KEEP and TAMER

"Come on, let's take a ride," KEEP said while preparing to go out of her inn and winked, "But it will not be free."

"Sure thing!" the ever-friendly and approachable TAMER replied and took something from his pocket, "As far as I know, the Village does not have any currency right? So, will this magnet be good as payment?"

"Right, we barter only." KEEP replied and smiled, "And no need, I'm just teasing you, we don't need horses here, It's just a small village, we can just walk. I'll be your guide."

"You got me there, KEEP," TAMER scratched his head and said, "But will it be okay? What about your inn?"

"Don't worry, my apprentice will take care of it. Besides, I also wanted to take a stroll and savor the Village's fresh air," KEEP replied, "And I have to visit also the Centree to witness the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, so our paths are the same."

"How delightful. Thank you, KEEP. Just lead me to it then." We can see the excited look on TAMER's face.

We continue our flashback of TAMER and KEEP.

From a distance, we can already see the ever-bright and green leaves of the Centree, like emeralds in the sun, as they stroll.

"Hey, Miss KEEP, as much as I adore the landscape of the Village, I'm curious about your buckles as well. I can see that every villager has one, but differs in those peculiar designs."

"Oh, you mean, our Rope Emblems?" replied KEEP as she held her Emblem, "This determines our Family, Class, and School."

"I see, I see. Intriguing," TAMER was bemused, "So the Village social stratification is also deeply ingrained in your culture."

"Right, you are!" KEEP began to explain, "Not everyone in the Village are foragers and hunters only. We have five CLASSes: Foragers, Hunters, Builders, Collectors, and Overseers. For everyone in the Village, even the young ones and the babies, have a destined class. But, when they come to the right age, they can certainly retain or change their class permanently."

"Ah, so that's where we headed then." TAMER's eyes glared with excitement, "Really delightful indeed! I will have the chance to witness this Coming-of-Age Ceremony!"

"Correct again! You're such a good listener, Mister Traveler." KEEP gave a clap.

TAMER humbly replied, "Not really, your explanations were just music to my ears, Miss KEEP. They're so clear and descriptive that I just can't wait to finally see them with my own eyes."

"You're just being too kind," KEEP giggled then continued, "The designs you see in one of the circles of our Emblems are symbols of each Class. Forager's is like a foot, Hunter's is like a torso, Builder's is like a bicep, Collector's is like a hand, and Overseer's is like an eye."

Keep added while pointing at the mentioned villagers, "Each class had its responsibilities, and they worked together like cogs in a well-oiled machine. Foragers are the ones in charge of nurturing and harvesting farms. Hunters are strong and skilled at taming and hunting beasts. Builders are the ones that plan, build, and maintain the Village's machines and infrastructures, especially the prism houses and their Sanctuaries, the plumbing, and the drainage. Overseers maintain order and decisions, especially the equal sharing of loot. And the Collectors gather anything they see, which may be used as materials for every need of a class. And they are like the assistants of the four other classes."

"Your Village seems so simple and so cool but there's depth to it," TAMER praised and then asked, "How about the third circle on those Emblems of yours?"

KEEP answered happily, "Those are the symbols for our Schools. You see, we have three Schools for each Class. Foragers have the Seeders, Nurturers, and Harvesters. Hunters include the Herders, Archers, and Slingers. Builders are composed of Planners, Carpenters, and Maintainers. While Overseers have the Leaders, Trainers, and Budgeters in which I am."

TAMER wondered, "How about the Collectors?"

"Oh right, the Collectors are the only Class that has no Schools for they can collect anything and everything." KEEP answered and added, "Though each Class has different Schools, all the Schools help each other in each Class if one task is already finished. For example, if the Carpenter Builders are done with their work, they help the Maintainer Builders."

"So, since you have the symbol of an eye in your Emblem and you said that you are a Budgeter, then you, Miss KEEP, are an Overseer Budgeter, right?" TAMER guessed.

Then KEEP answered proudly, "Correct again! That's why I'm an innkeeper of the Village."

TAMER clapped joyously as if he won a quiz bee.

And finally, we arrived at the center of the Village, where the majestic tree stands tall…

Centree had been there for as long as anyone could remember and it was a wonder of nature, a colossus among trees.

Its trunk was so large that it would take five men to embrace it, and its branches soared to the sky, forming a magnificent dome over a third of the entire village.

The villagers adored Centree. They would often gather around its base, stroking its bark and whispering their wishes and dreams.

Centree was more than just a tree to the villagers. It was a symbol of their harmony, a faithful companion that had seen them through all of life's joys and sorrows. It had weathered storms and droughts, providing shelter and shade for generations of families.

But Centree was not just a passive listener of the Village's life. It was a living, breathing being, and it had a deep bond with the people who lived under its branches. It could sense their emotions, and it would sway in the wind, whispering a gentle word to those who needed comfort in its shade.

Centree's bark was smooth and warm, like a mother's touch. Its fruits were fragrant and colorful like jewels in the air and were sweet and juicy like nectar in the mouth.

Its roots were strong and deep as if it was anchoring this world…

"The magnificence of Centree is indeed such a delight," TAMER exclaimed with glimmering eyes as he watched the crowd begin to form beneath it.

"Right you are, TAMER," replies KEEP.

"So this is the Coming-of-Age Ceremony," TAMER then asked, "How does it work? Kindly enlighten me, Miss KEEP."

"I thought you would never ask," KEEP giggled as if enthralled by the friendly demeanor of TAMER, "It is one of the pivotal moments of a villager to finally choose their permanent Class when they reach the right age."

TAMER examined and said, "I can see one, two, three… five different colors of its fruits."

Centree's fruits were colorful and they are as large as a carabao mango and even looks like one.

"Right! Each color determines each Class," KEEP began to explain, "The villager may pick any colored fruit of their choice according to the permanent Class they want to be in. Cyan colored fruit if they want to pick the Builders Class, Magenta is for Foragers, Yellow's for Hunters, Black's for Collectors, and White fruit for Overseers."

TAMER and KEEP saw that the two young candidates chose the yellow fruit while another young candidate chose a black fruit as the Hunters and Collectors cheered.

"Look at that! I never knew I could witness the emergence of the Tricycle Ability!" KEEP cheered as they saw a casted light from the spaces of the leaves that centered, like a spotlight, to the young girl who chose the yellow fruit.

"What's going on? What do you mean by ability?" TAMER was bewildered.

"You see, Centree's fruits give diverse special skills to a villager that is related to its class. And the Tricycle Ability is one of the rarest of the rare gifts a villager could have from a generation. It means that the young girl gained the strength of a Builder, the agility of a Hunter, and the endurance of a Forager. It may not be as powerful as you think, but it really is a rare ability and in certain circumstances, it will surely come in handy."

TAMER grinned and joined the cheers, "How splendid indeed!"

Let me add some info to KEEP's explanations. Although not all of the villagers may have this rare ability, Centree's fruit will always give special skills to a villager that is related to their Class.

How can they know what their gift is, you ask? Simply by knowing that they can do it. It's like muscle memory. We cannot fully explain it like how we can't fully give the details of how we can instinctively move our hands and feet or how some can't explain how they can wiggle their ears without touching them.

"So, if I ate one, would it also give me an ability?" TAMER asked.

"Many travelers tried, you can try, but the only gift it will give you is the ability to run fast to the comfort room," KEEP replied, laughing, "For if anybody that is not born on this land, where the roots of Centree rests, ate from its fruit will only have stomach aches for days."

"Note to self. Never will I try to taste one." TAMER scratched his head…

Since that day, that traveler became a regular visitor to the Village, and he would often be found sitting beneath Centree's branches, a welcoming smile on his face as he gained more and more companions in the Village…

---~~~o~~~--- ---~~~o~~~--- ---~~~o~~~---

THE PSALMIST went back to his melody of the Village's theme,

~~~

"As they gather on the fields, the land was healthy then

As they hunt for grubs, the land was ample then

They got everythin' they needed

Oh, she was their Eden

~~~

As I plucked the fruit of your gifting hands

As I taste and savor thy grand plans

They got everythin' they needed

Oh, she was chosen

~~~

And he said, hello

Oooh...

He said, hello

Oooh..."