Chapter 7: What the others found out.

Chapter 7: What the others found out.

Lea came with Cindy, and lot of other friends from our world, did come with their Homelander friends.
Some of them had books with them, with and without pictures.

Others had small models with them, and explained: “this are small models, of what we are learning about at school. Scale models, our teacher tell us it is called.”

Petra looked astonished: how could a kind of windmill help?
Or something that looked very much like a mirror, only a different color and not silvery like the ones they used to travel?

The counsel did ask everybody with a book to come in one pow-wow circle.
Others with the windmills got their own circle too, like those with the shiny mirror-like things.

After that there were more people left, but like always in Homeland: there was enough place for everyone, just like it had to be that way.

Petra did smile a bit, and when Cindy lifted one eye brow in a question like gesture, she said: “That lesson I did not forget from last time. Here in Homeland always is enough place to do what need to be done!”

After that both started to laugh, but soon they had to concentrate.
Very quick, at least Petra did think so, each group had put together what they knew.

So each group, pointed out by the Lady, told what they were knowing or learning about the environment.
The group, who did take books with them, all had copied what they had laying around, but told there was much more at their school or library.

The groups with the scale models told, they were doing projects at school about that, while the scientist and the environmentalists were worried.
Petra and the others did not have to ask what that was, for the new friends told, that that was a group of people, who were very worried about nature and what was going on.

That made Purple look a bit less concerned.
Still she had to ask: “Do you think, that all is enough to make the world clean again? And very special, the Oceans, on which our climate does depend?"

Petra softly asked: “Climate?” and Cindy whispered back: “the zone in which it is very hot, very cold or in between. On that also depends how much, and where it does rain. Now first listen.”

The Lady decided, after a quick deliberation with the counsel: “Let each group make a suggestion how we can use this all.
Than we give our friend out the world a month time, to find out more.
The adults will do so too, even try to go to the universities, to look, if there is any progress. Than we all do meet here and talk again.
A problem, that has grown for such a long time, we cannot solve in one day.”

Again Petra softly asked: “I did learn about university, but what is progress?”

“A kind of improvement, making things better and doing the best you can to do so,” Cindy answered.

Now all the other groups did know, where to go, Cindy had to go to the group, Lea did belong to, the ones with the books.
That left Petra with the Lady and Purple.

“And what do you think I can do?” Petra asked the Lady, while she also did look at Purple.

Purple answered: “I do know Billy, the little goodhearted rascal very good.
And also his parents.
But I am not sure, if they do believe me, when I or Petra do tell them from Homeland and the bound that does exist for so many hundreds of years between our worlds.
What do you think, Lady?
What is the best for all, but also for Billy and them?”

Both looked as they were thinking very hard.
Purple did have more questions, and all Petra could do was listening in ah, while before now, she never was with the Lady, or had talked to her about something so very important.

Besides, she still did not know that much about her friend, and the place he lived in.

Purple went on: “And do you think we should involve the Atlantians?
They do have very much knowledge, but I do know, they do think the time to come out is not there.
Their ancient predictions tell about more years to come before that should be all right.”

“Than for sure they will not, for they mostly are right, the old tales about them tell in Homeland,” the Lady answered.

After that she looked at Petra: “Do you know Billy good enough to be sure, he can keep his mouth shut about things, he is not allowed to tell?"

Petra looked at her feet, turning circles in the mud of the embankment.
“I really do not know. I only do know him so shortly, in his world only about a week.
This week had so many other important things for him.
He does not know half about Homeland, my mother told your friend has to know, before you can take him with you.
He is only eight years of age in his own world, and we have learned much more when we are that big.”

“That’s true,” the Lady said. “May be we will have to leave a lot of this things to more adult people, or mermaids,” she said with a smile.
“Although there is enough to do for the kids!”she assured.

“Purple, can you find out, if Nemo can see Petra?
Atlantians are known for their secretive but honest ways, so may be he can, and only did not tell.
Nemo will believe about Homeland, for you did tell he is the keeper of their library. There can be a record about us. That will make our possibilities larger.
But remember, careful please.
We do not want to make the friendship between Billy and Petra difficult.”

“Oh thank you, Lady. I do like it to discover what we are going to do when we really are friends,” Petra said.
“I do think, that when I am back, I can tell what happened, can I?

And I also do think, I’ll have to wait to take him here, until his mom and dad did tell about what they call: ‘dry land’.

I am not so sure he is old enough not to tell, or see the difference between our lands and the laws of nature in his world.”

Lady smiled: “I do see, you mother and grandmother did tell you well.
And at school you must have paid attention to all!”

Petra blushed with this compliment.
It was difficult not to show, how she had longed for a worldly friend like Cindy, and some of her other friends.
She would do nothing to loose that again.

No, she should not make it more difficult for Billy, by going to fast.

“Only… eh… eh… Lady, I do not know how to tell him, he cannot come here very soon, but better wait a bit and…”

Here she made a pause, “not let me tell how he slowly must go up to what he calls dry land before his teacher does.”

The lady and Purple looked at each other.
Both nodded the same time, as if they did think the same.

“I will tell Billy, and explain about the water-pressure. Than I will tell him, he has to wait a bit, until he does know more about Homeland, and has made more preparations.” Purple said.
“I do have to wait what comes from this pow wow between all those Homelanders and people of the World.
A sigh of relieve Petra gave. That did make things a bit easier for her, and it gave her more time to learn, who her new friend was.

“But what kind of preparations?” she did ask.

“What Cindy did, was let Lea draw a lot of places, where they could go.
That cannot be, while Billy does not know how the world above water does look.

But I do remember something my grandmother told about the Atlantians.
They did know a lot of the power of crystals.
And in the secret box also is a purple crystal.
It does like to much of a coincidence for me, that both are found around the same time: the mermaid Purple, and lately the purple crystal.”

Petra called attention of the Lady, by touching her: “What is coincidence”?

“Things, that seemingly by accident happen about the same time.” Lady answered.
“Let’s find out what all together means, before we do important things.

So go home to Billy and tell him, Purple will come soon, and than we see, what is going to happen.”


© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved.