Life in a Thousand Worlds Part 22

I investigated the many interesting features of this inviting world and found that in some respects we are inferior to these human bird creatures, although in many other respects we are superior. Electricity is known in their world, but they have not yet harnessed it; hence they are ignorant of telegraphy and a long list of similar inventions which we enjoy.

In agriculture the Swift.i.tes are ahead of us. They raise their crops with less labor relatively than we. All things considered it is easier to live on Swift than here.

Knowing that my time was limited, I decided to secure some nuggets of truth by a personal interview; so I concluded to appear to the wisest person on the planet, who was a woman of wonderful mental acquirements.

In addition to her superior intellect she was also bewitchingly beautiful.

I waited for the best opportunity and came near to her as she was about to spread her wings for a morning flight from the beautiful summit near her summer home. Not wis.h.i.+ng to cause her undue alarm, I at first spoke softly, remaining invisible and watching her rare eyes send their glances toward the palmy trees around me, as her wings were relaxing quietly at her side. She was positive of having heard a voice, and as she still further scanned the immediate surroundings I saw that perplexity was furrowing marks upon her face.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Beautiful Plume on the World of Swift.]

"Hast thou time to spend with a friend from another world?" I calmly inquired as I was still unseen by her.

She was nervously agitated, but being of strong fibre she quickly rallied with her answer, "Where art thou and who art thou?"

"I am on a peace mission from a far distant world," I quietly said as I slowly became visible to my audience of one.

Naturally she was alarmed at my appearance, and consequently I drew gradually farther and farther away until she gained more self-possession and turned interestingly toward me.

"Ah! how can you be a spirit without wings?" were her first unexpected words.

"But I am no spirit," I said a.s.suringly.

"You cannot be otherwise," she insisted.

"Believe what you wish, we have no time for parley. I am delighted to visit your world and I desire, if possible, to have some mysteries solved. Can you help me?"

Plume, for that is the name I called her, was much unsettled. She scanned my form with wild curiosity and I feared that she would at once use her wings at their swiftest.

"Pray do not fly hence," I quickly urged. "I will never harm you, even though we could converse together forever. Believe me true, and rest your wings and heart in peace."

My words had some effect toward calming her mind and with more placid features she still looked at me half shrinkingly.

"Are you not happy that you have wings with which fly?" I continued, hoping to create a more natural familiarity.

"Happy? No more than for my feet, my ears, or my life," she answered in a more composed manner. "You say that you are from another world. Where can that be?" was her welcome query.

Then I pointed my finger in the direction of our world and remarked:

"If you could travel in that direction on swift wings day and night for a few millions of years, you would still be far, far away from the world where I live."

"And is that world inhabited by sensible creatures?"

"It is."

"But how could you have traversed so great a distance?"

"Never can I explain that mystery to you. Be content that I am here."

"Are you in the image of the other human creatures in that far away world?"

"In general they are all fas.h.i.+oned as I am."

"No one having wings?" she added with surprise.

"Not one."

"How can that be true?"

"Because we were made without them."

"And have you no way of moving through the air at pleasure?"

"Not without artificial machinery."

"Artificial machinery?" she repeated. "What can you mean by that?"

Of course they have no word for balloon or flying machine, and I found it difficult to describe the shape and explain the philosophy of these things. I did the best I could in her language, and after I had finished my description she for the first time smiled and said:

"That sort of a construction would be a fine thing for the indolents of our world who, through misuse or lack of use of their wings, have no more ability to fly."

This was interesting to me and I closely inquired as to the cause of this loss of the wing power. Plume grew more and more familiar in her address and in a long conversation told me of the many conditions that make people unfit to fly. I deduce from our conversation a few of these causes.

1. Simple neglect.

2. Gluttonous life.

3. Sensuality of a low and heavy life.

4. Pride. Some yield to a superst.i.tious notion that it is honorable to make but little display of themselves, and allow their wings to be bound or partly clipped.

5. Certain kinds of sickness render the wing-chords inoperative.

I learned that altogether nearly one-half of the population are unable to fly. How my mind flew back to our own life as I was learning of these sad conditions. There is a sort of a life on wings in our world, although the wings are invisible. But on account of the low, mean lives so many are living, they never rise above the miasmic contagion of the sin and self level. These unseen wings are either paralyzed or clipped.

Plume now actually stepped toward me. What a graceful tread. She was indeed the most charming creature I had met outside of my own world. She seated herself near me on the rustic bend of a tree unlike any in our world and hurried her questions at me as if she realized that I would not tarry long. At length she gratefully said:

"I am beginning to believe that you are really a son of another world, or else I am reveling in a day dream."

"Happy am I that I can learn from you some of the truths after which I am seeking," was my evasive reply. "Tell me, Plume, something about your faith religiously."

"I wors.h.i.+p the G.o.d who made all things and am hoping to live in the wider life after my mortal days are ended."

"Do you expect to meet, in that wider life, representatives from other worlds?"

"Ah! I have often thought that it might be so," she answered, as her face brightened in poetic fervor, and her eyes sparkled with seraphic l.u.s.ter.

"It shall all be so, and much more," I declared. "In that life you can fly without wings and mingle with the pure from the unnumbered worlds of s.p.a.ce."