03.13.07
Landfall
When the wind blew, the rain fell, and the sea surged, then the Mission Bab-El sailed. But wind and sea inevitably calm, until the sea became a great sheet of glass under the sky. At such times, the pilot would man the helm, and steer us to a landing.
As the calm sea passed under the Mission’s bow, the missionaries would gaze out over the calm, as distant mountains arose from the depths. Slowly, the sea flood would give way to terrestrial features. Ragged, saturated trees and rooftops would first break the surface. The flood would continue to subside, and people would appear, eye-deep in the flood, and proceeding with their daily routines as though it were air. We would eventually see the bottom itself, and from thence the slurry of the sea bottom would rapidly congeal, anchoring the boat in place until the sea would rise again. And it would rise, and the Seer would be the first to know. The pilot would take the helm, and the mates would hurry all trunks and all gear aboard.
I distinctly remember one clear, windless day. The Mission cut the glass cleanly. Gazing out over the glass, solitary, furry posts began to break the surface of the water. Soon each post would be accompanied by a shorter post, and perhaps another. They resembled men, standing out in the water. I determined that they must be some alien breed of tree.
Before long, as the water approached the ankles of the aliens, the tips of a myriad bushes broke the surface, and soon after that, I could see the shiny seafloor, and the hull then began to creak and groan as the seafloor solidified. Steam rose off the seafloor as it hardened, and then as it dried, the topsoil contracted and broke into plates.
I leapt off board, and began exploring the parched seabed. No two aliens was alike, though they all had the same bearded and scaly appearance. Strange creatures resembling the skeletons of shrubs rolled and hopped amid the tall aliens. I wandered across the seabed for what seemed but a moment, and turned around and around. It all looked the same to my unfamiliar eye. There was no sign of the Mission.
