Harmony
8

After an enjoyable meal, and complements all round to Tau for creating it, Le settled with the group around the fire, resting on her backpack, all packed and ready for the walk in the morning. There was a significant amount of clothing available from the aircraft’s cargo hold, so she had prepared some more practical walking gear for the morning: a pair of brown velvet-like pants and an earthy-coloured lightweight cotton-like shirt. Much more appropriate. She could not work out, though, why the clothing was way more advanced than she had ever seen before. She lived in Australia: a western country. No-one there made clothing anything like this. She had knowledge of denim flares, cotton t-shirts, woollen jumpers. This material was made of other fibres she didn’t even recognise. It was flexible, soft and light. Why had she not seen it before? Le was still wearing her pink dress for now though. It was also constructed of some unfamiliar material. Something to work out later. Maybe at the village.

She was peaceful and content. This was partially because the packing for the next day’s walk was done, and partially because she’d just eaten. It was also because she enjoyed the company of her new acquaintances. They’d only known each other for half a day, but everything was so easy. She could talk to anyone and they would listen. She could listen to anyone talk and be genuinely interested in what they had to say. Without memory it was hard to say if this was normal or not. She had a vague feeling that it wasn’t, perhaps informed by her knowledge bank, and that feeling intrigued her.

For the moment, she sat silently and observed them all. Rais, Tau and Bia were deep in discussion. Rivo was quietly watching Prina, who was looking up at the sky. Le smiled to herself at this. She glanced at Prina, who was momentarily lost in admiration. Le followed her gaze and as she did, was amazed at the clarity and beauty of the thousands and thousands of stars that were visible to her. “The sky beautiful,” she said. “So many star.”

“Yes.” Prina didn’t even look away.

Le liked that the Milky Way was prominent in the centre of her view and guessed there must be millions of stars in that small section of the sky. It made her feel insignificant just thinking about it. A cluster of brighter stars within the section of the sky she was staring at stood out from the surrounding, dimmer stars. This must mean they were closer. The name Pleiades came to her, but it was an uncertain piece of knowledge. She dismissed it for now. They were quite pretty, and she felt peace and tranquillity just looking at them. Her thoughts seemed to drift off into an alternate kind of reality, where the whole scene around her faded for a moment. It was a curious sensation, and then it was gone.

She tuned back in to her fireside companions, feeling a little spaced out at what had just transpired in her mind. Rivo was now talking, responding to a question from Rais; a question she had perceived but not heard clearly because of her mind state.

“Switzerland. It has to be. I walk here one time. It look like northern Italia, a bit, but I think no; it’s Switzerland.”

“You sure, Rivo?” Rais sounded like he wanted to believe him.

“Almost certain. I do not think I have been right here, but somewhere same. I walk near Bern one time, to get away from bad things in Italia.” Rivo might have been quoting from memory, which was curious to Le. So maybe some of the others had actual memories? She didn’t think that she did.

“Like what, Rivo?” Prina wasn’t gazing at the sky anymore now that Rivo was talking.

Rivo turned to Prina but was speaking to the group. “Well, Italia is not great place right now. I can see in my mind shootings on the streets, demonstrations. Police in riot clothes. Things like that. I don’t remember what I did, but I have images in my mind. I must have been there. You know what I mean? Italia in some places – not so nice place to be. Some people want to physically fight for better things, no matter what side of the debate they are on. I don’t like far right or far left. I would like the in-between. Where we all get along. People don’t like this. They want class war. Not me.”

Prina replied with some degree of passion, and almost as if she was talking alone with Rivo. “I must have studied this! I know what you mean. Right wingers are often portrayed as being the angry ones who are racist and sexist and so on. A few of them are, but they’re not all like that. It’s a stereotype. Some people on the left side think they are morally superior because they care about others and they think all right wingers don’t. But some go way too far. They get angry at the right wingers. It doesn’t make them any better. Then it just becomes one group of humans against another. That’s not the way.”

“I could not agree more.” Tau‘s voice carried some passion too. “In my country, we strive for peace. All the time. So many countries around us do not. It has been sad for me to know that my African brothers and sisters often die for no reason, while greedy groups of people take power for themselves. We are all in this together. No need to fight.”

Le wanted to respond with her own thoughts, and she definitely had some, but she was late to the conversation, so she just listened for now.

Bia was interested in this point. “Tell me what it was like in your country, Tau? I thought most countries in Africa had one problem or another with corruption. You’re saying yours is different, yeah?”

“Yes. You are right that many African governments are broken and corrupt. Not in Botswana. We have a great President. A most excellent and good man. Seretse Khama is his name. Under him, we have a stable government. Not corrupt like many countries in Africa. We have a long way to go in Botswana, but we have good people. I have faith it will be okay. But then I think: why I am I here and not there? Why am I in Switzerland, as you think, Rivo?”

“I am sure of it.” He responded. “I know what Switzerland looks like. But… I cannot guess why we are all here. All from different countries and some a long way away from Switzerland.”

“It make no sense.” Rais was deep in thought. “We need to replace out what happen. I wonder if we really did crash.”

“Yeah? How?” Bia was incredulous. The evidence was overwhelming to Le, given the state of the aircraft and the track marks on the mountainside grass.

Rais had already thought this through. “Even with rough landing, passengers would have injuries. Not normal for everyone to be only sleeping. I think we put there. But I don’t know how aircraft got there. Also explains why no aircrew with us. They are reasons I think not crash.”

“If we didn’t crash, how did we all fall asleep and lose our memory?” Bia’s voice carried respectful doubt.

“The only thing I can guess: the cylinders. I do not know what they are for. Must have some gas or something. Put us to sleep.”

“But they did not make us sick. We are okay. You might be right, Rais – they make us sleep and no more.” Rivo was on board with the idea for the most part.

“Speaking of sleep, guys. I’m tired.” Prina voiced something Le was certainly thinking. Whatever had happened to them, she would prefer to figure it out tomorrow. It could wait.

“Can’t we figure this out tomorrow? I’m sure it can wait. I’m tired too.” Tau’s words astonished Le. Straight from her thoughts, as if he’d read them directly. Or perhaps she had. Regardless, it was quite bewildering that her thoughts and his words matched almost exactly.

“Let us sleep then. We get up and go after have breakfast.” Rais’ words got everyone moving and headed back into the aircraft; if a little slowly for some of them.

In the aircraft, they randomly chose beds. Or not. Prina had managed to end up next to Rivo. Or was it the other way around? Tau and Bia, an African and an African Cuban, were also together. Both pairs in discussion. Le found herself with Rais but was no less interested in talking to him than she would have been any of the others.

She spoke first. “So, tell me your country. What is Soviet Union like?”

“I thought you want sleep, young lady.” He grinned at her.

“I sleep soon. I want to know about Soviet Union. We have communism my country. I mean Vietnam, you know?”

“You have war over communism, yes?”

“We do. North against south. Too many people die. I must have bad time there so I go to Australia. Maybe my parent decide but I not remember.”

“That would make sense.”

“I think I have some memory now. Not good one. I think bomb go off in café and people die. I feel sad. That all I remember. I think in Saigon.”

“I don’t know Saigon. Big city?”

“Yes. So many people. But I want to know your country! You make me talk about mine!” Le whacked him gently in the arm. She thought Rais was quite selfless. She had asked a genuine question a little while ago, but he had turned it around and made it about her.

He grinned back at her. “Oh, not much to know. Soviet Union is Soviet Union.”

“Yes, but I not anything about it! I know Australia don’t like Soviet but not why. Maybe they think you drop bomb on them.”

“No chance. None. America bomb us back straight away. No-one wants that.”

“No, no-one want that.”

Rais continued. “Soviet Union is good place. My country also good place.”

“You mean Azerbaijan?”

“Yes, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan still my country. We try to keep identity. We must be quiet about it. Communist party listen all the time.”

“What is life like in Azerbaijan? I only know bad thing about Soviet Union. What newspaper write about. You know good thing, lot of good thing, yes?”

“Life is okay, is what I know. Brehznev is good leader. Better than Stalin. I know stories of Stalin time. Very bad. Many people die.”

“Same in Vietnam. War bad for us. It not a nice world we live in.”

Le talked with Rais some more about their respective ideologies and political situations in their respective countries. Her knowledge surprised her, given that her immediate life memories were all gone. Despite her familiarity with Australia, from possibly having lived there for quite some time, she was still a Vietnamese woman and identified mostly with that country. She must have left Vietnam for a good reason. The war probably affected her somehow.

Le genuinely liked Rais. He was enthusiastic, charismatic and confident within himself. He could be determined and decisive, but with compassion and decency. A direction from him was not an order, it was a suggestion that was rational and positive. Therefore, it never felt like he was telling her what to do or being bossy. He may have learned that in the Soviet military, but only some of it. Most of his character was innate. She had trusted him almost instantly, from the first time he spoke while still strapped into his aircraft seat. She thought she could confide anything to him, and never worry about any consequences.

After a while, Le stopped speaking and became reflective. Rais had gone silent too. The pause in conversation was enough for her to fall asleep. She tossed and turned during the night, waking and sleeping in bursts, but never enough to be fully awake. It wasn’t a great night and the floor was hard and uncomfortable.

The next thing she knew, voices outside the aircraft woke her and she thought it was still night time. She partially opened her eyes. It was in fact the morning as the sun was well and truly up. Initially she was disoriented, not recalling where she was. Then reality hit her. The immediate surrounds of the aircraft cabin came into focus as she fully opened her eyes. She was staring up at the ceiling, entranced by the arrangement of rivets holding the fuselage together. In her half-awake state, these small items mesmerised her, and she had no coherent thoughts in her head for a few moments.

She tried to motivate herself to get up, summoning inspiration from vague memories of discussions from the previous evening about what was happening today. She was still tired. She wanted a shower, but clearly there wasn’t one. She was hungry, and she had five other people with her that she was still getting to know. She groaned and wished she was somewhere else.

She remembered Bia’s excitement at camping out. Le didn’t share it. A comfortable bed and a normal house with good facilities was what she yearned for. Even barely adequate facilities would do. Rais and Rivo had spoken of a village down the hill. That thought gave her a significant jolt of motivation. She sat up and looked around. She was the last one awake. Everyone else was outside. She peered out of one of the cabin windows to see what they were up to, rubbing her eyes.

She considered the village again, this time with more urgency. She wanted to get there. It was time for her to get up, get going and help the group on their way so she could sleep in a nice bed tonight. Not outdoors anymore and certainly not in a crashed aircraft. Or whatever the heck it was. Some help with her lost memory – hey, everyone’s lost memory – would also be appreciated.

Le could already detect that the group was keen to get going. Both Rais and Rivo were already moving around the site, talking animatedly. Rais was gesticulating enthusiastically about something they were discussing. How did he have that level of energy this early in the morning? She certainly didn’t, after the night’s sleep she’d had. If she didn’t have to speak, she wasn’t going to. Tau was at the fire, still dealing with breakfast. Bia and Prina were eating something. She felt a little guilty at not helping. She would get out there, eat quickly and then help with preparations for the walk down the mountain.

She stepped out of the aircraft, onto the wing again. It was funny how this wing was now just the entrance and exit to their sleeping quarters, rather than a component of a machine that people could take flights in. She glanced up at the sky, looking for the sun. It was farther above the horizon than she’d expected. She’d slept well after all. She had no idea time it was. No one was wearing a watch. Perhaps that explained the two boys’ keenness and activity levels – they weren’t wanting to lose any time.

Le stepped into the campfire area, said good morning and thanked Tau for preparing breakfast and, she added, everyone else for helping and for letting her sleep. She was grateful Tau was so keen to cook and could make something from the limited supplies they had. She wished she had skills that were useful to the team. There were no pianos out here though. Instead, she offered encouragement and gratitude where she could.

Soon they were away. The whole site was clean. Rivo and Rais had made sure of that. They all took what they needed for two days’ walk, just in case, along with the strange cylinders. Le accepted Rais’ theory of how their amnesia occurred. She did not know anything about gas that might cause memory loss. Neither, really, did anyone else. It would have to do as a theory for now.

Some of the others were talking. Le didn’t feel like conversation. The others thankfully must have noticed this as they had let her be. Of all the things she had appreciated about her five companions, their empathy was the most pleasing to her. She felt safe, emotionally and physically. All that was left to trouble her was the amnesia. Even then, she was only curious at it, and suspected it was temporary. How this was so, she did not know. She trusted her instincts on it.

She was happy to be moving. One night was enough in that environment. Rivo had estimated the walk down to the village would take all day. It was about eighteen kilometres, he said, but the terrain was rough. Going would be slow. There were some steep sections to watch out for too, apparently. There was no trail, so Rivo – at the front, with Rais at the back – kept them at the lowest point of the valley they were in, next to the stream, as they marched down the mountain.

It was a mountain. Le hadn’t looked much at the horizon to this point. She wasn’t the sort of person who paid close attention to her surroundings too much. Now, for the first time, she did so. Nice green grass all around. No trees here, but further down there were some. The stream they were walking next to disappeared into a small forest about a kilometre ahead of them. She tried to focus more on the terrain after that but couldn’t figure out where they were supposed to go from here to replace the village. She’d only briefly glanced at the map Rivo was holding as he walked. She trusted his judgement, though. He was the hiker; he knew how to read maps.

Her backpack was surprisingly comfortable and didn’t weigh all that much. At times she almost felt like she wasn’t wearing one. Her boots certainly were soft and light, and were comfortable to walk in. Despite her disinterest in being outdoors, whether it be camping or hiking, she was enjoying the scenery as she walked. The gentle sound of the flowing stream had a calming effect and the highly oxygenated mountain air was doing her good. The sun was pleasant, too, warming her but not too much.

Within a few hours, they paused to rest and have some lunch. The group were enjoying the walk so far, judging by the happy voices and the calm, peaceful looks. The beautiful terrain, the fresh air, the occasional bird chirps, the light wind and the warm sun; it all made for a quite calming yet exhilarating experience.

They had reached the edge of the small forest she had spotted earlier, and the terrain had changed. They must surely be close to the end of the valley. It appeared as if it was about to open out into some wider terrain. Rivo had said earlier that this valley opened out into a larger one, and that the stream turned left and continued downwards to the village.

Le still hadn’t said anything. The others had been talking during the walk but were silent while eating. There was a mutual understanding that they still had a lot of walking to do. She spoke, causing them all to turn towards her.

“How far we go now, Rivo?”

“I think about nine kilometres. We almost halfway from the crash. How you are doing?”

“I fine! I just not know where we are.”

“I’m loving this. It’s so great being outside in nature.” Bia’s voice was soft and joyous.

“I must agree with you, Bia. I am surprised how peaceful I feel.” Tau gave the impression he had not done many things like this in Botswana.

“Rais?”

“Yes Prina?” Rais had been gazing up at the mountains in the distance, momentarily distracted.

“Any more thoughts on our memory loss?”

“Ah, yes. No. I mean, no more thoughts.”

Le was still quite mystified at their situation. “I think cylinder idea good one. We from all over the world, but we here. I not know how. I hope village people help us”

“I think they will,” concurred Tau. “For now, I suggest we enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful mountains all around and wait until we reach the village. Then we will get answers. We can make ourselves crazy if we try to go through all of the possibilities.”

Le appreciated his positive intent. “You right Tau. We enjoy walk and see what happen after.” She thought of the village and its potential salvation, assuming she could make it all the way down the valley.

“Everyone is ready?” said Rais, directing things again. Everyone was, as they all stood up and began getting their backpacks in order. The gentle sounds of the stream running over the small rocks here and there was accompanied by the pleasant chorus of birds chirping and whistling nearby. She thought of how far they’d walked already. She turned and scanned the valley they had traversed down. From here she could no longer see the aircraft. In looking for it, she saw movement further up the valley. It was three deer, including a young buck with developing antlers. The deer were watching them but did not appear to be bothered by their presence.

“Look!” she cried, pointing back up the mountain.

They all turned around at her call. There were some gasps in response. The deer were so graceful. They were a little spooked by Le’s call and she wished she’d been quieter. They galloped off behind some rocks and were now out of sight. It was however a pleasant moment, reminding them of the wild beauty in which they found themselves.

Le turned back towards their walking direction with the rest of the group and they continued to advance down the valley. The discussion was not as frequent as it had been in the morning. She was starting to wish the walk was over and that they didn’t still have so far to go. Her motivation to get to the village overrode these thoughts, and she kept walking. After another hour, they reached the end of the valley and it indeed did open up, as Rivo said it would.

As the view opened up, they saw it: the village.

More than one verbal response this time between the group, and no concern about scaring away wild life. This was their salvation. The resolution of their amnesia, a place to sleep, and somewhere to get food. Although she was generally in good spirits, a wave of relief nonetheless passed through her at this sight.

There was a forest in the way first though. Going through it could be time consuming. Le and her companions forged onwards, stopping just before the forest, at the edge of the stream. The village was out of sight now, and the sun was by now getting low in the sky. Rais urged them to only take a short break here and try to push on before the sunset. They listened. Rivo had the map, so Le was confident they would not get lost.

Halfway through the forest, the undergrowth was getting thick. Le’s feet were hurting her now, but she said nothing. The group quietly kept walking. It had been about six or eight hours since they had left the crash site. Or rather, the aircraft site. Rais was probably right: they weren’t passengers in that aircraft. It seemed like days ago anyway. Her only thoughts now were on the village.

Another few minutes of walking and then a call from Rivo at the front: he had found a path. It led out of the forest. It wasn’t on the map, he said. Le was glad of it if it made the walking easier. After a few more minutes of walking she saw something she’d been waiting to see all day.

It was the village, only about ten minutes’ walk ahead of them.

Aside from the waves of relief she was experiencing, Le was immediately struck by the symmetrical design of the buildings. There were six houses, and one larger building that was partially obscured. The rooves on the houses and the bigger building had an unusual pyramidal design, with a shiny cap that reflected the setting sun. Thank goodness they were almost there. The path was narrow, but it made walking easier, and as they got closer, they could see that one of the houses had lights on inside, and clearly this is where they would go.

“We make it. Great effort, all of you!” Rais was genuine and enthusiastic in his praise. Le tried to appreciate his tone. Tiredness prevented her from achieving that. He must be tired too, though.

“Oh, I can’t wait to rest.” Bia’s voice betrayed the internal struggle she had just gone through with not wanting to stop and let her colleagues down.

“Almost there Bia. I hope they’ll be nice to us. I get the feeling they will be.” Tau was supporting his new friend but his voice also conveyed the relief Le knew they were all feeling.

Suddenly, as if they had been anticipating their approach or perhaps even watching, Le heard the door open on the far side of the house. Presumably that was the front. Then she heard a woman’s girlish voice, in an American accent, calling out.

“Hello! We’re all here together! Is the experiment over?”