Heritage and Solitude

Chapter 2 “You want to see the odd group that has set up camp at Morrey's!” John exclaimed as Ralph rocked up to his house. “Any good looking women?” Ralph's mind was a bit single tracked. “Not really. But they made it clear they want to stay permanently. And they have some crazy gadgets. I can't make out whether they are a cult or a group of travelling scientists. The sound like they are from Iceland or Norway or somewhere up North. Don't speak any English but they have a portable box that can interpret what I am saying.” “Wow! That's cool! Maybe I'll come out next time you go.“ Ralph was intrigued. Next day, Ralph went with John out to Morrey's Inlet. Ralph was suitably impressed with Rodyn and his group and was just as inquisitive as John. Rodyn was just as evasive with answers. They discovered that the group was like an extended family and they were indeed scientists by trade. They were looking for new territory to explore and take samples from. They claimed that where they were from, there were no trees or animals. Must be Iceland? Also the minerals and soil around here were of great interest. Rodyn, on the other hand, did find out that the island was essentially a freehold island in which you purchase land from the local island council. The price was always negotiable and the final say went to the Island Chief. Ralph was a bit of a blabbermouth. The Island Chief was elected every 10 years. The current Island Chief was Albert Mackay, who just happened to be John's uncle. The land purchase process was something that evolved historically. Long ago, some traders had swindled land purchases from the locals. After an uprising by the locals, they came up with a law that land could be purchased but at a price that suited the locals. Hence the Island chief set the price so that all profits went back to the locals. The trick was that the land price was always set too high for anyone who wanted to purchase. So very little land was ever sold. The locals did not then have to worry about big developers coming in and ruining the place. Both John and Ralph were fascinated by the gadgets they had. The accumulator that John saw on his first visit had become more and more familiar with their language. The way it worked was that whoever held it, was able to understand and speak that language. In fact, John held it and found that he could understand what the Prytians were saying in their language. Another gadget that fascinated Ralph was a small handheld device that looked like a doughnut. You put your hand through the hole in the middle and pushed your arm forwards. Any object near your hand was instantly pushed back. It was like a powerful magnet but in reverse. The two younger Prytians, used it for play. They would throw a rock up in the air and use the device on their arm to manipulate the rock into some pre-determined area. Ralph tried it and found to his surprise that the device, when turned up to maximum, could shift rocks the size of boulders. Perhaps the most intriguing thing at the camp was not apparent to John on his first visit. You see the craft they used to get to the Inlet was beached around the corner from the campsite. But John wanted to see what they had come in. He went around the corner to the little cove near the point and saw a very large, very sleek boat. It was black in colour, no visible markings and completely enclosed. The nearest comparison he could think of was an ocean going speed boat he saw on the telly last year. It was shaped like a bullet and had no visible doors or decks. It was about the size of a small house. Rodyn was not letting them on board. In fact he was very guarded about letting them see anything inside any of the structures. After a few more days, both John and Ralph became regular visitors. Sometimes together, sometimes alone. Their little `family' were quite welcoming and both of them loved playing with their gadgets. John was still a little apprehensive about their ultimate motives and always being careful, observed them unnoticed from his little observation point at the top of the cliff for a while, before venturing down to join them.