Journey to the Grassland and Sea Read online

  Journey to the Grassland and Sea

  Robert J. Matsunaga

  Prologue

  Tenashar lived long ago on earth in another existence where history and lands were very different from what they are now. He was a member of a tribe known as the Senetha, an accomplished culture in the arts, sciences, agriculture, and political organization.

  His father was the chief of the village, known for his wisdom and leadership. He guided Tenashar, whose slight limp was never an obstacle to his studies and his growing understanding of life. His teacher, the elderly Hietac, also guided him into many accomplishments, and his fellow student and friend Tansatei encouraged him. The other young men never accepted him. Etutsha, the leader, caused Tenashar emotional pain, which he overcame to develop strength and wisdom. In time, Etutsha realized the wrong he had done and became friends with Tenashar.

  Orbs came to attack the Senetha village, and crops, trees, grasses, animals, buildings, and people were destroyed. The warriors of the village attacked the Orbs, but none of their weapons prevailed against the Orbs, and the people died in great numbers, the sacred maple trees were completely destroyed. Everything he knew and loved seemed equally far away. People fled to the mountains and elsewhere to hide. The Orbs were once from an ancient technological civilization called Cashmakil, which was destroyed in a war, and these Orbs cultivated farmland at one time. These were biological computer machines made to seed the land, but eventually the programing went off, and the Orbs starting eating everything in their path, thus destroying the land, plants, and people.

  After much debate, the Senetha council sent Tenashar to find the answer to what could destroy the Orbs. On his journey, two extraordinary creatures aided him: A-amar, who resembled a man with a wolf’s head, and Una-sei, resembling a buffalo-headed man. Together they journeyed to unknown lands and came upon strange events and things that bewildered them. Later they came to a beautiful glass waterfall that disappeared and a strange woman from the future, Eirshiquanai, who guided Tenashar in times of need. He met with Jerry, a girl in a pool of water from another future time. He also met the Stone Guardians, who sent him off to strange dreams.

  Eventually, Tenashar went to a cave where Nainashari resided. Nainashari had great power of the mind, wisdom, intellect, and an extraordinary cave where there were oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, grassland, mountains, and sky. There were machines and other technology of great wonder and power. Tenashar learned much from Nainashari, who became a friend.

  Tenashar and Etutsha were thrust into a desert world of the future where they met Ilaythesia and Cadica, who taught Tenashar about his hidden abilities and about all other worlds. He found the desert world was being seeded with life, but life never completely left, because there were lands of cultivation, and the people were determined to survive.

  Then Tenashar went back to his own time and the cave of Nainashari where worlds were overlapping and the sky was turning many colors. The overlapping gradually subsided in time, but Tenashar knew he must continue on to find what he was seeking about the Orbs.

  chapter 1

  An Endless Ocean of Grass

  Leaving was like a dream. Tenashar found himself walking away alone, leaving Etutsha with Nainashari—which did not seem strange at all, though he may have once questioned why it was that he should go on alone.

  The dream did not seem to end until Tenashar found he was far away, roused by the beautiful sound of birds and shafts of sunlight on his face, standing on an unfamiliar hill.

  In the distance, he could see a forest, though he was certain it was not the same one he had so recently thought of as home. He could hardly make out anything among the dense foliage but thought he saw a bright spot that resembled a path.

  He felt a presence nearby and turned to find A-amar and Una-sei standing on either side of him. They said nothing, just stared at him.

  Curiously, he opened his bag and found, nestled in with the Rock and the Mushroom, a Sharzeen he had been given—but they were now in the shape of two small spheres, not the animals that Cadica had given him. He believed that she had somehow created A-amar and Una-sei. But where had they been during his visit with Nainashari?

  With his bag still open, he was bathed in a green glow from the Rock and Mushroom.

  The glow steadily intensified around them. They understood his confusion, even if they didn’t have any answers for him.

  Tenashar decided that he needed to keep moving and walked away into the bright sunshine.

  No one was there to guide him or give him direction, except the two strange guardians who hardly even spoke. Even the Rock and Mushroom seemed to have nothing to contribute. He felt alone, even though they were all right there with him.

  Miles passed. The forest was a great distance away, but in two days he found himself under immense maple trees. Everything he knew and loved seemed equally far away.

  This forest seemed cold and lonely, unlike Nainashari’s forest home. It was also quiet. There were no sounds of squirrels, foxes, or wolves.

  The trees around him had foliage of many colors. In addition to the typical yellow, oranges, reds, and greens, he saw other unusual shades of violet, pink, gold, and silver. Some of the leaves faded into shades of pastel orange and yellow. There were even some colors he had never seen before.

  As he trudged along the never-ending expanse of forest, Tenashar couldn’t help believing that his life had come to a complete halt. Like so many times before, he could see no sense in going onward to find the answers he was seeking. What was the purpose of being away from his village? What he was looking for? It seemed as if he were trying to find a ghost.

  Perhaps it wasn’t a single answer, but rather a number of pieces that he would have to collect and assemble into a plan to save his people.

  How could he ever truly know?

  Tenashar had already trudged for innumerable miles and days. The days and nights had become warm, almost uncomfortably so.

  He saw ruins of structures and odd monoliths that were similar to those he had seen in the desert world and his own village. Tenashar remembered what his father told him about Cashmakil, an ancient civilization. The Senetha village was right on top of the city. He saw the old ruins and sat on stone slabs that were once part of the city. He had once visited Cadica’s family. He remembered seeing the dome and monolith where they lived and how he used his thoughts to get there to meet Saitha, Cadica’s father, and the family. Later he saw the monolith in ruins as he woke up and found himself in another time. He remembered how he got back by again using his thoughts. Then he thought of the story that Cadica told him about a small girl who brought water to her people. These were pillars that were created from surrounding rocks that became sentinels that poured out only a certain amount of water—that which was needed for the people to drink, and not more or less.

  He had an urge to go up and touch one, half expecting something strange to happen but was disappointed. Nothing gave him any feeling. It was as though the lands and forests around him had nothing to offer. They were filled with beauty but had nothing beneath the surface.

  The soil and rocks of this forest were of many dazzling shades and colors. Some of the trees around the path branched out, ending with leaves that became transparent globes containing leaves within them. Others were tall and straight as poles, hung with leaves of different colors at different levels.

  Without warning, the forest starting thinning away. Tenashar, A-amar, and Una-sei all gasped in awe when they first spied the endless ocean of grassland spreading out in all directions—going everywhere and nowhere.

  Tenashar sat for a while to contemplate what direction they should go and how they would n
avigate, since the plains offered no kind of landmarks to guide them. Looking up, he saw cloud forms shaped like twisted ropes that glided across a deep cobalt sky, vast as the oceans.

  A shape sailed across the sky, catching Tenashar’s attention. The glimpses he caught made him think of a ship or canoe slowly sailing through the air, high above the clouds. “Do you see it? A-amar, Una-sei, I know you see as well. I’m not dreaming,” said Tenashar.

  “Yes, something is up there. What is it? A-amar is excited; he sees it too,” replied Una-sei. Even the Mushroom and the Rock became restless, vibrating within Tenashar’s bag. He knew they wanted to be brought out because they had never seen anything like this before. But soon the object flew into a thick blanket of clouds and was gone.

  Tenashar looked at A-amar and Una-sei. “What do you think that was? People used to see things flying in the sky, but that was a long time ago. Could someone be flying in that thing? I wonder if it’s a strange bird.” He looked at A-amar and Una-sei for comment, but they just stared back with bewilderment in their eyes.

  The winds started to pick up, and the grasses started to flow like waves upon an ocean. Tenashar lay down on the grass to rest himself. A-amar and Una-sei sat down next to him.

  A shadow fell across his body. At first, Tenashar thought it was one of his friends, but it felt like the embrace of a mother. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Eirshiquanai between him and the sky. Joy leaped into his heart. He had been wondering where she was and if all was well with her.

  She smiled at him, and Tenashar knew she was trying to tell him to stay on the grassy plain. “I’ll always be nearby, Tenashar.” Eirshiquanai answered his unspoken concern. “Watching your wisdom grow. I am pleased that Ilaythesia and Cadica have embraced you as part of their family.” Her eyes widened with an intense gaze, yet her voice was gentle.

  “All that has happened to you has been a learning process, teaching you the answers to the problems that the people of your world are trying to solve. At this very moment, other people are crying out that the Orbs are making their lands unable to support life.”

  The comforting tone of her voice could not cushion the urgent warning it held. Events in the world continued to unfold while he was spending time learning. This naturally made Tenashar quite nervous. Anyone would have the same feeling.

  And now, what were the strange ships floating around in the sky? Where did they come from?

  After coming out of deep thought, Tenashar found himself sitting in a bunch of ferns and grasses that seemed to still hold Eirshiquanai’s form, though she was gone.

  chapter 2

  The Flying Ship and People from the Sky

  Una-sei pointed up at the flying ship traveling across the sky again.

  Tenashar nodded. “I see it. It’s strange, but I sense it knows we are looking at it.” They all watched as it threaded its way through the clouds. The question was, was it friendly?

  A-amar asked, “Could there be men inside the ship, navigating it? Or do you think it is some kind of animal? Perhaps it is some kind of giant bird of prey looking for a meal.”

  “Even a giant bird wouldn’t be able to eat you, A-amar,” Tenashar replied. “You are far too tough.” This was particularly true now that Tenashar understood that the glass figure that resembled a tall human being seemed to bring Sharzeen into the world, or perhaps their spirit was imbedded in glass and came when needed.

  The thing in the sky truly didn’t look like any kind of bird they had ever seen before. It had to be a flying ship made by people. Tenashar’s father had told him legends of such flying ships, but this was the first time he had seen one. Amazed, he could not take his eyes off the strange shape in the clouds. Deep within his heart, there was a fear of this strange flying ship, though he did feel privileged to see such a novelty––something made by man but that could fly.

  He decided to follow the strange flying ship and see if it landed on the ground. As if in a trance, he walked in the direction it was traveling. Eventually, he broke into a run to keep up with it.

  Bewildered and curious, A-amar and Una-sei worked to keep up with him. “Where are you going? That thing in the sky is of no consequence. How do we know what is up there? Just stay still, and it will probably come to us.”

  Tenashsar paid no attention to A-amar’s words but pulled up short when he realized the ship had turned and was starting to head for them. It was getting lower and looked like it was going to land.

  As it got lower, they saw it was truly a boat—long and graceful—and on what appeared to be the front end was a sharp cone that tapered upward. The other end was much broader and extended upward in a swan shape. The whole craft had smooth, gleaming wood sides, with few windows.

  Everything about the ship shone with glistening beauty in the sunlight. At times it seemed to be completely white in color; at others, it seemed to change, taking on strange hues.

  The flying ship didn’t seem threatening. The engine sounds quieted, and the ship hovered just above the ground nearby. Tenashar waited to see if anyone would come to greet them—or chase them away—but was disappointed.

  He saw that Una-sei and A-amar were no less curious.

  They dodged aside as the ship suddenly unfolded sails that looked something like wings and prepared to go upward into the sky once again. It did not lift off but just floated for a few seconds. Then before Tenashar could catch another breath, the flying ship took off—shooting up into the high clouds in just moments.

  It seemed like magic, yet Tenashar’s knowledge and experience told him that it was technology. For the first time, he understood the true value of the education he received from Ilaythesia and Nainashari. He could not explain this to anyone in words but was beginning to comprehend it in his heart and mind.

  Slowly, very slowly, the craft started to circle downward again. It cruised lower and lower, getting closer. Finally, it landed in almost the same spot and became still.

  Nothing stirred for a while, and then a door appeared where it had not been before. It slowly opened, and a man appeared in the doorway. He was an older man but not as old as Nainashari. He seemed closer in age to Saitha. He was clean-shaven, with hair full and white above a high forehead. Tall and slender, his most outstanding feature was a long and prominent nose.

  Tenashar wished that Cadica could have seen such a great nose, for she would have laughed for hours.

  Strangely, the man’s eyes were covered with pieces of some kind of dark glass like those of goggles. His clothes were fitted—a red shirt, tan pants, and boots. The man sat down on the stairs below the door and stared at them. He seemed relaxed.

  Then a young girl appeared in the door behind him, followed by a handsome young man. They both looked at Tenashar. The young man crossed his arms with a slightly amused smile. He had broad shoulders and the same style of outfit as the man, though his shirt was blue. He had piercing eyes and a high forehead topped with dark hair—and just a hint of roughness under his friendly, warm expression.

  The young girl had curious eyes that seemed to gleam. She wore a tight-fitting shirt and pants, both covered in star like designs that seemed to change color in the light. She had dark brown hair and a face not that different from Cadica’s. Tenashar sensed there was something special about her.

  The man stood and approached Tenashar. His eyebrows formed a scowl, as if he was analyzing a subject for scientific study, but he seemed curious rather than angry.

  As usual, A-amar and Una-sei gave angry and disgusted growls. Their strange appearance didn’t alarm the strangers; perhaps the people from the flying ship had seen creatures like them before.

  Tenashar finally broke the silence. “Where are you from? Are you able to speak? Are you an Aura-Laei-i, or perhaps one of the Sileizan?”

  Finally the man spoke, but not to answer any of Tenashar’s questions. “What kind of people are you?” He turned the question back on them. “We saw you from afar and were reluctant to make a landing, for we weren’t sure i
f you were friendly. I, of course, didn’t have any fear of the three of you, but you must admit that your companions, whatever they are, look quite intimidating. We couldn’t make up our minds as whether to stop and see whom you were. Our ship circled the grasslands many times, finding no people at first, and then we saw you. To be sure, there are remains of once inhabited places. But we knew you weren’t from such places.”

  Tenashar had his mouth wide open. The man started to laugh but quickly fell silent, not knowing if he had offended Tenashar. Tenashar continued to stare until he shook himself out of what seemed to be a trance.

  Another member of the crew suddenly appeared––a short, round woman with an extremely friendly face and rosy cheeks. She wore a green, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, tight-fitting pants, and leggings with shoes.

  Their leader spoke again. “We call ourselves aeronauts. We are travelers who are curious about the world we live in. You are one of the first inhabitants of this continent we were able to speak with, and we would like to know more about your people. If you could tell me anything about those creatures with you, and those who live in this grassland, I’ll appreciate it. You seem to survive without anything edible around you. What is your secret?”

  Tenashar realized that the man was like one of those speechmakers he had listened to at the village consul and was unimpressed. Yet, in certain ways, he resembled an Aura-Laei-i, though one lacking yet in wisdom. Maybe he, too, was still in training. Tenashar didn’t know what to think of him.

  “My companions and I are travelers like you,” Tenashar replied. “We don’t call this grassland our home. The place I consider home is many leagues from here. As to food, we know the pulse and phases of the land and can find food anywhere. May I again ask—who are you?”

  “I am Knode Uyeicad.” The man nodded. “I am one who seeks knowledge or tries to find the truth. My people have had the power of flight for a very long time. Seneatuar Vaysaei is the island we come from. It is part of a larger archipelago called Sahaynaivium, but Seneatuar Vaysaei is one of the largest islands.