Pompods

10

As he walked through the old settlement, Baru imagined what the ancient ones might have been like. They had entered the hidden village through a narrow path, which would have been most difficult to find if not for the marked stones.

A single causeway led into the village. On either side he could imagine the water gently lapping at its side as it was fed by a gentle stream coming from the mountains. But now, the bed lay dry and littered with detritus and the odd dried out Mongo pad that closely resembled those that could be seen flowing down most rivers.

The pads had a long stem and a root system that would allow them to gradually walk along the river bed and slowly progress down with the water's flow until they reached the sea or another large body of water. He had seen many such congregations of Mongo pads as varied species used them as ideal roosts. But inside this inlet, it had not been able to escape when the water levels eventually receded. Most likely caused by a rock slide which would have pinched off the water supply and cause it to divert its flow.

"Pop," sounded the Memee as it looked down the side of the causeway.

"I imagine you would have jumped in, had there been water," said Baru.

The Memee seemed to wiggle its head in agreement.

"It must have been a beautiful sight with the Mongo pads gently floating atop the water. I bet you'd be bouncing from one pad to the next."

The Memee looked at Baru and as best as he could tell, shrugged at him.

"Maybe not?" said Baru. He wondered what thoughts, if any, might pass through a Memee's gelatinous head. "You are a hard one to understand, my little friend. Shall we continue and explore the inner part of our discovery?"

The Memee paused once to look down the causeway before deciding to climb back up and sit upon Baru's shoulder. Once settled, it pointed forward as if indicating to Baru that it was ready to proceed.

Baru smiled at his companion and proceeded deeper into the village.

The causeway's path led into the center of the village where debris and broken remnants lined up against the backs of the stone dwellings. From their relative shapes and placement, he believed they'd entered an area that would have served as a marketplace to display various wares or produce.

He remembered being told of such things as a podling. So intrigued with each new piece of information, he would have a dozen questions to ask about it. He felt lucky that Coral had been so patient with him and that he was always encouraged to never lose that sense of curiosity.

"Such eagerness to know everything, young Baru," his teacher had said. "But the true joy is finding out these things and experiencing them for ourselves."

It was the singular thing that he wanted to do once he ascended. To explore and experience new wonders that even Coral had never seen. He wanted to bring this information about the rest of the unexplored world of theirs and share it with the rest of his kind.

Because of this, he spent most of his time wandering the landscapes and exploring unchartered areas that few others would see. The Elders had appreciated that one of their younglings had developed this eagerness to explore as most were content to stay within the relatively safe confines of the valley.

From the center of the village's decayed market, paths stretched out in every direction. As he ventured down one path, he soon realized that it had not been designed in any conventional way. Other paths led to false areas or led back onto themselves. Most paths led back to the courtyard while others simply ended. Each main path led to a select set of dwellings, as if they were meant to only be used by a select group.