Her father clapped
three times. 9001 clapped three times, arms akimbo, hands straight up and
facing each other in prayer position. The old man convulsed once. 9001 looked
over at her father fearfully. He shook his head. The old man was gone. The wind
spirits move around inside the dead body, long after the other spirits have
left.
2711 said, now we move
him to some spot in contact with the earth. We will not be around in four days
and mother cannot perform the ritual by herself. Look at the basin filled with
blood. Observe how it moves like water spirits but is the colour of fire
spirits. This is the life force that moves us all. Take the candle over there
with us. Bring the basin and we will find a spot.
She said, it is heavy.
He nodded. It is well
known that a jug of water and a jug of blood weight the same. The difference is
all in your perception.
She said, but it is
full of spirits. You said yourself the spirits are the same as all the matter
around us that makes up the world. Everything has a weight and force. So the
blood must be the same.
He snapped at her
impatiently. It is the _druj_ in your mind that weighs you down. Pick up the
basin and let’s perform the ritual before Angra Mainyu wanders in.
At the mention of
_Ahriman_, 9001 moved a little quicker and she noticed that the basin did feel
lighter. They moved outside and behind the yurt so that mother would not see
them. 2711 moved ahead of his daughter, casting his head this way and that. He
stooped down to pick up a stick nearby and waved it in the air. He pointed it
ahead of him and followed where it lead. 9001 struggled to keep up and stumbled
on rocks as she tried to keep up. Splashes of life force spilled in patches on
the ground.
She sneezed and she
spilled nearly a litre over the front of the basin and down her shift front.
2711 wheeled around. He lifted the stick in a rage, then turned back to follow
the divination rod. 9001 tried to wipe her nose with her shoulder but only
succeeded in spilling more blood. She followed her father as best as she could.
After a long time, her
father stopped and she drew close. He marked out a rectangle two metres by one
metre, scratching it in the dirt. It was aligned north and south, and the
incline up the side of the valley meant that it would receive great light
nearly the whole day. Even now, as the sun was ready to set for the evening,
they stood in full light and warmth. There were only a few small rocks to move
to make a clear space for the body to rest.
2711 thrust the stick
into the corner of his scratched rectangle and looked at his daughter
critically.
He said, you have
spilled the blood. Including on your own clothing. The fire spirits are too
strong with you. And you sneezed.
He spat to the left.
9001 stood meekly,
holding the basin.
He said a phrase that
was meaningless but meant, very well, or okay, fine. He pointed to the corners
and said, pour out the blood in these four corners. One for each element in
order. Northeast, northwest, and southwest, southeast.
She said, _vaya_, air,
and poured some blood. She said, _apo_, water. She struggled to move over a
rock and said, _zam_, earth. Then she moved to the final quarter corner and
said, _atar_, fire. She poured the rest of the blood.
Her father said, _apo_
and _atar_ cleanse this spot. He raised his hands in prayer position. Then he
turned and hurried back to the yurt. 9001 scrambled after him. Back in the
yurt, the old man looked smaller and paler than he had when they left. A puddle
of blood had formed beneath his foot where the tube protruded. 2711 pulled the
tube from his leg and the small spout from his neck.
He said, forgive me father.
He lifted the old
man’s head and slid his arms under the shoulders. A pig snorted and a horse
stamped its feet. This meant, help me.
9001 dropped the basin
and picked up the old man’s feet. He was very light, or at least, lighter than
she had expected. She walked backward, holding the man’s feet out of the yurt.
2711 led the way once outside, taking the heavier part of the body and walking
backward the whole way to the resting spot. He made sure to stay out of sight
of the old woman in case she looked back towards the yurt.
They had to stop
several times and 2711 was sweating profusely by the time they reached the
clear spot. When they got there, they placed the body inside the rectangle and
arranged his legs and arms crossed at the ankles and wrists. 9001 pulled out
two strips of leather for the purpose and they tied the joints together. In
this way, any stray _mainyu_ would not be able to enter the body, and even if
they did, they would not be able to move with the restraints on.
2711 wiped his brow
and said, it is done.
Chapter Five
They continued south
for several more days until the valley suddenly became quite hilly and close.
The camels picked their way unerringly through the hills until the mountains on
either side fell away suddenly and revealed a huge vast plain before them. The
river widened considerably and formed long finer lakes that joined into a
larger basin to the south.
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