Outcasts of Gideon

An Impromptu Tour

Houith became aware of sounds. They were voices of humans. There were many of them. They reminded her of home, when her people would gather to join with her, their thoughts swirling in her mind. Here, the voices filled the air.

Cara looked concerned. Maybe it was the look of being startled. To Houith, human physical expressions had far too many nuances. She was constantly chasing the different potential meanings. It was the only way to know how she should respond.

Cara's flowing robes trailed behind her as she swept from the room. Dewey looked after her. Houith was sensing a connection between them. Another aspect of humans she would have to contemplate.

"What is that?" asked Bobby. He turned to follow Cara.

Dewey looked at Houith, his eyes betraying something. Was it anger? Maybe suspicion. Houith could not be sure. Whatever it was, he left it with her, stepping toward the place where Cara and Bobby had left the room.

Houith was alone. She looked around the room, noticing it for the first time. As she understood it, this structure served to protect humans from their environment. It was something unnecessary to the Atua.

Within this structure were unfamiliar objects. Dawn's mind filled in the gaps of purpose for these, though Houith didn't linger long on any of them. When her eyes reached the space in the wall where the others had departed, she processed that as well. A doorway. She would need to pass through it to exit this part of the structure.

Through the doorway, she found another restrictive space. This was narrow, with other doorways along its walls. She turned toward the sounds. As she approached, she noticed a brightness. It washed over the walls at that end of the narrow space, engulfing the interior of the structure.

She'd come to understand narrow enclosure was a corridor. It opened into something humans called a temple. Here the light was almost unbearably bright, requiring her eyes to adjust. On the edge of the vast space stood the three humans she'd already met. Within the large area were many other humans amassing. They were as varied and dispersed as she might have imagined based solely on the sounds they made.

Some of these humans were walking about, communicating with each other. Other humans stretched out or knelt on the vast floor. Some sat upon soft fabric or on the hard surface. They all appeared focused on the bright light shining down from above.

Houith stepped up behind the humans she knew. They were silent, observing the gathering.

"It's amazing," said Cara.

Houith understood the word, but failed to connect it with the events. She was witnessing something she had seen many times in Aitaoperaa. The gathering of the Atua was frequent. Surely humans engaged in similar opportunities to commune.

Above her was a giant dome of windows. In the center was a light of such intensity that she was reminded of her travels. She closed her eyes, inviting the light to pass through her. Here, that wasn't possible. She opened her eyes and stared into the light for as long as she could tolerate it.

She looked down into the broad temple. The structure appeared to have been built for this purpose. It accommodated a great host of attendees. It was tailor-made for the luminescence radiating from its peak. If she were to envision a temple of light, this would be it.

Through the glass, she could make out points of light. The stars were nearly washed out by the brightness within the dome. She scanned across the enormous view. Her eyes settled finally on a blue and white object hovering above the horizon. It was partially bathed in the light of the nearby star. The color was stark against the black sky, even given the temple's brightness.