An unearthly encounter

A magical moment

Chapter 14 An unearthly encounter

Charles went over the draft report again on the plane. The comparisons between the Algonquin and Cheyenne turned out to be a non issue. It was based on gratuitous references created by the American writers in their literature about the Cheyenne. The issue of greater humanistic development between the two groups was not in that way conclusive without a clear definition of the human model. He was starting to feel a little hot.

His own Tamil lineage was often compared to the Hindi population in India and while the Tamil population in the south showed advances in music and song, this was as yet an insufficient basis for defining their progress in human values.

The issue of humanistic development was also being taken up, in a haphazard way, as a matter of human rights, by the lobby groups in Washington DC, to shape the design of American foreign policy.

He rented a car and drove to Bethel to meet with Nahmakanta.

“We ran into a complication,” he began. “At face value, there are indications to confirm that the Algonquin retain a greater share of their older development in human values. However, in Cheyenne's case, while there is less indication of something older, it may be substituted by new experiences that is drawn from the American system. We are not in a position to create a view regarding that on account of the lack of references on the issue.”

He referred to the food issue and Nahmakanta confirmed that they do not especially prepare wholemeal corn preparations or remove the germ for any particular reason.

“It depends on the way the ladies prepare the meal,” he said. “ Its an unconscious work ethic. My wife seems to remember how her grandmother used to insist that the corn be scrapped thoroughly and then washed but nobody explained to the girls today about why that was important. These days, we get corn from the can.”

He brought Charles to a Nanticoke cafe in the area and they spoke to the chef. He didn't seem to take note of the corn germ issue and prepared his corn meals the way he's been always doing.

They spent the rest of the day in the bar and Charles responded as well as he could on the issues Nahmakanta raised.

They left the bar in the evening and Charles drove off to their previous site at Crow's Pass. On the way, he stopped at a gas station and bought a bottle of Captain Morgan.

He was drifting in a tide that he was unfamiliar with. It seemed to be pointing him at many things that had suddenly torn away from their moorings and were floating in the sea of his contemplation.

Something was drawing him to the site. He passed Tom's place but didn't stop. When he arrived at the site, the dusk was already gathering. He parked the car at the former camp site, took out the .38 and carried the bottle of rum as he walked around the place.

He felt an implication that he had missed something, but he didn't know what it was.

He heard himself say, “ I ought to be putting up in a hotel tonight,” but it didn't mean anything in particular. The rum was warming him up and it brought a queer sensation of instincts that he couldn't identify with. However, he was able to relate these to his feelings as a child. It was the sort of passion that rose to bring many things to one's understanding, but will not state a validated position on any issue. That would have to come from a matter of self analysis.

Suddenly, his feet pulled away and he walked to the community housing near the ridge. He brought the torchlight from the car. It started to drizzle as he was half way up but he ignored it. Just as it was getting dark, he reached the other pit. His clothes were taking a soaking but it didn't feel too cold.

He sat with his feet in the pit and continued consuming the rum, wondering how something from sugar cane can make him feel so exuberant. The torchlight shined into the pit, indicating the fall of the raindrops, one by one. He wasn't sure how long he was there but the rain had picked up and in a state of morose lethargy, he rose to go back to the car. The woods in the surroundings gave out a loud scrapping sound on the leaves, as the rain picked up.

Just then, he felt the ground slide under his left feet and as he grappled to maintain control over his balance, his right feet went under and he crashed into the pit. He had tossed the bottle as he fell, so his right hand was free to cushion his fall.

The ground in the pit was collecting water and he managed to pull himself up, pick up the torchlight and sat in the pit to ward off the shock effect. The torchlight picked up some dry leaves in the pit and as he ran his eyes around edge, he noticed a black beetle. He seemed to recall a dead black beetle when they were excavating the site.

In the slow and debilitated state of mind that he was in, he was unwilling to dismiss the beetle this time. He reached out and picked it up. As his fingers pressed upon it, he realized that it was quite solid and was not what he thought of it previously. He placed the torchlight on the grave bank, took out his pen knife and scrapped on the skin of the beetle.

Something inside shone a yellow light. He brought the torchlight to it and realized that it may be gold. It was the practice of the Egyptian ladies to wear necklaces with the gold scarab designed as jewelery. The remains in the pit had been a woman.

He stared at it for a while and felt the rain drops drip down his face, as a deep sense of realization rose in his body. His lethargy lifted and his state of mind was starting to soar.

He continued sitting there for a while, cherishing the implications of the find. All that he went through in his life, till then, came rushing back to him in an indication of the purpose of his life. He was in a fountain of content.

He thought of the study, the Algonquin and the Delaware State Department. He surmised that what he was engaged in was a long-term evolutionary and human development process. Nobody was going to be convinced in one argument about what the issues are. It would take an age to affirm the experience.

He was breaking an important rule regarding the scientific research and the laws of the state, but he pushed the scarab deep into his pocket, took the torchlight and walked through the dripping night woods to the car.

He knew what he was about and what he's doing. That had to be enough.

Reviews

[patricia]

read this before as well...will keep going . Thanks.