Quoted By:
Prometheus, we would call him, recounted how he came upon his discovery. We had observed him before seeking him in private confidence, but we wanted to know what his thought process was. How did neural systems first begin to coordinate? To my best comprehension, he said this:
By forest edge, me sit
When storm shake,
Sky rips
When sky rips, forest rips
Then forest burn
So me go to little forest
Break arms of forest
And make it rip
And make it Sun
He betrayed no fear in talking to us strange, overpowering foreign creatures. His skin shook to the rhythm of the Sun’s crackles, he was possessed with it. Yet, he calmed, aware of a need to be communally sane in conversation. He sat presently, equanimous.
“We thank you for your story, Nvo (as he was called by his kind). We wish to give you a parting gift, but it goes against our traveler’s code. We thank you for the tea and nuts you shared with us. And we thank you for keeping this meeting – silent – “
He nodded in agreement, and we saluted him as we departed to the next piece of history, a quizzical comical look on his face as he wondered over our strange body signs. But, he saluted back, feeling the strength, finality, equality in it.
