08 - Shipslats
CEREMONY OF HOPE
As the young girl gently placed the awkwardly large piece of driftwood down she looked into the face of the very serious-looking town elder. Without smiling the old woman made a show of examining the unspectacular piece of trash. She reached out with a gnarled finger and rotated the irregular branch appraisingly.
"And you found this all by yourself?"
The old womans voice was dry and breathy, like she had some difficulty keeping her breath. She was serious, too. So serious that for a moment the girl looks ready to run before glacing to two woman standing at the edge of the gathered crowd. With the slightest nod of approval from them she turned and looked the old councilwoman directly in the face.
"Yes ma'm."
Her little voice could barely be heard but her expression was confident. She was very determined now to face the respected crone.
"Hmm." Sucking on her teeth as though weighing her options before making a difficult decision the crone sighs approvingly. "Alright. This is a fantastic addition. You and your family will have jobs when we set sail for the homeland."
With visible difficulty the old woman stands and leans towards the young child, extending her right hand for the girl to take.
"You've done very well for your family and your community, young one. Be proud of yourself."
With tears of happiness bursting down her flushed cheeks the little girl lunged forward and wrapped her little arms around the elders waist.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"
Over the head of the grateful child clutching her happily, the old woman smiled widely at the two women who brought the young girl for the ceremony. Mouthing the words 'thank you' they both smiled back at the elder as another family, three adults and two children carrying abnormally large crab shells, were slowly made their way to the front of the crowd to present their gifts to the Eiyudi Cultural Society.
Part of their belief in the return to their ancient homeland is having hope in something that may never happen. As a culture that sees logic and purpose behind everything, whether it's an animal or natural disaster, it can be incredibly disheartening to think of the future and only being able to imagine your descendants suffering in the darkness the way your parents did. The Eiyudi Cultural Society has taken steps to safeguard the hearts and minds of their people with this tradition.
Sporadically, usually every 3-4 months the Cultural Society will announce a resouce drive. Encouraged to bring any non-essential resources to be reviewed, this once-legitimate gathering of important resources has turned into a family tradition. Children are given the opportunity to publicly contribute to the community and towards the ultimate goal of returning to their homeland. This ritual is symbolic for the adults as a way of encouraging their children to contribute and giving them a sense of community. For the most part the children see it as a fun and exciting holiday from their routine, unaware that they're learning important lessons about life.
The original call for resources was specific. The Town Council was building Cog Hall and needed wood. Since there was none naturally available underground, they asked anybody with slats of wood from the exterior of their ships. After a couple of years the name was somewhat corrupted and the holiday was born!
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