﹆DRAW THE LINE

[diminutive]

our birth • Hulonodokanum, our home, with her five lights. It is dark on the inside. We are born there, under the roots. • Natilivodi, the roots. Food and water and safety. We are all under there back then, long before anyone knew to draw the line. • One of our fathers sees the light peeking out above the roots. He follows and comes to the surface. All follow. We see the height of our nurturer for the first time. We saw others. Trees. We see the lights in the sky: two in the day, three in the night with all the tiny sparks. We see the creatures and we feared. • We become prey. our slavery • We learn to hide from the beasts and make ourselves safe. We build spires and rose to the trees. We look down like branches. • We learn the passing of circle-time and draw the lines. • Gwinilivahanann come from the treeless land. We watch them grow and learn their words. We hide from them. We are found. • We are taken to the pits away from the roots and barred from up top. Our mothers weave their garments and pluck their fruit and our fathers dig the dirt to find new stones and carry all the burdens they were given. • The lines grow longer along the walls of the pits. Gwinilivahanann build pillars to the sky, bigger than the trees and deeper than the roots. Water comes out from under and drowns Natilivodi and all the trees. • 500 circle-time. space people • The beasts die and the grass wilts and the water and the air becomes poison. Gwinilivahanann build higher. 504 circle-time is when the biggest pillar falls. Many die. • Two of the night sparks fall to the barren land and bring the space people. Gwinilivahanann kill them. More sparks fall and more space people come and learn the words. We learn the words and serve. • The space people return to the sky. 511 circle-time. • New space people come and kill many Gwinilivahanann. We are divided and some flee to the old trees. Others go to the space people. The poison air kills many. • We learn the new words and are promised a new home. Many stay. Many die. cheyndulamaribannb • I am born to Freydalurinan and Lunorobo. 511 circle-time. Third light. • I am kept with the freeborn and out of the pits. Freydalurinan goes to the space people to find the ferry. • We leave the trees and cross the poison water. Many die. I am given second skin by honorable eldest father of home. Lunorobo dies. 511 circle-time. First light. • Freydalurinan gives me the clothes and I leave with the ferry and my people. We are with the space people to go to our new home. • Space people are attacked and we separate. I wake up alone. alone with big people • I am on a land I do not know and the air is thick. I will die. • I am found and taken to a ship. The space person does not breathe air and he will take me to my people. • I learn the words and see the planets. I learn to call the space person Jam. I learn Daneen and Cameron and the yellow beast. I hide. • I will die. The air is cold. splendor • I find the box and open it and the songs play. I am now with the new big people I do not know. There is one light in the day and one in the night. • I am with a key to a big room and the sky is colored wrong. I am with a seal that makes my thinking heard by big people that cannot hear my words. The air is light and my feet do not stay down. 511 circle-time. • I am with Sakra Who Writes and Sakra With Glass and Link and Spada and Ro-hey and Ar-thur Prince-sir and Colette and Yoskay Hanmra and Fakir and A-he-roo and Decus the laughing voice and Kyoko and Clare and Natalia and Edel and Rooka and Ohn and Tavros and Stein and the big people with names I do not know. • I am saved from the water and taken to find new food. • I am under the small trees and the big room is full of danger. • The little beast is here and will eat me and I will die. • The white is cold and I will sleep and die. • I am wishing for my people and the ferry and they are not here. I am supposed to wish and get wishes. I am given a ring and it makes my words heard. • I am learning the new words and Stein is making the words to be read. I am speaking the new words and am heard. • No others have come. I do not remember the circle-time. • I am waiting.