by A. D. Nance
commonly used. Each CABayo had a life-size horse head, but Eldon did not know that they moved and looked alive, until now. This was one example of the pride the Valenyezians had in their culture. They had a pride in their history and a passion for their art that was not common on Eldon’s Earth.
The Cardẽno Café was across from the INTREB terminal – Eldon’s appointed meeting place with Salena. He stepped on the walkway in front of it, but Salena was nowhere in sight. There were two women sitting on a bench in front of the café. One got up and approached saying, “Are you Eldon?”
A bit surprised, Eldon slowly said, “Yes that is my name. Who are you?”
“I am Marsorita, the one you are supposed to meet today.”
She was young, a local, but definitely not Salena. With a confused look, Eldon responded, “I’m sorry. I don’t know you. I am here to meet a person named Salena.”
“I do not know who that is, but this is my mother Asalia.” ‘How could she know his name and not know Salena?’ Eldon thought. She motioned to the woman on the bench who was hunched over with a hood covering her face. The woman slowly rose and feebly limped forward saying,
“Hola, blanco.” Then she immediately threw back the hood. It was Salena! The girls broke out into laughter. Eldon was happily relieved and even let out a laugh himself. This kind of spontaneity and local color was something Eldon was unfamiliar with. But he found it exhilarating and refreshing, as if experiencing these things for the very first time. Eldon was not aware of it yet, but he was beginning to change inside.
So now began their day of discovery in this typical city of Valenyez. Eldon, Salena, and her friend Marsorita were ready. First they walked into the café where they met. The girls ordered one zedepa and zelwater for each of them since Eldon was not at all familiar with the cuisine. They mercifully made Eldon’s a mild one.
“This is quite spicy, but I like it,” Eldon said, trying to be outgoing and gregarious. Marsorita gigled because that was the least spicy thing in the place.
Salena asked, “Don’t they have some-thing like this on your planet?”
“Oh yes, on Earth there is some food like this, but it is more or less an imitation. This is the real thing here I think.” Salena’s joyful anticipation was plainly displayed as she said,
“I want to show you many things here – all real. How long do you have?”
“All this day I am yours. I have been looking forward to this for a year.”
After a discussion about things Eldon has seen and done as a Singsord,they walked outside.
Since it was near, they first stopped at the Office of Seguros. The receptionist was very friendly and happy to see the 3 of them. However, Salena was circumspect and somewhat nervous. She was cautious not to reveal too much about her guest. So they only stayed a moment in the lobby and did not go further into the department. Unknown to them though, a pair of suspicious eyes was watching them. From that point on, they had a tail stalking them.
Led by Salena, they quickly got away from that government building and crossed the square. A vibrant and colorful place, each shop in the center of the city was like a Douma painting come to life. Within a short walking distance was the Museo. Not just a museum, but a planetary conglomeration of everything Valenyezian past and present. Much of it was artworks of their great masters such as Douma, Georges and others. They came upon a display of life in the Barbai Valley area. This was one thing that was some-what familiar to Eldon since he had been there. This exhibit showed the deadly life forms in the bottom of the valley. It was open, raised a few feet off the floor of the viewing area, with a short transparent wall in front. The scorpions, glochas, spiders and serpents looked so very real. They were moving slowly but kept their distance from the edge of the display where the people were. As the 3 of them were looking at them and thinking they were glad that these creatures were not real, Salena turned to her right where Eldon was and asked him a question.
“What would you do if you were in that valley with all those creepy things?”
Eldon turned toward her and started to say, “I would hope I had a good weapon . . . ” Then he noticed something that she could not see. One of the spiders was coming close to the edge of the exhibit booth right near the wall. He immediately pulled her away from that wall of the exhibit and gave a sharp punch to the spider with the back of his hand. It was knocked back and landed on its back with legs still moving. Marsorita laughed and said, “It was her, She got you again.”
“That was good. You were fast Eldon,”Salena said.
“You did that?"
“Yes I did it. It was a frescazi.”
Eldon just stared.
“You know,” Salena continued, “a deceit, a hoax, a prank, a trap, a quiz . . . Is there no word for that in your language?”
Eldon started to smile and said, “Surprises. You have many surprises.”
They were all amused and it helped them to enjoy the museo more. This practice of frescazi or surprise was new to Eldon. But he was willing to learn it because it was a basic and inseparable part of Salena’s personality. Later he asked her how she made the spider move. She only said she ‘knows how’ and then changed the subject. As they entered a crowded room of the museo, Salena saw a face in the crowd she recognized. He was from the Seguros department. She sensed they were being followed. She discreetly told her friends not to look around, but that they were being watched and that they had to leave.
They got outside as fast as they could and hailed the first CABayo that came. Their pursuer was fast and set out after them in his own cab.
“Is he following?” Marsorita asked. Eldon looked back.
“I think he is.
Where are we going, Salena?” he asked.
“Driver, take us to the zoo park,” Salena announced, then turned to Eldon and said, “I have a friend there that can help us.” A vision flashed in Salena’s mind as they approached an intersection.
“Exit here now!” she yelled. The driver barely had time to react, yet the cab cut to the right more sharply and speedily than he ever thought possible.
“How did I do that?” the driver exclaimed.
“Driver, please stop the cab,” Salena requested in a hollow tone. She looked back at the street they came from as the driver was saying, “You told me to exit, but this is not the right way – ” The cab stopped and then a crash could be heard. It was a bad collision at the intersection they had just avoided. The head of a horse bounced into view with the mouth moving, teeth showing as if in severe distress, but no sound from it. They were all perturbed at that rear view. Then the cab that was chasing them came into view. Salena said “Go!” and the chase was on again. No conversation ensued as the chase to the zoo was intense. The cab moved so fast and responded too quickly. The driver suspected that someone else or something was driving it.
When they arrived, there was a collective sigh of relief. Being right near the gate, they then entered with Salena leading.
“Who are we looking for?” Eldon asked.
“His name is Raskerz,” Salena responded. It was a large habitat park divided into ranges for different animals. There were no bars, only transparent barriers between the animals and the visitor paths. They wasted no time looking at the animals as they made their way through the park. Salena knew exactly where she was going. The eight-legged spider monkeys were following them on the side of the path for a while. Two bear snails were sliding slowly down the barrier as they passed. They saw a kangallama hopping toward the range they were headed for – the gecgots.
These creatures looked like big cats from a distance. Then one came close and you could see his bulging eyes and long lizard-like tail. Then he put his two front feet on the transparent barrier and started to climb. The paws were more like the feet of a gecko and they clung to the smooth surface with ease. Salena blew a tiny whistle that was on a chain aro
und her neck. It was silent, but not to the gecgots. The one on the barrier immediately jumped down and ran away. Then from a distance came a growl and you could see a huge gecgot running toward the window. He was striped in brown, yellow and green. He came up to the barrier as if excited to see and old friend.
“This is Raskerz,” Salena excitedly announced. Salena put her palm against the barrier. The gecgot put his paw at her hand. Eldon was quite amazed and started to ask how, but before he could, Salena explained. “I raised him from a cub until I could not keep him at home. We are good friends.” After a few seconds of admiring Raskerz, the friendly gecgot, Marsorita alerted Salena to the path behind them. Approaching rapidly was the man from the department of Seguros. He had now seen them.
“Lets go. This way,” Salena said as she started to run up the path. They came around a bend and were at the end of the gecgot range. Salena now blew her whistle and seemingly before she had finished, the gecgot was on top of the wall above them. He apparently knew how to get out. Salena reached up toward him. The gecgot, Raskerz, let down his long tail. Salena grabbed hold and it pulled her up to set her on Raskerz’s back. She then motioned for her two friends to come up. Marsorita was lifted up and then Eldon. Raskerz was large enough to accommodate all 3 on his back. He carried them to an arch that