Advanced Beings and a Fork in the Road of Evolution

They left the cave and followed Laurus again. The old man was walking alone, at some distance from the others. When Etan and Noumat approached him, he said: «A long time ago I dreamt that two men would come and learn something in the cave. Something that would be precious for them and all humanity,» the eyes of the old man twinkled mysteriously. «And now let’s get to the nearby village, have a meal, and ask for seeds and young plants.»

«Tell us, Laurus,» Noumat said as they were walking towards the village, «who was it, talking through you?»

«It is hard to say,» Laurus said broodingly. «It has never happened to me before. But those were not my thoughts. I marveled at the words I was saying. But one thing is certain: I felt really good as if happiness spilled into my body. I felt like I was flying. That thing, it was not evil. It is good, peaceful, and even loving energy. It wants the best for us.»

«Laurus,» Etan said. «Where do you live? Do you have a family?»

«I have children but I am mostly wandering the world. My friends follow me everywhere, they have been a second family to me. We give knowledge to those who seek it. In that, we find joy and purpose of the earthly life.»

«Where do you get this knowledge from?» Etan asked. «It was so interesting and unusual what you said about our thoughts. I sometimes ponder over it myself: What do I have so many thoughts for? What good are they doing to me? Where do they come from and where do they run? Or are they stored somewhere, motionless? But it turned out, our thoughts are what gives birth to the things around us. How marvelous!»

«I get my ideas from my dreams,» Laurus replied. «Or, when meditating.»

«Laurus, what do you think a dream is?» Noumat asked.

«A dream is a reality of another world, another dimension,» Laurus replied, without a moment’s hesitation.

«I am not sure I understand,» Noumat muttered.

«Then you will, later,» Laurus gave him an encouraging smile and patted his shoulder.

«After we get everything we need for the crop,» Noumat turned the conversation to the matter he understood better, «we will have to go back as soon as possible. I think our people are waiting for us. Laurus, can we take some of your men to help us in Pharaon’s settlement and maybe stay and live with us? Our people are kind, they will give your men a warm welcome. Our home will be their home too.»

«We will all go to the settlement with you and spend some time there,» Laurus said. «Relying on today’s revelation in the cave, there will be great changes. Those who want to stay and live with you will stay.»

«Laurus is quite hopeful, that’s for sure,» Noumat said to Etan quietly. «I doubt anyone would want to stay and live in a desert after they’ve seen such an abundant land.»

«Yes, the chances are slim,» Etan said.

Deep in conversation, they came to the village. They asked the first people they saw for what they needed and it was not long before they received a generous gift. Two pretty young women helped put woven sacks on the backs of Etan and Noumat. The sacks were not large and did not prevent them from walking properly.

«What are your names?» Noumat asked the women.

«I am Ichel,» the one Noumat took a liking to said.

«And I’m Dune,» the one who charmed Etan said humbly.

«Would you come with us to our settlement? It will become your home, and Etan and I will become your family. We will take care of you, love you, and protect you.»

The young women happily accepted the proposal. They had been longing for a family for a long time and they liked Etan and Noumat who were well-built and kind.

Laurus kept smiling while watching them. He remembered how he had first met the mother of his children.

They had been both just as young and happy, eager to see life in all its shapes and sizes.

«Laurus,» Noumat broke the thread of his happy thoughts. «Laurus, we are ready to head back to our native land.»

«Right,» Laurus said quickly. «I will tell my companions.»

About twenty people agreed to come, those who were most excited about Laurus’s thoughts on the world order. They felt that his words were true. Laurus never imposed his ideas on them. Listeners came to him willingly, aching to look at the world from a completely different perspective. Laurus used to say that where is a ready learner, there is a teacher. All the people of like minds were looking for the answers to their questions. It was them who would find Laurus rather than the other way round. Some of the listeners accompanied him on his journeys to learn as much as possible about this new peculiar vision Laurus shared with them.

Before leaving, Ichel and Dune wined and dined the travelers, serving the best local dishes. The travelers were absolutely happy.

And so, Noumat, Etan, Ichel, Dune, Laurus, and his followers started their journey back to the desert where Pharaon’s settlement lay. They were all riding camels since there was a long way ahead of them. However, the travelers were elated. Some of them were going home, others were euphoric at the thought of starting a family of their own, while others were in anticipation of wondrous events.

The camels walked slowly, swaying remarkably. Every now and then, someone would get sick from this swaying. This forced them to take breaks from riding and walk on foot by the camels in order to clear their heads at least a little.

Etan and Noumat were riding side by side.

«You know,» Noumat said, squinting in the sun, «I am so glad it shaped so well. We fulfilled the mission Pharaon had entrusted us with: We are bringing him new knowledge, new people, and you and I even managed to find the loves of our lives. It’s marvelous!»

«Yes, it is,» Etan agreed. «We were incredibly lucky to meet Dream Seer. Remember he said he had been waiting for us? I can’t imagine how it is even possible. Every minute spent with him seems to be filled with light. It feels so good just being around him. Now I see clearly why there are people who willingly leave their settled lifestyles behind in exchange for constant wanderings. They get the chance to feel his incredible energy and listen to his wise words.»

There was a buzz of conversation around the group of travelers. The companions did not mind talking to each other as well, breaking the monotony of the journey. Some were talking about the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, others were sharing their plans for the future, still others were fantasizing about sharing the knowledge they had been given by Laurus with other people so that they better understood the world around them.

All the companions came from different places, were completely different from each other in their looks but they all shared one common feature. They looked at the world around them with their eyes wide open. They were learners, future teachers, and inspirators.

Meanwhile, the lush green lands were left behind, and the travelers were passing through the barren sands, blindingly familiar and dear to the hearts of Etan and Noumat.

«My dear friends,» Laurus said to the travelers. «Let us halt for a while and meditate.»

They all dismounted, sat down on the ground in a big circle, raised their hands, palms facing the sky, closed their eyes, and focused not to miss a single word Dream Seer was saying.

«My dear friends,» Laurus repeated. «Listen to your breath and try not to think about anything else. Get yourselves in the calm frame of mind. Then, if any idea comes to you from the world of thoughts, remember it, for it is precious.»

The travelers gave heed to Laurus’s words. They sat in silence, listening to their own breath, interrupted only by occasional gusts of wind. If we could take a closer look, we would see looks of pleasure coming to their faces. Such meditations could put people into an indescribable state of both relaxation and vivacity. Not everyone could get there on the first try but the longer they practiced the better the result was.

Noumat couldn’t focus on his breath and opened his eyes every once in a while. He was a little upset about being unable to achieve a state of meditation and open his mind to new precious ideas.

Travelers spent around twenty minutes meditating. Then Laurus told them to stop and carefully asked what ideas they had had at the end of the process. Two of the travelers said that they had felt anxiety, the others found it hard to answer.

Laurus stood up and said, calmly but confidently: «I managed to get a message: There’s a sand storm coming.»

«What?» the travelers began asking in agitated voices. «A sand storm?! Is this a big one? What shall we do now?»

«We have to hurry up. We are going to leave the direct path in order not to get into the eye of the storm. Prepare pieces of cloth. You will cover your faces and breathe through them when the need arises.»

No one argued with Laurus, their trust in him was infinite. Some of the travelers thrashed about for pieces of cloth, others just tore off pieces of their clothes.

While everyone was fussing about, Noumat came up to Laurus and asked: «Laurus, what does «meditation’ mean? I can’t really master it.»

«Meditation,» Laurus said as he was putting a piece of cloth around his neck, «is a go-between. It is a state where the bond between a person and the world of thoughts, the world of energies is strengthened and this person finds himself or herself between the physical self and energetic representation.»

«It’s very difficult,» Noumat mused.

«You shouldn’t search too hard for an answer or try to understand everything right here, right now,» Laurus said encouragingly. «You will understand it when the time is right if you set your heart on it and wait for it patiently.»

Meanwhile, the wind started rising.