Night
Lights
by Stephen Mark
Golden
Copyright © March 5,
1989
"You spend too
much time listening to the yarns of old men!
I expect you to pay more attention to sharpening your skills of hunting
and survival. There are too many in the
tribe who waste their time pining for the days of the Ancients. Our existence is now, not in the past,
whether real or imagined! You must be
faithful to Pessim!"
Kanek was being
reprimanded. His father was displeased
with him. He had only wanted to hear
more tales of the way it used to be -- the kind of things that were hinted at
during the story tellings at the feasts and
celebrations. It was all right to hear
them then -- why not now?
"They're
myths!" his father would say. "Imagination! During feasts, and celebrations, such
foolishness must be overlooked. But now
is not a feast! Now is not a
celebration! Even if the days of the
Ancients were truth, they were lost long ago!
No one has ever left our world on a night-light! The Ancients went nowhere! They died, just like everyone else! Probably because they filled their heads with
the foolishness of dreams and impossible visions of reality,
and failed to preserve their own standard of existence. We are the people of Pessim! We must be practical at all
times. We must not allow our
dreams to go beyond what is reality!"
Kanek had never seen his
father so enraged. He could imagine
mists, like those at the hot pools, rising from his fathers
head and pouring out of his ears. His
eyes seemed to flash like lightning, and his voice rolled like the thunder of
the sky. His face was as red as the hot
magma he had seen flowing out of the ground at the base of
But the Ancients! Such wonderful tales of magic and mystery!
Kanek couldn't get the
images out of his mind. In spite of his father's rebuke of his behavior, and denial
of the possible truth of the stories, Kanek believed
them! They must be true! Nothing else could explain the great
artifacts and manifestations of disaster on the scored ground.
Oh, to be living in the
time of the Ancients!
Desh, the old one with whom
he had been spending time listening to the stories, was held in reverence in spite of his ravings.
He had known many things which helped the tribe survive numerous
disasters and hardships. The kind of
things which were not obvious to the rest of them. Ideas that were passed down from those older
than any of them -- generation to generation -- the ideas of the Ancients. Or what remnants were still able to be
salvaged. But though Desh
was held in reverence, his spoutings of the lights
which once moved in the night sky, and the tale of the Ancients' return were
not! These tales were forbidden!
Kanek's mind reeled. Lights that moved in the sky! Oh, not the regular movements of the
stars. All were familiar with those. All knew how to tell direction and season
from the stars. These were lights that
were under the control of the Ancients.
"Did the
Night-Lights really move?" Kanek had asked of Desh. "Could
you really see them come down from the sky and return back into the dark void
of the night?"
"Oh, yes, young Kanek. Wonderful
visage it was, and many great things were accomplished by these lights! The passing of many days was rendered as
nought. All of the people of the great
and various continents were able to function as one, and with other miracles of
light, they shared great knowledge which is now lost, or at least withheld from
us until the Ancients' return."
Desh went on for many
lengths of time, until the thunder of Kanek's
father's voice could be heard outside.
Then Desh simply went silent and smiled. He seemed at peace. He was patient to keep his secrets until
another time.
Kanek was internally furious
at the interruption, but there was nothing he could do about it. He also knew that his father would be aware
of why he had come to see the old man, and that his father would
disapprove. But there were
things that were more important than just continuing to live the way
they always had! Certainly
survival was important, but with the knowledge of the Ancients -- even a small
portion of it -- all of their lives could be made better!
Kanek had resolved some day to investigate the areas of the Ancients. They were many days journey from the
dwellings of his tribe. One of the
places in particular -- the Port, as it was known to him -- was the place of
the greatest interest to Kanek. It was the place to which the Ancients were
said to return. A place guarded by
mystery and evil spirits. A place where
only the pure and undefiled could enter.
Kanek wanted to test his purity, or at least
test whether he could indeed enter, pure or not.
Until then, he would
have to learn as much as he could from Desh.
"Desh, how do you know so much about the lights? Did your father see them?"
"No, not my
father, nor my father's father, nor his father before him! I have seen . . ." and at this point he became very quiet, and
whispered, " . . . books!" Kanek gasped for air!
Books? The great curse upon
mankind! The source of the evil
ideas! Desh
continued, "I have seen pictures of the great machines which were the
lights. My father learned from his
father, who learned from his father before that, about the lights. The lights were so great and numerous, they
would dwarf the stars of the night. The
Ancients used to ride in the great lights!
Their plan was to travel great distances to another place in the sky in
the conveyance of the lights."
Desh's expression became
distant as he continued, "They left this world to find a better place, but
the people of Pessim remained here. Those who left said they would return after
they had found a new world. The people
of Pessim did not believe them."
Then Desh, looking squarely at Kanek
and opening his eyes wildly, uttered with conviction, "The other men of
the tribe say I blaspheme against Pessim, our God,
when I say they will return. But I
believe! They will return, just as they
said many generations ago, in the lights!
And here is something that stretches even my ability to believe --
understand me -- the Ancients were men like you and me!"
"The Ancients --
'men, like you and me,'" Kanek marveled. "If the Ancients were like me," he
thought, "then I must be like them!
If I am like them, then I can have all that they had if I can only
discover their secrets!"
Soon, the time had come
for Kanek to slip away from his tribe and investigate
the "Port" of the Ancients. He
packed his provisions, wished for his father's blessing (though he knew that
wish to be an unreasonable one), and departed.
He was missed. He was lamented. He was regarded as one of the mysterious lost
ones. He was counted for dead. Thus was the way of Pessim.
Kanek travelled for three
cycles of the moon into the direction of the setting sun on the trail that had
been marked as forbidden. He encountered
blistering hot desert sand, abrasive wind, and inhospitable rock terrain, but
he was prepared. He had learned his
survival techniques well, and knew how to stay
alive. Finally his efforts were
rewarded.
He came upon great flat
patches of conglomerate and aggregate stones, massive columns, and incredible
remnants of stone and metal mountains.
In the distance, he could see evidence of even greater conglomerate
mountains, and beyond that, he saw what he knew to be the land's own monument
unto itself, The Great Mountains to the Sky.
These were amazing sights to Kanek, and he
could scarcely comprehend the magnificence of it all, but his goal lay nearer
to him than any of these. He sought the
Port. He knew, from Desh's
description, he was near to it now. He
must look for the flat patches that would be higher than the trail,
and climb the rocky hill. He
should still be able to see the green crystal tower of the Port.
His excitement mounted
as the tower came into view, so much so that he was careless when he clambered
up the debris of the rocky hill. He
caused some large boulders to break loose and graze his leg. Being quite determined, limping somewhat, he continued on toward his resolve. Finally, as night drew near, he reached the
Port!
Beneath the green
crystal tower, was a large structure which
debris of the rocky hill, he caused some large boulders to break loose
and graze his leg. For a moment, he was
in agony! Finally, after determining it
wasn't broken, he bound it with cloth from his pack and continued, limping
somewhat, toward his resolve. There
remained much distance, but as night drew near, he reached the Port!
Beneath the green
crystal tower, was a large structure which stood intact; constructed of stone, metal, and sheets of
clear crystal. It was truly a place of
awe. "If there weren't spirits
protecting this temple, there should be," he thought.
Cautiously, he entered
the massive walls and came to an enclosure of pure, clear crystal all around. It was as if he were outside though he was
inside. Clear stones, or cloth, or -- he
couldn't describe it, it was incomprehensible to him. He set up camp in the crystal enclosure and
marveled to himself. He was amazed to be
in a shelter and still be able see the stars and the land about him.
He remained there many
days and explored much of the wonders of the site. He found hundreds of different instruments
and devices -- the purposes of which he would probably never comprehend.
Then, one night while
he was preparing for sleep, they came.
He saw a myriad of new stars moving closer to the ground -- swirling in
unison. A magnificent sight even for the
initiated. To Kanek,
it was a miracle.
The great machines of
light landed on the wide flat surface of the Port. Hundreds of the Night-Lights were now before
him! The tremendous machines that only
moments before were barely distinguishable from being his own imagination were
now resting on the massive grounds of the Port.
Their lights were cooling rapidly, and even now, there was only a faint
red glow in the areas from where the lights had promulgated.
Everything had become
quiet.
He heard a noise, a
whisper of air, and looked at the nearest of the machines. Kanek saw the side
of the machine begin to crack open, causing an aura of light to pour out from
around a square panel. He quickly
scanned some of the other machines; each
was cracking open in the same wonderful manner!
The doors were being revealed!
Each of them in unison was welcoming Kanek to
come inside. He was being invited to
join them!
Kanek ran to the nearest
machine and approached the opening with caution and humility. Walking slowly up the ramp that led inside,
he was bathed in the soft blue-white light of the interior. He was filled with the splendor of it
all. Such an honor he had never imagined
would be given to him! Kanek began to explore the passageways and chambers of the
great machine, but as he did so, he realized he had seen no sign of the
Ancients! He suddenly had a thought,
"What if they aren't men like me?
What if I cannot see them? What
if they do not see me?"
In a very short time,
his questions were answered. The
Ancients were truly like him.
Upon entering the
control chamber, he found the evidence.
A lone skeleton suspended in the pilot's harness. Because the Ancients were like him, they were
bound by the same frailties and weaknesses as he; they were shackled by the same needs for food
and drink, air and warmth; they were vulnerable to the same problems and
misfortunes.
The Ancients were dead.
The Ancients had indeed
left the earth to find a better world, but it turned out, there was no better
world. There was no habitable world
within the reach of man. The Ancients travelled
as far as they could go, and then decided to turn back.
None of them survived
the flight home.
The great spaceships
had returned and landed under auto-pilot control. The last of the Ancients had died perhaps a
year before reaching home.
Ages ago, the people of
Pessim had said the travellers
were on a futile journey, that there was no place for them to go, that they
would all die. Yes, it would seem in
this instance the people of Pessim -- the Pessimists
-- were right.