The revelations of the night before had removed a weight from her mind that had been gathering mass like a rain cloud over the last few days. The pristine dawn skies & the cooling freshness of the morning air reflected Tu's new, clear state of mind...
After a wander around her homestead, she entered into the kitchen of her childhood home, to find it full of the voices of three generations of her family, all of which stopped talking as she came in.
"Oh no', thought Tu," Not more secrets!"
But the little flame of fear flickered out again as the conversation immediately began again & expanded to include her.
Eventually turned to her smiling, "We have been discussing the artefact you found." she said.
Tu reached for her waist to check for it & looked up to see Saorsa handing it to her still covered in the cloth Tu had wrapped it in.
"The thing is," Saorsa continued, "We would really like to take it back with us tomorrow."
"Oh that's fine," said Tu & she meant it.
"However," continued Saorsa, "We also feel that it should stay with you."
"Well', replied Tu," That's fine too, "She was happy with either option," I would look after it."
Saorsa looked warmly at Tu, "We were actually wondering how you would think & feel about returning with us & staying for a while. You can help us in the work with the shaard & of course you are always welcome to leave whenever you want.
Tu looked to her parents Ebe & Iken, then to her grandparents Rebel & Bob, they all seemed at ease with the idea. If she could have read their thoughts, she would have seen that they were actually relieved at the idea. Unnerved by the Levski event & the broader implications, they each felt she would be safer off the plot for a while, and Saorsa & Sisu were certainly that - no-one knew where the two called home or if they did they kept it to themselves. They all held their silence, however, in respect of Tu's own decision-making process.
"Yep," smiled Tu, "That's fine too," she said, & a little wave of excitement & mystery swelled up in her heart as she said it.
So it was, that the next day close to sundown, Tu with a few bits & bobs she had gathered from her Terrapin before patting its door goodbye., sat thoughtfully in the back of the vehicle.
Followed by a trail of homesteadians, her great grandparents joined her & soon, in the ebb of brave-faced farewells she & Saorsa sat swaying & bobbing in the back of the couple's Ursa as Sisu drove it out into the foothills & up into the mountains to their ship. There were no escorts this time, Saorsa had deemed it unnecessary & refused Bob's many propositions of a protective entourage.
Where the ship would take them remained a mystery to Tu. But she was getting used to it & hopefully all being Homi, she trusted she would find out soon enough.
Tu looked out of the back of the vehicle watching the sunset & its glowing reflection on the windows of her homestead as disappear behind the hills gathering up behind them, then she turned to follow the gaze of Saorsa to look out of the front of the window to watch the mountains of her home planet in the liminal light of nightfall.
This is an excerpt from Deep Space Crew ~ An Ongoing Story ~ By The Slingshots.
by Author
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