javascript:void(0)
| | ||||
 | ||||
| ||||
| | ||||
| ||||
| | ||||
| ||||
| | ||||
 | ||||
| | ||||
 | ||||
| | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| | ||||
 | ||||
| | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| | ||||
| Victor Anderson Network Solutions | ||||
| 4102 13th Ave Apt D6 | ||||
| Brooklyn, NY 11219-1333 | ||||
| Click here to end further messaging. |
I'd never seen the sky. They told us it was a blue cloth draped over the world holding the burning monster that had driven us deep under the earth. My life lay underneath. The grottos shaped from rock cradled us against ?The Outside'. My school was in Cave 3, a round open space here we sat, and listened, scratched our answers on stones.
?Well done Ayana that's correct.?
?Please miss what were the trees like? Tell me again.?
She sat beside me and drew in the dust
?Trees gave life, they sent oxygen into the atmosphere. Look, do you see the roots here?? She pointed to the trailing lines, ?These extracted the precious carbon dioxide and transformed it into the air. We lived free, felt the orb's gentle warmth.?
?And now?? I said.
She rubbed out the drawing with her foot. ?Now we exist, underneath.?
?Why??
She sighed, ?It's a long-involved story but it is enough to know we are safe underground, that Mankind with its machines and pollution, ignored the threats of nature. We rejected the warnings of the wild storms and floods. We thought we knew better than the earth The temperature rose and the ice caps melted. Whole continents flooded. Life as we knew it disappeared along with technology, machines and light. Mankind retreated into the belly of the earth itself, humbled and ashamed. But one day your generation may learn to live beyond again. Enough, we are not supposed to talk about ?The Outside.' Off you go, all of you.?
We trailed away into the Recreation Dome. A space filled with hewn climbing frames, boulders shaped into slides and balance beams carved from old panels. Ancient brown rope ladders hung from metal spikes and knotted sheets formed swings.
?You going to come Ayana?? said Cedar
?What?? I said
?Today, later,? his whispered words hung above us, they waited for my answer.
?Don't you know? We're going ? outside.?
Cedar put his finger to his lips.
?It's a secret, we mustn't let the grownups find out.?
I narrowed my eyes,
?Is it Inter? The Interdict???
He nods.
?But what if we're caught?? I rubbed my sweaty hands on my legs.
?Don't know, don't care it'll be worth it, to see?outside.?
I looked at the ancient exit. The stones prohibited exploration or quests. All forbidden, under ?The Interdict.' Terrible punishments followed those who broke this rule and individuals ?disappeared'.
?Yes,? I said.
I followed the path to Nehla's dwelling space. Lined with cloth and old pillows, boxes of things were scattered about. Nehla waved, spoke in hushed tones.
?Are you ready??
I nodded. ?Try to stop me.?
Nehla, Cedar, Ethren, and I snaked away towards the deeper ranges of the caves. The spheres were smaller, dimmerthe rough-edged stones of the floor sloped down. My fingers traced along a gap, something scuttled into the crack, I gasped.
?Come on Adana, hold my hand,' Nehla grabbed my wet fingers. The darkness deepened and with my other hand I reached forward into the blackness.
?It's alright, it's alright, there will be light of some kind.' Flapping wings sailed above us and I ducked.
?Cool, a bat. I've heard of them. Like the rats we see, you know. But they can fly.? Ehren said
?Will? will it bite us?' Nehla said.
He laughed, it echoed over the pathway, rebounded up from the floor.
?Don't be stupid, bats don't bite.?
At the far end of the never-ending passage the light changed. Blue tinged it hovered, and the crash of water thudded against solid surfaces. As the source of the sound appeared, we gasped.
A vast expanse of water pounded against huge rocks, then crashed down on a yellow covered carpet. The light ?outside' was dim, just enough to illuminate a wild expanse. Pebbles jumped and cracked as the white topped waves hurled them against the massive boulders.
?Look,' Cedar pointed up, and we stared at a canopy of pale blue, dotted with white. Some of the white disappeared into grey shrouds which groped through the blueness.
?Is this ?Outside'?' Nehla said.
Ehren pointed.
?That above us is the sky, and that water is the sea.?
We blinked at the natural world.
?I thought? I thought, there was nothing,' said Nehla.
?But where are the trees, Miss said the earth needed them. Where are they?? I said.
I looked around, away from the thunderous noise and peered into the distance. Far above us I saw tall pillars, topped with green. They hovered at the edge of tall wall-like mountains
?There. Look, I see them.' I started to climb the white ledges.
?Stop Adana, it's not safe ??
Nehla's voice drifted away as I found ridge after ridge, hauled myself higher. My feet gripped the dusty verges, and my fingers grabbed the roughened walls. The wind buffeted my clothes and tugged my hair out of its braids.
?Adana? Adana come back??
Their voices skipped away, and I shook my head. Excitement pounded inside me and my whole body tingled. I reached the top threw myself onto something green and soft. I ran my fingers through the ends of the green and found I could pull it. I stared at the green shafts in my hand and looked to my left.
Tall sentinels crested in coronets of leaves, stared down at me. I scrambled to my feet and reached out touching the gnarled rough bodies. They did not move, as though they had always been.
Within the sky the light changed. I wandered to the lip of the cliff.
?Adana? Ehren ?. Light?. fade??
I knew the way back home was below. I didn't want to be the subject of ?The Interdict.'
I levered myself over the top of the cliff and scrambled over the white walls. My toes touched holes and I clambered lower. My fingers grabbed at stones, but I couldn't find the ledges I used to climb up. A faintness moved within my head, tingles began in my fingers and toes. White creatures shrieked above me, their wings beat close to my face. I screamed, tried to hit them away and my foot slipped. I bounced towards the slopes below.
?Adana?? Nehla's voice screamed inside my head and I crashed onto a yellow soft carpet.
Nehla cradled my head and rocked me to and fro. ?I thought you were dead, you fell like a stone?
I sat up and stared at them.
?I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to find the trees and ??
Ehren's spittle hit my face and I squirmed.
?You stupid, stupid girl. We've had to wait for you. Look, look at the sky.?
I craned my head up gazing at the darker canopy. The round orb hovered over the water and glowed red over the waves.
?What's happening??
?The sun is setting and it's going to be dark. If we're not back ??
?The Interdict,? I whispered.
The blueness intensified as the orb descended into the horizon. The canopy above changed to dull grey. Behind indistinct splotches, white spots appeared, they glimmered, twinkled against the ever-deepening dullness. A crescent light rose and held its position. It cast a white glow across the waves.
?This way, hurry up.?
Cedar stopped. In front of us were two uniformed men, in their hands metal rods.
?Come with us. You know the rules. This place is ?The Outside.' This is not allowed.?
We were taken to ?The Circle', a crowd gathered. The elder stepped forward.
?You have been found in ?The Outside'. This is expressly forbidden. The outside is wild and dangerous. You have brought danger to our clan. The punishment is 100 days in the Under Level.?
The crowd gasped. Stories of the Under Level told of individuals placed in small caves with barred entrances, only allowed out to exercise and work. They dug for the white glowing rock which was moulded and formed into the ball required for the spheres. People became ill and death followed.
?They're just children,? my teacher said. ?They should be inquisitive; it's how they learn. Please Elder Major, don't sentence them to certain death.?
He shook his head, ?They must obey the rules; they have reached the 14th crossing of the four changes.?
I lifted my head; my eyes challenged the older man.
?Elder Major, the Outside may be a dangerous and wild place, but it is beautiful and compelling Its sentinels watch over a lush greenness and its waters crash on rocks to show such strength. Mankind may have broken it, hurt it and tormented it, but Nature has returned stronger than ever. The ? birds ?fly and the Great Orb is magnificent, as is the lesser Silver Orb that shines when the golden light recedes. We? should be celebrating ?Outside', not pretending it's threatening and ugly.?
The Elder glared at me.
?You see, she has ventured to ?The Outside', and has returned tainted, insolent and defiant. We cannot indulge such behaviour. You others, you, will listen to your parents and members of our council for guidance. But you, Adana, daughter of Ciman and Zankhana, you will go to the Under Level and you will remain there.?
The Guard took me away. I knew what happened next, tomorrow they would dress me for the Under Level, and I would have one half turn of the time sphere to say goodbye. I looked between the bars of my cell, drew my knees up and hugged them close. A glimmer of light moved towards the cell.
?Adana? Adana it's me...?
Nehla's hand reached in. She twisted a pointed lever between the bars. It clicked, and the bars retracted. I hugged her to me as tight as I could.
?I'm so sorry Nehla, I ??
?Shush Adana, listen to me. You have to leave, escape.?
?But? what about you??
?I will be fine, go.?
I took the backpack she offered and hoisted it onto my shoulders.
?I love you Nehla, I'll never forget you.? I said.
I followed the route from the previous day, my fingers traced the bumps along the passageway.
The burning monster, The Sun hurled its day- glow at me. I saw the water, quieter this time, ripples caressed the shore in rows of white bubbles. I scooped it up and drank. The salt stung my mouth and I spat it away. I stared up at the cliff. To the left a sort of path was hewn into the rock. How stupid to have clambered up and then fall back when I could have walked. As I moved higher, the wind caught my hair and whipped it across my face. The heat from the sun orb, scorched my face I looked towards the horizon, saw the pebbled sand, and the water with light that sparkled, danced. ?The Outside' was striking.
I turned my back on the sea and headed inland, towards the tall majestic sentinels I found yesterday. I reached them and ran my fingers over their knobbly bases.
?Don't touch our trees, they are sacred.?
I jumped back from the voice. Stood to my right was a boy about my age. His hair hung down his back. He carried a weapon, a curved branch strung with a weave, it held a long shaft with a pointed tip. I stared at him.
He pointed with a different stick towards me. This one shone, caught the light, I reached out touched it, and he moved. I screamed as I looked at red ribbons which streamed from my hand.
?You stupid girl, don't you know knives are sharp??
I shook my head, tears ran down.
?Come over here.?
I stood still, shook my head. He yanked me closer, wrapped a cloth around my hand.
?You'd better come with me, Anatrea will know what to do.?
I stumbled after him. He walked with long purposeful strides. I scurried behind, dodged strange looking plants and odd movements within them.
?What's the matter with you? It's only rabbits.?
My eyes found a creature with long ears, a different sort of life. I stopped.
He turned, his eyebrows drawn together,
?Have you never seen a rabbit??
?Never.? The creature bounced off into the undergrowth.
?Where have you come from? You're very? pale,? he said.
I pointed towards the earth.
?Beneath,? I said.
His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open.
?Under? the ground??
I nodded.
?But?no? it can wait, come on that cut looks nasty.?
I looked at the cloth, now stained red I turned watery eyes to him.
?It hurts,? I said.
The trees thinned out and the grass became well-trodden. I looked at a collection of covered mounds, grasses protected their lids, and their sides were covered in brown mud. A woman appeared from an opening.
?Who's this Ansel? She's very pale.?
Her face split to reveal a set of white even teeth, her eyes crinkled, and she reached a hand towards me. I cradled my injury close to my body.
?I won't hurt you. But that looks very sore. I can help you.?
Coldness crept over me, in spite of the heat from the golden sky orb, I tried to speak, my words froze.
She moved towards me and an arm reached around my shoulders. She drew me into the wooden mound and I sat on a pile of cloths, lashed together with woven cords. I sank onto them as she unwrapped the cloth from my hand.
?Ouch, nasty, how did it happen??
Ansel joined her.
?She grabbed my knife, I've never seen someone so? stupid, she doesn't know about animals or bushes or anything. Such a liability.?
?Ansel don't be so judgemental. It looks to me as if she's one of those they took underground when the floods and fires came. Maybe she's never been outside.?
He sniffed and sat down. He reached for something red and round in a bowl, and bit into it. It crunched and the juice rans down his chin. A hollow empty sensation occupied my stomach which rumbled. He threw me a round thing. I flung my arm out and caught it.
?Will she live Anatrea??
She laughed, ?I'll clean it and stitch it, yes Ansel she'll live.? She raised my chin with a finger.
?Do you have a name child??
I swallowed and nodded. ?Adana.?
She smiles, ?Pretty name. Now listen Adana, the cut in your hand is deep, I need to pull the edges together with this.? She held up a thin membrane attached to a small spindle. ?It's going to hurt a bit.?
I bit my lip and held out my injured hand, my stomach tightened. I decided the tears must stop. I didn't want Ansel to think me weak.
It hurt a lot, but I didn't cry.
Anatrea smoothed a cool greasy film over my hand and wrapped it with a new cloth. My shoulders relaxed; I looked out. The golden burning light sank below the horizon in a blaze of warm orange, and the dark canopy returned. Ansel left us.
?I think you'd better stay here with me; we'll speak to Kenal tomorrow.?
?Who??
She guided me to a low log platform, covered in cloths of various thickness. ?This will do.?
She sat close by as I clambered into the contraption. She pulled the cloths over me and patted my hand.
?I'll explain everything tomorrow Adana. For tonight you need to rest.?
Anatrea dropped a gentle brush of her lips onto my forehead, and I drifted into a sleep where I dreamt of logs and cloths and things that slice skin.
I woke to a cool touch on my skin and wriggled up the log platform.
?Morning Adana, it's a beautiful day. Kenal will see you, let's get you ready.? I pulled on the long shift she offered me. She plaited my hair and decorated it with a pink coloured plant that left a scented perfume.
I followed her to a leaf covered contraption, held up with sentinel like pillars. A white-haired man with twinkly eyes smiled at me.
?Adana,? he said.
I sat next to him and told him all about ?Beneath'. He nodded, took both my hands in his.
?The world as we knew it disappeared Adana. Some chose to hide beneath the ground, and others like ourselves took to the mountains. In time the earth grew rich and bountiful. Mother Nature forgave us. Living under the earth may have made your people frightened and unsure. You may stay with us for as long as you wish. Anatrea says you may stay with her.?
I returned to Anatrea's home.
?You'd better learn about knives and bows and arrows if you're staying with us.' He pushed me with his elbow. ?You ought to get out in the sunshine too. You're as pale as anything,? Ansel said.
I turned away from him and looked at my white arms and legs.
?You don't have to come near me if I disgust you so much. I'll stay with Anatrea.?
He stood up, glared at me.
?If that's the thanks, I get for bringing you here and helping you with your hand?? he said.
?My hand wouldn't be hurt if it wasn't for you and your stupid knife.?
Cycles of the sun and moon passed, Ansel and I argued and shouted, laughed and fought.
When I'd known seventeen crossings of the four seasons, under a canopy of twisted fragrant flowers, he waited. I walked with Anatrea towards his tall frame. My white robe flowed behind me and a coronet of flowers rested on my hair.
He smiled at me and brought my scarred hand to his lips.
Kenal stood in front of us and bound our hands with a cord woven from grasses and flowers.
?Mother Nature welcome these two new souls into your care, bless their unity and watch over them. Show them your kindness as they show you the respect you deserve.?
I don't like the word 'animal' and I don't like the word 'beast.' Both can be used in derogatory terms and so, therefore, don't do justice to other species. Similarly, I don't like the word 'humane' for it suggests that humans always act superiorly to other species, whereas in truth we are the parasites of the planet. For this reason, my favourite word has to be 'orangutan'. It is the only name we have for another species that attributes a status of equality between us and them. It derives from the Indonesian 'orang' meaning 'man' and 'hutan' meaning 'jungle or 'forest'. Therefore, orangutans are simply and correctly described as 'men of the jungle'. They are like us except that from my experience people can be good and bad, whereas orangutans can be good and naughty. They, like other species, may hurt us in self-defence or protection of their offspring, but they won't, like us, attack first unless for food.
Humans have attacked orangutans unnecessarily. We have invaded their home, the jungle. We should be ashamed of ourselves. However, some humans, in designated reservations, have been trying increasingly to help them for the last four or five decades. This story is from approximately two decades ago and finds me travelling from my temporary home in Java to one such place - Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan.
After a sixteen-hour journey the previous day from Banjarmasin, on a bus deserving an award for the greatest level of discomfort, I awoke the next day in a 'losmen' (inn) overhanging a wide river, similar to most buildings in the small muddy town of Sampit which weren't actually floating on the river itself.
The bus for the next part of my long journey was due to leave three hours later so, finding this half floating town rather fascinating, I jumped on a local boat that was just going a few kilometres upriver to a market in another nearby village. After about forty-five minutes I realised my naivety and worried that it was taking too long, so I got off the boat at a tiny settlement with some other passengers. I couldn't seem to make myself understood that all I wanted to do was return to Sampit, or at least I couldn't understand the information about the likelihood of ever getting back! All I could understand was that cameras weren't allowed and that I'd have to leave it with the security guard. What was all this about? I wondered. Were they harbouring some top international secret in this nondescript nowhere place? I reluctantly left my camera in his desk drawer and had a look around, only to be followed by the security guard and his mate, who chuckled behind my back at my curiosity. There was nothing much to see and so I returned to the jetty ten minutes later, swiping my camera from back out of the drawer myself. I again asked about transport, only to be told that a boat back to Sampit had just left. How could they know this when they'd been following me? Why could no one give me a straight answer about boats back? Evidently, to reach the men of the jungle, I had the difficult task of negotiating my way through some of the lying and thieving of humanity. At least I was used to these circumstances of poor people trying to profit from a tourist's ignorance; it's rich people who lie and cheat who are intolerable.
Marching off into the jungle with me were two women from Alaska, and six National Park staff carrying bags of food and making strange howling noises to the orangutans to signal our impending arrival at the feeding station. On the way there we came across an orangutan sitting on the path. The others walked past her but I was warier, having never come across one in the wild before. Slowly she approached me and I stood still, unconfident of her regard for my safety. She grabbed my water bottle from my hand, unscrewed the lid and started helping herself to my water. The Indonesians chuckled and walked on while I looked at her with disbelief and a little disgruntlement at my now water-less trek. I followed her to the feeding station, not wanting to pass in case I upset her. I soon realised however that these orangutans were far too used to humans to let such a trivial thing bother them.
The feeding-station was a wooden raised structure in the jungle upon which were placed piles of pineapples and several big black buckets of milk. When I got there, two or three orangutans were already sitting upon it, happily feasting on one pineapple after the other. Benches were provided for humans at a distance from the orangutans. This may sound a little staged, but in practice both the rangers and orangutans completely ignored these prescribed seating arrangements. It wasn't at all unusual for an orangutan to sit next to a human on a bench as if brothers, which in a sense we are. I was, at this stage, a little uncertain about getting this close to one of them, but I watched every action they made with amazement and amusement. Only about eight to ten orangutans arrived during the feeding session because it was the rainy season and so there was a plentiful supply of fruits in the forest. Most of the orangutans that did still come were ex-captive ones that were going through a gradual re-introduction to life and survival in the wild, so they were not so adept at finding food for themselves.
After some time spent watching them, the big event happened ? the arrival of Kusasi. This was the dominant male in the jungle. Any other male in the jungle who wanted to prove his superiority first had to fight Kusasi and win. Since Kusasi had claimed the title, several had tried without success. I could see why ? he was huge! We all certainly cleared a wide berth for him when he made an appearance and some of the other orangutans ran off the feeding platform in fright. The only remaining ones were two females who stayed and groomed him, competing for his attention. At one stage Kusasi took a break from feeding to inspect the genitals of one of them, deciding nonchalantly that he'd like to have sex. Once in the act, he must have deliberated about this decision, because he soon went back to his pineapples. Another male showed up, presumably desiring some food, but Kusasi chased him off into the jungle. The females turned their attention to us and sat with us for a while. Eventually, they all dispersed, and we went back to Camp Leakey (the National Park Headquarters).
In the early evening, we took a quick wash in the river, using a bucket tied to a length of rope to avoid crocodile attacks. As I dried myself, I stared in amazement at the sight of an orangutan rowing a canoe across the river to the platform on which we stood. We then sailed downstream a little to find a quiet place to stop for the night. My cook conjured up something tasty, and I chatted to Jien for a while before settling down to a nice peaceful sleep.
The next day, Christmas Day 2002, I awoke to realise that I'd forgotten to hang up a stocking. My real present was an early morning walk in the jungle with Jien who pointed out various plants of interest including, amongst many others, those used as natural malaria cures, edible funguses, poisonous funguses, poisonous sap, trees containing life-saving water, small edible berries and a jungle version of the infamously smelly Indonesian fruit, the durian. We took a rest at one point and stayed deadly silent, just listening to the deafening sound of insects, gibbons crying, and birds singing. What Jien had made me realise was that alone I would surely perish here within a week, whereas he would probably survive for months.
Later in the day, I lounged around Camp Leakey, reading my book, and let the wildlife come to me. I was treated to the sight of gibbons feeding in the trees and swinging incredibly from tree to tree so fast that it was hard to keep my eyes on one. They were hugely funny to watch, even if they did occasionally drop the stone from the fruit on me. Or should I say throw it at me? Then an orangutan arrived, carrying a small baby. I moved closer and spent about twenty minutes sitting only about two metres away It was one of the greatest experiences to be alone with her, and share this time with no disturbances. I watched her, she watched the gibbons, and the gibbons dropped things on my head! Occasionally the orangutan would look at me with the same eyes that I sometimes looked at Indonesian people with, as if to say: 'What the hell are you staring at? Haven't you got anything better to do?' Her expressions and behaviour were so similar to ours that it made her more fascinating still.
Soon enough it was feeding time again. On the way to the feeding station, we once more came across an orangutan on the path. I believe it was the same one. I'd hidden my bottle up my shirt A western couple who lived in the Congo with the gorillas, but who had decided to holiday with the orangutans, hadn't thought to hide theirs. Any smug feelings on my part were soon dissipated when the orangutan discovered that their bottle was fastened to the lady's belt, so she again turned her attention to me. She casually strode over and looked at me trying to appear innocent and unaware of her attention. Aghast, I felt her hairy hand beneath my shirt, sliding over my skin, and she grabbed my bottle from within.
The activity at the feeding station was similar to the day before, only this time I learnt some more of the orangutans' names. The female who I had seen the evening before at the river was called Princess and she was full of tricks. I watched as she took one of the ranger's shoes off and put it on her foot. She then removed the laces and tossed them on the floor with a questioning look: 'Why do I need these? My feet are OK as they are.' She then tried, as if to apologise, to re-lace them. I learnt that the professor at the camp had taught her five hundred words in American Sign Language with which she communicated effectively with humans. Not only could she paddle a canoe, but she could also brush her teeth, and wash clothes with a bar of soap by the river, wring them out and hang them up to dry. As if to show my respect, I sat next to her for a while as she ate a pineapple.
After feeding time I returned to the boat, cooled off using the bucket and rope, and then we began the long journey back to Kumai. The journey down the river at night was truly something special. The fireflies in the trees were a spectacular sight, and it seemed appropriately uncanny that it was Christmas Day, as many of the trees sparkled with what looked like Christmas lights. I don't think I'd ever seen fireflies before, and so I watched for hours in awe. At one point one of them landed near me on the roof of the boat, walking around like a miniature moving light bulb. Besides watching these and watching the cool, dark jungle river glide by, I read a novel set in a jungle using my torch, and the journey to Kumai seemed like a dream.
When we arrived back in Kumai, it was teeming with rain. I got an ojek back to Pangkalan Bun and checked into the same hotel that I had stayed in before. I felt like something had woken me from a magic spell, and I could scarcely believe that the boat journey was something from the same universe.
A week remained of the Christmas holidays, yet I hadn't planned on anything else but Tanjung Puting. I felt I had two choices, either to continue west and eventually travel up to Pontianak, or to go back to East Kalimantan. Although the latter appeared vastly more interesting I couldn't stand the thought of those hot, sweaty buses again with their uncomfortable seats, and music so repetitive, crap and corny that it made the Eurovision Song Contest sound like a medley of the world's greatest music ever written So, rather radically for my tastes, I decided to get an internal flight. Having discovered previously that using the travel agencies in Pangkalan Bun was about as pointless as hiding water from an orangutan, I decided just to get up very early and go straight to the airport.
The next morning at the airport was a success, even if I did have to wait an hour for it to open. The tiny ten passenger plane to Banjarmasin departed at 9.20 am, touching down noisily in Sampit to swap some passengers. I was soon back on a bus, this time to Samarinda, East Kalimantan It was a long journey, including a ferry crossing at about 5 am the next morning, but at least this time I got some sleep. The journey, therefore, had taken almost twenty-four hours ? imagine how long it would have taken without the plane!
0 Responses to Home Decor Experts Say This 3D Vortex Rug Should Be In Every HouseHold