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.