u201cYou come here to us and admit guilt. Should<\/p>\n
I not then place my verdict at the sandwalker leader before me?<\/p>\n
Should I not taste blood as the sandwalker has tasted the blood of<\/p>\n
my family, my friends?\u201d The great whale began to move closer in<\/p>\n
the passion of the moment. \u201cShould I not, little puny-finned one,<\/p>\n
bite down once on that head of yours and thereby silence the only<\/p>\n
sandwalker witness to the Song of the Sea?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tensely, like a plucked string on a violin, Godwin twanged<\/p>\n
gleefully, \u201cOh, yes! Do it!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSilence!\u201d toned Harmony forcefully. All again was quiet-still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou plead guilty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I signed.<\/p>\n
Calmed now and curious, Harmony continued, \u201cAnswer these<\/p>\n
questions–some of personal curiosity, others of a philosophical<\/p>\n
nature. Will you answer them from the heart for all sandwalkers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will,\u201d I signed solemnly. Laughter Ring and Little Brother<\/p>\n
translated my movements into the words sung to Harmony.<\/p>\n
Although he did not understand all of my movements and<\/p>\n
signing to begin with, he began to understand a little and then more<\/p>\n
and more. Out of deference to his friendship with the dolphins, he<\/p>\n
allowed them to continue to translate, although they probably were<\/p>\n
not needed. Harmony studied me. His eyes were deep, etched round<\/p>\n
with lines of memory, memory of sights he had seen and the song<\/p>\n
he carried in his soul. He paused and rose slowly to the surface to<\/p>\n
vent and then, after a brief time, settled down into the water until his<\/p>\n
buoyancy matched mine, and we were once again eye-to-eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the sea,\u201d he sang, \u201cwe have the sharp-fin, a natural preda-<\/p>\n
tor to all except us and, at times, even to our weaker members. But<\/p>\n
that is the mandate of All That Is Right in the World. On the dry-<\/p>\n
side, do you have predators?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have creatures called bears, lions, tigers, wolves, and<\/p>\n
coyotes. We have eagles and hawks that soar above the dryside on<\/p>\n
feathered wings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo these predators prey on the sandwalker?\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused. There was no need for deception; I had already<\/p>\n
pleaded guilty. \u201cThey did, but we vanquished them. For the most<\/p>\n
part, they are all gone. We have killed many of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, then, preys on the sandwalker? What is the balance<\/p>\n
point on the dryside? Are there natural things, or do all sandwalker<\/p>\n
survive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are eliminating disease, the balance point, the natural<\/p>\n
predator. Nature herself, often called All That Is Right in the World<\/p>\n
in the Song of the Sea, is being vanquished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you wish to live forever?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d I answered, confident of my personal beliefs on mortality.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes the sandwalker wish to live forever?\u201d<\/p>\n
I sighed and then signed, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Song of the Sea,\u201d he sang in beautiful, rich vibration,<\/p>\n
\u201cit is sung that in the beginning we who live in the sea were to go<\/p>\n
forth and multiply, balanced by All That Is Right in the World. If<\/p>\n
the young, old, or infirm were meant to live, they would live. If they<\/p>\n
were meant to die, they would incorporate with the end . . . the<\/p>\n
beginning. In that way, nothing would ever die. Death honors the<\/p>\n
living, and the living honor the dead. But the sandwalker multiplies<\/p>\n
and multiplies and multiplies. Where will he go when he has no<\/p>\n
more flat land dryside?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind raced, seeking answers to an enigma. Man indeed<\/p>\n
survives. \u201cHe will have nowhere to go but to the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when the mountains are filled?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the deserts,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when they are filled?\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused and then slowly signed, \u201cTo the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harmony floated there before me. The water was flat, and, for<\/p>\n
a moment, the tides froze. There was no movement from any of the<\/p>\n
whales, dolphins, or flipper-fins. In a majestic tone, Harmony be-<\/p>\n
gan to sing. \u201cThe sandwalker is guilty by action. The sandwalker is<\/p>\n
guilty by deed. The sandwalker is guilty in the pleadings of this lead-<\/p>\n
er, Sharing. Therefore, he is guilty. How does the Conclave vote?\u201d<\/p>\n
In somber tones like the keening of a bell, the Conclave rang<\/p>\n
out in unison, \u201cGuilty!\u201d<\/p>\n
In the not-far distance, I could feel the tinkling laughter of<\/p>\n
Godwin, \u201cYes! Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAPTER TWENTY -EIGHT Once again, there came a bumping on the bottom of the boat when a form threw itself at the side. This time, it breached and landed up on the gunwale. The rubber-sided boat crumpled under the weight. We were looking into the low-angled sun, and, for a mo- ment, we were blinded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1384"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1387,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions\/1387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephencosgrove.com\/bookstore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}