Song Sings (No. 28)

Another visit to Dum and Yum's world

Song sings

The village where Dum and Yum lived had been rebuilt after the storm and flood that had ripped off many of the roofs and knocked down the fences around their vegetable plots. The violent fall weather was over and everyone was looking to stock up for the winter to come.

Song the spirit woman would often wander off alone and sit on a high point of land and look for a long time into the sky but not tell anyone what she was looking for. She did this after the sun had set which was a dangerous time to be away from the village. Finally Yum could not stand it any more and when should could speak to Song alone she asked her what she did at night alone.

Song shook her head sadly. “I do not know but there is sometime out there” and then she pointed to the sky. “There is something telling me to look in the sky at night. So I am waiting to see what it is”.

“But it is not safe, Song” pleaded Yum.

“When the Great Spirit one calls me I will go. If I get a message I will listen. If I feel that something will happen I will look around me. Don’t worry Yum, go and lay down with Dum else he will come looking for you and then the whole village will be looking at the sky with me”.

So Yum walked sadly home. Dum grunted as she entered their hut. He was playing with the children and was glad that she was home at last. When they had got the children to sleep Yum told Dum about Song sitting on the hill overlooking the ocean as though she was waiting for some thing.

The sun had set and the children were now asleep so Yum said to Dum. “I am not happy that Song is out there alone. Go to her and make sure she is safe and try to persuade her to come back home.”

Dum looked doubtful so Yum went on “When you come back I will warm you up” she then placed her hand on his chest and lift it up and touched his face.” He knew then he could not refuse. She knew the way to his heart and so nodded in agreement.

Dum took a firebrand with him and carefully followed Yum’s instruction as to where Song might be. It took him some time but eventually by the light of the moon he could see Song’s outline on the hillside. She was looking at the moon.

He softly called to her, “Song, it is me, Dum”

“Come sit, Dum. So Yum has sent you to look after me has she? You have a woman among many to trust her man with this woman alone.”

Dum laughed. “You are here, I am here but what else is here that is the mystery? You know when things happen, don’t you?”

“We are a pair Dum”, she replied. “We both have gifts; you can see what we can make of this world to make our lives better.  And I….I can foretell what is to happen. Tonight I feel some thing will happen and we will see it together.”

So they both sat down looking down over the darkened landscape towards the sea some way off. The sky was almost clear and a cool wind blew gently from the shore.

Dum sat looking out towards the sea and Song hummed some words then she noticed the moon slowly being darkened not by clouds but by a shadow slowly biting into its side.  Song nudged Dum “Look, look at the moon Dum! Something is covering the moon.

Dum stared at the moon’s disc and slowly, minute after minute a dark shadow was covering the moon’s face. “Is it dying, Song?”

Song started to cry out, “Mother Moon, what is happening to you?” She stood up and stretched her arms. “Do not leave us mother Moon, we need you lighten our darkness.”

Dum looked at Song face and could see tears wet on her face. Then she started to sing a mournful song of longing that he had never heard before. She didn’t stop all the while the moon’s face darkened. Finally the moon was completely covered by a dark mantle even Dum had a tears in his eye. What was happening to his world? He wondered.

On and on Song sang her lament until finally moon satisfied that someone cared for her showed a spark of light on her rim. The light grew bigger and bigger and still Song sang. Finally after they had been on the hillside for hours the moon shone fully again.

Song exhausted collapsed on the ground. Dum held her close to him not knowing what to do. He had never been that close to her before and he could smell the scent of her body, a mixture of flowers and herbs. He brushed the hair from her face and she slowly recovered.

“Go home now Dum” she said hoarsely.

He shook his head. “We go back together, Song.”

She nodded reluctantly “Tell Yum to see me tomorrow, but tell no one else of this mystery. No one, do you understand?”

Image found at www.sun-sentinal.com