The Old World

5

"Strangely enough, the people of the village seemed almost to completely disregard me, and for a certain time during the final hours of the sun, I too would forget about them. They danced and cheered and were joyful enough, but they all lacked any serious curiosity that a brave explorer and researcher such as myself would bear so dearly. Even the Shaman, who seemed more analytical than all the rest, was simply bored at my prolonged presence during the day. I figured that if I had descended upon them in a glorious fashion with a space shuttle and all, I would be well above a god in their eyes. Yet I was confined to the very same ground and food as they. I found it humiliating, and I felt exceptionally vulnerable.

"But as I watched the sunset my vulnerability turned to fear. Stars were beginning to appear in the sky at the earliest, and as the shock which earlier consumed me slowly died and reality began to sink, I remembered that the stars were those that could be seen the same from the earth. Even then I did not wish to face that fact, that theory. I wasn't ready, but I knew it was a possibility. My only question... was how?

"I sat alone on a stump then, casting my gaze through the trees to the sunset. In those final hours of my fourth day, I had many thoughts to battle against, but in the end, I came up victorious. I took the loss of my partners with little weight. I chose to, and I chose it that way to continue on healthfully.

"A monstrous fire was lit that night and in all manners of barbarism as you would read in a Roman history, the people danced and cheered as the moon rose. They wore flowers and feathers and sticks and even bones in their hairs and around their bodies. It was almost certainly a celebration in regards to my presence. Just as quickly as they lost interest in me, it was regained that night.

"When the stars showed themselves in the night sky I knew it was my moment, what they were asking for. I learned many words that night around the fire, and I shared what little words I saw fit for them to understand. I would point to the sky to remind them, but I soon shook my head with grief.

"Now it had been some time since I was here. And in that time I had been very caught up with the daily chores of moving and hiking to find suitable land. I had not taken the time I needed to look at the night sky. If only I had. I pointed to the skies and told them stories of our history. I told them how we came on a ship across the sea of space, landing upon this place whether it be my home or not.

"For the most part, they fully understood my meaning of coming from the sky. It was not hard to do. And soon, I had learned many words from them, including sky, ground, sun, water, food, yes, no. It was a short selection but a good one to begin with and easy enough to learn in one night. It was the children who taught me the words with the best interest. As before, the shaman seemed more interested in what I had to say, rather than teaching me their words. Perhaps words were not necessary. I knew how shamans conducted rituals. I knew well that he was a holder of powerful drugs and hypnotics that even science can only describe as mystical.

"I could safely prove myself right. I felt the tingling sensation through my body. The smoke we inhaled around the fire was the burning of a form of hemp. Needless to say, I slept very well that night in a tent they quickly and most kindly constructed for me.

"I had spent the next day simply either eating or learning words. I learned many nouns and pronouns. Even phrases that I could recite by the end of the day. It would most certainly take time to learn the entire language, but I was satisfied by the progress of one day, and it would surely be enough for my time there to understand and communicate at least simply.

"My subconscious decision to push the problem and thought of how to get back to my colony and crew grew with each passing hour. Although it was hard not to think about it every now and then. The language the people spoke was very simple and crude, yet I found it more complex and intricate than I would assume a stone-age civilization would have. Perhaps it was an evolution of some language, like English and some of the complex ghosts of it still remain. But for the most part, it was fairly easy to understand and repeat.