Bennu and Mira were well-satisfied with the way things were progressing in the United States (and Canada. Though they had not visited it, men they had Healed were busily at work there, too.) Though far from a fully Mature country yet, the obstructionism of prejudice and the threats of damnation from some organized religions were being steadily subverted by Immature human nature. There were just too many Earthly advantages to accepting Maturity!
It was time to move on. Normally, that would have meant Mexico, but Bennu had made a promise to de Varga - to say nothing of having to deal with the Bennu-worshiping Nativist Church the man had founded, which had proven successful far beyond any reasonable expectation. And then, there was the destruction Yago had caused - and the ecological damage his rather emphatic termination had also caused. Peru would be their next stop. Besides, Bennu had spent more than a few Sun-Cycles tucked away in its rain forest, and he was interested in seeing his hibernation site.
Mira's thoughts intruded on Bennu's. //Even on Eldebran, you always enjoyed a good nap!//
They laughed. The Gift of Humor helped one not to take himself too seriously, and, after all, there were a number of other Candidates who might have been chosen instead of either of them - although with the unique situation of Yago, only the exceptional powers of Bennu's mind let him successfully resist his foe. Every rule has its exceptions, but Yago was gone, and Bennu was back to being "just another Missionary".
Getting there was, hopefully, not going to be "half the fun" - or adventure. Though Yago was no more, there were still plenty of Immatures who, for a variety of reasons, wished the Two dead. The trip was made in a high-performance military jet (which for safety reasons, both had learned to fly), and it was escorted by others, all of whose crews were Mature Adults whom they kept in telepathic contact with. (Similarly, the landing site and path to the House were patrolled by telepaths from North America - in Peru, there still were remnants of the Shining Path.) During the long flight down, Bennu's thoughts drifted back to Smokesinger and Osiron. They had thought a high-speed jeep ride fun. Then he thought of those on Eldebran who had actually learned to pilot a large spaceship, and remembered his Adolescent trips in a small (and slow - relatively speaking -) one. Bennu had been wrong, and this was one area both the Immature and Mature could agree was fun!
It might be wondered where the crews for the other aircraft came from - Maturity and military service do not sound compatible - but Societies in transition to Maturity were at their most unstable, and this one had been in particularly bad shape to start with. It was a sad necessity - and, anyway, who would you want at the controls of the means of war - Children or Adults?
The Peruvian government was overjoyed, of course, though there was one small blight. Bennu had been adamant about the return of the piece of the roof that had been cut out of the mound when it was initially breached, and the officials/priests (they were more often than not the same) hoped he would not be too upset about the fact that, between samples for the scientists and rings for the high priests, it had shrunk somewhat since its initial removal ...
As they watched his jet touch down, their hearts filled with an emotion few others could know. After all, how many people can truthfully say that what, to them, was literally their god was about to appear in person? (Mira, no matter how divine - or beautiful - she was, was not, after all, theirs.) De Varga, because of his experiences, such as the Linkage, was especially touched.
He fell on his knees before Bennu and began weeping in joy. And those were the sweetest tears of all - those of a man whose god has found him. "My lord! You have returned!"
Bennu: "Did I not promise that I would, after I found my Partner and we finished our Mission in the US? One day soon, you will remember ALL of my promise."
De Varga fell silent. He had forgotten the full promise of Bennu, of course, and anyway, he was now wondering about Mira. The Legends, after all, spoke of "a" Child of the gods - oh, of course! Those were Peruvian Legends. One god for South America, one - this one a goddess, no less! - for North America. That raised the usual questions, and he decided that he would have to consult with the other High Priests.
Mira (to Bennu): //Immatures! They will deny the evidence of their own senses, logic, or anything else that stands in the way of their beliefs - even the denials of those they would name gods.//
Bennu: //Truth matters little to a Believer. As for why they do this, you have studied this subject more deeply than I have. Ask the textbooks of the Wise!//
Mira was surprised at his somewhat irritated response.
Bennu: //Look at this man! He has a high intelligence, and was, in fact, trained as a scientist, yet he still is on his knees before me! Do you think I ENJOY being worshiped, or the upcoming task of destroying his cherished beliefs in the process of Enlightening him? And we must do this to a whole country. Being a god is no fun for the Mature. I'll gladly leave that to The Light.//
Bennu put his hand on de Varga's shoulder and brought the man to his feet.
Bennu: "For now, I would see - and reclaim - what was my home on this planet for so many Sun-cycles. After that, I will give you that which we have given so many others - Maturity. That is, if you wish it."
De Varga was misguided in his belief of Bennu's divinity, but, given that belief, his reactions were entirely normal. To be personally instructed by one's god, especially if you are the High Priest of his religion, is an honor beyond belief, and de Varga was so choked with emotion that he could not speak.
Bennu: "Diego, you have much to learn - and unlearn - but you are basically a good person, and your Enlightenment should not be overly painful. As it was people of my Race who caused you some of your problems, for a while I will return to you that which you find precious above all else."
With that, Bennu restored the Linkage. Much had changed since de Varga had last felt it. Aside from the obvious - that Bennu was now Linked to his Partner, and to a lesser degree, to many other Mature minds - Bennu's mental state was vastly different. When first Awakened, he was in crisis, and his only thoughts were to first escape and then restore his memory loss by finding his Partner. There was nothing Immature about feeling fear under those circumstances, and that was an undercurrent to the emotions the Linkage also transmitted.
With the number of Earthmen already Healed, a wave of Maturity was irreversably sweeping over the planet. With or without him and his Partner, the primary Mission would surely come to completion, and he could relax and concentrate on helping others. And, even if either or both of them were destroyed, whether by assassination or natural disaster, the planet would surely be able to avoid disaster when the Capezzi came calling.
De Varga could not understand Bennu's thoughts, but the satisfied emotion of a job successfully done was even more pleasant than the original feeling the Linkage had brought. Of course, he also caught the expectation Bennu felt towards seeing his House, and he hoped his god would not be too upset by what he would find ... well, he would find out soon enough, as Bennu had directed him to enter his and Mira's personal vehicle for the trip, and they had started off. Honor after honor! De Varga truly felt blessed.
The Two had gotten a fairly clear picture of what they would find from de Varga's mind and were having a private conversation.
Mira: //The Immature mind at work!//
Bennu: //Making a shrine of the House was to be expected. But trinket shops?? At least they're placed a respectful distance away.//
Either the Linkage was stronger than Bennu had expected, or de Varga was starting to develop a Talent for telepathy, for he was getting enough pieces of the images the Two were exchanging to decide to speak up. "My lord, I hope you do not find what we have done offensive, but Peru is a poor country and your House is in the middle of a rain forest. The cost of the access road was huge, and maintaining the road and our facilities at the shrine is naturally immensely expensive. We, too, are unhappy with some of what we have done, but it is out of necessity. Had your House been near the coast -"
Bennu interrupted: "It would have been interfered with far sooner than it was. The Houses were placed in the Americas precisely because they were as far away as practical from the more advanced civilizations, yet could be located far apart for safety's sake. Sub-Saharan Africa was the only other choice, but the Americas were separated from both the civilizations of eastern Asia and Europe by wide oceans - which, indeed, did keep them totally isolated for almost half our allotted sleep time. And, of course, we needed tribes to watch over our resting places in case certain unlikely eventualities our Wise had made plans for came about. Wisely made plans, for some of them did. The Imprinting trigger in the seal on my sleep chamber was one of those, for if the natives DID break into a House, it would be sensible to have one on our side.
"Of course, we are not totally pleased with your actions, and changes will be made, but you did nothing out of disrespect or evil inclination. Anyway, the Mature are slow to anger, and, unless there are truly unpleasant surprises awaiting us, you have nothing to fear. Relax and enjoy the ride."
De Varga did so, wondering only what the beings gods considered Wise must be like. How insignificant Man must seem to them, and how merciful they were to have sent their Children down to Earth to give aid! He wondered briefly about why those sent had bodies vulnerable to ordinary mortal weapons, but then thought of his early religious training. Apparently, it was just something gods did.
Bennu and Mira had never experienced an Earthly rain forest, and joyously let their minds reach out to all of the rich variety of life, both plant and animal, that filled one. As the hours passed their minds occasionally detected natives hard at work. Rarely, the thoughts were of a much more distasteful nature, for guerillas had not yet been eliminated, but the teams of Healers sent to sanitize the road had done their jobs well, and such minds were few and far away.
And then, as they approached the site, they caught the thoughts of one lone mind - thoughts horribly twisted and full of guilt - and they commented to de Varga about him.
de Varga: "My lords, we call him the 'Madman of the Mounds'. He is almost certainly a member of the guerilla group that attacked the House, for the soldiers picked him up in the forest as they approached. He was, and still is, virtually incoherent, but seems to mean no harm. The priests and faithful who visit give him food, but his sickness is so great that our local healers, who have not the skills of yours, are afraid to attempt to aid him. And he fled when your Healers arrived."
Mira (attempting to study his mind from afar): "He is terribly Mindsick. I hope we will have the time to aid him."
Bennu: "Then you may do so. If he helped in the slaughter of my People, I would rather avoid him until he is cured."
Though this statement seemed entirely normal - even generous - to de Varga, it was shocking to Mira. That a Missionary Healer would prefer not to help Heal anybody was extraordinary - not that Bennu would have refused had he been alone - but then Bennu was, though Mature, still human, and this not only involved a significant loss of totally innocent life, but was personal.
de Varga: "Your People fought valiantly in your defense. Armed with nothing but the Powers the gods gave them, they battled a much larger group armed with machine guns, hand grenades, and mortars, and though they were destroyed in the end, they took their attackers with them. Those few enemies not killed were driven mad."
Bennu (sadly): "It is true, then, that my People were all destroyed? And for what purpose? What could the House of the Sleeper mean to the Shining Path?"
De Varga hesitantly placed his hand on Bennu's shoulder and found himself in the MOST unusual position of trying to comfort his god. "All but a few women and children. Many of the men were killed by an accurate mortar strike - it was a wild round that, by blowing the stone covering off your mound, led to its discovery - but the rest, like most of the guerillas, died in agony with no mark upon their bodies. Could the godpower have gotten out of control?"
Bennu: "They would have been Mindlinked - yes, that is what happened. The worst deed the guerillas did was not in the killing, but in forcing my People to use their Gifts for destruction. How that must have tortured them! Please, let us speak no more of this. But I appreciate your sympathy, and, yes, it did help."
Bennu had never spoken of some of the details to Mira, who could now understand his feelings. Both had read the tales of many returning Missionaries, and truly, Bennu had had more things go wrong with his Mission than any other she could recall! Of course, not all of the Missionaries had returned ... She spent a few minutes using her Power to help her Partner. Being Mature, he used her aid to return his emotions to their normal state, and was soon looking forward to seeing his House again.
Well, there it was. And happily, de Varga's mind had somewhat exaggerated the details. The trinket shops were, unlike the ones near most American sites, quite tastefully decorated. Indeed, the whole area actually looked like a reverently respected religious shrine.
Mira: //That figures. Sites dedicated to The Light look like carnival attractions. Ours looks like people actually take the worship of us seriously!"
Bennu: //Don't forget, in our case, they're actually waiting for us to show up and inspect the place. Which is exactly what we're doing!//
And then Bennu saw it. Aside from a set of stairs leading up to the hole cut in the roof, it looked like a typical local Indian mound, of course. He eagerly stepped out of the vehicle, closely followed by Mira. De Varga followed a respectful distance behind. How clever! The priests had not only set up mechanisms to push the doors open and closed, but had even apparently built a replica of the outer stone seal on a track, presumably for when their rituals called for sealing the mound. And all in the expectation of pleasing him! Immature thinking truly could be astonishingly different from that of the Mature, and all it took to change one into the other was Enlightenment.
Bennu commented on the sealing arrangement to de Varga, who replied: "Yes, lord. As for the hole - forgive us for what we have done, but we could not know what lay inside. We have made the best of our error by calling it 'The Window of The Sun' and using the Sunlight it admits in our ceremonies. Of course, we must be able to close it against the weather, hence the stairs."
Mira (to Bennu): //They HAVE thought things out well. The Immature must have gods to serve, even when those they worship deny it. Then they are capable of disbelief.//
Bennu: //This I will soon correct! Anyway, in this we are not so special. Those who believe in The Light are just as capable of ignoring what their particular religion says are HIS words. Anyway, it could have been much worse. Unfortunately for Peru, for a while it was!//
De Varga really did seem to be developing a Talent. Again, he caught some of the images, and those of Yago were unmistakable. "Lord, forgive us for our error, but how were mere mortals supposed to know which god to follow? He gave us himself in place of you, and promised that he would return you to us. Many of us initially followed him, but when we learned of his hatred for you, we abandoned him."
Bennu: "There is a good lesson here for the Immature - be cautious of what others claim, even so-called gods. Anyway, I have a better way to close the Window of the Sun. I wish my House to be as it was - the piece that was removed has been brought here as I ordered, I presume?"
He was shown it. Three sides were smoothly cut, with only the small drill holes at the corners. The fourth, where the fracture had been, was another matter. It definitely looked rather the worse for wear, with several pieces hacked out. Bennu ran a finger over it and raised an eyebrow in question.
de Varga: "Samples for the scientists, of course. And - forgive us, for we would never profane your house, but this piece had already been removed ..." His face began to turn crimson with embarassment.
Bennu was finding this god business more than a bit tiring. He ostentatiously reached for his medallion. "Either put what you have done into speech, or you will force me to use my telepathic powers!"
de Varga: "Rings for the High Priests. Each bears a circlet of holy metal." He removed his and held it out to Bennu.
Bennu: "It is called Duralight by my People. And" - he made a quick mental calculation involving a bar of the substance and the memory of the plate's size he had gotten from de Varga's mind when first Awakened - "the extra missing material will cause no problems."
De Varga gratefully returned the ring to his finger. All things considered, Bennu was proving to be a most forgiving god!
Bennu took de Varga with him and strode into the mound. Aside from another ladder to the Window - how convenient! - it looked pretty much like you'd expect a shrine to look. The usual trappings of candles, bowls of incense, the curtained off Holy of Holies - where his sleep chamber had been - and so on, blended in with some more modern touches, such as a PA system and electric lights. And there were the usual crew of priests scurrying about, all wearing the yellow-gold robes of a Sun-worshipping religion.
de Varga: "Fellow priests, this is our day of blessing! Bennu has indeed kept his promise and returned to Peru. Behold!"
A hush fell. Then Bennu spoke: "I see what you have done, and find no serious fault in it. You are as you are, and in that light, your actions are reasonable. However" - and here he used his Voice of Command - "this is MY House, and I would have it as it was! Leave only the ladders for now, but otherwise remove all traces of your presence here, including the door-opening mechanism. Close the Doors behind you, then remove that mechanism, too. Leave us only some flashlights and food and water for four days. And make haste, for I have much to do!"
A few hours later the Doors thudded shut, leaving de Varga alone with Bennu. He waited expectantly.
The inside of the mound was anything but a simple hollow. Aside from the central depression where Bennu had rested, the inside had all sorts of projections from the walls and floor, mostly half-covered with inscriptions in Latin and Eldan. None were large enough to properly be considered an interior wall or a true column, and the effect was certainly a bit alien. Bennu walked over to a flat block some feet from where the head of his sleep chamber had been, sat down, and took out his medallion. He spun about to face one of those wall-shaped projections, placed the medallion in a circular spot indicated by a line of Eldan, and concentrated briefly.
A blank space some two feet by two feet next to the circle suddenly turned red. Bennu dropped his medallion and waited. De Varga was fascinated - Bennu was working some serious magic! The color changed to green, covered with lines of Eldan. Bennu began busily tapping the face of what was, in fact, the touchscreen of the main computer, and all he had done was to trigger the manual activating circuits. (Normally the sleep chamber would have done so automatically, but it had been removed before its timers had reached zero, of course.)
First came a faint sound - or was it a feeling? - of great power as the main energy generators woke up, shortly followed by the bright yellow glow of the lights and the whispering of the air circulation system. Most of the inscriptions also came alive with a myriad of gentle colors. How beautiful the House of the Sleeper was!
Bennu keyed in the Status Check - everything seemed normal - and then signaled Mira. //Everythings seems fine. I will need your help with the plate, but after that you will be free to do as you wish.//
Mira: //Then I will attempt to help the Mindsick one.//
Satisfied, Bennu turned his attention back to the screen, but before he could continue, de Varga spoke. "My lord, you may be a god, but I am a Man. I eat and drink, and the matter passes through my body ... indeed, you wear a body on Earth, too, and I remember your time at the Institute."
Bennu Smiled. He tripped the "Residence Mode" function on the screen. Various plates swung up or aside. Things such as a sink appeared, and another of those projecting half-walls showed a blue swirling pattern. "Behind there. Touch the blue disk when you are finished. Blue for cold and red for hot on the sink."
De Varga hastily excused himself and Bennu went back to work. One place was marked by a bright white diamond shape, and Bennu touched the symbol. Again a door swung back, and he reached in. What he took out was a most curious item. It seemed to vaguely resemble a small rifle - a long crystalline rod with a "trigger" near one end and a pair of transparent base-to-base pyramids at the other. He was just attaching a heavy cable to the butt end when de Varga rejoined him.
Bennu then concentrated briefly and a bar-shaped piece of a nearby half-pillar came free. He snapped it into the base of the object and began fiddling with things on the top. De Varga couldn't see what he was up to, but it looked most ungodlike! Suddenly the crystal at the end blazed into a most un-Suncolored white light. Bennu, having finished testing the system, nodded and turned, noticing de Varga.
Bennu: "Molecular reorganizer. Naturally Duralight and Impervite are standard settings. I had already calculated that I had more than enough in the basic repair supplies to compensate for the pieces removed."
De Varga began rationalizing furiously. "He has a mortal body. Why should he waste the sacred Power of the Sun when he could use more Earthly means to accomplish his purposes?"
Bennu Smiled. The he telepathed Mira to have the priests haul the plate into place. With much heaving on ropes, sweating (it was in the middle of a rain forest, after all), and some most unpriestly language, it was done. A few of the acolytes were at the top of the ladder helping keep it steady.
Mira then followed them up. Goddess or not, her body was that of a very attractive and quite shapely woman, and the platform at the top of the ladder was crowded. Understandably, her presence was a distraction, and she was forced to issue a sharp reprimand. Using her Voice of Command, she said: "Keep your minds on your job - or would you rather drop the plate on Bennu's head?"
They redoubled their efforts at holding the plate steady, and were soon aided by Mira. She took out her medallion and used some of its Power to help. The plate suddenly stopped moving and Bennu finally felt it was safe to climb the interior ladder.
When he reached the top he placed the tip of the reorganizer against the side opposite the mangled one and squeezed the trigger. Again the crystal flared with bright white light and Bennu quickly had the side repaired. The top and bottom followed. At that point, it was safe for everybody outside to climb back down. Mira dusted herself off - shades of Bennu! - while he finished up.
He climbed back down, replaced the now much shorter Duralite bar, and stowed away the reorganizer. He then turned his attention to de Varga. Actually, it was rather late in the day to do more than some preliminary work. Then it was time for a late supper. He needed no mechanism to tell him the passage of time and spoke: "It is getting late. I will meditate for a while - I'm sorry, but I have nothing here to keep you occupied while I do so, but after today your mind will be filled with enough to keep you busy!"
With that, he focused inward, imagining himself as a ball at the center of a tetrahedron. Gradually he balanced the various emotional and energy states of mind and body, then enjoyed the relaxed state of calmness being in Balance and Harmony brought.
De Varga, because of the Linkage - and, in fact, a not insubstantial telepathic Talent of his own he was continuing to develop - found himself drifting towards such a state. It was most enjoyable, and he "came to" when Bennu ceased his meditating, feeling far more at peace with himself than he had ever been before. Whatever this Gift of Maturity his lord was offering him actually was, it seemed to be a most desirable state, and he eagerly looked forward to tomorrow.
Mira, as she had told Bennu she would, had began using her Power to call the Mindsick one to the site. He came the next day, most reluctantly - indeed, she had to use a surprisingly strong mental block on him to suppress his guilt - and she began her attempts to Heal him.
Bennu had a much easier time with de Varga, who was, as Bennu had said to him earlier, basically a good person. Oh, it was unpleasant enough in spots, but there was nothing special to report. Indeed, the only thing of real interest happened some two days into the session.
They had just eaten breakfast, but Bennu still seemed hungry. De Varga recognized the feeling coming through the Linkage - what Bennu had called the "Sun-hunger" - and was perplexed. Why had Bennu shut off the only source of Sunlight? More importantly, what could he do about it?
Bennu opened a small drawer and removed one of the tablets that filled it. "It is possible to condense the SunPower, and once condensed, it is normally stable indefinitely. This is most fortunate, as otherwise, we would be unable to travel by rocket outside of our own solar system. We would die of Sun-starvation within a week. Naturally, as Yago had learned, it is equally possible to condense the Unlight he, as a half-Shadow, needed to survive."
He held the tablet in one hand, grasped his medallion with the other, and concentrated. The room briefly filled with the Golden Light. Then it formed a beam between the tablet and the medallion, and the SunCharge proceeded normally.
Bennu: "I had forgotten so much! Only when I found Mira and she gave me most of her Training memories did I realize how much I had actually lost because of that unfortunate act of curiosity during my Awakening."
Though de Varga had not yet become fully Enlightened, he had already learned to put aside many of the fears and needs of the Immature. He removed the ring he wore from his finger. "I do not need this any longer, for it is now clear to me that you are indeed what you claim - a human from another solar system. As such, you truly do put your life in great jeopardy in order to help a less fortunate People. But what shall we do about the rest of the Believers?"
Bennu: "Ask them if they would prefer being RULED by others or BE as them, for the basic abilities of all Mature individuals seem to be approximately the same. There are 3 basic sources of Power that we are aware of, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. You have seen the SunPower. It is not especially strong, though it is easy to store. It has its disadvantages - aside from becoming necessary to the lives of SunChildren, it permits the Shadow Lords to exist on planets where the concentration of it is high enough to permit the existence of SunChildren. But then, it makes plain the physical existence of Good and Evil, and so our People attain Maturity far more quickly than that of other Immatures, and our Societies grow up before they exterminate themselves."
Bennu thought briefly, then added: "Perhaps the Shadow Lords are a Failed Society of SunChildren. No Power cannot be misused or perverted to Evil means."
"Then there is Channeling - the principle Power of your planet, and, in fact, of the largest number of Societies. It is weaker than the others, but that is also its salvation, for monsters do not grow out of it. It powers normal psionic functions, and is a fine Healing Power. Your People, while Immature, may be jealous of others, but they have not lived on a planet where true Evil can walk about and touch others.
"Finally, there is Magic. It has some odd abilities - it is anti-entropic - that is, it promotes order over disorder in physical systems. Thus the legends of giant gemstones are true - it is easy to make a diamond out of coal, for instance. And it permits disruptions in the sequence of time, too. This makes it hard for Societies to learn science, and thus the regularity and orderliness of the Universe. And where it is strong, animals - and even plants - make use of it. Life on a planet of Magic is strange and unpredictable - and filled with natural monsters, as evolution takes strange twists. Physical survival of the individual is chancy - though simple diseases are rare, as one-celled creatures are too simple to control Magic, and those that would parisitize creatures advanced enough to control it are readily destroyed by their magic.
"Societies evolve as cooperatives against natural monsters. Those of Evil inclination - and in an Immature world, the leaders of most would be - war constantly with each other, of course. Because Maturity enables one to control far more Power - I believe it was a science fiction movie called 'Forbidden Planet' which pointed out how people who did not control their subconscious would be destroyed by it if they tried to use high levels of Power - planets of Magic have uncertain futures. It is difficult to build up a Mature core of people without it being detected and attacked by its neighbors, but once a reasonable-sized group does form, it sweeps over a planet with startling rapidity. IF one ever forms at all. Many such planets seem destined to be locked into Immaturity for the forseeable future.
"So do not be jealous of other Peoples!"
With that, Bennu resumed his Teaching of de Varga. When it was done, and de Varga "became as Bennu" - that is, Mature, Bennu terminated the Linkage, telepathed Mira that he and de Varga would be emerging soon, and inquired how she had done.
He got the startling response: //I have done all that I should. You must finish the job.//
Why, he couldn't imagine, but if Mira said so, it must be. Now his curiosity was aroused, and he armed the unsealing mechanism. A green board faced him. He started to reach forward - and stopped. How could that be? OK, the priests had resealed the mound with that artificial rock face, but the actual seal function should be reading red! He turned to de Varga.
Bennu: "How did you recreate the seal over the Doors?"
de Varga (proudly): "We did not recreate it! We had found the edges of the face and used jackhammers and prybars to pull it away from the mound. When I founded the Nativist Church, we found it still left off to one side. So we used it."
Bennu: "And what did you think the material lining the rocks was - Playdoh?"
de Varga: "Waterproof - oops!"
Bennu: "Oops, indeed. The rocks don't travel all that far, but who's standing in front of them? THAT would have made a poor Grand Entrance for you and I! I will have to tell Mira to clear the area!"
And so it was done, though the priests had to forcibly move a few overeager cameramen, and finally, there was the BOOM! of the face being blasted away. One of the photographers, determined to get a better shot, had managed to sneak back towards the facing at exactly the wrong moment, and, though not seriously hurt, was peppered with rock fragments, and, in an act of justice, had his equipment smashed.
The Doors swung open and they reappeared to the cheering crowd. Bennu removed his shirt, enjoyed the feeling of the Sun on his body, and took a leisurely SunCharge. He joked to both Mira and the now fully telepathic de Varga: //Instant food may satisfy hunger, but it never tastes as good as the real thing!//
The crowd looked at de Varga. There was something about his face! Not that he looked any different physically (unless you were close enough to notice the disappearance of a few minor imperfections), but there was a great sense of calmness and inner peace - and Wisdom - showing on it. His gaze was especially striking. Not that that was unexpected. He had, after all, spent nearly four days alone with his god - how could he NOT have been changed?
He then addressed the crowd: "Indeed I have learned much and been greatly changed with the help of Bennu, for he has kept a promise he made to me when he was first Awakened.
"I helped him escape from 'scientific study' - a polite name for a form of captivity, and he faced much worse - but, despite my pleas, he would not return to Peru with me. But he swore that when he had found his Partner and completed his Mission there, he would return here. But as a Friend, not a god. For I have seen him repair the Window of the Sun - with a power tool. The House is controlled by a computer. And his sleep chamber was exactly that - a hibernation device built by an advanced civilization. Bennu and Mira are what they have always claimed to be - representatives of an alien People, ssentt here to help us."
A wave of bitter disappointment swept through the crowd.
Bennu spoke: "You feel betrayed because we cannot be what we are not. You wished for someone to bring you great blessings and rule over you, and protect you from your own nature, so that you might live in peace. But we DO bring you great blessing, for we offer you Maturity. With Maturity, you do not need others to rule over you, for you will be able to rule yourselves. You will not need to fear your own actions, or that of your neighbors, or, eventually, that of any other person on this planet, and you will live in peace, as we have done for 20,000 of our Sun-cycles.
"Were we gods, we would leave blessings and depart, and you would do as all Immature people do - eventually pervert them, and be left worse off than before. Or we would stay, and you would be as the farm animals you tend, told what to do and what not to do. And in your natural pride - for you are creatures of free will - you would grow first to resent, and then to hate us, and wish we had never come!
"What we bring will last as long as the Society you create does - and ours has lasted 20,000 years already. Rejoice, for we offer you true and full freedom. Only one thing we cannot give, the SunPower, for that is given to us and a few other Peoples by The Light. But you will learn to use His Gift to this planet - the Power of Channeling - and, though it is not as showy, you will be well satisfied with it.
"Mira and I will start here, as we have done in North America, by Healing a few of you who have the Talent to become Healers yourselves. Though you will not yet be as fast as we are - we have, after all, spent our Adult lives being specially trained for this job - those we Teach will train others, some of whom are also potential Healers. And so Maturity will spread here, as it has already done in the United States.
"De Varga, though not a Healer himself, has already become Enlightened, and will help you decide who should be next for Teaching by Mira. I, it seems, have a special assignment first, then I, too will join in. Then in a few weeks we will leave here and offer our Gift to others."
A scared face peeped out from behind Mira. She, despite her best efforts, was still having to use a significant portion of her mental powers to keep the man from either fleeing in guilt or collapsing into catatonia, and would be most happy to transfer her charge to Bennu!
Mira: //His history is most unusual, and I believe he is correct when he says that only you can relieve him of his guilt. I have Healed him of a few serious diseases, but he refuses to let me cure him of his less serious ones, as 'they are marks of his guilt'.//
Bennu found that he, too, had to use a large amount of his Power to keep the man calm. And, despite Mira's work, the man still had plenty of ills, in addition to malnutrition. He seemed, despite the Power Bennu was exerting, to be actually forcing himself to put one foot in front of another. Finally he found himself inside the mound with Bennu. The Doors swung shut and the man seemed to collapse in on himself. There was now no longer any escape for him.
Bennu: "Now, my friend, how may I help you."
Man: "Are you truly the One who was asleep in here for so long?"
Bennu: "Yes, and if things had gone according to the plans of the Wise, I still would be."
That seemed to be exactly the wrong thing to say, for the man replied: "I KNEW it! You will not forgive me. It is hopeless, then."
Bennu: "Nothing is hopeless. And I have helped many find forgiveness and inner peace. I assume you were a Shining Path guerilla. You will have much to purge from your mind, but if you are willing to work with me, I can help you."
Bennu had heard many surprising things in the years he had been Awake, but what he heard next was far more astonishing.
The man spoke hesitantly, as if recalling memories of a long-distant past. "I ... was ... was ... Ramon. Yes, that was my name. Those deeds I have long been healed of."
Bennu: "How ... who ..."
Ramon: "By your people, of course. The ones who watched over your House." Ramon paused briefly. "I was wounded and delirious, and wandered off into the rain forest. Perhaps something guided my path, for I seemed to be searching, searching - and then I stumbled into the clearing before your House."
Bennu: "I sense a strong Talent in you. Undoubtedly, you felt the minds of the tribe who lived here. Go on."
Ramon: "They offered to heal my body if I would let them heal my mind also. Hell could only be longer lasting than what I endured, but not more painful, but in the end, they Healed me. Though they offered to escort me to safety, I wished to atone for my Evils by trying to help a few of the other younger members of our group, and so returned to them.
"Foolish, foolish! When they saw how I was healed of my diseases and wounds, and even of years-old scars, they thought of plant extracts and were determined to learn the secrets of your People. Of course I was brutally tortured, and though I tried to resist, they threatened - no, I will not speak of it!"
Bennu's medallion glowed briefly, and the pain of the memory faded.
Ramon: "Thank you. That was kind. Anyway, they discovered the general direction your House lay in from me, and eventually found the site itself. I know little of the details, though your People possessed great Powers and fought skillfully. I saw some of the Terrors they used on us ... There was to be a mass attack on them, and I was tied up and left behind in the camp with some of our wounded. Then the Great Terror came, blasting all in its path -"
Bennu had to use his medallion again. How Ramon had suffered!
Ramon: "I must have gone totally insane then. I remember that Peruvian soldiers untied me and brought me and the other guerillas from the camp here. I saw our own dead, mostly without a mark on their bodies, and then I saw what we had done -"
Ramon collapsed completely, his conscious fleeing deep into his mind. He awoke a few minutes later enveloped by the Healing Light. As it faded, he spoke again. "We killed them all."
Then he burst into tears. So did Bennu, mourning for his People, direct descendants of those the Eldebrani survey team had chosen so many Sun-cycles ago. And finally they had someone to grieve over them other than a few anthropologists. A few minutes passed. Bennu dried his eyes and composed his mind as the Mature can do.
Ramon: "Had I listened to your People and escaped, they would still be alive. Can you possibly forgive me?"
Bennu: "I already have, for what you did, though unwise, was an attempt to atone for previous Evil deeds. It is not your fault that the Immature so often turn Good into Evil. In fact, if you wish it, I will publicly do so."
Bennu then paused briefly, considering all that had happened since he had been Awakened.
Bennu: "You have heard of Yago, the so-called God of Peru?"
Ramon: "A little. Did the Norteamericanos REALLY drop a hydrogen bomb on him?"
Bennu: "It was a sad necessity, for he was attempting to take over the world, and might well have succeeded otherwise. He had been slowly building up his power over the centuries since he was brought to this planet, and had begun to actively interfere in the affairs of Earth even before I was so rudely Awakened. Perhaps it was for the best. But then, his power built up very slowly, and would have continued to build up slowly, had you not triggered my Awakening. Only The Light knows the truth, and perhaps He chose to make Good out of Evil. In any case, the final result will clearly be a Mature Society. Perhaps we would have Awakened at our appointed times and found it too late because of actions by the natives of this planet. ..."
He shrugged.
Ramon: "But what will become of me?"
Bennu: "I will Teach you Maturity and you will use your Talent in service of the other people of this planet, and you will have atoned for all your deeds."
And so Ramon joined the growing ranks of the Enlightened, and, after so many years of pain, found peace.
The two of them emerged from the mound and Bennu went off to work with his Partner helping others. When they had finished with their work here, Bennu set the computer to the stage of alertness he felt appropriate and reclosed the great Doors.
As the Two prepared to leave, Mira commented to him: //Peru will be easy - the Reformed Nativist Church has endorsed us, of course, and Nativists are the majority in Peru. I wonder what the "orthodox" churches will do?//
Copyright July 8, 2001 Three Cheeks Productions (Richard Kaplan)