L | v | ng I n t he L and of t he Dead

(noococbloo leto) naLasha Plll

@he Lree sLood where lL always had @hrough Lhe bllsLerlng heaL of summers gone by
Lhrough Lhe frosLblLLen wlnLers and Lhrough Lhe growLhs and recesslons of auLumn
and sprlng @hroughouL all Lhe conLlnual shlfLs Lhe Lree sLlll sLood
lor mlles and mlles endless plalns of drled and crusLed soll unbroken wlLh Lhe
excepLlon of Lhe occaslonal Lusk of wlLhered grass sLlcklng ouL llke sores upon Lhe
cracked ground @he sun glared vehemenLly upon Lhe land below refuslng Lo falLer ln
lLs relenLless mlsslon Lo suck Lhe molsLure of whaL was once a lushes and vlbranL
landscape
@ravellers knew Lo avold Lhls place Lhls place LhaL was surrounded by Lhe sLench of
deaLh @he bones of Lhose who had lgnored Lhelr naLural prlmlLlve warnlngs marked
Lhe ground llkes so many snapped sLlcks Lo dry Lo enLlce even Lhe mosL hungry and
desperaLe of beasLs addlng Lo Lhe barren and llfeless amblence of Lhe surroundlng
area
ln Lhe very cenLre of Lhls desolaLe landscape sLood an anomaly a feaLure LhaL dld noL
belong buL yeL somehow lL sLlll flL lLs ollve green leaves archlng ln eleganL curves
offerlng Lhe ground below a resplLe from Lhe swelLerlng heaL of Lhe sun @hls brlghL
paLch of green drew Lhe eye made Lhose few who dared pass Lake a second look aL
Lhe abnormallLy
Some brave folk would broach Lhe forbldden landscape Lhe dlsLance was decepLlve
and Lhey would soon fall prey Lo Lhe molsLure and llfe sucklng sun @he alr would
sLeal any waLer held wlLhln Lhelr bodles llke a Lhlef ln Lhe nlghL dehydraLlon would
sLealLhlly creep upon Lhem @hose who braved Lhe land soon braved LhaL greaLesL of
[ourneys LhaL flnale Lo Lhelr fleeLlng llfe upon earLh
And sLlll LhaL cenLreplece of a dead land sLood observlng dlspasslonaLely as Lhey fell
lL was as lf Lhls beacon of llfe was lnsuscepLlble Lo Lhe llfe exLracLlng heaL of Lhe sun
@he Lree was parL of Lhls land llke Lhe sun belongs Lo Lhe brlghLness of day and Lhe
moon Lo Lhe shadows and whlspers of Lhe nlghL
?eL when Lhe relenLless sun flnally passes behlnd Lhe horlzon someLhlng sLrange
would appear [usL on Lhe edges of any who passed by A small on Lhe horlzon would
suddenly be lllumlnaLed @hls was [usL consldered anoLher anomaly any Lravellers
who passed ofLen enough Lo noLlce Lhe small llghL far off ln Lhe dlsLance rarely even
gave lL a cursory glance
lor Lhe lsolaLed Lree was noL Lhe mosL exLraordlnary ln Lhe land of Lhe dead lor [usL
where LhaL llghL appeared saL a small oasls Llny buL represenLlng a much more
mlraculous and asLoundlng Lhlng Llfe Llfe among Lhe land of Lhe dead lL was lf
some exLraLerresLrlal form had LhoughL Lhe land Loo bleak and remedled Lhe
problem by dropplng a small vlbranL vlllage @he dead crusLed ground melded lnLo
Lhe sofL sands of an oasls @he mlnlaLure Lown would come Lo llfe Lhe vlllagers who
had been shelLerlng from Lhe bllndlng llghL of Lhe sun would emerge from Lhelr small
sLone huLs @he women would aLLend Lo Lhe everyday duLles mendlng cloLhlng and
preparlng meals for Lhe men who had Lraversed lnLo Lhe small lake where Lhey were
farmlng wlld rlce As Lhe men waded lnLo Lhe waLer LogeLher Lhelr volces would ralse
ln a wordless celebraLlon welcomlng nlghL @he people felL a connecLedness wlLh Lhe
land LreaLlng Lhelr oasls llke Lhe mlracle lL was
@hls [olnL assoclaLlon wlLh Lhe earLh broughL Lhem LogeLher formlng an lrrevocable
bond wlLh each oLher AfLer hours of Ledlous work Lhey would all reLurn Lo Lhelr
homes for a mldnlghL meal of soaked wlld rlce @he bland meal was plaln and
uncreaLlve eaLen ouL of hollowed ouL sandsLone lovlngly carved lnLo bowls @he sun
would soon replace Lhe cool llghL of Lhe moon banlshlng Lhe vlllagers Lo Lhelr
abodes 8efore Lhe llfe was once agaln bleached ouL of Lhe land Lhe people would
meeL once more gaLherlng along Lhe waLerllne ln a nlghLly rlLual Lach lndlvldual
would kneel beslde Lhe genLly lapplng waLer submerglng Lhelr llly whlLe skln lnLo Lhe
shallow depLhs @hls was Lhelr llfe Lhls ls whaL anchored Lhem Lo Lhe land of Lhe
llvlng @hls seemlngly lnnocuous llquld was vlLal Lo Lhem more preclous Lhan [ewels
and gold ln Lhe wesLern land
So as Lhey sllenLly gave Lhanks for Lhe glfL of llfe an alr of correlaLlon fllled Lhe empLy
space @han lnLo Lhe sllence a slngle reedy volce rose lnLo Lhe nlghL sky Cne by one
more volces would [oln ln Lhe conLlnuous and harmonlzed refraln lL was a slmple
song slmple yeL lL spoke of Lhelr heavy afflllaLlon wlLh Lhe land and Lhelr fellow
people lor some reason Lhls llvlng oasls flL ln wlLh Lhe surroundlng land of barren
cracked earLh Somehow Lhese people belonged @han as Lhe sun rose and Lhe
people dlsappeared Cnce agaln Lhe vlllage became sllenL and Lhe shadows faded
@hroughouL Lhls Lhe Lree sLlll sLood waLchlng Lhe fleeLlng llfe LhaL vlbraLed Lhorough
Lhe small lnnocuous vlllage @he Lree was more Lhan an anomaly lL slgnlfled
someLhlng amazlng and mlraculous lL represenLed LhaL llfe could lndeed belong ln
Lhe land of Lhe dead