The drumbeat began to work outside of the
rhythm now, began to punctuate the song rather than underpin it. At some point
the song began to be sung in English, although Dave could not determine exactly
when that was.
<Boom> “The sun rose…and the
<Boom> people rose. They rose and they <Boom> readied, and readied,
they walked.”
The drumming was devoid of rhythm now, as
the rhythm had been intertwined with the narrative. The drumming was used to
accent the story, or to contrast. It seemed to come when Dave was least
expecting it, but it played upon and excited his senses.
“They <Boom> walked towards the
rising sun, walked their road of <Boom> life. They walked for purpose,
they walked for meaning, they walked towards their goal. They did not know what
it was they sought, but they were drawn onward, as a magnet draws steel, as a
young woman draws a mate. They walked as their fathers and grandfathers had
walked, each generation a little closer to their destiny.
“Biko was their chief, a wise and
honorable man, slow to judgment, slow to anger, strong in his convictions. He
led the way through desert and fast rivers. For many moons he had brought the
tribe through many troubles and obstacles. The weather that day was good, the
terrain flat and easily crossed. They had an abundance of food and would not be
required to stray from their path in order to hunt or to forage.
“They covered many miles that day. But
towards evening, they came across a sight unlike any they had seen before. On
the horizon they caught a glimpse of something that shone like a stream. As
they neared, they saw that is was two long rods that ran together as far as the
eye could see. They were cold to the touch and hard, like shiny stone. They
separated the land they had traversed from the land they were heading towards,
and the tribe was hesitant to cross it. The march stopped, as the wise men came
together to piece together the meaning of this thing that seemed to divide the
earth.”
Izzy started the faintest of tappings on
the drum with his fingertips, slowly building the steady rhythm louder.
“And as they sat, as they talked, a faint
rumbling could be heard, as though a herd of buffalo was approaching from a
long way off. Still they discussed omens and their meanings, as the sound could
slowly be heard to grow nearer. Soon, a rattling could be felt emitting from
the shiny lines. Something was approaching, and it was following the two lines.
The tribe began to get very excited and fearful, as what they were witnessing
was quite different from anything in their experiences. They questioned the
elders, but even the very wise in the tribe had no answers to what was approaching.
“At length, the thing that rumbled like a
herd of buffalo could finally be seen, a great creature like a monstrous snake
that belched black smoke from atop its head. It moved smoothly along the
strong, shiny lines at speeds greater than any animal they had known. The
people were frightened, not knowing what to make of this terrible creature that
approached, but Biko’s strength in the face of danger caused them to stand
their ground. Whatever this things was, Biko was prepared to stand between it and
his people.
“As it neared, its speed began to
diminish, as though it had been aware of the people who stood near the path it
travelled. It slowed as if to confront the tribe, until it came to a rest in
front of them. Such was its length that its head had passed well beyond them,
while its tail was still far away. And as Biko and his people looked upon the
shiny skin of the creature, they noticed that they could see within its vast
belly, and there they noticed a large number of people. The people within the
belly of the beast were lost in a revelry, as though in the grip of a powerful
music during a time of ceremony. They writhed as though seeking answers from
the spirit world, but it was as though they themselves had no spirit within
them. It was as though they were bodies without spirits, dancing and carrying
on as if to forget that fact.
“Biko stared at the crowd in the
bellies—for it had many of them—with incomprehension. Until at length the
people, lost in their festivities, began to notice Biko and his tribe. Then the
people inside the belly of the snake looked towards the tribe and beckoned to
them. Posing and posturing in garish manner, they sought to lure those outside
to join in the celebration.
“The people inside the snake had everything
needed for feasting. Sumptuous tables were filled with various delicacies,
things that the simple tribesman could only imagine. And in the revelers’ hands
were glasses filled with drink. So lost were they in their revelry, they nearly
lost the contents of their glasses with their wild and drunken movement. There
were wild smiles, almost unnatural, on the faces of all that were inside, and
they seemed to want nothing more than to share their wanton pleasures with
others. They beckoned to Biko, but he was taken aback. So they called to the
others amongst the tribe, and some of those were not taken aback by the
behavior of those on the inside of the great animal. A door opened on one of
the stomachs of the beast and the revelers yelled to the tribe: ‘Come join us.
There is naught but joy upon this train.’
“Windows were lowered so that still more
of the beast’s inhabitants might yell out from its bowels: ‘There is plenty for
all, inside. Come, come.’ <Boom>
“Within his stomach, Biko felt a warning,
a fear of this unnatural, drunken ecstasy. There was something wrong, and he
knew he must guard his people. But as he looked back at those behind him, he
noticed some had started to come forward. Short moments ago, he stood in front
of them, closer to the beast than the others dared to tread. But now some were
getting closer to it than he himself wished to be. ‘Back,’ he said, to the
approaching tribe members. ‘There is something wrong here. Their joy is not
natural.’ But his people continued to press forward, intrigued by the excitement
they witnessed and the ease of life that the people aboard the beast seemed to
have. For life within the tribe had been one of unceasing labor, of constant
searching and striving, of always pursuing but never arriving. And here they
could see pure joy on the faces of these people—where they went, they went
effortlessly, through the power of the beast. And they thought that perhaps
these people had found the destiny they themselves had for so long sought. Perhaps
they merely wished to believe, tired as they were with the slow trek towards
meaning. Biko saw no meaning, no destiny in the beast and the people it
contained. Its path was not their path: it ran counter to the sun’s rise while
they had always pursued it. Biko thrust out an arm to keep the person on his
right from approaching any further. But even as he did so, many others pushed
around and continued nearing the beast. And as they did, the people aboard the
snake-like thing enticed them onward. And as Biko’s people reached out and
grabbed the willing hands that were held out for them, they too assumed the
same sort of wild joy in their aspects. They were greeted with drink that
smelled like fire, were handed bunches of grapes and sweet meats. As the first
few walked into the beast, others became braver and followed. They followed
each one after the other, friends and family Biko had known all of his life.
His wife’s brother, his cousin with his wife, even the old and the young walked
aboard the creature, eager for the temptations that awaited there. Biko
feverishly tried to hold back any within his reach, but even as he did, still
more walked eagerly past. Biko let loose his grip on a tribe member who was so
willing to leave the path he had walked all of his life. Biko had but one
thought now, and that was to find his wife and his child. They, he must
protect, even if he could save no one else. He looked around at those slow in
their approach towards the beast, but could not see them. It was not until he heard
the beckoning from the train that he looked up to see them both standing at the
door, waving him towards them. And in that moment he noticed a man who stood
near the front of the beast, a person who seemed to be more in control of
himself. He seemed, if there was such a thing, to be the leader of those on the
snake. And he, more than anyone, was fervently gesturing towards Biko to join
them. ‘Come, come. Put aside your struggles. Put down your burdens and your
doubts and your troubles. Join us. There is nothing but happiness amongst us.
You have only to step on board.’
“There was doubt in Biko’s heart, as he
feared that by rejecting the man he might lose his wife, his child. And so he
asked the man: ‘Where is it that you go, where is your destination?’
“The man smiled an unnerving smile, and
said: ‘There is but one end, and all men are destined to go that way. Why walk,
why labor, when you can join us in a party all the way? Whether you travel slow
or fast, it is what awaits you at the end of all your struggles.’
“Fear gripped Biko’s heart, for he knew
what it was that the man spoke of: death. Death awaits all men. But Biko knew
this was not an answer, knew there was something more. But the beast was huge
and powerful, and it cut over the land. The people had given it power, and it
worked its will against the land until it arrived at its final stop. This beast
that the people had built would have its way, and there was none left to oppose
it, none except Biko and myself. We alone waited outside the beast, for I too
felt in my stomach the warning that Biko felt. The people inside wanted our
support, wanted us to believe as they believed. But in time they were content
with those they had acquired. Soon, they tired of their entreaties and the
revelry resumed with their new guests. In a short time, we were forgotten, and
the mechanical beast began to lurch in to motion.
“But Biko would not give up. The doors
were shut as he approached the thing, willing to fight for his tribe even
though they had abandoned him. He could not enter the beast that had swallowed
his tribe, yet he worked his way towards the head of the beast, trying each
door as he went. But each was locked, and the people inside were too absorbed
in their revelry to pay any notice of him. He stood now at the front of the
beast desperate to prevent his people from rushing towards their end. And the
beast began to move, to resume its mad rush to nothingness with new faces on
board. As it moved, some broke from their revelry to mock and jeer at Biko as
he stood at its front and tried to hold it back. It was a futile gesture, even
he knew. But he would not abandon the attempt. And the beast went faster along
its tracks, and the people continued to jeer, until Biko could no longer retain
his footing. And as he fell I heard the jeers, even amongst those who had known
him all his life. And they called his death a suicide, but I knew differently.
He did what he did because he could do no more, and he could do no less.
“I stood still as I saw the beast ride
over Biko’s body, watched the revelers resume their mindless orgy. As the sound
of their drunken shouts and animal howls faded with distance, my legs began to
move, carrying me southwards, in search of my tribe.”
