"He found the knowledge at the heart of the universe; Returned, and cut his story into stone..." -- The Epic Of Gilgamesh Whom The Telling Changed By Aaron A. Reed Would you like instructions?>no The people have always gathered on moonless nights to hear the telling, since the time of your ancestors' ancestors. The heat of the fire and the glow in the storyteller's eyes make the past present, and the path to the future clear. Tonight the stars are bright, but the minds of your people are troubled. May the words of the telling guide your way. ----------- The walls of your tent glow yellow in the lamplight, your simple possessions casting flickering shadows on the wall. A straw bed; some skins of water, oil, and wine; a small, guttering lamp--it is simple, but it is enough. The symbol of your occupation hangs from the central support of the tent. >symbol Which do you mean, the medicine bag or the copper dagger? >bag A small leather medicine pouch hangs from a long strap, bulging with curative herbs. >listen The lamp crackles softly as it burns. Somewhere distant is the sound of muffled voices. >take bag The leather strap feels cool and familiar in your hands as you take your medicine bag down from its place. >look The walls of your tent glow yellow in the lamplight, your simple possessions casting flickering shadows on the wall. A straw bed; some skins of water, oil, and wine; a small, guttering lamp--it is simple, but it is enough. Your lover's copper dagger hangs from the central support of the tent. >examine skins Water for your hands, oil for your lamp, wine for your thirst. You need none of them now, but knowing they are there brings comfort. Lowered voices speak softly from somewhere outside your tent. >take skins Water for your hands, oil for your lamp, wine for your thirst. You need none of them now, but knowing they are there brings comfort. >otu [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >out You step outside into the warm night air. It has been night for many hours, but the air is still warm, and the stars are a million brilliant fires above you. Nearby are the vague outlines of your neighbors' tents, but on this moonless night only the distant glow of the fire pit seems truly alive. In the darkness a few feet away, Sihan and Saiph talk quietly in strained tones. As you approach, your enemy grows silent. Your love turns to you with a look of relief and reaches out a hand. >hug Whom do you want to hug? >hug isi She is not nearby. >exit But you aren't in anything at the moment. >enemy What it was that first made an enemy out of a dear friend you cannot recall, but it has been many years now since smiles passed between you. >talk to saiph You clasp Sihan's soft hand and turn to Saiph with a frown. "What business have you here?" you ask him coldly. Saiph stares down at you with distaste. "I came to see if Sihan is truly a woman of action and not only of words," he says levelly. "But I see that, like you, she is counted among the cowards and the weaklings. I have no more to say." He turns and strides fiercely into the darkness. >n You linger for a moment in the starlight, tempted to enjoy more quiet words with your love. Sihan sighs. "His heart clamors for war with these newcomers," your lover says, "and was upset to find I do not share his views. We shall see if your enemy has better luck at the telling." She looks up to the stars, and adds, "It is a good night for it." >night Sihan points up at the night sky. "See how bright the stars are," she says, "as if the gods themselves gather round our fire to hear the teller's story." >look at stars The stars glimmer in the warm night air, casting a pale light over the valley. >telling "It is almost time," your love says seriously. "I wonder, what story will we hear tonight? The people are buzzing about the newcomers; perhaps the teller's story will be about them." >newcomers "Have you heard the news?" she asks. "Young Ada found traces of a camp less than an hour's walk from here, and more than half a day from their fires in the valley. Saiph and his friends are already sharpening their spears and preparing for war," she says darkly. >n Sihan glances towards the fire pit, ducks inside the tent and emerges a moment later with her copper dagger, sliding it into its familiar place at her waist. "Let us join the gathering and hear the story," your love says lightly, and turns to the fire at the center of the village. You walk to the firepit with Sihan, and friends and neighbors greet you with a nod or quiet word. Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. Isi and Nabu stand near the fire, along with a growing crowd. Sihan stands near your side. >hug isi You put out a hand and squeeze Isi's shoulder with affection. She puts her hand on yours and pats it gently. >;ppl [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. Nabu and Isi stand near the fire, along with a growing crowd. Sihan stands near your side. >talk to nabu Your uncle Nabu regards you seriously. "Is your Sihan ready to fight for this village, should it be necessary?" he asks. "Perhaps it will not come to fighting," you say. "Who can tell?" he says, "But those who bear arms must be prepared, nonetheless." Sihan places a hand on your shoulder. "Go on, my love," she says softly. "Give the circlet of office to the storyteller. It is time." >ijnv [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >inv You are carrying your medicine bag and the storyteller's feathered circlet. >give circlet to isi You approach your aunt Isi and hand the circlet to the white-haired old woman. She takes it delicately, eyeing the craftsmanship, and then looks up at you and smiles warmly. Carefully, she lifts it up to her old head--and now before you is no longer your father's sister, but the storyteller... a role she has taken every new moon for many years. >wait A bat circles above the fire for a moment, then swoops away. Saiph approaches the far side of the fire and greets some friends warmly. >wait A log falls in the fire, sending a shower of sparks up into the night. Sihan kisses your cheek. "May the story bring you what you seek," she whispers, then slips into the crowd. Your beloved has always liked to hear the stories by herself. >wait Somewhere in the darkness, a night bird calls. The murmurings of the people die away as the storyteller rises to her feet and raises two bony hands. >wait A gust of wind makes the ashes of the fire hiss. The storyteller shouts, "In this time of darkness the people gather for the telling. Will the people hear?" >wait A log falls in the fire, sending a shower of sparks up into the night. The crowd cries out with one voice, "The people are ready." The teller bows humbly, accepting the people's blessing, then straightens with the hint of a smile. "Tonight," she says, "we shall hear an old, old story, from days long ago when great cities and mighty kings ruled this land. May you find in the story that which you seek." >wait A gust of cool wind tugs your clothes. The storyteller lifts her hands in invocation. "Our story begins," she says quietly, "in the far-off city of Uruk. Uruk of the broad streets, Uruk of the mighty walls. Can you see them, gleaming in the desert heat?" The teller gestures into the night, and in your mind the walls come alive, shimmering in the desert air. "Come," she continues, "cross the ancient threshold, walk the streets and orchards and markets. Walk the streets and climb the great stone steps to the temple. Climb the steps and find the box of burnished copper. Find the box and undo the lock and draw out the great tablet of deep blue stone. Draw out the tablet and read of Uruk's king, Uruk's pride, Uruk's greatest hero. Hear of the trials of Gilgamesh." >tablet "From where came this tablet of bluest stone?" you ask. "Gilgamesh carved it," the teller says, "cut his words deep into the tablet of lapis lazuli, bluest of blues. Wise Gilgamesh carved all his exploits and knowledge into the tablets, and hid them under the cornerstone of Uruk, so men would remember his deeds long after he went to the underworld. But," the teller adds, "that was long after the story we shall hear tonight." >uruk "Tell more of the city of Uruk," you ask. "Uruk, mighty Uruk of the wide streets," the teller says with shining eyes, "its heart the temple of Inanna, towering over all; its skin mighty walls of oven-fired brick, their like unmatched in all the world. Uruk, planned by the seven sages and filled with orchards and gardens. Never was a city more mighty and proud than Uruk, and never had any city so great a king." >walls "How high were the walls of Uruk?" you ask. "As high as ten men," the storyteller replies, "and made of the finest brickwork both inside and outside. Gilgamesh built them, a work no later king could match, to defend the people of Uruk from her foes. From their top the whole city is laid out below you, only the temple still above." The teller continues. "Mighty was Gilgamesh, a lord among lords. Mighty is he who both leads the way and guards the rear. Mighty is he who both crashes like a wave and shelters the weak. Gilgamesh was tall, strong, bearded, a roaring bull among his people. Aruru, mother of the Earth, gave him his form, and Adad the Storm gave him courage, and Shamash the Sun gave him beauty--but," the teller's piercing eyes fixate on the crowd, "he was still a man, nonetheless." >man Saiph is speaking before you can react. "How awesome to have such divinity in one's creation," Saiph says. "The people of Uruk were blessed indeed to have such a king to lead them." "And they knew it," says the teller with a twinkle in her eye, "even if they sometimes wished for a leader who provoked awe less frequently." There are some who frown, but one or two of the people smile and nod. >shamash "What did great Shamash give to King Gilgamesh?" you call out. "Shamash, Father Utu, Lord of the Sun and of Justice, gave to great Gilgamesh beauty and nobility," the teller says. "Shamash's burning touch woke within Uruk's king the fire of legend." >gilgamesh You wonder why the teller has chosen a story of Gilgamesh, whose name is legend. Is it to inspire the people in a time of fear? >why "Is this a well-chosen tale?" you ask respectfully. "Should we hear stories of battle and war when they lie on our very doorstep?" The crowd looks hesitantly between you and the storyteller, who regards you with inscrutable eyes. "Stories are not all of far off places and distant times," she says softly. "The world tells us stories every day, and the wise pay heed. Gilgamesh may teach us much tonight, if we have the ears to hear." You bow your head, accepting the storyteller's decision. The telling continues. "With his friend and companion Enkidu," the storyteller says, "Gilgamesh ruled Uruk with a young and prideful heart. But he saw the dead and dying in the streets of Uruk, and his mind was troubled." >companion "Let us hear more of Gilgamesh's friend Enkidu," you say. "Enkidu the wild man, made by the gods to tame unruly Gilgamesh," says the teller, a smile lighting her face. "He lived with the animals in the wild lands till he came to Uruk to challenge Gilgamesh. But their battle united them, and instead of enemies they became closer than friends. Inseparable were Gilgamesh and Enkidu; together they faced all foes and fought all battles." >united Saiph is speaking before you can react. "Mighty Enkidu was also made by the gods?" Saiph's voice booms from across the circle. "By Aruru," the storyteller says sagely, "By Aruru the Earth mother. The people of Uruk beseeched her to soothe wild Gilgamesh, who day after day came to the young men's homes, fighting and sparring in search of an equal, and night after night came to the young women's beds. The people of Uruk called on Aruru for help, and Enkidu was pinched from Aruru's clay and cast into the wilderness, as strong and mighty as Gilgamesh himself." "How wise the gods are," Saiph says, "to send such magnificent heroes to protect their people." At these words, one or two nod somberly. Spears glint in the firelight as hands grip them tighter. Through the crowd, you spot the guarded gaze of your love, eyeing you with concern. >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. The teller stands near the fire, and all the people's attention is focused on her. You wonder, was Gilgamesh a fool to be so troubled by distant death? Somewhere in the darkness, a night bird calls. >fool "Death comes to the weak quicker than the strong," you call out. "It is the way of things, and cannot change. Gilgamesh spent his worries needlessly." The storyteller continues. "One night," she says, "as Gilgamesh knelt in prayer, Shamash, god of the sun, came down to whisper in his ear. Shamash whispered to Gilgamesh of a far off place called the Cedar Forest, where dwelt the demon Humbaba. Shamash whispered that he who could defeat Humbaba would gain fame greater than any man. He who could chop down the tallest cedar and defeat Humbaba the guardian would gain everlasting fame. He would burn in the minds of men forever. He would never be forgotten. And the heart of Gilgamesh became restless." >restless Before you can speak, Saiph steps forward. "You said King Gilgamesh was restless when he heard Shamash's call," Saiph says loudly. "And of course he was! What king would not seize a chance for glory, to prove his strength and power? A leader is trebled in stature when admired by the people." A shepherd nods his head, and holds his wife closer. >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. The teller stands near the fire, and all the people's attention is focused on her. "Tell my little one more of Humbaba the demon," a young father says. The teller bends down and smiles at the sullen child. "His breath is a firestorm; his voice is the floodwaters; his jaws are death itself. Horrible to look at is the demon Humbaba, and the few who saw him and survived could not describe his face." The child's eyes widen in fear and the storyteller tousles his hair. >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. The teller stands near the fire, and all the people's attention is focused on her. The story moves on. "The heart of Gilgamesh burned with the words of Shamash," says the teller. "Gilgamesh sought out his friend Enkidu and said to him: 'You came from the wild. My friend, you came from the wild and you know the secret paths of animals. Do you know the way to the Cedar Forest?' "Enkidu sighed and his heart grew heavy," says the teller, and then seems to become young and strong as the gruff guise of Enkidu comes over her. "'Yes, I know the way to the Cedar Forest, but it is long and lonely. And what awaits you at its end but the demon Humbaba? The lord of all gods, mighty Enlil, has set him there to guard the Cedar Forest. What man or god could defeat him, my brother?'" >sighed Enkidu was brave to question his friend, perhaps. Or was his hesitation to fight a sign of weakness? >brave "How strong is Enkidu," you marvel aloud, "to stand against such a man as Gilgamesh. What courage to raise his voice against so mighty and stalwart a man." Whispers of assent float across the fire; a fair number nod visibly at these words. >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. The teller stands near the fire, and all the people's attention is focused on her. "Wise is the counsel of Enkidu," Sihan says from across the firepit. "Even a great hero is not immune to all terrors." Saiph laughs. "Even the heroes of legend are weaklings in your eyes," he says. "Small wonder you have so little faith in the heroes of today." >look Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. The teller stands near the fire, and all the people's attention is focused on her. The telling continues. "Gilgamesh looked at Enkidu with disapproving eyes," continues the teller, who then seems to grow tall and strong. "Is this the brave Enkidu I know?" she asks in the voice of the king. "Is this Enkidu who fought with the wild beasts and once challenged King Gilgamesh himself? Have you traded courage for cowardice? Our days are few, and chances for glory far between. Do you not wish to burn forever in the minds of men?" The teller becomes Enkidu again, and seems to consider the words of Gilgamesh. "'You have set your mind, I see. You will make this quest no matter what your friend Enkidu counsels. Since that is your road, I will go with you. I will guide you on the hidden paths; I will find for you the hidden water; I will help you on your quest for glory. Enkidu will go with you.'" >glory "What better task for Gilgamesh to take on?" you wonder aloud. "If he succeeds, his people will love him and follow him all the more; and if he fails, his name will live on in death as one who showed no fear." "As it has," the teller says, "though which of those outcomes found Gilgamesh has not yet been told." Wisps of clouds mark moving black shadows on the stars above. >weak "There are few chances for glory," you say. "Why did Enkidu not relish such a chance to prove his valor, and that of his King?" "The story does not say," says the teller demurely, "and so neither shall I." A shepherd near you nods his head, and holds his wife closer. > restart Are you sure you want to restart? yes