Life is Never Simple

Four and a half years passed, and today was Bennu’s 70th birthday. Not that the Mature celebrated such things, for the increasing tally of SunCycles merely made them older, and, hopefully, wiser. Their bodies did not age, not even when their Time of Passing drew near, and they had never acquired the habit while Children, either. For the transitions to Adolescence and Adulthood, with the accompanying privileges, rights, and obligations, were not dictated by the orbital period of their planet, but by the completion of their Training and their readiness to assume the appropriate responsibilities.

Yago! Bennu’s memories returned to a black pillar standing amidst a barren landscape. So much Good he might have done, and yet he had chosen Evil ...

Well, that was in the past, and his birthday had served as a reminder that, while still young by the standards of his planet, the years were inexorably passing and it was time to think of the future. Things had gone as they should for the last 13 1/2 years, and the bright Sun and warm Sea had melted the pain of his trials on Earth and helped bring Peace and Harmony to him, Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Perhaps it was time to settle down. He and Mira should meet and talk about their possible future as a couple. He decided to call her that evening, for he now felt ready to accept responsibility for far more than a spice garden and a stable of animals.

Poor Bennu! Life is never simple for him, and he, like Yago before him, had still not learned not to want things that he might get ...

He had had a most pleasantly busy day, for one of his mares had foaled, without problems, of course. A brisk walk brought him from the stable to the back entrance to his house. He paused to check out his garden, for it was not only people that ate the plants that grew there, but insects and microscopic organisms.

Whistling happily - a habit, though hardly unknown here, that he had not personally adopted until his stay on Earth - he walked through the back door. He hung up his still clean outerwear, tossed his underclothes into the Autowash, satisfied some bodily urges, and took a nice shower, his mind filled with plans for dinner.

He had received a package of exotic spices a few days ago and had some interesting ideas he wished to try. Like many Healers, he was a semi-vegetarian by preference, and spices were a natural attraction. Unlike most, he had found that he had a totally unsuspected Talent at combining ones from various planets to produce astonishing tastes, and some of his recipies had won planet-wide favor, as had his studies on the subject.

For this he had earned considerable praise, for things of beauty, especially ones that could be shared, were always appreciated by the Mature, and “beauty” most certainly included the sense of taste.

Still whistling, he stepped out of the shower and into the dryer, then towards the clothes closet, passing by a doorway as he did so. He stopped abruptly, for a blinking red light in the next room had caught his attention. Somebody had sent him an urgent message.

He walked over to the Communicator unit and picked up the red-banded printout it had automatically generated.

“Citizen Bennu” it began. Now, that was odd! “Citizen” was actually a title, one that all Adult Eldebranis bore, but it was usually used only in formal communications. Why would he be getting such a message - the first in over 13 years - and sent “Urgent”, no less?

He began to read. “I request that you reconsider your decision regarding the position you have been offered. I wish to retire and cannot do so until a suitable replacement is Trained. You have been found to be by far the most qualified to replace me.”

Bennu snorted. That might well be true, but surely Mira, who was willing, would be a more than capable Teacher of Missionary Healers. And then he read the signature: “Mirana, High Counsellor of Healing”.

He staggered backwards in astonishment. //ME?? They want ME to serve on the Council of the Wise?// It was something no one ever considered except the few interested in Government Administration - those who would be Leaders. Yet, when he thought the matter over rationally, there was the fact that, of all the Candidates since accurate records were kept over the last 20,000 SunCycles, he was one of the two who rated highest ever in potential. The other was Yago, of course, and had he not chosen the Way of Shadow, it might be him this letter was being sent to. What an amazing coincidence - or was it?

Whatever. Of course he was under no obligation to accept, and no one would think less of him had he declined, but when one is called to such an obligation, Maturity demands acceptance.

He finally made it to the clothes closet, choosing a new set of denims, for members of the Council were deserving of the highest respect, and even a bare chest was inappropriate. The he sent his formal acceptance to both the Missionary Training School and Mirana.

He shook his head. He was going to call Mira about being ready to accept serious responsibility, and that’s exactly what he was about to do! (Had he been Immature, he would have added “and on a decade birthday, too”.) Sometimes he wondered if The Light, Who had protected him so often on Earth, had a sense of humor. Something seemed to be playing practical jokes on him.

He punched in her Communicator number and beheld her face.

Mira: “Bennu! What a pleasure to speak to you.”

Bennu: “It seems that I have had an unexpected change of plans. I have accepted Training for Missionary Healer’s School, and thought I should tell you before you get an official notice that the position is filled.”

Mira: “OK, Bennu, what’s up? It’s NOT like you to suddenly change your mind, especially after 4 1/2 years.”

Bennu: “I was asked to”

Mira: “Who, except maybe me, could make you change your mind? (teasingly) Or have you finally gotten serious about a woman?”

Bennu, his mood broken, laughed: “Funny, I was going to speak to you tonight on that very subject. However, a woman did ask me. Mirana, in fact.”

Mira: “Very funny. Why would a High Counsellor get involved in such a minor matter? It’s not like Yago has become a Black Phoenix and has risen from the ashes.”

Bennu began to blush. The Mature didn’t brag, and how to make it sound the way it had happened? Oh, yes. In a somber tone, he spoke: “She also wants to retire.”

Mira: “So? ... BENNU! You can’t mean ... (his face had turned a deep crimson) High Counsellor Bennu. I LIKE the sound of it. I’m so proud of you!”

Bennu: “It’s an awesome responsibility. Anyway, I haven’t even qualified as a Teacher yet.”

Mira: “Do you have the slightest doubt that you will? And may you serve your term in dignity and boredom.”

Bennu, his mood broken again, laughed. “Indeed! I have had more than my share of Adventures, and to virtually all of the rest of the Citizens, any is too many. I’m sure that the worst I will have to endure is separation from my beloved horses on the rare occasions the Council meets in person.”

This was not one of Bennu’s more prophetic moments. Mira was another matter.

Before Bennu could leave for his Training, he had some details to take care of. For one, he did not want to leave the newborn foal, for it was, for now, one of his “children”. Fortunately, none of his other mares was pregnant, and a little Healer’s Power made sure that they wouldn’t be until he returned.

Of course he had to find somebody besides a few Adolescent volunteers to run the farm for the time being, but the local Council helped arrange that. There was also the matter of training the xenoveterinarian that the Council had put on loan in the specifics of horse biology, but that was another simple matter for the Mature. And, now unretired from Healing, he removed his Medallion from its case and hung it back around his neck, at least during waking hours - except while surfing. It still spoiled some of the stunts, and he really didn’t want to risk losing something that had been so much a part of his life.

He arrived for his Teacher Training exactly five years from the day he had first been requested to. There being no Classes being held at the time, his predecessor retired on time.

Bennu proved to be, as expected, an exceptionally capable Teacher when it was time to Train a class of Candidates, then began helping in the Training of his replacement, Mira, for his Training had to continue, and there were no formal Classes for much of what he had to learn. Fortunately, most of his study could be done at home, so he was not overly separated from his horses, and Mira was willing to wait until he had become accustomed to his new responsibilities before actually having the conversation Bennu had implied on that famous evening.

100 was hardly an unusual age to first become a parent, and they were only in their mid-80s when the Council of the Wise met in formal session to announce Mirana’s retirement and the official naming of Bennu as High Counsellor of Healing. Mira, at Bennu’s request, was allowed to attend, and how proud she felt when he was given his Robes of High Office.

And that was about it. Counsellors, when acting in their official capacity, wore formal clothing of a color suitable to their profession - white with silver trim for Healers, blue for Scientists, and so on - the Chief Counsellor, as a Leader, wore grey, if you are curious - but, other than their Robes, had no official symbols, though Healers of any rank normally wore their Medallions.

Counsellor Bennu took his seat for the first time. It was all so unreal! He was sitting next to the most intelligent man on the planet, the Counsellor of Science, and the man had welcomed him warmly as a colleague! (And indeed, if you consider “intelligence” to be the ability to manipulate data to produce new patterns which reflected physical reality more accurately, Bennu’s description was correct.) All Bennu had to show for his studies was a short textbook - a warmly received one, true - placing the combining of spices to produce novel tastes on a semi-predictable basis, which his colleague had just complimented him on.

But the man was equally in awe of Bennu, who had shown the greatest ability to manipulate the very essence of life to SunChildren ever scientifically measured. That “Sensitivity”, as the Eldebranis termed it, made it possible for him to be the most powerful Healer his planet had seen, at least since the War of Light and Shadow. Presumably his Talent would go to waste, for, aside from the truly rare unpredicted major natural disaster, the multitude of Healers could handle all the needed repair work to their fellow Citizens.

But all things run in cycles. Stars certainly did, their various ray fluxes shifting slowly in intensity and frequency, though 20,000 years was much too short a time have made enough observations, and Z-ray theory was rather poorly developed. So, as it turned out, did the relationship between the Normal Plane and the Plane of Shadow.

Scarcely had six months passed when Bennu found it prudent to contact the Chief Counsellor (CC).

Bennu: “There are dark corners in my mind.”

CC: “There are dark corners in the minds of all who live on this planet, caused by the presence of the Shadow Lords. Only those with exceptional Sensitivity can detect them, though.”

Bennu: “They are growing.”

There was a pause at the other end of the Communicator link.

CC: “The Shadow Lords are in your area of authority. I hope you will not be the one to demonstrate why a planet of the Mature needs a Council of the Wise, but if not for your abilities, this might have not been noticed for a while.”

Bennu sent out teams to investigate the Shadow Circles and sent an alert to the Regional Councils to have their Healers report any unusual disturbances which might be caused by “discorporate Evil activity”.

The reports were, at first, fairly reassuring. As expected, there was a modest strengthening of the sense of Evil in the immediate area of the Shadow Circles themselves, especially at the largest one, the one designated Shadow A. It had always been the one most likely to cause trouble, and now was no exception.

But then reports began to come into him about terrifying dreams and uneasiness among animals at night. And the dark corners in Bennu’s mind continued to grow. He submitted a preliminary report stating that there was no apparent danger “at present”, but if the trend continued - and there was no reason to believe it would not - evacuation of the areas nearest the Circles, especially Shadow A, should be considered.

But the Shadow Lords struck first. The residents of a farming village were suddenly awakend by a sense of something horrible, terrifying, and utterly Evil speeding towards them. They fled in their emergency vehicles, a few lucky ones able to grab pets. Hours later they cautiously approached their homes, ready to again flee at a moment’s notice. Their Healer swept the area with his mind - and detected nothing.

Nothing, indeed, for it was as they feared. All of the plants were blackened and withered as if by a blast of polar air. The animals, too, were dead, their bodies contorted. Their owners mourned for them, not as much for their deaths as for what clearly was the terrible way they had died. All the SunPowered devices had exploded, too.

The village Resident, his face grim, strode over to a small Impervite-clad building about the size of an Earthly telephone booth. He broke the seal over the handle and opened the door, a light coming on in it as he did so.

Inside was a small red box marked “Emergency Communicator”. He swung its front back and a mast extruded from the top of the building. There was a pointer inside which could be set to various colors. Red was fire, blue: flood, brown: earthquake or mudslide, and so on. Black meant Evil attack, and it was there he set it, then punched the alarm button. A green light signalled that the message had been sent, and a few seconds later, a second one indicated that it had been received. Help was on the way. The villagers stayed near their vehicles and waited for it to arrive.

Bennu had been reviewing the data on the Shadow Lords in the Archives of the Healers when the emergency signal came in. The rescue team was already on its way, of course, as was a high-level group trained in the investigation of the possible activity of the Shadow Lords, such teams by nature having to be fully informed about the Curse of the SunChildren.

The report they made was explicit and unanimous. Bennu was stunned. This was an actual attack, and though no Citizens had lost their lives - yet - the Truce had clearly been broken! He ordered an emergency evacuation of areas around all of the Circles, most especially around Shadow A. This fortunately still affected relatively few, for nobody would choose to live anywhere near the Circles, even considering that their reach had grown.

He also convened the Council in emergency session and made his report to it.

Bennu: “Astonishingly, we find ourselves but a few steps from war. I have ordered a full resurvey of the Circles, most especially A. Of course an evacuation is underway even as we speak.”

CC: “You have full authority in this area, even unto declaring war. The Council and the Citizens it represents will back whatever actions you deem necessary.”

The next report showed only a moderate increase in activity at most of the Circles. A was, however, not merely larger, but actually visibly growing. Bennu ordered the deployment of the heavy weapons.

Armories were unsealed and SunCannon put in place to defend the larger population centers and important facilities. The Chief Counsellor broadcast an alert to the general population, warning them to keep all SunPower units fully charged and isolated areas, which could not be heavily defended, to put themselves in a heightened state of alert and be prepared to defend themselves or flee, as they thought best.

Bennu made his preparations. He must confront the Lords of Circle A, of course - he could not believe they intended a full scale conflict, not after their nearly total defeat in the War of Light and Shadow - but their conduct was still intolerable.

Of course he wasn’t simply going to walk up to the Circle and ask its inhabitants to be nice. For one, he was taking not one, but two SunCannon with him, enough SunPower to give pause to even a Shadow Circle, at least briefly. Then, too, he intended to disguise himself. Over his Robes and pants he wore a specially made set of denims, with the seams held together by SunPower. Those of Shadow were arrogant and could perhaps be provoked into revealing some of their plans if they did not realize who they were speaking to, and a brief gesture would cause his outer garments to fall away, freeing him for action. And a team of high-level Healers would be with him.

There were no more attacks in the some days between the first and his appearance in front of the still growing boundaries of the Circle. The Cannoneers took up their positions, aiming at the pillars of the Shadow Gate. Bennu stepped forward.

Bennu: //Why have you broken the Truce? We will do almost anything to avoid the abhorrence called War, but we will not surrender. We will fight if you force us to!//

One of the Shadow Lords observing the area around it turned to its commander. //We have more visitors. They challenge us. One, by his mental patterns, should be familiar to you.//

Yago pushed the other aside and peered through the observation slit into the Normal Plane. //Why, it is Bennu. I will speak to him. Then taunt him. And then I will take great delight in killing him.//

//Be careful. He has brought weapons of considerable power with him, ones even you cannot defend yourself against. You have planned long for the upcoming battle. Don’t risk all on petty quarrells.//

Yago: //They will not attack first. They never do.//

A Blackness hurled itself between the pillars of the Shadow Gate, raced across the Shadow Circle and its edge, then paused before the Eldebranis. Shadow Mist hid its core, but its mental patterns were all too familiar to Bennu.

Bennu (in astonishment): //Yago!// NOW he understood the full meaning of his Prophecy so long ago.

Yago: //Surprised to see me, Bennu? Your Earth-monkey friends did me a great favor when they destroyed my body, for they forced me to seek my true heritage, that of Shadow Lord. True, you may be briefly grateful that they are safe from me, but Eldebran is not. For more than 300 years while you slept I have risen in the ranks of the Shadow Lords until I became Lord of the Shadows of the greatest of all the Shadow Circles. It is mine to command now, which is appropriate, for it was here that I was Initiated. You will live but a few hundred years, or would have had you not met me. I will live long enough to watch the Stars grow old. And what have you become in what little time you have been given?//

Bennu: //I have chosen to raise horses for riding.//

Yago: //An ANIMAL FARMER?? The Council of Fools has sent a breeder of dumb animals to challenge ME??//

Bennu: //By my preference, yes.// His hand swept across his body and his disguise fell away. //By the will of the Citizens, I am High Counsellor of Healing!//

Yago: //My, my. I have underestimated you. Of all those I have met, you were the one worthy opponent. Killing you will bring me much pleasure.//

One of the Weapons teams ostentatiously shifted the aim of their SunCannon. Yago was forced to rethink things. Killing Bennu would certainly take a while, for he, too, had obviously grown in power - indeed, it would be no fun unless it did take a while - but he wasn’t going to be given the time. Unless ...

Yago: //You said you would do almost anything to avoid war. Very well. I challenge you to a fight, here and now.//

The Shadow Lords were horrified. Yago’s arrogance was threatening their whole plan! But before they could do anything, Bennu had agreed. Yago wasn’t worried. In the remote chance that he found himself losing, he could always escape through the Shadow Gate, dodging the blasts of the SunCannon as he fled.

Arrogance indeed, for it was near noon on a clear day in early summer. Bennu’s Powers would be at their maximum.

Yago immediately hurled several clots of Shadow Mist at Bennu, who dodged or deflected them easily. Yago had no clear plan of attack, but deception was bound to be a part of it, and Bennu quickly calculated what it could be. He decided to force the issue. First he cut off virtually all sensation in his legs and feet, then locked the joints and muscles into their upright position.

Then, much to Yago’s amazement, Bennu launched a mental attack, using nearly all of his power. Their minds locked together and Yago found himself hurled backwards. He crashed against an unyielding wall, the edge of the Shadow Circle.

//You can not retreat! Your desire for revenge has bound us all to your fate!//

For minutes they strove against each other, but Yago could not free himself from Bennu’s mind.

Yago then, as Bennu had intended, sent the Shadow Mist creeping across the area separating them. It reached Bennu’s feet and began climbing up his legs. Preparation or not, he would soon be disabled, but the distraction from the sudden pain that Yago had expected did not occur. And Yago had now stripped himself of his defensive shield.

Bennu’s Medallion blazed in the sunlight, and a cylinder of SunPower struck the Blackness before him. Briefly the Blackness held, but then it began to lighten and grow traslucent. Suddenly it faded away and Yago was no more. Bennu allowed himself to sink into the mercy of unconsciousness.

As Healers raced over to help their injured leader, a cry of despair rang through their minds. The Unlight of the pillars of the Shadow Gate faded away until they were no more than columns of black stone. Then they crumbled and the Shadow Circle abruptly vanished. Sunlight beamed down onto the ground where it had been for the first time in many millennia.

The Healers naturally rolled Bennu onto his back to expose his body to the rays of the Sun. One of them noticed Bennu’s Medallion, for arcs seemed to be jumping across its face. He hastily stood between it and the rays.

Healer: //Help me get it off him. CAREFULLY! The Power he sent through was so great that it wrenched its very structure, and it has become unstable. If it explodes he will surely die.//

They levitated it off his chest and slid the chain over his head, then carefully stored it out of the light and well away from anything it could damage if it did detonate.

Bennu was rushed to the Healer’s Ward of the Council. His physical wounds took time to heal, but were not difficult to treat. But a mind-to-mind contest againt utter Evil ... how they needed the one thing they didn’t have, his skill in treating such hurts! Fortunately, his mind had suffered no structural damage.

Weeks passed as the Healers repaired the psychic damage Yago had caused. They could not help but learn of all of Bennu’s encounters with Shadow if they wished to help him, and their report was long, stretching back to his Prophecy nearly 1,400 years ago, complicated, and full of the pain he had felt. But finally they felt it would be safe for him to awaken soon. He was taken to his house by the Sea, dressed in his rancher’s clothes, and, in the presence of his colleagues and Mira, brought back to consciousness.

Alas, his first words - and he spoke them - were: “I have killed!” And he would not be comforted, but wept over his actions.

CC: “You were a Missionary Healer. As such, you were Trained to kill if necessary.”

Bennu: “On a distant planet, yes. But who has killed a fellow Eldebrani?”

CC: “Yago did.”

Bennu: (bitterly): “Small comfort that is! He chose Shadow, and killing is natural to those beings whose life-force is the negation of ours.”

But the Chief Counsellor was chosen above all else for his wisdom in dealing with others. He opened his mind to Bennu and showed current scenes of the planet, its Citizens going about their lives happily. //You have prevented a war. True, you did not save our Society, for we have grown far mightier since the War of Light and Shadow than our Enemies know, and we would surely have EVENTUALLY defeated them, but you have saved many lives.//

Bennu: //At the expense of one.//

CC: //Think back upon your Prophecy. You are a Believer in The Light, as most of us are. This confrontation was surely His work. Keep this scene in your mind and be comforted.//

Bennu saw another vision, that of the SunCannon being returned to their places of storage, and accepted at last his fate.

Bennu: //You have dressed me in that which brings me comfort. Let us visit my stables, for I wish to greet my horses. I have been away from them for too long.//

And he rose up out of his bed and fed them apples and was much happier.

CC: //We have heard much of this hobby of yours. Are the waves right for a demonstration of this “surfing’?//

Bennu looked at them. //They are, but you must know my preferences when doing so. They hardly seem appropriate before the Council.//

CC: “We are here as colleagues and friends. We will watch the performance, not the performer.//

Mira giggled and, when Bennu turned his head towards her, did her best to imitate one of his Smiles.

Bennu (Smiling) (to Mira): //When the others have left, I think it is time to have that long-postponed talk.//

Though not having practiced since the crisis had begun, the Mature do not become, as English terms it, “rusty” readily, and he put on quite a show. He was loudly applauded for his display of coordinated harmony with the Sea. Having finished, he put his clothes back on, dried his board, and carefully stored it away.

CC: //And now it is time for us to leave Bennu alone, or nearly so, for I think his has some long-unfinished business to complete.//

He handed Bennu a box with his Counsellor’s Robes, and a Healer’s Symbol. Bennu held it curiously, for, though physically identical, it did not feel familiar to his mind.

CC: “Indeed it is a replacement, for your old one has been rendered useless by the enormous flux it carried as its last act. It has been stabilized now and can be safely put on display in the Halls of Honor. Good day, friend Bennu.//

With that startling remark, he and the others left Bennu and Mira alone.

Bennu: //Some time ago I had thought that I was ready to take on added responsibility and planned on calling you that evening to discuss our possible future as a couple.//

He picked up the box and removed his Counsellor’s Robes. //Other responsibilities have delayed that talk. Now it is time.//

Mira: //We had to be ready. Now we are. Yes!//

That was a rather short Commitment proposal and acceptance, even by the standards of the Mature.

Bennu got a far-off look in his eyes. //Children. THREE of them, by authorization of the Council, if we desire. They seem to think my genes are “hot stuff”.//

Mira switched to spoken English and made the obvious pun about “hot stuff”, “genes”, and “jeans”.

Bennu (pretending to be shocked): //Mira, I fear that I have corrupted you. No matter what my mood, you could always make me laugh. What a precious gift that is.//

Mira: //Just one thing I ask. Please, try not to have any more Adventures! Now that I truly have you, I would like to KEEP you.//

Bennu picked up his Robes. //I cannot abandon my duties to Eldebran, nor do I wish to. But the dark corners in my mind the Shadow Lords cause have shrunk ...//

He fell silent and seemed to be briefly listening to Someone, a Someone whose Presence filled the room and then was gone.

Bennu: //There will be no more Adventures for us, Mira. That I know.//

Mira: //Bennu! Was that another Prophecy?//

Bennu (looking startled): //Why ... yes. And my first one certainly came true, and in the most unexpected way possible. We can relax and look forward to our future. Come, let us visit the local Resident.//

The man looked up to see Bennu walking into his room. Somebody was following behind him.

//Counsellor Bennu! How may I help you?//

Then he saw Mira. The looks on the faces of two of them left little doubt about the reason for their visit.

//Well, congratulations to both of you!//

They punched in their ID numbers and the Resident keyed in “Record and Transmit”. That was all there was to it. Any other ceremonies, whether religious or civil, were up to the two who had just Committed themselves to each other, presumably for life. Adults were suppose to know what they were doing, and Decommitment, though just as easy to accomplish, was virtually unheard of among the Mature.

When they returned they made use of Bennu’s bed. Sex among telepathic Races was truly remarkable, for not only could they also feel the other’s pleasure, but, even on their first time, could coordinate their bodily movements to maximize it for both. Besides, the male could control his body to delay his release until both were ready for it.

Mira: //So that is sex! No wonder it so dominated the thoughts of the Immature.//

Bennu: //Yes, it is amazing.//

Mira: //Is there something you’ve not told me?//

She was merely curious. With neither diseases nor pregnancy to worry about, pre-Commitment virginity was quite optional, though, as with all things, Adults, even if they chose to have sex, did so “in Balance and Harmony”.

Bennu: //Sort of.//

Mira: //Sort of??//

Bennu: //It happened on Earth. In fact, it “sort of” set the tone for my Adventures, for it was ... unusual.//

Mira was now quite curious. Missionary Healers were, after all, trained to use their bodies in the Healing process if necessary.

Mira: //Tell me all about the lucky woman. On Earth you would have been considered a most desirable sex partner.//

Bennu began blushing again. //Have you not read my report to the Council?//

Mira: //Oh. All right, tell me about the lucky man.//

He told her the Tale of Earth’s Secret. She was disappointed that it was all purely mental, for it would have been interesting to hear about what it felt like for him to be stimulated by another male. Still, the Tale was stimulating enough, and she reached for him ...

Mira went back to her house the next morning, for there was a great deal to be done before they would live together. Exchanging her land grant from the Council for one next to Bennu’s was the easy part, and yes, there would be room for her elephants. She wasn’t breeding them for sale, just to make sure they did not go extinct, and so had only 6.

Deciding on how to remodel his house to accomodate both their tastes was quite complicated, and had not been finished when he received a summons from the Council. There was a monument to dedicate that required the presence of all of the members, and could he please arrange his schedule to clear two days at his early convenience.

Mira, who was on one of her frequent visits, looked at him with curiosity.

Bennu: //Something to do with the recent unpleasantness, no doubt. Perhaps at the village which was attacked and so precipitated the crisis. You have been invited to attend, too.//

They travelled to the Council building and all set off for the site. Curiously, no one would tell Bennu anything about the dedication. He looked at the Chief Counsellor, who returned his gaze with one of studied neutrality.

For the man was, after all, wise, and knew that Bennu’s act of killing still left its mark in his mind. And, though their Society rarely honored individuals, especially beyond placing them in the Halls of Honor, “rarely” did not mean “never”, but only “when the circumstances are so unusual that it is proper.” He had found a way to accomplish both purposes.

Bennu, though not paying much attention to where they were going at first, noticed that it was not in the direction of the village. In fact, it seemed to be towards a familiar destination.

Bennu (unhappily): //I do not like the direction we travel.//

CC: //That is understandable.// And he would say no more.

But Bennu noticed that his mind remained quiet. Surrendering to the wisdom of the Council, he relaxed, gently fingering the Healer’s Symbol he wore under his Robes and clothing.

And then they stopped and got out of their vehicle.

Bennu (so surprised he reverted to speech); “It’s GONE!”

Indeed it was. Teams of Healers had neutralized the remaining Unlight in the months since the Shadow Circle had vanished, and wildlife, both plants and animals, had returned to the spot. Standing in the center was a tall shaft, at present enshrouded.

Since the ceremony was to be broadcast and recorded, speech was necessary.

CC: “It was on this site only months ago that war was planned upon the Citizens of Eldebran. Let he who has brought Light where Shadow ruled bring Light to this Monument. Unshroud the Pillar, Bennu.” [Technically it was an obelisk, as the one on Earth was, but they had called theirs a Pillar, thus fixing the name.]

Bennu tugged on the rope attached to the covering and it fell away. The Pillar was white with a crystalline cap which refracted the sunlight and cast ever-changing multicolored patterns on the ground. Attached at eye-level was a silver-colored plate.

Bennu noticed the colors, his colors, and stood in silent astonishment.

CC: “Behold the Pillar of Joy. It shall stand as long as our Society does, for the solar concentrator in the cap will fill it with SunPower and preserve it until the ground beneath it is transformed by the slow currents that lie under our feet.”

Indeed, the Pillar was already beginning to radiate a gentle Light. That Light began to shine through the memorial plate, for the inscriptions were cut into it to permit them to be formed by Light rather than being read off the surface.

CC (to Bennu): “Read the plaque and so dedicate the Pillar.”

Bennu stepped forward and read the lines that follow: “The Pillar of Joy (Bennu’s Pillar) Freed from the long misrule of Evil,” and the date.

And at last the pain in his mind was cured, for he finally understood that, even to a SunChild, killing could be honorable, or at least, refusing to kill would have been dishonorable. The judgement of the Citizens had been made and he accepted it.

He threw his arms about the Pillar and kissed the plate and allowed his tears, now of joy, to flow freely.

CC: “Even unto the end of the days of our Society will the name of Bennu be loved.”

Bennu and Mira had their three children. The eldest, a son, had inherited much of their Talents and their Adventurousness and had become a Missionary Healer. He was now on some distant planet attempting to bring Maturity to it as his parents had done to Earth.

Their second, a female, had inherited their interest and much of their Talent, too, but not much of their Adventurousness, and so chose to become a Trainer of Missionary Healers, though she, like Bennu, had also learned to pilot a small intrasystem space ship. But their youngest son was different. He had Bennu’s love of animals and chose to inherit the horse ranch and not so much as budge from the atmosphere of the planet. Bennu, when he asked, finally told him the origin of the ranch’s name, and he laughed, for an appreciation of puns was something he had also acquired from his parents.

Bennu retired from the Council of the Wise at the age of 205, having served an astonishing 120 years as High Counsellor of Healing, and, as he had Prophecied, without anything remotely resembling another Adventure.

Mira’s Time of Passing came at the reasonable age of 240, and though Bennu missed her dearly, in a few decades at most he would be rejoined with her in the Presence of The Light.

Another animal lover took over her elephants, which pleased Bennu greatly, for they had meant much to her. He, after all, had someone most familiar with horses to take over the ranch when his Time came.

He was a poor prophet about the date, though, for it was not until he was approaching what, for a SunChild, was the most exceptional age of 268 that he felt the Call of The Light.

Friends, fellow Counsellors, and relatives gathered by his bedside. He left it briefly to take one final SunBath, then lay down and released his Spirit from his body.

The Chief Counsellor - not the one Bennu first knew, but two later - spoke. “He is reunited with his beloved Mira now. We will never see the likes of one such as him again. May we never need to.”

There was one final task for him to do. He took the plate that was to be placed in the Halls of Honor and added Bennu’s year of death to it. There it remained for all to see and read the following:

So now the Tales of Bennu and Mira have ended, as they finally must for all Tales of those who are mortal.

Copyright January 16, 2005 Richard Kaplan

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