Edmund Cooper - A Far Sunset

Paul had hoped that it would have been possible to make a fire. But to have started a fire in the middle of the savannah would have been very dangerous indeed—besides which, it would have been difficult to find sufficient fuel for one. So he was content to lean against his pillow of skins, himself warmly wrapped and listen vaguely to die chattering of the Bayani.

As he gazed idly at the stars, he began to think. In the journey through the forest—a timeless journey through time— he had apparendy cast off the personality and conditioning of Poul Mer Lo. For some reasons he could not understand, in some way he could not understand, he had become very consciously Paul Marlowe, native of Earth, once more.

And the surprising thing was that it no longer hurt. He was a castaway, far from home, and with no hope of returning. Yet, it no longer hurt…

He was amazed at the discovery.

Presently, the talk of the hunters died down and they made ready for sleep. Zu Shan and Nemo were already asleep, having tired themselves out with the day’s journey. Presently, Paul and Shon Hu shared the first watch.

They did not talk. Shon Hu, though satisfied with the day’s progress and relieved now that the forest was behind them, was not inclined to be very communicative. This suited Paul who was able—pleasurably for once—to contemplate the night sky and let his thoughts drift among the stars.

When it was time to wake the two hunters for their spell of watch, Paul felt more exhilarated than tired. Perhaps it was the effect of the cooler, bracing air. Or perhaps it was because they were nearing the end of the journey.

Nevertheless he very quickly fell asleep when at last he lay down.

He was aware of words being spoken loudly and urgently in his head. Vaguely and sleepily he tried to dismiss them as some aspect of a dream that he was not aware of dreaming. But the words would not be dismissed. They were not to be abolished either by sleepiness or will-power. They would not be ignored. They became louder, more insistent.

Until he sat bolt upright, listening to them with a sensation of panic that it was hard to fight down. In the starlight, he could see dimly that the others were also sitting upright. They, too, were listening—motionless, as if the sound that was not a sound had frozen the living flesh. There was also another sound—a real sound—that seemed very far away. With an effort, Paul concentrated on it. With an even greater effort, he managed to analyse it—the sound of Nemo whimpering. Then his thoughts were snapped back by the loud, imperative and utterly soundless message.

‘Hear, now, the voice of Aru Re!

If you would live to a ripeness, go back!

If you would toil in the fields,

if you would hunt in the forest,

if you would rest in the evening, go back.

If you would look upon women and beget children,

if you would discourse with brothers and fathers,

if you would gather the harvest of living,

if you would pass your days in contentment,

having heard the voice of Aru Re,

go back! Go back! Go back!’

The words without sound became silent. No one moved. Shon Hu was the first to speak. ‘Lord,’ he said shakily, ‘we have heard the voice of Oruri and still live. This journey is not favoured. Now must we return.’

Paul tried desperately to marshal his racing thoughts. ‘The voice spoke to you in Bayani, Shon Hu?’

‘Most clearly, lord.’

‘And yet it spoke to me in English—the language of my own country.’

‘Such is the mystery of Oruri.’

‘Not Oruri,’ said Paul positively, ‘but Aru Re.'

‘Paul,’ said Zu Shan, ‘the voice spoke to me in both English and Bayani.’

Paul was silent for a moment. Then he said in English: ‘That, I suppose, is because you are now able to think in both languages … What about you, Nemo? Are you all right?’

Nemo’s whimpering had stopped. ‘I am very much afraid,’ he confessed in a thin, high voice. ‘I—I cannot remember what language I heard.’

Paul tried to laugh and ease the tension. ‘You are not alone, Nemo. We were all very much afraid.’

‘We shall go back to Baya Nor, then?’ The child’s voice was pleading.

Paul considered for a moment, wondering if he had any right to ask his companions to go farther. But how tantalizing, how heart-breaking to be so near and to have to turn back.

At length he spoke in Bayani. ‘Already, I have asked too much of my friends and brothers,’ he said. ‘We have faced danger, one of us has died and there is, doubtless, much danger still to be faced. I cannot ask more of those who have already shown great courage … Any who wish now to return, having heard what they have heard, will go with my thoughts and prayers. As for me, Shon Hu has fulfilled that which I asked. He has shown me the way. Doubdess, I shall reach the Temple of the White Darkness, if Oruri so desires. I have spoken.’

‘Lord,’ said Shon Hu, ‘truly greatness sits upon you. A man cannot die in better company. This, perhaps, Oruri will consider when the time comes. I will go with you.’

There was a short silence, then one of the two remaining hunters spoke: ‘We are ashamed in the presence of Poul Mer Lo and Shon Hu. Formerly, we were brave men. Forgive us, lord … For some, it seems, there is no end to courage. For others, the end comes quickly.’

‘My brothers,’ said Paul, ‘courage has many faces. I count myself fortunate that I have travelled this far with you … Go when the first light comes, and a man may see the way ahead. Also, take with you Zu Shan and Nemo; for I rejoice in the knowledge that you will bring them safely to Baya Nor.’

‘Lord,’ said Zu Shan in Bayani, ‘the gift of Enka Ne remains with him to whom the gift was made … I think, also, the little one may desire to stay.’

Nemo seemed to have recovered himself. ‘The litde one desires much,’ he said, also in Bayani, ‘but he will stay in the shadow of Poul Mer Lo.’

Shon Hu laughed grimly. ‘Thus are we a formidable company.’

‘It is in such company,’ retorted Paul enigmatically, ‘that men may move mountains … Now listen to my thoughts. The voice, it seems, spoke to each of us in a different manner. To me it spoke in my tongue, calling itself Aru Re. To you, Shon Hu, it spoke in your tongue. And to Zu Shan in a mixture of my tongue and his. But the message was the same for all of us, I think … Zu Shan, what did you understand by the message?’

‘That we should not go forward, otherwise we should die.’ ‘Ah,’ said Paul triumphandy, ‘but that was not what the voice said. It advised us, if we desired certain things, to go back. It advised, Zu Shan. It did not command. It advised us—if we desired security, long life, contentment, peace of mind—to return the way we came. But the voice did not advise us what to do if we desired knowledge, did it?’

There was a silence. Eventually, Shon Hu said: ‘Lord, there is much mystery in your words. I do not understand where your thoughts lead, but I have made my decision and I will follow.’

‘What I am trying to say,’ explained Paul patiently, ‘is that I think the voice meant to turn us back only if we did not have the resolution and the curiosity to go forward.’

‘When Oruri speaks,’ said Shon Hu with resignation, ‘who dare question the meaning?’

‘But when Aru Re speaks in English,’ said Paul, emphasizing the separate words, ‘the meaning must be sought more carefully.’

‘Lord,’ said one of the hunters who were returning to Baya Nor, ‘we shall not take the barge. We shall leave it in the hope that PouLMer Lo—who has wrought many wonders—will require it yet again.’