Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 15 (twil-mek): The strange Megtwillow

Things started well. The days after the Greblara fountain died down, and the smoke cleared were very special – joyous, even. For most people, anyway. The people of Seren-ila now had longer days, as well as the gift of a beautiful sunrise every morning. But there were a few who said that such a change could not bring any good. And a few people, like Piacho, smiled with closed lips, as though they didn't want to upset the general celebrations, but were afraid that something not so joyous was on its way.

The Counsel of the Wise met and decided that full meetings of the people of Seren-ila should take place in the next month. There were things to decide. It might now be possible to use wrist-flyers to cross into the lands beyond the mountains. Some people wanted to do this straight away. Others were very much against the idea. They talked of dangers. Who knew what the world outside would look like? Old stories spoke of the world being very hot in some places, and terribly cold in others. If there were people, they may have diseases that would be fatal to Seren-ilians. And then there might be wild and ferocious animals – even in Seren-ila there were some animals that weren't always friendly. But also, leaving Seren-ila – venturing out into the unknown world beyond – was almost unthinkable to these people. Silmoa was among this group.

It was hard now, for Liana and Herago to concentrate on making their showings, with all the change that was going on. That was partly because of the excitement of change, a feeling they had never felt before; a feeling which filled their minds and crowded out their duties. But also because the change had an effect on what was in the showings. Silmoa's drawing of Greblara, for example, with its fine tracery of patterns of smoke and ash, was of a thing that no longer existed. A reminder of the past rather than a celebration of the wondrous present. Tilero, making music that echoed the rumbling of the mountains, was saddened that his inspiration no longer surrounded him. Jengara, who had worked on a list of all the birds of Seren-ila, with all their different sounds and colours, suddenly found that her list was now incomplete. Small birds that had never been seen in Seren-ila now braved the crossing into the land. People marvelled at the colours of their feathers, not realising that these were only the first of the visitors that the valley would come to know.

The Great Hall was packed on the day of Megtwillow. Everyone in Seren-ila was there, except people who were ill, or people who were looking after people who were ill. Light streamed in through the window, reminding everyone of how things had changed. Greblara had stopped spraying water from its summit, but it had not returned to its old habit of sending out plumes of smoke, casting long shadows as soon as the sun started to dip. Normally, by this time, the sun would have gone down below the line of ash. Indoors, herb lights would have been lit, and faces would have been transformed in the green glow. But that day the sun shone brightly on the wise people sitting at the table in front of the crowd.

It was a joyful ceremony, though Liana seemed to notice some of the older people of Seren-ila looking as if there was a worry at the back of their minds – a worry that they were afraid to share on a day like this.

The showing presented all with surprises, and as it went on, everyone delighted in the cleverness and the beauty that emerged. Silmoa showed her drawings, and she also spoke about them. As well as the old drawings with the smoke, she now also had new drawings of the transformed Greblara, with new colours showing around the peak, colours that couldn't be seen before. Tilero's music now put form to the rumbling of the mountains, but as the music proceeded, the rumbling gave way to other sounds – wind, water and the sound of birds, that took the place of the harsh sounds of the mountain. Everybody found it uplifting. Jengara gave a wonderful talk on the birds, with descriptions of the new arrivals, and explanations of the ways in which they must have been related to the familiar breeds of Seren-ila. There was dancing and singing, and it was clear that all those young people who had shown work at this ceremony would be confirmed in the next stage of their Serenship.