NJ59

(NJ59)

May 20 2005

The comic has been updated for the first time. It's actually exciting for us! I know there are so many--
thousands--of on-line comics. But still, those are not this comic. So, until we get tired of it, it will remain
exciting. And it's likely we won't get tired of it.

I mean, would you get tired of seeing someone draw your favorite dreams or fantasies…accurately?

Woo hoo!

Back to Cyeatea:

Fleur and I learned a lot. It's likely a lot of this is going to be mentioned again and again, so I won't
mentione everything we learned. That way I can mention some of it in context with an event.

But, we'll see if I can abbreviate some of what we were taught just so you can understand.

Ammie and Cleome - and eventually Bahoogie and Theta - all helped us to learn about what foods were safe
and which were not. How to watch for predators, though they told us that there were likely few predators we
needed to worry about, simply because of our strength and our appearances. "Most would cut you free
because you are not familiar. Though then again, they might keep you if only to find out what you are."
Ammie smiled at that. "As I might have done if my web and daughter had not spoken of what you called
yourselves."

"Human?" I asked.

"Yes, hooman."

We learned about baises - that's honeybee stew. Somehow the chemicals Ammie introduces into the
honeybee makes the honey sort of chunky style. Ewwwwwwwww!

We learned about com nodes. She had a small pile of them. She told us that occasionally, a honeybee will
gift her with one and she'd keep it to pass on to one who she thought deserved it or a honeybee who might
have lost theirs in the struggle with her. Most honeybees return to their hive after being caught, to report
in, and gain back their juices before harvesting again. A skinny, unprepared honeybee was thought to be
inconsiderate and immature - unlearned.

Anyway, the com nodes kept a group that was harvesting together in contact with one another and in
contact with their hive. If any of them got into trouble, they could call for help. If the honeybee was caught
by a predator, the honeybee could report in as such so that they would not be thought to be missing. Every
honeybee is always accounted for. If one goes missing, a flight will be sent to look for them.

Cool, that.

We learned a little bit about predators and predatory plants. We couldn't learn a lot about the plants until
we can actually see them. Everyone described them to us as best they could but I could see where actually
seeing one would be much more useful. I figured we'd eventually see some of what they described.

At the end of the third day it had been decided. We'd somehow find a way to Theta's hive. Likely he'd see if
he could fly us there one at a time which would take him all day. He didn't mind. Apparently the hives are
the centers of commerce in Cyeatea.

They described the hive a bit but it was too much for me to try and grok. The sheer size of the descriptions
just had my mind kind of going blank. Johnathon used to do that with his descriptions of some of the places
he'd been dreamwalking. I just can't visualize things in my head that are THAT big. If someone says
something is a mile long, I'll nod my head but I can't truly visualize it. I have to see it. So we left it at "big."

Bahoogie had been with us long enough to be truly thinned down. He chose not to accompany us because
he'd already been around spiders long enough. I kind of understood where he was coming from. He was
satisfied that we were with Theta and that Theta was going to take us to Helianthus. Before we parted
ways, Theta welcomed Bahoogie to the hive should he ever wish to visit.

This seemed to please Bahoogie immensely. "I shall be fat to make such a trip, for it is a long flight up the
tree and many predators await the unwary."

We all embraced and I watched him fly off. My heart was kind of sad, though. I hope we see him again.

I absently rubbed my belt as I watched him fly off. I'll always have that to remember him by.