Tother Hand, Chapter 5, part 2

The man continued, we will celebrate Nawruz in a few weeks, perhaps you will be close by to join us?

2711 demurred, saying that the life of Healers is hectic and dedicated to practice and discipline, not to celebrations of the calendar.

The man bowed low to 2711 and 9001 and begged forgiveness for the slight, proclaiming loudly that he was just being generous and offering his bounty to strangers, as Ahura says is good.

2711 called for more butter tea to raise a toast to Ahura, and to wish for a _spenta_ harvest. Their hosts graciously agreed and poured out butter tea and raised their cups to the harvest. 9001 observed how her father had been able to navigate and avoid an embarrassing confrontation without giving in to aggression and arrogance.

The father of the household asked, so you are Healers. My father lives with my mother in the valley where you came from. They are both old but my father fell ill last fall and has not moved from his bed since the summer. My mother is worried that… She is worried, we are all worried… You see…

2711 raised his left hand to stop his stammering host. He said, your father is with Ahura and he will meet his _fravashi_ in two days’ time. Your mother feasted with us and we celebrated his healing. My daughter herself performed the ritual for her first time and she sent your father to continue his battle against Them in the afterlife.

The members of the yurt all exclaimed and praised 9001, who blushed furiously at the attention, just as she did when she played the _ney_. The father of the household moved closer to 9001, scrabbling on his knees. He grasped her hand and bowed four times, raising her hand above his head each time.

He said, praise to Ahura Mazda, Spenta Mainyu! Healer child, I thank you for your service and offer our hospitality as a token of gratitude. Stay with us tonight, with your father, and we will celebrate. My eldest son is almost ready to marry. Come here son. Sit next to her. No, she will not hurt you. They are Healers. Son, sit down. See, he is very strong and has good teeth. Look at his arms. He will be a good addition to your party. He is not very bright, but he is strong and follows directions well. Please consider it. Son, sit next to her. Smile.

2711 laughed and motioned for the man’s son to go back to his mat on the other side of the yurt.

2711 said, thank you, kind host. You are as generous as our great and supremely wise Spirit. But we Healers do not seek the ties of marriage and domestication. Healers are taught the craft from birth by the Elders and we are very tight-knit. We cannot share our skills with someone who is not a Healer.

Anway, he continued, if I tell my daughter: go fetch water. She will not. If I say to her: daughter, I command you to bring me butter tea. She will bring me cold oil to drink. If her husband would tell her: wife, make me some good food for dinner. She will disobey and do something different. Or worse, she will say: husband, get your own food.

Besides, he continued on a roll, she is almost too old to be a good wife. She is nearly to her seventeenth year, and you know what they say about the number seventeen: two away from nineteen. She will probably be barren by then! Seeds do not plant well in rocky soil. I’m afraid that your son would become bitter and full of _druj_. He would wither and wish for Ahura to take him.

2711 laughed, but 9001 could tell it was not a genuine laugh. She still resented his stories even though they rang with truth. She did not like the fake laugh, the smooth manipulation of social situations, and the frivolity of the conversation. She’d had to listen to these offhanded stories since she was marrying age.  She’d had to endure her father’s taunts silently.

Their hosts laughed at the funny anecdotes and agreed that the eldest son was not a good match for such a wilful Healer. They celebrated with modest food: sweet bread, butter tea, and hunks of fermented vegetables. The host was not expecting a celebration for his father’s passing and had not prepared an animal for eating.

2711 and 9001 continued on the next day for two more days. The plain levelled out and turned into grasslands, farmsteads, and small lakes. Signs of civilisation became more prevalent: a low rock wall lined the road they followed; yurts became more numerous and began to turn into permanent huts; animals like yaks, goats, camels, dogs, and cats began to appear; the smell of smoke and dung grew more frequent and close.