1Before the dawn of Takæla, the youngest gengineer was a Human named Jennifer Cloudsky. 2Yea, even at the age of thirteen, she had an instinctive grasp of the elegance of Dienay. 3And, behold, on her 20th birthday, she was beset by dreams. Dreams that told her of days gone past, of the Home World. 4Now the girl had been born long after the peoples had left their home, yet she began to remember very clearly things that had happened centuries before the birth of the oldest Elf.
5She tried to deny the dreams that haunted her days and nights, 6but lo, her best friend was Vladimir Elkor, and he was a telepath. 7He realized something was wrong and reached into her mind and plucked her fears from their hiding place. 8He reasoned with her, and she told of her dreams to a healer of the mind. 9This healer became convinced that the girl Cloudsky had been reading too much of history, and bade her cease. 10She disputed with him, and said that she never read of history, for it was boring and ofttimes wrong. 11The healer believed her not, and admonished her to cease her reading, that her dreams might cease. 12To quiet the healer, she pledged to obey, but in secret she began reading that which had now been forbidden to her, as is the way of the young.
13As time passed, other knowledges stemmed from her secret memories. 14Languages long ignored on the Home World, skills she had never studied, knowledge of Dienay from creatures not brought. 15And Elkor shared her secrets, and they were in love, and they were wed. 16The years passed, and the time came for the peoples' memory to be restarted, so that they might have a new world, free of the troubles of the old. 17And lo, Cloudsky and Elkor were amongst the people, they and their daughters and their sons.
18The two were happy with their new lives, having forgotten all they knew about the Home World, and technology. 19But once again did strange dreams trouble the sleep of she who was now called CloudSky, and she again began to remember that which she could not have known. 20And these memories called her to a place where the people were forbidden to go.
21She went into this place, her husband Elkor following secretly, and here she found many things that she remembered 22and the place remembered her and spoke to her saying, "Thou should'st not have come, CloudSky, thou art forbidden to be here." 23CloudSky answered, "Lo, I have remembered thee, yea, even unto the warning thou would'st give unto me, 24and behold, I give thee the words which wilt let me pass. Override security, authorization, Jennifer Cloudsky." 25Then did the place let her stay, and Elkor with her, though she knew it not.
26CloudSky spent much time here, monitoring the world and it's peoples, 27and Elkor, too, studied with the machines, in a place removed from his wife, relearning the principles of engineering and computers. 28But their behavior went not unnoticed. For the Mayor of their village went checking on his people one day, and found them not. 29He inquired with their children and they said that their parents were working in the fields, but they were not. 30He inquired with the field workers and they said that the two were busy in the village, but they were not. 31He inquired with the village workers and they said their friends were with their children, but they were not.
32And so the Mayor called a meeting of the elders, and told them of this breach of the rules, and they all agreed that CloudSky and Elkor were to be questioned. 33The elders went out into the countryside, and when the two had been found, they were brought before a tribunal. 34Here they were charged with the crime of remembering. 35CloudSky defended her husband, saying, "Behold, he is innocent, he knows naught of what I do. 36He has but been searching for me, for I have been absent from him." 37Elkor himself remained silent, and bore false witness with his face, that he was innocent. 38Then the elders convicted Cloudsky, and sentenced her to death, and Elkor watched as the ax fell, and said nothing.
1At the very moment that CloudSky was executed in her village, a child was conceived in a village of the Mer, in the Shallow Sea. 2The girl-child was raised there, by the customs of her people, 3and when the time came for her to choose her name of adulthood, she chose CloudSky. 4Her people thought nothing ill of this choice, for they were isolated, and had not heard of the One Who Remembered.
5This CloudSky was also beset by memories on her 15th birthday. 6But, lo, this time she had not Elkor to convince her the dreams were real, and she lived in terror of her sleep, and the devices therein. 7Yet she was revered by her people as a healer, and a thinker, for her dreams showed her the way to do many things. 8And her people prospered with devices to sustain them.
9The Forces of Change came to her and studied of her how to make the devices, and they began to spread them to the world. 10Many years passed in this fashion, CloudSky crafting what she dreamed, and the Changers using them to spread the ideas.
1The years passed also for Elkor, and he continued to visit the place his wife had opened unto him. 2He made devices which made his work easier, and made him appear to be where he was not, and he was not caught. 3When his years on Takæla were accomplished they numbered eight and eighty, and he slipped away peacefully, in his sleep. 4His grandchildren found his body in the morning, and he was buried in the afternoon, as there was no magic to preserve him.
5Lo, that night, strange noises issued forth from the grave, and the village elders ventured forth to discern the cause. 6And, verily, the noise issued forth from the very ground itself, though the elders sought in vain for another source. 7The children of Elkor were amongst the elders and they waxed afraid, 8that they had buried their father before he was dead. 9The healer contested with them, in words, that he had certified Elkor to be dead, and could not be mistaken, 10but the children of Elkor were not persuaded.
11They secured shovels and other digging implements, and dug up their father's grave. 12As soon as the wood was struck, the noise ceased, and they pulled the box out of the hole, and opened it, 15and the covering board came away, and Elkor fell out into the arms of his eldest daughter, 16and she exclaimed to him loudly, "Father, art thou alive?"
17But lo, there was no answer from the body, and the healer rushed unto it, to help if he could. 18But he stood anon, and proclaimed to all, "he is still dead. 19Whence the noise, I knowest not, but lo, it was not Elkor." 20And he bade the children of Elkor leave, that he might be reburied in peace. 21They left, they and the other elders with them, save one who would rebury the body.
22The gravedigger waxed slothful, for he had buried Elkor that day already. 23He was tempted and lo, he reposed the body into the coffin, and sealed it against animals, and returned to his bed. 24When the morning came, the children of Elkor went unto his grave, to reassure themselves, 25and lo, the coffin stood open, and no body lay inside.
1Now, the manner of Elkor's disappearance was this. 2Vlad, Elkor's eldest son, heard his father's mind saying, 3"Verily, I am not dead, but, lo, I cannot move. 4Thou only can aid me, for thou hast the most Talent of all my children. 5Removest thou me from this coffin and takest thou me unto to a place I shall show thee. 6Vlad did as his father commanded him, removing him from the coffin, and bearing his body to the forbidden place. 7There he uttered the words given him by Elkor, and they were allowed inside.
8In this forbidden place which had been like unto a home for Elkor for many years, 9Vlad was ill at ease. 10But he did as his father directed, 11and they discovered anon that Elkor was dead, but only in the body. 12His mind seemed to be yet alive, and the Computers pronounced him a Ghost. 13Elkor did not wish to be a ghost, and after a time, 14he discovered the secret that let his body live again, after a fashion.
15Elkor charged his son to silence, and sent him back to his family. 16But his absence of weeks had not gone unnoticed by the elders, 17and he was found near unto the place his mother had been found. 18And the elders questioned him closely, 19and found many lies. 20They charged him with the same crime of remembering as they had CloudSky, 21and he was convicted and sentenced to die upon the morrow.
22But Elkor had been watching from afar, with the Technology of the forbidden place, 23and he was resolved not to let his son die also, 24for it was he who had caused him to be charged, 25and when they had finished with the son, they would go and seek out the father. 26So Elkor took himself away from the forbidden place, and hid himself near to the place of execution.
27When the morning dawned, the elders brought the villagers out unto the place of the execution, and Vlad with them. 28Vlad was knelt before the block, and they asked of him one last time to confess unto his crime. 29And he began to utter his story yet again, 30how Elkor had not died completely, but lived in the forbidden zone.
31This was as Elkor has forseen, and he stepped forth from his hiding place. 32And Elkor spake unto them, "thou shouldst listen to an honest man when he speaks. 33For, lo, I am alive, after a fasion, and 'twas I who spirited my son into the forbidden place. 34And I taught him the use of the devices therein. 35But what technology giveth, technology can take away again. 36If thou wilt, I can remove the memories from his mind, like unto that which caused all the Elders to forget their lives before. 37Never before, in our memories, have we judged a child for crimes that it's parents comitted. 38Let us not start now. He is blameless, release him" Thus spake Elkor.
39But whilst he spoke, yet he was not still. 40He moved to and fro around his son and amongst the Elders, placing his hands upon them, beseeching them vith his voice, 41reminding them that they were his friends. 42When he had finished, the throng was silent for a time, considering his words. 43And, lo, a young man stepped forth, a friend to a son of Vlad, whose name was Dard.
1"Is this not the same Elkor who professed to innocence when his wife stood accused? 2Now he revealeth that he lied then, and he hath visited the forbidden place. 3Why then shouldst we believe him that he could remove the memories from his son's mind? 4Vlad, also, was alive when the veil was made. 5Perhaps he, also, hast not forgotten the past. 6'The penalty for remembering is death. So it is written, so it should be done.'" 7At this the crowd moved about him, and they called for the death of Vlad, and of Elkor. 8Then did Elkor try to reason with them, saying 9"Thou doest not understand what thou sayest, I didst only follow my wife when she remembered, 10all the things I know I have learned anew." 11But the multitude wast too noisy and heard him not, 12and they surged forward and caught up Vlad and rent him apart so that he died.
13Elkor wailed in grief and anger and brought forth a device from his clothes with a great bellow. 14And all the village became quiet and watched in fear. 15Elkor held the device high and rebuked them, "Thou knowest nothing! 16Thou art ignorant and superstitious! 17Thou wouldst kill all that thou dost not understand, and I say unto thee that thou shalt not have me. 18Thou hast taken my wife and my son, thou canst take all my children and their children, down to the last generation, but thou shalt not have me.
19"Our pride gave me up unto primitive oblivion by taking my memories, but I escaped, finding the past I was denied. 20Hadst thou known that I remembered, thou wouldst have given me unto death, as thou didst my wife. 21Death tried to take me herself, but failed there too. 22I am not dead, and I do remember and thou canst not take that from me!" 23Then did he activate the device he held, and there was a great thunderclap, 24and the village became naught but dust, for Elkor had placed explosives there. 25The people of the village ran to their houses, crying out for those who had remained within, 26and Elkor took his son's body, and ran, and entered the forbidden place.
1But not all had left, and Dard, the friend of Vlad's son, and several who were likewise close to him, gave chase, 2and they made to enter the forbidden place, but they could not. 3The defenses of the forbidden place kept out those who would enter, and Elkor stood inside and laughed at them. 4Fury arose in Dard's breast, and he railed against the barrier, shouting curses at the man within. 5His companions ceased their efforts after a short time, for the barrier was too strong, 6but Dard would not cease. 7His friends called to him to give up, saying that the evil was too powerful, and Elkor derided him saying that a mere boy could never break through. 8All these words made the rage within Dard grow past the bounds of his mind, and the barrier gave way to him.
9Thus did Dard break the barrier with his mind, and Elkor was caught unaware, and the boy lept upon him, strangling him. 10And Dard's companions came and seized the two and they bore Elkor toward the village. 11But Elkor gathered his wits about him again, and he broke free from them and fled again in the direction of his stronghold.
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last update 11/30/98
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