Learning Levels

The sun was blazing down in the sky. There were only a few clouds hovering off in the distance, teasing us by shading parts of the ocean beyond our reach. The fields stretched in every direction, making a sea of green leaves. Every part of me wanted to curl up and hide in the shade of the nearby trees, but now was not the time. 

Instead, I stayed perched on the edge of Steele's shoulder as he worked. It was unnerving to say the least. My legs dangled off of the edge of his shoulder as he remained hunched over his working area. Every time I glanced over to watch him work, my head started to spin and my knees got weak. Feeling his muscles moving and contracting under me was equally as unnerving. 

Still, I watched as Steele worked, tilling up the ground with his fingers, scratching at the surface of the dirt, examining it, and then pushing it back into place while I recited different lessons to Steele that I had learned from Mehlein. It was some sort of odd exercise Steele came up with. I was supposed to describe different letters and how to draw and write them and the different sounds they could make. Only having the one lesson, I taught him about the first two letters of the common alphabet as well as these things called "vowels." 

"Now, the vowels are what again?" asked Steele. He had done this a few times at this point, and I knew what he was doing - quizzing me as well as himself. 

"A. E. I. O. U. Sometimes Y, depending on the word," I stated. I dared to glance over the edge again. Just the sight of how far below the ground was made my insides feel like they were about to drop. The tethers kept me in place, but I could slip about a meter if I wanted to, but I didn't want that in the slightest. 

I watched as Steele dug his left finger deep into the ground, pulled it out, and examined the end, rubbing his thumb against his index finger before moving onto the next section. 

"How do you draw a… eh… koonyardo vi… big case A?" asked Steele as he smoothed out the ground in front of him. 

"Oh… um… it's called… rats… what is it called…. Upper case! It's called an upper case 'A'. Um… to draw it, you need one slanted line up, one slanted line down, and one across," I said. This was the fifth time he asked me this, but I watched as, this time, he used his index finger and dragged it into the ground, tracing the letter Mehlein showed me earlier. 

"Like this?" he asked. I was completely awed. He managed it on the first try.

Was this what he was trying to do in his mind when he asked me to describe it? He was trying to visualize it for himself? 

"Yes," I replied. "Just like that." 

"Good. You are a good teacher. Now, what about the next?" Steele asked as he scraped the dirt smooth with the edge of his hand, the dark soil exposed underneath. 

"Ummm…. Right. The next letter is 'B,' which is one straight line down and then two loops that look like sideways mountains. It connects at the top and goes to the bottom," I explained. Steele, once again, used his index finger to draw the single line down, but the sideways mountains had him confused. It took a couple tries, but he eventually got it with some aid in my descriptions. 

"That looks great," I encouraged, surprising myself at the enthusiasm in my voice. In my own mind, I held up a finger and pretended to draw in the dirt Steele had just cleared. For a moment, sitting on his shoulder, I felt tall like him. What was it really like? Being big enough to use the earth to write?

"Good. Now, the next," said Steele. We went through the letters and vowels I knew, explaining the different sounds they made and that upper case and lower case were two different things. When Steele asked why, I didn't have an answer. 

"Ah, new things to learn tomorrow from Mehlein then," he stated, daring to glance over his shoulder at me. I felt his violet eyes on me and, being so close to his face, could make out every wise wrinkle by his eyes. 

Then, Steele slowly straightened up from his hunched over position, making me quickly maneuver to avoid slipping off of the edge of his shoulder. I grasped the fibers of his shirt and clung on for dear life as I hoisted myself up further. Each fiber felt like it was as big as my arm, like grasping onto a ball of yarn to get a good grip. 

Once he was fully upright, Steele sat down on the ground and carefully began to dig straight down into the ground. 

He said nothing. He made no indication of what he was doing, yet my own mind began to grow more curious by the second. Carefully, he continued to clear away the dirt one handful at a time, digging deeper and deeper until his silence prompted my curious mind. 

"Steele? What are you doing?" I asked. 

"I am digging a well," he stated factually. "I have been testing the ground as you taught me letters, and now I can teach you about the ground and how to find water." The statement puzzled me. Find water? Just by sticking his finger in the ground? How? More importantly, why? 

"But… I'm not a field tender," I said. "I don't own land. I don't grow crops." 

"Ah, but the skill is what is important," stated Steele, directing his attention to me, turning his massive face toward me. "If someone needs to find water quickly and I am not here, you can find it for them. You can find it for yourself when you have land. Besides, this is not going to be an ordinary well to be drawn from on a bucket and rope. We will be using new tools." 

My eyes widened and I felt my insides do a little backflip with excitement. New tools? What kind of new tools? What did he mean about not using a bucket and rope? Was he talking about things people did in big cities and towns? Devices that would pull water from the ground?

"How?" I asked. At this, Steele smiled and gestured to the ground. 

"I'll show you." 

I felt completely and utterly amazed as he began to set things up to dig the well and prepare the tools. I didn't even realize I had done it, but the question came out completely involuntarily. 

"Where did you learn so much? How?" 

At this question, Steele smiled and nodded slowly. 

"I learned at my home in my country – in Iothea. It is a long way away from this place. Many days by boat. We have… eh… koonyardo vi… schools, but bigger. Places of study. Books that would cover the face of this whole field," said Steele, gesturing to the seemingly endless fields around us. My mind couldn't even begin to comprehend how many books that might be, especially if they were Steele's size. "I learned there to be a leader, a good soldier. I learned of the earth. I learned about the body. I learned our history and the history of other lands and people. I learned about herbs and chemicals, potions and poultices. I spent time sketching and drawing, though I am not very good. I also learned government and… er… koonyardo vi… speaking into the air."

"Public speaking?" I asked, remembering that some of the leaders of our town called it this when they needed to call a public meeting. 

"Ah! Yes," stated Steele. "Pub-lic speaking. I learned this, and I learned the tongues and languages of our people. Sadly, I did not learn your language, but it is never too late to do so."

"Your people have other languages?" I asked, accidentally interrupting. Steele nodded as he continued to prepare his tools. 

"Yes. Many of them, and I will teach them to you. I learned to read and write their languages, and now I am learning yours – thanks to you," smiled the older Orion, giving me a subtle wink with his violet eye. I felt my cheeks burning instantly, but his playful wink also gave me a swell of pride. 

I was going to teach him? I was teaching him my language? I was learning and teaching? 

Amazing.

In the course of a single afternoon, I felt like my mind had seen both sides of the horizon and then some. Steele was knowledgeable beyond words, but he was so soft spoken and humble. The way he explained things just made sense to me, and I couldn't believe I ever held the schoolteacher, Mr. Lowran, in such high regard. Every question I had, Steele was able to answer. 

"How are you going to make those things you call pipes?" I asked. 

"Clay. I am going heat up clay around straight, thin branches and connect them together using fire. It will need to be a hot fire, so I will do it all at once to not waste wood," he replied. 

"What draws the water up?" I asked. 

"Suction. You have to create a siphon and connect the ends so it will draw up the water, sucking it to the surface," stated Steele. 

Where did you learn about pipes and clay?

How do you purify the water at the bottom of the well? 

How do you know where to dig? 

What does the dirt tell you about crops? 

How are you making your own cloth for clothes? 

Every question I had, he was able to answer without hesitation. Not only did he have an answer, but he offered to show me the process step by step. His once thunderous voice that made me quiver now completely captivated me. As he pointed and explained different things, I found myself leaning forward curiously toward his hand to see what he was showing me rather than feeling fearful and shying away. I always knew he was a kind, gentle Orion, but the events of a single day suddenly gave me a new appreciation for him. 

"Now," explained Steele. "When you… eh… koonyardo vi… level the pipes, you need a strong base. You cannot let it slip into the ground, or else it will break and crack the pipes. You understand?" 

"Right. Yeah, I understand," I acknowledged. My head felt heavy with everything I just learned. Was I even going to be able to keep it all straight? Would he be mad if I forgot? 

I decided right then and there that I was not going to forget. I would repeat it over and over until it was second nature to me. 

Right then, in that moment, it hit me. 

Was that what Steele was doing with the letters? Helping himself and helping me remember? 

Amazing…. He really was amazing…. 

My momentary distraction was, in short, an error. In that very moment, I had forgotten that I untethered myself. I had stepped onto the ground for a moment to evaluate Steele's work, appreciate the intricacies and the craftsmanship, before he placed me back on his shoulder. I had forgotten to tie those safety straps back onto myself because he was holding so still. 

Now was a result of that error. 

As he leaned forward to begin digging once again, I felt myself start to slip off of his shoulder. My heart was instantly in my throat. My insides felt completely weightless. I had a sickening moment of trying to turn and grapple when the inevitable sensation of falling coursed through my veins. 

I couldn't even muster a scream as the fabric of Steele's shirt vanished from under me and was replaced by air. 

It was only a moment where I was completely suspended in midair, everything moving in slow motion, when I felt something slam against my back and forced me against the front of Steele's shirt. Now present of mind, I grasped at the fibers of his clothing, barely able to move my arms, as I realized the source of the impact from behind me was none other than Steele's hand. 

I could feel his pulse behind me, rapid and warm, as his hand shook ever so slightly. It felt like the air had been completely knocked out of me, and I took a moment to catch my breath, forcing air into my lungs. 

Then, I heard his voice seemingly come from all around me, vibrating in his chest and connecting to me through my arms and hands which clung desperately to his shirt despite the fact that he had a secure hold on me. 

"Viyoo-en rhonor?" he asked in his tongue. I wished I knew what it meant. It sounded like a question, but what was it a question for? His hand pulled away ever so slightly, and I had to force my fingers to let go so I felt back onto his hand. He shook his head, as if to snap himself out of a moment, before asking, "Are you alright?" 

This question was one I understood, and nodded. 

"Yes. I'm alright. Thank you for catching me. I… should have been more careful. I didn't tether myself and… well… I just slipped," I said, feeling like my nerves were flickering like sparks in a fire. Steele simply smiled and chuckled, relief spreading through his features like the warmth of the sun on a cloudy day. 

"Liehara yoo'cur naterma," he muttered softly. A rush of boldness came over me, and my curiosity peaked. 

"Steele, what… what does that mean? From your language to mine," I asked, daring to pull my body further into his palm and away from the curved edge of his hand. 

"What I said? Liehara yoo'cur naterma? It means, 'just like your mother.' She… well… she slipped once, and I caught her then too," said Steele, his violet eyes reflecting a memory I did not know and could not see. I would have to ask her about that later. 

"And… the other things? Vio… viyoo-en ro-"

"Viyoo-en rhonor? It is a way of asking if you are alright," explained Steele. 

"And koonyardo vi?" 

"Ah," smiled Steele. "It is an utterance of my language when we do not know what to say or how to explain it. It is words for when you have no words, but only in informal or relaxed places. Formal events need, eh… koonyardo vi… exact words to use. You should know what to say." 

I wanted to know more. Formal and informal events? Words for if you have no words? Was that like saying "I don't know?" 

Whatever the case, I wanted – needed – to know. 

"Steele?" I asked as I looked up into his features, slightly silhouetted and outlined by the light of the sky behind him. "Do… you think you could teach me all of those things? Your history and languages? Speaking and sciences and herbs? Everything?" At my question, Steele smiled and nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face and wrinkling the crow's feet by his eyes. He was practically beaming with pride at the prospect of teaching someone everything he knew. 

"Of course," he said thoughtfully. "But, until then, let me teach you about pipes and wells." 

His hand shifted under me as he lifted me back onto his shoulder, ensuring I secured the line and tethers on his shoulders before he began once again explaining the different elements of the ground and how to properly "level" something by using a bucket of water. 

With the promise of more knowledge and the thought that I could learn about words beyond the oceans made me quiver and shake with anticipation. 

I was… koonyardo vi… excited beyond words. 

Today was just the first full day, and there were countless before us; and I looked forward to every single one.