Jasper gazed dreamily into the night sky. Twinkling lights stared back at him, letting his mind wander as he pondered what might be. He’d always known there were other people, other worlds. Anyone with a brain could tell that those stars were not just twinkling lights, but other places. He thought of all the countless people living on the countless stars, and wanted to meet them all.
“Jasper!” his father called a distance away. “This is not funny! Come clean your brother’s bed out!”
Jasper grinned, thinking of the appalled expression his older brother surely had.
“Jasper!” his father’s voice died away as he searched elsewhere. Jasper knew exactly where his family couldn’t find him.
He lay on a small, grassy hill with a clearing at its crest. His little village, on the fielded edge of the beast-inhabited, thick forest, had only a few dozen families. Jasper often came to this hill because it was a place for quiet contemplation and thought. It also had the best view of the stars.
“Julia, you look lovely tonight,” Jasper said to his favorite star.
He didn’t mind that people knew he talked to the stars, referring to them as friends. He could feel people’s embarrassment for him, but he had none for himself, rare for a boy of eleven, just shy of being considered a man.
“Just thinking, Julia,” Jasper said. “Is there someone out there where you are, looking back and talking? I know I’ve asked a lot. You don’t have to answer, but, well, wink at me if you can feel this.” With the silent empathy that all people on the planet Mother possessed, to one degree or another, he sent out a shared feeling of joy to his favorite star.
Jasper wasn’t sure, but he felt that the jewel-like star winked at him.
“There you go again,” he said with a smile. “Not nice to pester me, Julia.”
Jasper sighed as he once again prepared to leave Julia and her companions to head back to his cottage. He caressed the cool, dark green grass one last time and patted it, assuring it he would return. He wiped a little dirt off his dark brown pants, longer than most of the other boys his age, as he walked away and put his green cloak back on over his string-tied shirt.
Jasper walked slowly back to the cottage, knowing he had a lot of planting to do in the fields the next morning. He scratched at the small cut on his arm, proof of his humiliation the day before. He’d run away during his first beast hunting party. Jasper’s father said it was nothing to be ashamed of, that the particular beast was quite large. But it was standing alone a distance away.
He'd been surrounded by the other village hunters, but the shock of coming onto a beast without warning made Jasper give in to his instincts and run. It was nothing to be ashamed of, but Jasper worried that he’d have the same reaction if it happened again. That was shameful.
The moon shone dim over the trees, and as he passed through the edge of the densely green forest and toward his village, he heard voices coming from the dirt path ahead. He ducked silently down to the soft undergrowth, and hid under a low-branched tree.
The voices approached, and Jasper could almost make out what they said. Two were female, and he could barely make out a deep, light-hearted man’s voice alongside them. Jasper slowly edged toward the path, knowing the forest well and his experienced feet not making a sound. People said it wasn’t right for him to be scaring people, said it was childish. But Jasper couldn’t resist the fun.
He neared the path and found the perfect spot to spring, contemplating what method to use. There was the tried-and-true jump and scream. That always worked on the girls, but was getting old. Feigning a brutal injury or animal attack was fun, but he had no way of looking the part. His favorite method was to wait till the travelers passed then creep up behind them, walking for a few steps and then saying something quiet and smiling when they turned around. Sometimes people instinctually attacked him then, and he had to defend himself. That led to awkward conversations afterwards, so Jasper decided to play the ghost and run back and forth in front and behind them till the shouts died down.
The unseen group approached a curve in the path. Jasper flexed his young muscles and prepared to jump.
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“Understood. Want to take a person,” said the familiar voice of Villa, the Matriarch. Jasper remembered she liked his painting but the last time he lent her a piece he’d swiped a bite from her sweet box. He’d have to make sure and be very nice to her after scaring her.
Jasper was about to jump out when he saw the most dazzling thing he’d seen in his life. A woman dressed in an elegant, flowing white gown all of one piece walked beside the Matriarch. She had a complexion that seemed to glow, and the moonlight struck a sparkling object on her head. It was some form of jewelry, like a crown, but Jasper had only ever seen women wearing crowns of flowers before. She looked lovely but felt… unapproachable.
“I appreciate your warm reception, Madam Matriarch,” the woman said.
The Matriarch smiled, then looked puzzled, as if she felt no real emotional response from the woman with the elegant voice.
“Your hospitality is a great reception for us, and a welcome we’d only dreamed of receiving,” the crowned woman added.
In addition to her strange clothes and jewelry, the woman had even stranger companions. Two men walked alongside her, beside the Matriarch’s husband, Ban. One was a large-sized man with a glaring expression and a neutral mood who glanced around the forest as if expecting attack. He didn’t seem unpleasant, but was all sternness and had a strange, golden object protruding from his side. It was long and straight, with a metal handle and a long, metal blade with a point at the end. Jasper wondered what it was.
“The food wasn’t bad, too,” the other companion added with a warm chuckle.
The elegant woman seemed upset with this man, but the Matriarch and her husband smiled at the shared laughter. The happy man wore very close-fitting clothes that seemed not as light as the elegant woman’s but not as sturdy as the glaring man’s. He felt full of excitement and confidence, and had a short, coppery beard.
Jasper nearly fell over with amazement. He’d seen many travelers, exchanged feelings with hundreds of people journeying and trading through his little hunting and farming village. But he’d never encountered people so, so… off worldly.
His eyes widened in joy and he held his emotions tight. Jasper didn’t know how sensitive these people were. Some people on Mother had such a high amount of empathetic sensitivity that they could feel the presence of others before they saw them. This was not a strange idea to Jasper. It was simply a genetic trait humans on Mother had, possibly evolved for keeping track of companions in the dense wilderness without having to see them.
“I assure, though, we don’t want to go. We would like it if you stayed awhile. We enjoy guests. But you will return alone, I think. We apologize,” the Matriarch said.
Julia, look at them, Japser thought. He ran his fingers through his very short, very blond hair and blinked his big green eyes, overcome with excitement.
“Are you certain you wouldn’t like to come? We’ve traveled so far and are more than elated to finally meet someone,” the elegant woman continued.
“There’d be a really fun celebration for you and anyone else who comes. We can’t tell you how much it would mean to us. Plus you’ll be famous,” the happy man said.
Then Jasper noticed the one thing that was familiar to him on the off worldly people. The one with the copper-colored beard had a long dagger attached to his side. But something was different about it.
It wasn’t at all like the knife Jasper carried in case a beast attacked. It was much more ornamental. A large red stone glowed faintly on the end of the pure metal handle. Jasper didn’t even notice they’d stopped — he’d been staring at them so much.
“Appreciate the offer,” the Matriarch said with a feeling of regret. “Simply it’s not something we’d like to do. We’re all happy here. And no one could bear to lose a part of the family.”
“I understand the extreme devotion to family your society has, but I assure you that we will take the utmost care with whomever comes with us,” the elegant woman said.
Jasper wondered where they wanted to go.
The Matriarch thought about this for a few seconds. “What do you think, Ban?” she asked.
“Don’t respond to me. They can barely sense what we feel. Worries me,” Ban replied with a slow nod that spoke of apologies.
“Agreed. As Ban has said, we are concerned about the feelings we get from others and ourselves. They guide us, and are now advising my heart caution. I will think on your proposal. You may stay in Jayla’s hostel tonight.” She nodded with a feeling of hospitality and apology, and took a few steps away before turning back. “It may be I feel little from you because you’re in pain. Need medication? We have much.”
The elegant woman’s eyes went a little wide with shock.
The happy man, however, quickly responded, “No, thank you. But we’ll be there in a moment.”
The Matriarch nodded and walked off the way they’d come. After a few seconds, when the three companions made sure the Matriarch and Ban were out of earshot, they relaxed a bit.
“I thought they were primitives,” the glaring man said, sounding confused.
“We don’t know the full extent of any of these people’s technological development. I suppose medicine is a logical initial progression for a society,” the elegant woman said, and shook her head with a sigh.
“You still want to bring someone back?” the happy one asked.
“Yes,” the elegant one said, and turned back to face them. “It’s a symbolic gesture. We must show the people that we are all united in this task, and that others are willing to let us come. Oh, and, you can come out now.”
The elegant woman turned and stared right into Jasper’s eyes.