The Storyteller

Chapter Four: The Presenting of Pipes

It had been a week since the start of the festival. And now, it drew to a close. The young children all were gathered together on a raised platform in order to display the pipes they had made while completing their rite of passage.
Elder Mercurous again took the podium, a smile on his face. "Today, I am proud to announce that all of the children have completed their rite of passage. All of them are now, officially, storytellers!" The crowd clapped and cheered as he said this, making it nearly impossible to hear. He smiled and gestured at the villagers to settle down. "Now, as you all well know, the new storytellers will all get the chance to show you their pipes, tell you all what inspired them to choose their medium for their storytelling tool, and then they will choose a mentor to help them learn how to better tell the stories they will be sharing around the world."
Elder Mercurous had all the young ones line up and one at a time present their pipes and tell their stories for what inspired them.
The pipes that were made were beautiful. Some of them were made so large that they had to be carried on the back of the storyteller. A pipe made for a coliseum of spectators.
Others were made so ornately, and were covered in so many intricate designs that it seemed like a work of art to be admired but not used. As if just looking at it the wrong way might break the fragile wood.
And some, like Elohs', had been made plain but functional. Not too big as to be in the way, and not so small or fragile as to be hard to use. Something comfortable and trustworthy.
The stories were all much the same. They all knew what they had wanted, and just sought out the piece of wood to fit their needs.
After the stories were told, they chose their mentors. Most of the time they chose their parents, or on a rare occasion they chose a family friend or someone who they felt would teach them the best ways to tell stories because they had similar pipes. Most of the storytellers who made larger pipes chose someone who had experience with telling stories to the larger crowds as opposed to the storytellers who catered to smaller groups, just because of the difference in style and the genres that were told.
Elohs was last in line. He was busy thinking about what to say, when he realized all he needed to do was get to the part where he made the pipe, nothing about testing it. If anyone asked he can just say he took care of the sacred flower in the most respectful way possible, which wasn't a lie.
Finally, after almost an hour of waiting, it was time for him to present his work and tell his tale...
He reached into his pouch and pulled out the pipe, holding it close and asking Sol to keep him calm, then presenting it to everyone. The villagers looked at the pipe in awe. Nobody had ever seen a pipe quite like it. It was against the beliefs of the villagers to paint or stain the pipes as they were made. If they ever changed color or became smooth and glossy, it was from years of use and wearing down from being handled. But Elohs pipe had a shine of its own, and never had the villagers ever seen a white pipe in their lives come from the mountains...
Elohs cleared his throat for attention, and then slowly put his pipe away before he began.

"I did not go into the mountain knowing what I was going to make. I only looked for the medium that felt right to me. And as I continued to walk, I kept searching, hoping to find the perfect piece... I had walked for three days without results. But I was not disheartened.
I continued walking until I realized I had left the path and I became lost. As I wandered, I found myself on the edge of a forest filled with white trees made of white wood that was as hard as stone.
I entered these woods and lost myself within. Not paying attention to anything else because of the mystery of them...
And I didn't stop until after the sun had begun to set. I forwent shelter because I had no time, and instead tried to conserve my heat and did my best to sleep through the night...
It was around the time the moon was at its peak when I awoke. As I opened my eyes I noticed a faint, violet light through the trees, it seemed to be calling to me in a way. I got up and stumbled towards the lights until Eventually I found myself in a clearing. The only things in the clearing were a stump of one of the white trees, and directly in the center... One of the sacred flowers. The petals were making enhancing the moonlight and creating that colorful glow I saw...
I was mesmerized by the beauty of it, and the next thing I knew I had found myself walking up to it... The stump itself was an assortment of pieces. The outside had held strong, but something had caused the insides to break into many different pieces... The flower was rooted into a piece that looked promising. After all, it was located at the heart of the tree... And so I began to try and pull out the piece. I stepped onto the stump and got the best hold that I could, and I pulled with all of my might.
It was minutes of this work before the piece began budging... And almost a half hour before finally, and very suddenly, the piece I was pulling on came loose. My momentum threw me on my back, but I held fast to it. It was perfect. Where the flower had been growing was the bottom of the bowl... And a straight stem like shape was already protruding from it... All I had to do was grind away the excess material and bring out the shape that was already there... And so I did. I broke off the sacred flower, treating it as respectfully as I could when I did so, and then began my work. Shaping the pipe and drilling the necessary holes into it until at last I had made my pipe... And by the time I realized I was done, it was already a few hours from the completion of the day... And so, I decided to head down the mountain and join all the others who were participating in this rite of passage..."
With that Elohs finished his story, bringing out the pipe once more to show the others. Turning it so that the small green gem in the bowl was showing... "Thank you, Elohs... I can feel just from that, you will me a marvelous storyteller," Elder Mercurous said, "And now, who shall be your mentor?" He asked, his brow raised in question.
Elohs looked at his father, who wore a proud smile on his face. And felt a pang of sorrow enter his heart. But he remembered what Elder Eartheart had said, and with a shaky voice, he called as clearly as possible: "I would like to request the mentorship of Elder Eartheart." He said, his voice very clearly trembling.
There was a collective gasp from everyone, including the Elders. Some of the villagers started to murmur amongst themselves. Elohs could hear bits of the conversations, things like: "He's too confident, the Elders haven't taken on anyone for generations..." And "He's going to get turned down. That's what he gets, thinking he's special just because he made a unique pipe."
Along with the dialogue were a mix of different expressions on the faces of the crowd. Ranging between pity and disgust... His father, who Elohs had expected to seem hurt, seemed oddly hopeful. His eyes seemed to convey his thoughts to his son, "That's right, Elohs. Don't be scared to reach higher. That's the only way to get anywhere in life..."
After what felt like an eternity, Elder Eartheart came forward. The villagers quieted down, waiting for the Elder to turn down the request.
Elder Eartheart cleared his throat, and with a booming voice that seemed to fill the up all the empty space with sound, he spoke slowly so that there would be no mistaking his words.
"I will accept the call, and mentor this young Storyteller." He said simply and clearly.
With that, he retreated to his spot on the platform and whispered for Elder Mercurous to continue in passing.
Elder Mercurous seemed somewhat bewildered, but carried on with the festival, "With that, we have finished the coming of age festival. In honor of the new storytellers let us all feast and share stories!" He announced happily, quickly changing the strange mood into excitement and anticipation. This feast was looked forward to year round. All the best of the best was used on this day.
Elohs made his way to his parents and embraced them, happy to be reunited after days apart. His father lifted him into the air in a tight bear hug, "I'm proud of you son, you've reached further than I ever have, and already your efforts are showing!" He set him down and took a knee, looking him directly in the eyes. "You will become a greater storyteller than I could have ever dreamed. Take everything that the Elder teaches you and make it yours. I know that you will make me proud..."
With that he clapped Elohs on the shoulder and stood again. Taking his wife and Elohs under his arms they all made their way to the feast hall, one night full of food, music, and the trading of stories.
Elohs enjoyed the night and the feasting, scarcely daring to ask the question in the back of his mind...
What will the future bring?