The First Jumper (first draft version)

The First Jumper 01: Joining Day

Gerleesh awoke slowly, stretching all her limbs, one by one.  As she placed her feet on the floor and rose up out of her sleeping place, she wondered why this day seemed so special.  Then it came to her, and she leapt from the sleeping pouch to begin preparations.

Today would be her joining.  This day, her life would inextricably be bound to another, and before the disk had set, she would have new life growing within her body.  

She looked down at her body, and placed a hand over her pouch.  Today, my daughter will be placed in there.  She will begin life, and my life will become . . .   

She began preparing herself in excitement, making sure everything was just right.  She absolutely had to look her best.

As she worked on herself, anxiety began to swallow up the anticipation.  In a few moments, she stood before her mirror, trembling.  She could not get her feathers right.  Then she heard her mother’s voice from outside the chamber, and she felt the gentle touch of her mother’s mind.

“Gerleesh?  Are you awake so soon?  I was hoping you would sleep longer.”

“Come in, mother.  I need you.”

Gerleesh’s mother Ahreesh came into the chamber, as beautiful as Gerleesh remembered her from the day of her own hatching.  Her legs were already smooth, her fur sleek.  Ahreesh’s facial feathers were of course perfectly done.  By that alone, Gerleesh knew that her mother was nervous about the day, too, but no other hint of that came through, in her physical demeanor or in her mind touch.

“You look wonderful, Gerleesh.”

“My feathers aren’t right!”

“Let me see if I can help . . . there!  What do you think now?”

Gerleesh turned back to the mirror and sighed, then burst into vibrations of agitation.  

Ahreesh let her cry a few moments, then put her arms around her.  “Tell me about it, love.”

“What if I can’t do it?  What if I never hear the songs of our mothers?  What if the egg is bad?  What if she doesn’t love me?”

Ahreesh smiled, slanting her eyes, and said, “What do you think the chances would have been that you would have hatched without loving me?”  Her arms were still comfortingly about her daughter.

Most of Ahreesh’s vibrations calmed, as she said, “None, I suppose.  But mother, what if I can’t do it?”

“You forget, love, that I know your spirit, from before your birth.  You can do it.  I had the same fears on my joining day, wondering if I could love you enough to break free.  My mother reassured me just as I am doing now.  She will be there today, you know.”

“I know.  I’m looking forward to hearing her songs.”

“You will, love, you will.  Once you join your heart with your egg, you’ll break loose from your body, and then you’ll hear them all, just as you’ve heard me from birth.  Once your daughter can hear you and touch you back, you’ll pour so much love into her that you’ll become more than your body.”

Not all the vibrations were gone yet.  “And if the egg is bad?”

Ahreesh sighed.  “You know better than I do, from your work, the odds of that are very small, even with the recent flares.  G’hosh has given us solemn assurance that her egg has been kept safe and sound, and she has been pouring herself into it, just as you will.  The egg will be fine.”

Gerleesh was calm, now, but her mother could see she was still not totally happy.  “Maybe I do know better than you, mother.  There have been a lot of bad eggs, this year.”

Her mother pulled back in shock.  “Gerleesh, are you sure?”

“I am.  It hasn’t been in the listings, because no one wants a panic, but a lot of eggs have been turning up bad.”

Ahreesh felt herself start to vibrate, and sternly repressed it.  “How many is a lot?”

“This year, maybe one in ten.  We think it is from the last two flares.”  Seeing her mother’s stillness, Gerleesh realized she was putting her mother under great stress.  “There is nothing we can do about it, mother.  Let’s finish getting me ready.”

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