Pompods

16

Even with the infrequent tremors, life had returned to a sense of normality in the village. Zaree instructed the podlings in the mornings on the hill and returned them to the village with Oku in the early afternoon.

Today was to be a special day for those she instructed as they would have a class as the suns set to learn about the stars, their ancestors and of their place in this world. To teach this night's class, she would require clear gems for light, orange ones for warmth and a purple one for communication.

Many in the village were still wary of Oku, but some took an effort to greet him rather than avoid him. He would return their acknowledgement with a slight nod of his head.

Zaree figured it was most likely due to the Memees that trailed along wherever he went. They infuriated him on occasion but for the most part, he tolerated them in a way she tried to understand. They would antagonize him until he could no longer tolerate it and the result would be one of them would end up being kicked, thrown or stomped on. It always seemed to amuse them and they always returned for more as they hummed and gurgled merrily around him.

Were they purposefully allowing themselves to be the release for his anger? And yet they welcomed the attention.

"Zaree!"

"Ezo, it is good to see you," she replied as he rolled towards her as his bones floated randomly within his body.

"It looks as if someone has made some friends. It is nice to see you as well, Oku," he said as his head floated and his bones mirrored Oku's stance. A few of the small ones drifted down to imitate the position of the Memees that surrounded Oku.

Oku nodded towards him once and then returned his attention forward as a Memee draped itself over his head to curiously stare into his eyes. If it was obscuring his vision, he made no sign of it and ignored the little creature dangling itself in front of him.

Zaree smiled as she squeezed his hand firmly. He returned the act with a brief and gentle squeeze in return.

"Such civility, will wonders never cease," said Ezo as a small bone drifted in front of his eyes. "I don't know which I fear more, Oku or the changes happening in the valley. If I didn't already jiggle, I would be from all these tremors recently," he said as he made his body quiver.

"It has been quiet recently. One can only hope that things have calmed down and that the worst is over," she said.

"One can only hope. Now where are the two, three, four... umm, where are all of you headed?"

"We are headed to the gem stores. I am teaching a star class tonight and we require gems for the path and a few others."

"Oh, wonderful! I don't think I've attended one of those in several cycles," he said with jubilance in his voice. "I do hope the podlings are excited."

"Oh, they are very excited. I've instructed their parents to make sure they rest before we retrieve them for this evening's class."

"It looks to be a clear night for this evening as there has been no sign of any storms in the distance. Your podlings should truly enjoy themselves. I have heard such good things from them; they really enjoy your teachings. I am glad you were able to take over Kaia's role and make it your own since her unfortunate passing."

Zaree tensed briefly, waiting for Oku to react to Kaia's mention. Either he had not heard Ezo or simply ignored him as usual and felt the need to stomp on the nearest Memee rather than let Ezo irritate him.

"She was a great teacher and she was an inspiration to us all. I can do no more than honor her memory and do my best to bestow my knowledge upon our podlings until they too join us in ascension and become a contributing force in the village. We each have our own paths to follow and I can do no more than nurture and ignite their passions and curiosity of our beautiful world and our ancestry."