Pulling Back the Earth

By Mark R. Turner

Glowing in the firelight Nina held her newborn and danced with her husband celebrating the birth among their people. Suddenly the demon they all feared stood before them. The young mother retreated as her husband attacked, but the demon killed him, snatched the baby and flew away. Nina left never to be seen among the people again and from that time the young began to question the limits of their world. They would stand at the edge of the world looking across the vast forest amid the roiling clouds and ask why the people were unable to multiply. Were the legendary clan of traitors which left the world in ancient days annihilated in the outer spaces, or were there now other people somewhere out there? Could that ancient schism be mended and save the People from extinction?
The elders, custodians of the People's story on the holy wall and scrolls, tried to maintain the ancient order forbidding such questions on pain of banishment. But finally, to avoid revolt and chaos, they banished the charismatic, young leader, Ordupah, with his wife, Meeshah, and followers, to the outer spaces on a quest never to return unless they indeed found other people.
Nine months later Ordupah's and Meeshah's faith in the quest was severely depleted, all of their party having died along the way and Meeshah now pregnant nearly full term. But, Meeshah kept Ordupah's spirits up by urging him to continue dictation of his life scroll as she wrote.
Pressing ahead, they found an astounding camp full of strange objects. Terror seized them when large, pale creatures in the general shape of people came into the camp babbling sounds but unable to speak words. Ordupah and Meeshah began to retreat, but stopped when the creatures uncovered the holy wall like the one back in their world. It bore the very myths that had propelled them on this quest and also revealed the lost lineage of the ancient traitor remnant. Could these creatures be descendants of that remnant left here as keepers of the wall?
Against Meeshah's fearful warnings, Ordupah risks contact with the creatures and gives them some of his words; we delve into the past of these strange ones and find Nina creating connections between them and the People; we discover an ancient prophecy upon the wall which seems to focus on the child in Meeshah's womb and which moves her to violently attack the creatures, triggering her labor. Will the creatures steal their words, consume Ordupah's life scroll and devour the heir? Group discussion guide included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark R. Turner
• Release date: Apr 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301392438

Mark R. Turner

Mark Turner is a visual artist, filmmaker, writer and artistic leader. He has produced and taught in five major regions of the globe as the director of Horizon Gate Productions, a non-profit arts organization which he co-founded with his wife in 1981. His emphasis has been in multi-media to tell stories and produce contemplative experiences using his visuals, poetry and soundtracks. He is currently creating tangible and digital art of inspirational and metaphorical images which he then re-purposes as motion graphics films with rich sound tracks of his poetry, sound effects and music. All this is exhibited together in a conversational atmosphere called the Film Gallery Cafe which can be booked in many venues.

Book preview

Pulling Back the Earth

By Mark R. Turner

Copyright ©1996 Mark R. Turner

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9780463728291

Discover other titles by Mark R. Turner at

http://bit.ly/MRTbooks

The Future Seed a short story

Give Us this Day a short story

Beautify Oh 51 poems

You After All a short story

From Here to Kingdom Come a short story

The Lost Kids Spy Christmas a short story

Your Table of Creation help in the creative process

Marking the Journey 16 contemplative images and poems

Worth Telling Again 10 scripts from the gospels to read aloud

Verse & Visions 12 images and poems of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany

Cover by Mark R. Turner

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Unless this book was a free offer to you personally from the publisher, if you’re reading it and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

1. Story Roots

2. The Council

3. Revelations

4. First Encounter

5. Past Connections

6. Nina's Message

7. Words of Fear

8. Threats

9. Coming Close

Discussion Guide

Other Books by Turner

About the Author

Pulling Back the Earth

by Mark R. Turner

1.

In the times before eyes in the sky searched the earth, the people ate their bread and made their scrolls; youngers became elders, joined their telling stones with the past throng and became one with our Story. The Great Upheaval began when the heretical tribe left the world. Though the elders named them in the scrolls and upon the telling wall, no person bore them on their tongues and no ear received them for countless eons.

I, Shevantee, descending from the line of Ordupah-Meeshah, lay down in holy script this history for the remnant throughout the universe.

In the last days of the old epoch the number of the people on earth grew small. Man and woman became increasingly fruitless. And there was the Devourer. Great celebration was raised at the birth of a child, but always mingled with fear. Under the load of impending extinction, the people grew weary and rebelled. So, it finally happened that the second tribe of heretics was banished from the earth. Though they could by right of justice be ended there at the altar, the wisdom cast them out, thus setting in motion events for the new people to be born.

But this telling is always preceded with the tale of Layosim who took unto himself a redeemed bride, that is, one who had wandered too near the edge and was saved by the grace of marriage. Her name was Abranina.

Our forest was abundant and wet when the birth celebration rang out around the great fire. The moon was gone on that night, but they had no need of moon to dance by the light of their hearts. The wood beaters, drummers and rattlers all vowed endless energy for Layosim and Abranina. All voices rose in jubilation, lifting their faces in thankful laughter. The elders sat swaying, laughing and pointing out their children to one another.

The high, laughing call finally sounded above the orchestra which immediately echoed with a soft clatter. All the people rose to their feet with the unison greeting tone. Joyously they formed the parade path as the young women entered in festive array followed by the triumphant mother, Abranina holding high her newborn. Young and old lifted tender voices of love as she entered. The young women formed the circle around Abranina and child. The orchestra commenced the simple beat and all the dancers leaped into the sky as one, up and up and up, bouncing upon the earth.

At the perfect moment Layosim leaped into the circle and surrounded Abranina and child with joyful dance. Abranina laughed as she watched him and thought how fortunate she was to have such a home.

In the days that followed some elders told of watching the shadow of the congregation that night against the surrounding forest, how the many dancing bodies joined into a single shape. The sight caused their faces to fall and their voices to fade. But the orchestra and dancers saw no deeper shadow in the forest, and in their ecstasy why would they?

Elder Erfaan is remembered as the first to stand and shout, Hold your child close, little one! But only a few elders nearby heard him and rose to their feet fearfully watching something in the forest. They began to wave their arms and shout warnings to the dancers.

Abranina’s face beamed entirely on her baby. Layosim's face beamed upon hers, but something else drew his eye, something terrible so that his hand grasped his knife. He pointed his weapon toward it and cried, Devourer!.

The drummers were quick to start a furious war song which rose like thunder. Abranina clutched her baby close and looked about for a way of escape through the confused multitude. Layosim screamed the call and attacked the demon: immense, wagging a fierce, wooden face with a bush of long grass and