Sunday, September 4, 2011

Chapter 10: The crystal.

Chapter 10: The crystal.

Next morning all went, like what was going to be a habit.
Billy became more aware of the difference between the time, he had to spent with his family, or alone with his teachers or Petra.

That made Petra was able to explore by herself also, like she had learned in Homeland to do.
She went in houses, made of totally different material, she was used to.
She wanted to ask together with Billy, why that was this way in one of Nemo’s lessons.

She went swimming in the moat, like she would have done in Homeland in the pool or a river.
And found, Billy could not, so she had to ask Nemo, is he allowed to learn too?

Billy found more and more fun in playing with Violet and Lilo again, seeing, it was not in the way of his friendship with Petra, nor the things they did do together. And with Violet growing a bit each day, she became of more interest for him, like mom and dad had known.

So finally Billy did find a balance, that we in the world also have: some things you do with your family, some with one friend, and others with more friends.

Now for Petra it became time, to do as the Lady did ask when she was in Homeland.
On one day, when Nemo had talked about biology again, and they had tasted the first self grown cress, she asked: “Nemo, do crystals also grow? And if so, do they grow like plants?”

Both Nemo and Billy did look a bit surprised, Billy while he did forget about the Lady’s question, and Nemo, while they never had talked about crystals before.

But like always, Nemo had an answer.
For that, he had to take out another of his treasured books out of the cupboard, and he carefully laid it on the table.

He opened it on a page, with wonderful colors and forms.
Each form had a different color, and the variation seemed endless.
To point the different ones, Nemo took his gloves again.
So he could pinpoint one special form.

“Why do you always wear gloves, when you use a book?” Billy wondered.

“While these are old. And more valuable than you ever can imagine.
They also are irreplaceable.”

“What is irreplaceable, and why are they so valuable?”

“That’s two questions in one, young man,” laughed Nemo.
“Valuable they are, while there is knowledge in them, nowhere else in the world you can find.
At least not as far as I do know of.

And irreplaceable means, I, nor somebody else can make them again, while we all together do not know all, that is in it.
Some people do have a small portion of this knowledge, but we are only a few anymore.
Even when we all do write down what we know, that would be a very small portion of what is in it.”

“Do we have enough paper than?” Petra did ask.

“Of course not, we should make a hazardous trip to the dry land, and buy a lot of that. That is even more dangerous than in earlier days, for we have to pay with gold or precious stones, while we do not have money in the bubble.”Nemo answered.

“So you go on dry land sometimes? Can you later tell about that? And what is money?” Billy could not control his curiosity.

“All in due time”, was the answer, “first Petra’s answer.
In olden times, Petra, when the earth was a bit different from now, we could make crystals grow.
That is a bit hard to explain, while a lot of things were different, and only a few tribes in the world do live like in those days, and tell stories about these times. The Aboriginals call those times: the dreamtimes.”

“And that is a later lesson, I do think, while there are first the other questions, am I right Nemo?” Billy said with a sigh.

Oh, how he would like to know all at once!
What was it difficult to follow Petra’s first lesson: patience!
He sometimes did wish he could eat patience to make it grow, but it had to be build in his head.

“Yes, it is. I do wear gloves when I use the book, so there is nothing, that can damage the pages.
Not dirt or sweat on my fingers, even a nail, that did grow a bit to long.

Now question number two: Yes, we sometimes go to dry land.
It does take very long, to get above, while it is dangerous for our health.
That is, why you cannot come now, before you are fully grown.
And the dry-landers also do have submarines nowadays, and are not allowed to find us yet. That time has not come.

So for paper alone, we do not go above.
We used to pay with precious stones, but now they use money.
Money is a kind of change-for-something-else-thing. Here we do share all we have, while we do all work together.

That does not work, when there are so many people around in the world.
So the humans found a method to exchange things with money.
That are coins of copper, or silver, and papers, with letters on it, what it is worth. That way, they can buy things with that, instead of share.”

“So buying is a kind of sharing, like we do?” Billy did think loudly.

“One can say so, it is a bit more complicated, but while you live here now, we leave that subject for now.
Petra had another question, and the answer is in this book.

In olden times, the earth was different from now.
In those days, there were Atlantians, who were able to let certain crystals grow. They were called Magicians, while they did this with the power of their mind.
That ability, or art how to do that,” Nemo explained, while he did see in both their eyes huge questions, “some of the very old ones had.

Now crystals do grow by the force of the earth, but it does take ages to do so.
It does take a lot of pressure and minerals from the inside of the earth, besides the right circumstances.
That is, why these mostly are thought of as very valuable.
But why did you ask about that, Petra?”

Petra got a color on her cheeks, while she should have asked days earlier.
“The Lady asked me, if you could tell me something about crystals.
In her secret box is a purple crystal, of which the origin is lost.
That is very strange in our land.
She did find it in the secret box, in which only the wisest Lady of all, that also needs to have red curly hear, can look.

She did find it just before I did find the mermaid Purple. That seemed to much accidental things at the same time, she said.”

“To much of an coincident, I also do think,” Nemo said. “Did you see that crystal?”

“Yes, she showed me, before it went back in the box.
Can I have a glove too?
Than I can show you, there is one just like it on the right hand side of the paper.”

Billy became more curious, but did understand, he would learn the fastest, when he this time just listened.
But he was not prepared on Nemo’s reaction when Petra pointed it out.

Nemo sat down, did put both his hands for his mouth, closed his eyes and murmured: “Thanks to all the Gods of our Universe, this is not lost, like we always have thought.”

Petra and Billy wondered, but while Nemo sat there, and seemed lost in his thoughts, they deliberated, what to do now.

“Get him a bowl of water,” Billy said, ”but not on the same table as the book!”
Petra went for it, and Billy did shake his arm: “Come and sit in that easy chair. Petra is getting you a drink.”

That made Nemo aware again of all around him again, so after a sip of water, he went back to the book.

“You see, kids, one of the great arts of working in Atlantis, was using crystals as working stones.
Each color had its own specialty, one for each art or craft, and this one was thought lost forever.
It is the crystal of healing power.
All colors and forms had their own power, when in the hands of an learned Atlantian.

I do understand from new people from above, like your mom and dad,” he pointed to Billy, “that some people are rediscovering this art again.
They never will have the high power, the Atlantians had, but they can do a great deal of good by that.
This is a lucky day for us, the last Atlantians.
I did send my thoughts to all of them, wherever they are in the world now.”

“Can you do that? Can all living Atlantian do so?” Billy asked.

“Yes, but while most humans cannot learn to do so, we almost never tell about this.
This art is lost, while we changed it to an other ability.”

“What is an ability, and why should one do so, when you can have both?”

“In your mind there is a lot place to store things to think about, or how to do things with your hands.
But like in this book: there is a huge place, but full is full, so sometimes people did choose to learn other things and go to the ones who could heal, instead of learning that themselves.
And what you have learned to be a master of, is called an ability.

Now please do find something else to do after you have watered the plants and kept the record,” Nemo said.

“I will put this book away and have to think about this all.
My grandfather was right, when he told me: Homeland is the land were all paper things live, and were the values of life are preserved.

You are a very lucky young man to have such a friend.
And I am just as happy, I am allowed to share her, when you two are here together. Now go!”

That they did, but there was a lot to talk about, so they did wander around doing so. After that Billy took the time before diner to play with his sisters.

In the mean time Petra went to Homeland, to tell the Lady about all this.
Luckily Billy had understood enough about living under water, and on dry land, he did not ask to come too.

That had to wait, until his mom and dad had told how they once did live on dry land.
He had enough to think about for now.
And all went more curious each day! Life with a friend like Petra was certainly not boring.

© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved.

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