Daydreams & Doodles

The People of Colors: Chapter 3 – The Journey April 10, 2009

Ugh! I never wanted to see another reading again in my life! Visions of the huge, leather-bound blocks of paper were swimming through my mind. I wanted to sleep! I so desperately wanted to sleep, but I knew the writings I had stared at for the last three days would fill my sleep stories and leave me with a head pain the next day.

I stumbled to my hut in the dark and flung the door open. I hadn’t even bothered locking it when I had left that morning. I threw myself in the direction of my sleeping mat. I didn’t even want to expend the energy to light a light pot or change my costume to my sleep clothes.

Fitful sleep would have found me so quickly if it weren’t for the knocking sound I heard on my hut door. I didn’t move. I hoped that I had just imagined the sound, but it came again. I still didn’t move, but I gave a low groan.

Once again the knock came, but this time it was accompanied by a voice. “Sema? Are you there?” Although it was quiet I could still recognize Green’s voice. I desperately tried to ignore him. Of all the people in the camp that I did not want to talk to right then, he was on the top of my list.

Correction, there was at least one that was higher on the list – Cacktroll! A Stripe with the biggest attitude in the world, and he somehow decided to aim it all at me (okay, so maybe not all, just most)! Oooo I hated him soooooo much. If it had been him knocking on my door, fur would have been sent flying (and hopefully he would never dare to bother me again)! As it was I still wanted to skin Green, but not enough to move.

Green is sometimes too persistent for his own good, and tonight was no exception. He knocked once again. “Sema, I know you’re in there. I saw you go in.” “Then why’d you ask if I was in here?” Rope, rope, where was a rope to tie him up out of my hair?

“Come on Sema. Pleeeeaaaase let me in? Pleeeeaaaase? I know it’s really late, but I haven’t seen you the past few days. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” His voice had turned to the whiney side. “Ugh. Fine! You can come in already! Just don’t take too long.” Just as I said it I knew he wouldn’t keep it nearly as short as I wanted. Technically it was already too long.

He rushed through the door and flooded my little one-room hut with moonlight. I squinted. I sighed internally. I already had a head pain (and not just Green). “It’s kind of dark in here. Let me light a light pot.” He pronounced and then accomplished before I could say a word against it. I groaned and rubbed by eyes as even more light filled my hut. “Are you okay?” He asked. I paused. Here was my chance. “I’ll be better after some sleep.” I answered. “Oh, right. Good idea.” He still didn’t move.

“So what have you been up to? I haven’t seen you at all the past few days!” “I’ve been helping Wisdom Kimley.” “Doing what?” Drat. He wasn’t satisfied with my short answer. “Searching through a bunch of readings.” “Why?” “Looking for information about that necklace I found.” “What necklace?” Oh dear, something told me I’d end up giving every last detail of my life for the last few days.

“Sema!” A head suddenly popped through my door. I gasped and fell backwards hitting my head against the wall. “Oh good, you’re still awake!” I still have no idea how readings made Wisdom Kimley excited and hyper, but somehow they did. She was still full of energy (and I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t slept the past few nights during our search).

“Sema! Look what I found!” I suddenly found my hut full of three people (myself included) and a reading pressing me against the wall. “Right here. Read this.” I had to blink a few times to focus my eyes on the writings.

” ‘There are so many races and species of our world who are being ignored. We are not studying them. We are not even noticing them. They are as mysteries as stories and yet we do not even realize they are real.’ “

“But what does that have to do with anything?” I hadn’t read anything about The People of Colors, about strange jewelry, or anything like that. It sounded more like a poem than anything actually useful.

“It was written by Wisdom Krechston. I was one of his learners as I was going through the higher learnings to become a Wisdom. I remember he was studying The People of Colors about the time I finished my learnings.” I tried to make my expression as blank as possible. I still had no idea how any of this could be useful. I just sat there for a few moments just looking up at her.

“You still don’t understand, do you?” “Not really. Sorry.” “Okay, bottom line is that we’re going to Brown Meadow City to visit Wisdom Krechston and see what he’s discovered since last I heard.” Her words slowly but surely sank into my mind.

“Um, we?” I was still trying to wrap my understanding around things. I should have figured out the ‘we’ part on my own. “Of course! You’re the only one who can touch the necklace, and of course Potley should come. There are some training areas there that would do you both very good. Oh, and then there’s the readings hall over in…”

“What necklace?” I cringed at hearing Green’s voice. He had chosen a bad time to still exist. “Oh yes, Green! You should come too!” “WHAT?!!!” I was now fully awake, to my utter dismay. “I think it would do him a world of good.” Ugh! I groaned at the thought. Why didn’t she just invite the whole camp to come with us?!

“Does he have to come?” I was grasping at air, but I had to try. “Sema, please. I have my reasons for inviting him, so stop grumbling. I thought you were a little more mature than that.” Ouch. That hurt to my core. I humbly kept quite after that.

“Now then, we should all get ready. We’re leaving tomorrow shortly after noon-day. Sema, I want you to rest up until then, but make sure you’re packed and ready on time. Come on Green. You shouldn’t be up this late.” And with that I was left alone in my hut with a sullen expression on my face. I wondered how I could sleep with the thought of hauling Mr. I-have-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-bug-Sema all the way to Brown Meadow City and back.

I cut off my light pot and flopped back down on my sleeping mat. As I drifted off to a fitful sleep at least one last thought calmed me – at least Cacktroll wasn’t coming with us.

On to Part 2 of Chapter 3 >>