This story was based on the Babylon 5 universe by J. Michael Straczynski.

The Long Trial, Part Two
Chapter 10: The Fight
By R. Bernstein


In the morning, Katani said nothing of what she had seen or heard to Havah, 
just smiled kindly at her and patted her arm as Havah sat down to the morning 
meal. HavahÕs eyes felt sandy and she blinked at the light as she smiled back 
at Katani. Hopefully they hadnÕt heard her tossing and turning. Her little 
midnight friend had risen, as children do, at the bare crack of dawn to begin a 
long day of playing. And it was with effort that Katani got Nohri to sit still in her 
chair and eat. The meal consisted of some of those buns Havah had seen the 
day before, drizzled with sweet syrup, and some form of custard made of egg. 
She knew the eggs had to be from birds she had never seen, but she was still 
overwhelmed by the desire to pour tabasco all over them. Except there was no 
tabasco. So far, she had not seen anything resembling vinegar products. This 
made sense, she supposed, for people who could not consume most 
fermentables. They would not have had an opportunity to discover vinegar.

KataniÕs curiosity got the better of her. "I was just wondering why Humans like 
to sleep horizontally?"

HavahÕs face colored slightly at the realization that Katani had seen her. "I didnÕt 
mean to insultÑ"

"Oh, no, it is not an insult. No, please. I was just wondering because I had 
heard this before. Also, if there is some way to make you more 
comfortableÉthe floor is very cold at night. You could get sick!"

Havah grinned at the maternal comment. "Oh, IÕm ok. My sleeping bag is 
designed for near arctic temperatures, I actually get hot in it sometimes. I 
guess I never thought about the way we sleep, it just seems natural to us."

"You do not choke? The Minbari believe it is easier for your spirit to leave the 
body if one lies flat, as we do in death. Occasionally people have choked 
sleeping this way!"

"Oh, well, I see what you mean, but weÕve found that when Humans choke lying 
down, it is often because they have a condition called sleep apnea. That 
means that they stop breathing when they fall asleep. I donÕt actually know if it 
gets worse when they lie down, or if laying at an angle would solve the 
problem. Sometimes when people have lung infections theyÕll sleep sitting up 
or reclined at an angle. Hmm. I never thought about that before." 

"Perhaps one night when I am feeling brave, I will try sleeping like a Human." 

Sorail gave her a look that said, ÔNot with our bed, you insane woman!Õ Then he 
glanced apologetically at Havah. 

His wife grinned and ignored him. "I understand that you have another Minbari 
lesson this morning, and a meeting with the Ambassador this afternoon. I must 
return to work today, and take Nohri to her tutors, so I will not be here. But Sorail 
will be here transcribing, if you should need anything." She showed Havah 
again where the food pantry was and told her to help herself to anything she 
wanted. 

Havah helped her clean up and get Nohri ready. And then Katani left, with Nohri 
bundled into a sling across her back, knit bag swinging at her side, just as 
HavahÕs tutor was coming to the yard. The lesson was as confusing as the 
previous day, despite her tutorÕs assessment that Havah was picking up the 
language surprisingly fast. She glanced towards Sorail in the next room, 
wondered if he could hear her butchery of his language, wondered if he was 
even paying attention. Probably not. He reminded her of her dad a little, her 
Human dad. When she was a kid she had once heard her mom say that she 
had to light his hair on fire to get him to look up from his papers. Havah idly 
wondered what Katani did to Sorail to get him to look up from his scrolls.

* * * * * * * * 

When the lesson finished it was close on midday. Havah still felt a little timid 
about just going into their pantry, and wanted to explore the magnificent city 
some more before her meeting with Sinclair. She waved goodbye to Sorail, not 
wanting to distract him too much from his work, and headed into central Yedor, 
bringing a book bag with her in case she didnÕt return here before the meeting. 
It was sunny and there were crowds of people walking and chatting, and 
weaving their paths through one another to work or school or worship. She 
picked her way among streets trying to remember where the food court with the 
buns had been. There had been other interesting eateries there too. And now 
was as good a time as any to find out whether she could successfully order 
food and pay for it without a lot of sign language.  But none of the streets she 
was on now looked like the streets she had been on yesterday, or at least she 
couldnÕt tell. SheÕd been too awestruck to really notice landmarks. She knew 
enough Minbari to ask directions but not enough to understand what they said. 
Most adult Minbari here, especially the businesspeople probably knew English, 
but she didnÕt know the names of any of the places she was looking for. She 
was garnering some interested looks, being the only visible Human on the 
street. And someone stopped and asked, "Are you lost?" in English. "It was a 
guess." The young man said, grinning at her.

She smiled back. "Hopelessly."

"There is always hope! What are you looking for?"

"A food court." Havah was no longer going to be picky.

"If you go straight ahead and make that right two corners down, you will pass a 
very good place to eat on the right. They have excellent horÕchi. I would show 
you myself, but I am late. I am sorry."

"Oh, no problem. Thanks!"

She found the place. There was a wide area outside the bungalow with outdoor 
tables. It must be good because it was crowded. She went inside and edged 
into the line to order. When she got to the counter, after rehearsing what she 
wanted to say, it all vanished from her brain and she just stood for a moment 
blank-faced and agonizing, trying to get the right words out. She stuttered and 
blushed as the man behind the counter simply waited patiently for her to give 
him her order. Surprisingly, all the people in line behind her, and there were a 
lot, just waited, many of them continuing their conversations. No one got 
impatient or tried to rush her or prompt her. But it had gotten quiet and she 
could feel people watching and listening to her, despite attempts to pretend 
otherwise. A young girl nearby erupted into giggles when Havah finished 
asking if she could have a horÕchi, please, making Havah wonder what she had 
actually said. 

The girlÕs mother rebuffed her. "Hush, thatÕs very rude!" The woman smiled 
encouragingly.  Apparently, whatever it was that Havah had actually said, the 
man got enough of it to give her the food she requested. Although she had no 
idea what horÕchi was, or what it looked like. She was so embarrassed by this 
time that her hands were shaking. Luckily, she didnÕt have to understand how 
much it cost, she could just hand him her credit chit, which she fumbled and 
dropped. She picked it up and gave it to him. And when he gave it back to her, 
she turned and hustled towards the door, just wanting to be out of this 
claustrophobic room with all of these polite aliens. A man in line tapped her 
shoulder, as the man from the counter called after her, to tell her that she had 
left her food still on the counter. Would this day never end!? She thanked them 
both and sheepishly edged back to get her meal and slunk outside. Someone 
called her name. It was Birin. 

"Hello! It is nice to see you out here! Would you like to sit with me?"

"Yeah, I was offered to stay with a family that Satai Rathenn knows, so that I 
could learn the culture quickly, and teach them about Humans."

"Oooh. You are very lucky. It sounds very fun. I am jealous now!" She grinned. 
"How have you liked it so far? Come." She began leading Havah to where she 
was sitting in a small park off of the street.

"ItÕs been great. The family has the most adorable little girl. Her name is 
NohriÑ"

A man, dressed in black loose-fitting clothing stepped out in front the women. 
He snarled at Havah, "You have no place here, butcher! You should leave."

Havah felt heat rise in her throat, and noticed two more men behind her. She 
said nothing to the man. TheyÕre looking for a reaction, coke for their fire.  She 
turned to Birin, who had now noticed all the men and was glaring at the one in 
front of her. "Birin, itÕs ok, IÕm not going to get pushed into a fight and I donÕt care 
what they say. You should go. IÕll catch up with you later. Maybe IÕll stop by 
tonight if youÕre home." Even as the words came out, she could see that it was 
doing nothing to diffuse the situation. Birin didnÕt move, as she said, "You have 
as much right to be here as they do! They are not honorable warriors. They are 
bullies!"

"And you are a traitor, who would rather side with this animal than with your own 
kind!" He sneered at Birin.

"The War is over and you will just have to grow up and accept the CouncilÕs 
decision to let Humans come here, and any others they see fit! It is for them to 
say, not you. You are no one!" She shot back, hotly.

This enraged him and he came closer, putting his face close to hers, as the 
two behind came up and went to grab Havah. "Not this Human, who dressed 
up as one of us, and murdered in our clothing! She will never have any place 
here, and if you support her, neither do you!" He reached for Havah, and as he 
did, Birin kicked him full in the groin. He doubled over for a moment, but 
recovered quickly enough to grab Birin around the neck in a wrestler hold and 
drew a dagger close to her throat. She struggled and yelled, "You are the traitor 
if you harm your own kind!"

"I have not harmed youÉyet. This does not concern you. DonÕt!" He said, 
yanking her hard, knife closer. "Do not force this."

Havah sensed the men behind her move in, and her head cocked as the man 
on the left came in with a whistling fist towards her head, trying to blind-side 
her. She pivoted around the blow, deflected it to the side, and sunk her weight 
into a full crushing Hsing-I punch to his ribs. In case that didnÕt work, she 
planted a palm strike to the back of his over-extended elbow, breaking it. She 
followed through, bracing her arm across his neck, and swept his legs out from 
under him. He fell, clutching his side and gasping, his broken arm limp. The 
second one had made it to a position in front of her and came in with a right 
straight punch to her head. She deflected his arm up and drove in with a left 
palm strike to the solar plexus. He brushed it aside as if it were no more 
troublesome than a flying insect and stepped in with an elbow, and then back-
fist to the face. She drew back to avoid the elbow and nearly got caught as she 
dropped below the fist into a low crouch, sending a claw hand to his crotch 
from one of her favorite forms, White Monkey Steals the Peach. His eyes 
widened before her fingers could grab the peach, and he blocked her hand to 
the outside, aiming a roundhouse kick to her exposed temple. She braced both 
feet and arms forward in a horse stance and hard-blocked the kick with both 
forearms, putting all her weight behind it. Her balance held and she thrust both 
fists sideways, one into his solar plexus, and one into the groin she had been 
sorely aiming for. He whumphed and stepped back, and as he readjusted his 
balance, she dropped fully to the ground and swung into an Iron Broom sweep, 
catching both of his legs. His feet came up and he landed on his back. He 
started to rise again, but the momentum of her sweep carried her all the way 
around and she rose to one knee and threw a knife hand, like a snakeÕs 
tongue, at his trachea. Just as the hand started snapping out, a powerful voice 
yelled "STOP AT ONCE!" 

At the sound of the voice, Havah and the man in front of her both froze. Birin took 
the opportunity, her captorÕs attention divided, to pull her arm out and elbow him 
in the stomach and bite his wrist. He yelped, as the voice came angrier this 
time. "WHAT IN VALENÕS NAME IS GOING ON?!" 

They all looked up to see that a sizable crowd had gathered, and through it, a 
tall man wearing a knee-length gray coat with the symbol of a stylized hand on 
the breast hurried up, with two others dressed similarly behind him. The Fala 
ÔShok, peace officers.  "To your feet! All of you who are able!" 

One came and pulled Havah and the Minbari she had been about to strike, to 
their feet, while another herded Birin and her attacker toward Havah, to corral all 
of the offenders in the same place. The third officer kneeled next to the Minbari 
who had first attacked Havah. He was still clutching his side, gasping. 

"He needs a medic." The officer spoke into a small communicator and 
summoned a medical team to the area. The officer who first arrived, separated 
Havah and Birin from the two men, and began walking them in front, while the 
other officer walked behind the two men. "Come. Now." 

Havah watched Birin and glanced back at the men. Birin said nothing but 
looked straight ahead, and the men leered at her sullenly. 

"Eyes ahead." The officer said behind Havah. She looked back around as they 
left the street, past the crowd of watching, muttering people. The third officer 
remained on the scene until the injured man was attended to, and then to 
canvas the witnesses. One of the officers linked in with their station to let them 
know they were bringing in the sources of the disturbance. 

Third day here and I get arrested. Good diplomacy. There were no hand-cuffs 
but the intent was clear. She started, "Birin, IÕm really sorry! IÑ"

"Silence." The officer behind her said conclusively. 

Havah swallowed hard. Not only had she gotten in a fight, disrupted their city, 
but she had gotten her new friend in trouble too, probably shamed the family 
who had opened their home to her, seriously damaged or even killed a Minbari 
citizen, and on top of it all she was going to miss her first appointment with 
Ambassador Sinclair. IÕll be lucky if they deport me. Certainly no one will want 
anything to do with me. She had worked herself into quite an internal tizzy by the 
time they reached the station. 

They were all split up into separate rooms. Fairly bare rooms even for the 
Minbari. The only things in them were a table and two chairs. Questioning 
rooms. The officer that had been in charge of Havah remained in the room with 
her, while Birin was taken into another room by another officer who was already 
at the station. The same procedure was affected with the two attackers. Havah 
sat in the chair and the officer sat in the other chair. He did not introduce 
himself. He merely said. "Tell me what happened." His face was unreadable. 
He set a recording device on the table in front of her. 

She slumped in the chair, despondent. "It was my fault. The whole thing." She 
fought to keep her voice even.

"That does not tell me what happened." 

She stared at the floor, and said nothing. She was too ashamed to defend 
herself. So she just sat, looking at the floor. Instead of prompting her further for 
an answer, the officer just sat, looking at her and waiting. She got the 
impression that he could wait, like a cat anticipating a mouse, until the sun 
turned to ash, staring at her. After a long spell of minutes, another officer linked 
in, and the man in front of her answered in Minbari, and resumed staring at her. 

Finally Havah looked at him and tried to talk, if only because she now knew that 
either they would deport or imprison her, or they would let her go. But in any 
case, this man would sit here forever until she gave him an answer one way or 
another. In either outcome, at least she could stop wasting his time. She 
started with her truncated conversation with Birin, and ended with the moment 
when he had rushed up. His face was still impassive. He got up and left the 
room, and Havah sat. 

After another long spell of minutes, the door opened and the officer called to 
her. "Miss Lassee. Please come with me." 

Havah followed him to a central area where Birin was waiting. 

"You are free to go, Miss Lassee. We apologize for any confusion you might 
have. The Minbari who attacked you have been detained and will receive 
punishment for their actions. It was a necessary procedure to separate all of 
you for questioning until we could compare all of the stories and determine 
what really happened from all of the different points of view. Do you 
understand?"

Havah nodded. "We have police on my world."

"Yes, we are peace officers. But I do not know if you would call us police in the 
sense that you mean. Well, there is not as much need for the ÔpolicingÕ on our 
world as there is for simple assistance and mediation."

Havah nodded again. Birin piped in. "Here, Minbari are expected to seek 
justice, even if they have done something wrong, so only a few patrols are 
needed. Each patrolling unit has a member from each caste, so that the 
balance of power in any mediation is not upset."

"We volunteer four hours every other week, and then return to our other calling."

"You mean you donÕt get paid to do this, this is a volunteer department?!"

He looked puzzled. 

"It is the duty of all who live here to help the city and our people, in whatever way 
we can. This is our way." The officer who spoke now was the one who had 
stayed at the scene. He was a formidable man with spiky points on his head-
bone. Havah was going to guess by the shape of his bone and by his eyes, that 
he was the Warrior Caste member of the patrol that had picked her up.

"Wow. Well, I guess IÕve spent enough of your time." Havah started toward the 
door, but the one who had questioned her spoke again.

"You did not appear to be hurt, but if you have any small injuries, you should be 
seen by a physician. And if the two of you wish to return to the kochara, your 
lunch will be provided."

Havah glanced at Birin quizzically. She shook her head, laughed and 
translated. "It is only a word meaning Ôplace that provides lunchÕ. ÔKochaÕ mid-
day meal, ÔkocharaÕ the place that serves it." 

"Thank you. But I have to go to a meeting, unless IÕve missed it. IÕm really sorry 
for the trouble I caused."

"It was not your fault, Miss Lassee. You tried to avoid the altercation. Do not 
forget your bag and your books. They were left at the kochara." The officer held 
her bag out by the strap. She took it gratefully and left. Birin bounded up to her. 
"Wait. I will walk you to your meeting."

"You donÕt have to do that. I got you in trouble with the police."

"I told you already, I do not think that means the same thing here that it does on 
your home-world, Havah Lassee. I am not in trouble at all. Those warriors were 
wrong to attack you. They were the ones trying to start a fight, and they were just 
as ready to attack me, and I am Minbari. You defended yourself as necessary. If 
they got hurt in the process, then it was because of their folly, and they will learn 
from their mistake!"

"I donÕt know whether that is wonderfully wise, or woefully na•ve, but sometimes 
I wish Earth law could look at things that way."

"Is it so bad there?"

Havah remembered that she was not just bellyaching with another Earther. 
"Oh, no, of course not! The system, as it was constructed, really strives for 
justice. There are just kinks, thatÕs all. Our lawyers call them loop-holes. And 
sometimes people arenÕt always impartial. But thatÕs true anywhere, in any 
system, I suppose."

"Lawyers?"

"Yeah, people who interpret and defend the law, and sometimes create new 
laws, or change old ones."

"OhÉlike the Grey Council, and the Council of Caste Elders."

"Wehhhsort of. ItÕs a broad field, a really broad field, but yeah, usually the 
people in politics have some background in the study of law." Havah lapsed 
into silence for a bit as they walked. 

Birin tolerated it for a small while, and then interrupted HavahÕs rumination. 
"Miss Havah, what do I have to tell you to make you believe that you are free of 
guilt, and of shame in this?"

"But IÕm not, Birin. That soldier, or whatever he wasÉwhat he said was true, 
about me. I did do what he said. And if people here arenÕt ecstatic that IÕm here, 
I have to understand why."

"I know very well who you are, and what you did, Havah! And Ôpeople hereÕ do 
not all feel what he feels. He spoke for himself and maybe some of the Warrior 
Caste, but he does not have the right to speak for everyone. He does not have 
the right to speak for me. I am glad you are here! I have never met a Human 
before you, and while I do not like the idea of my people dying, I also know that 
you are honorable and that you probably did then what you did today, defended 
yourself! You were a soldier. That is what soldiers do. That is what our soldiers 
did too, and you can keep talking about the War and looking guilty, but you will 
not convince me that you are, or that I should hate you!" She stopped in front of 
Havah.

Havah looked at her and broke into a grin. 

As they turned on the street of the embassy building, Birin couldnÕt resist her 
fascination. "I wanted to ask you about the first man you defeated. Minbari are 
usually more resilient than he appeared. It is unlikely that one of our warriors 
would be forced to inaction by a few broken ribs. What did you do to defeat him 
so quickly?" 

"Well, he probably didnÕt have broken ribs. He probably had a damaged organ, 
maybe even ruptured. The technique you saw, that looked like a strike to the 
ribs was really an internal technique called Hsing-I. It means Mind-Form Fist. 
That means that my body and chi form the strike just as my mind forms the 
thought of the action. It uses muscle memory, and rather than dispersing the 
force across the surface, breaking bones or skin, it pinpoints the force deeper 
in the body, bypassing bone and striking at the organs and chi points 
themselves. I shouldnÕt have used it, or at least only if I could control it better. I 
know how tough Minbari soldiers are, and thought that the only way to end the 
fight quickly and keep him from coming after me was to shock his innards, 
basically."

"Oh. What is chi?"

"Life force energy. There is a theory that the chi flows along lines of the body 
called meridians. And they can be accessed at certain points in the body for 
different things and at different times of day. Like if I pressed a certain point on 
my body I could get rid of a headache, if I pressed another I could slow my heart 
rate, things like that. There are whole fields of medicine based on that theory. In 
fighting, with the proper amount of force, you can do specific things to your 
opponent, like make them urinate, numb specific areas of their bodies or 
limbs, lose consciousness, damage specific organs, or even kill them in 
specific ways. I am not nearly advanced enough in that art to be able to access 
those points at will on myself or anyone else. But I can get it right occasionally, 
usually by accident."

"Ah. We have a similar theory and a similar art based on it in the Temple. That 
is very interesting. And, occasionally or not, I do not think I would want to take 
the chance against you. So I am glad we are friends." She grinned at Havah. 
They were at the door of the embassy building, and Havah was late, very late. 
She thanked Birin again, resolved to hear more about the temple art at a later 
time, and rushed in to see if the tour group was still there. 

She passed a seated cluster of people, waiting for interviews, or for their 
friends to be done interviewing. Bags were scattered everywhere. When 
Sinclair found out she was here, he came out of his office with a relieved look 
on his face. His interviewees had traveled several thousands of light years, they 
could wait a few more minutes. He had already assumed that something had 
happened to her to delay her like that, and had been more worried than irritated 
at her tardiness. When she explained what happened, his look got stormier 
and stormier. 

After asking for the third time if she was alright, he scowled. "I was afraid this 
was going to happen. Not specifically to you, although I suppose itÕs not 
surprising. As you may have noticed, the Warrior Caste is not happy about our 
being here. I was reluctant to come at first. I donÕt like the idea of disturbing a 
bear in its own cave. But I was assigned here, and as adamant as the Warrior 
Caste is about keeping Humans away, the Religious Caste was about our 
coming here." 

"From the little IÕve noticed so far, the Worker Caste is also anxious to have off-
worlders here, better for commerce and trade. TheyÕre starting to welcome 
alien ideas and innovations.  Maybe that is another thing that is bothering the 
Warrior Caste. Normally the influx of so many new ideas might bother the 
Religious Caste too. Their realm seems to be control of ideology. But IÕve been 
talking to a few Religious Caste people, at least I think they were Religious 
Caste, and it seems like they are acquiescing. They may be realizing that the 
Minbari are branching out, and they are going to branch out no matter what. So 
at least, if Humans and other aliens come here, the Religious Caste can learn 
our ways enough to frame and filter them for the communities they serve. I think 
thatÕs why they want me here, as an ethnographer. Also, being scholars, I think 
they are just plain curious. But the Warrior CasteÉ Do you think theyÕll attack 
other Earth Alliance citizens?"

"Unlikely, I certainly hope not. I canÕt endorse Earth Alliance citizens coming 
here if I think they will be at risk like that. The Grey Council wonÕt stand for that 
either, but they canÕt be everywhere all the time. And I am concerned about what 
this is doing to the Minbari. I know that the Council wants this, enough to 
interfere with our military to get me assigned here. But I donÕt want to be an 
instrument in catalyzing the caste tensions into a civil war."

"Are things that bad between them?"

"TheyÕre getting there. On the surface, it seems like the tension started with the 
Earth-Minbari War. But the more I talk to people, the more I get the impression 
that itÕs really been going on for longer than that. It just never had as obvious an 
outlet. I would even say that the Warrior CasteÕs hatred of Humans is partially a 
symptom of Warrior Caste tensions that have nothing to do with Humans. We 
are merely the most convenient expression of them."

"Scapegoats. Like Jews and gypsies were in Germany in the 1940s. ThatÕs a 
very dangerous position."

"Yes, it is." 

"What an encouraging conversation for a wonderful day so far."

He smiled and laughed suddenly. "IÕm sorry. I shouldnÕt have dumped my 
doubts on you after the ordeal you just had. IÕm very concerned about what just 
happened though. IÕm glad youÕre ok. I have about three more entrance 
interviews, so why donÕt you sit in and take some notes. That will help me to 
hone the interviews, and it will give you some ideas as to what we need to look 
for when we clear people for entrance, and the kind of data the Minbari want to 
gather."

After the tussle and detention, there had been no time to return home and 
change. But her appearance was only slightly more off-kilter than it normally 
was. She smoothed her hair, which was escaping its bonds, tugged her shirt 
down over a grass-stain she had acquired in the scuffle, and followed him into 
the interview room. 

* * * * * * * * 

That night at dinner, Havah wrestled with how to tell Katani and Sorail that she 
had gotten into trouble as soon as she left their house. She didnÕt know what 
repercussions the event might have for them, so she felt it at least fair to warn 
them, and she would rather them find out from her, than second-hand. She 
started with a stutter. "UmÉHeyÉI just wanted to thank you for all of your 
hospitality to me. I mean, you donÕt even know me and youÕve been just 
wonderfulÉThat being saidÉI donÕt know how well you are going to think of me 
after what I have to tell youÉ"

They both just waited silently. Nohri made a raspberry at no one in particular.

"UmÉI went into the city today to explore, but I got into a fight. There were a few 
guys that were very unhappy about my being here. And I guess I canÕt blame 
them. Anyway, so the police came and arrested all of us and then let me and 
another woman who got involved go. I just wanted to tell you because after 
everything youÕve done for me, I didnÕt want things to reflect on you because of 
what I did. IÕll understand if you want me to leave." Havah resisted the urge to 
stare down at her lap, and looked from Katani to Sorail, waiting, chest tight.

"What do you mean they were unhappy about your being here? What did they 
do?"

"Well," Havah let her breath out, which she didnÕt even realize sheÕd been 
holding. "They just said that I didnÕt belong here and that I was a butcher 
because of what happened during the war, and theyÕre probably right, at least 
about my being here, although I do believe that I did what I had to do during the 
war. Maybe it isnÕt right, me being here. And then this woman I met the other 
day, she told them off. They called her a traitor and when they went for me, she 
tried to defend me and they pulled a knife on her. She wasnÕt hurt though, the 
police came."

"These Minbari who didnÕt want you here, did they attack you?"

"Yeah, a couple of them tried, but I fought back, and now one of them is hurt 
really badly. I should have found a way to escape without doing that, without it 
coming to that. And I shouldnÕt have let the other woman get involved. They 
could have hurt her and it wasnÕt her problem."

"She made her own choice. What else could you have done?" Sorail asked.

"ÉIÕm not sure. It all happened so fast. ItÕs hard to think back and see the 
situation in slow motion. Maybe I could have run, then Birin wouldnÕt have felt 
she had to do something. Or if I had been paying more attention to my 
surroundings, maybe they couldnÕt have surrounded us, in the first place."

"That is well and good for a master of fala shen, to have the ability to diffuse all 
conflict. But you are a young woman, who was once a soldier. There are limits 
on what can be expected in such a situation. If you were attacked, it was 
expected that you would try to defend yourself, although no one should be 
attacking you to begin with. If they did not expect this, then they are clearly in 
need of more education, certainly of more discipline. As for the Minbari who 
defended you, that is even more of an indication that it is those who attacked 
you, who were in error. And I am shocked that anyone would behave this way 
toward one of our own citizens!"

"Then, I havenÕt embarrassed you or anything?"

"Most certainly not!" Katani exploded, from where she had been sitting, silently 
growing more and more furious. "How dare they! How dare they?!" She 
repeated indignantly. "You are here because the Council says you do belong 
here. You agreed to come and spend time with strangers at their request, and 
how dare these arrogant warriors question that and presume to speak for the 
rest of us! And how dare they try to enforce their own will above all others! 
Insolent children!" She had risen and threw a cloth down on the table. Havah 
had never seen any Minbari but the soldiers during the War, and her father, so 
riled up. "And how dare they attack two women threatening no one! I do not care 
if you had blown up an entire squadron during the war, in fair combat, that is no 
excuse for them to attack a woman innocently wandering through a strange city! 
Were you hurt?"

"No! No, maÕam, no IÕm fine."

"Please do not be afraid to say so, if you need medical attention, these 
thingsÑ"

"No, no, really! IÕm fine, IÕm ok. I just felt bad about what happened." It had been 
a very long day without the thought of a physician. She certainly hadnÕt meant to 
incite KataniÕs motherly wrath, although she was doubly thankful that it was not 
directed at her. She could certainly see what Sinclair meant about tensions 
being that bad. It was clear that part of KataniÕs anger stemmed from her 
feelings about the Warrior Caste.

"Well," Katani said, drawing a deep breath, calming herself. "I certainly hope 
that they have not convinced you to leave us, and that I have not frightened you 
away with my outburst. We are sincere that you are welcome here and that we 
wish to learn more about Humans. But when I hear things like that it makes me 
very angry, and very concerned, for you, but also for us. There are many 
changes coming. And if we do not learn to grow with them and adapt, if we are 
not ready for what comes, I do not know what will happen to us." She finished 
somberly. 

As she had with Delenn, Havah got the feeling that Katani was speaking of 
more than just an isolated incident, but of a cross-roads. "IÕm not that easy to 
scare off. I am happy to stay for as long as you can put up with me. Thank you 
for being concerned about me though. I really am ok. And so is Birin. I did have 
some questions about your police department though."

"What are your questions?" Sorail asked. 

"Well, Birin said that it is composed of volunteers, and that the patrolling units 
are made up of one person from each caste."

"That is correct. There are nine units at any given time. They are not all 
patrolling. Some remain at the processing center."

"Nine? ThatÕs it? Nine times three, twenty-seven officers? So itÕs a skeleton 
crew. Well even with just nine units, I didnÕt get the impression, except for what 
happened today, that there was much crime."

"There is not. The Fala ÔShok, you call them the ÔpoliceÕ, do many things. They 
assist with crowd direction at public events, or municipal difficulties, such as a 
power disruption or ice storms, assist persons who are lost or having difficulty 
getting places in the city. They mediate disputes. Your dispute merely erupted 
into a fight before it could be controlled. There are many commuters and 
travelers from other places on Minbar and even from our colony worlds. The 
traffic in all of these places is not the same, so that when others come here, the 
rules by which they fly are not always the same as ours, especially from a small 
rural outpost or village, to the capital city. The falaÕshok help traffic to run 
smoothly and help visitors to understand the traffic rules."

So theyÕre meter maids. "Oh, so they give tickets."

"Tickets?"

"Yeah, citations for traffic violations. If you get a ticket, you can dispute it in a 
court of law or pay a fine, pay money to the state or city. If itÕs a bad enough 
ticket, like if youÕve broken the same law a million times, then you can either get 
your driverÕs license suspended or go to driving school. Actually, you can go to 
driving school to get the fine on a regular ticket lowered." 

"Oh. No, it does not work that way exactly. If the falaÕshok stop you for the 
violation of a traffic rule, it is assumed that you have broken it because you did 
not know the rules, or had forgotten them. So the officer takes you aside and 
explains the rule that you broke, so that you are more informed when you 
resume. They do not punish for ignorance, they merely instruct the traveler on 
the traffic rules of this city. I believe that they do have a school, if their scanners 
indicate that someone is having difficulty understanding the rules, if they are 
pulled over nine times within a year. But there is no fine, and I have never heard 
of someone being forbidden from flying."

"Whoa. ThatÕs wild. Do they carry weapons?"

"They carry a shocking device, but it is unthinkable that they should be forced to 
use it. The person who required such a measure would be shamed. It is a long 
time since even such a fight as you were in, has happened here. Most of the 
city will have heard about it by tomorrow."

"WhoaÉWhat does ÔfalaÕ shok mean. You used the term earlier, you said Ôfala 
shen.Õ What does Ôfala shenÕ mean?"

"Fala is a concept meaning peace, you see. So fala shen means the art of 
practicing peace. It is what Humans ironically call a Ômartial artÕ. It is our highest 
art. Those who are masters in it never find it necessary to engage in a fight, 
although they are capable of defending themselves should it be required. But to 
find it necessary is considered a failure. It takes many many years to master 
this and very few have, perhaps none living now. No one really knows. So Ôfala 
ÔshokÕ can be translated as peace officers or peace units, an organization 
dedicated to peace. ÔShokÕ is a concept, like ÔfalaÕ there is no direct translation. 
Because it is a concept it can take on many grammatical forms. It can describe 
a verb, noun, or adjective. The word mostly means ÔessenceÕ. So the anla Ôshok 
means that the people in this organization watch and fight. ÔAnlaÕ is observation 
with martial intent. It also means unity. They are united and pull together all 
castes and clans, like the fala Ôshok. But the fala shok are civil and involved with 
everyday peace."

Havah digested this. "I heard another word with ÔshokÕ in itÉÕshok totÕ. I was on 
the station and everyone was freaking out about this guy theyÕd found. No one 
wanted him on the station. Some of the other aliens called him a Soul Hunter." 
At the sound of the word, Katani shuddered.

Sorail nodded. "Ah. The shok tot are terrible beings that capture peopleÕs souls 
and keep them from rejoining the Universe after they die. Then the people are 
trapped and cannot be born again. You see, if shok is essence, then shok tot 
are people who imprison or destroy essence."

"Ohhhh. I get it now. Sorry for being so slow."

"You are not slow. Those are good questions. It is a difficult language. We 
express concepts more than exact components of ideas, and yet we also have 
grammar that demands precision of expression in the midst of fluid concepts. 
Language is about the interplay of society and thought and the formation of 
reality. There is nothing simple about it."

"Very true. I read an article in one of my linguistics classes that said that too. It 
was by a guy named Benjamin Lee Whorf. He studied the language and culture 
of the Hopi Indians. He found that they also saw a link between expression of 
thought and perception of the world. In essence, they believed that to say 
something can make it so. For this reason, they believed that you must always 
speak well because good words make good thought makes a good person. 
And they only alluded to death, because to speak of it too much could bring it 
about, because people would think about it too much and make it happen. 
ThatÕs a really coarse explanation for their concept, which is more complex and 
refined, but that was the general idea, according to Whorf."   

Sorail cocked his head, absorbing the exchange. He smiled. "Very interesting. I 
would like to read this article sometime."

"IÕll find it for you."

Havah helped clean up and then went straight to bed.

* * * * * * * * 

As Sorail had predicted, everyone knew about the fight the next day, including 
an incensed Rathenn. When Havah saw his face she made a mental note to 
never piss off a Satai. He came over during her language lesson, apologizing 
profusely and assuring her that the matter was being Ôdealt withÕ. She made no 
inquiries into what that meant, but he explained that since they were in the 
military, their superior officers had been notified of the incident, and it was they 
who would determine punishment. She knew from her own experience in the 
military, that infractions like that, even though they were against a Human, were 
not likely to be Ôdealt withÕ lightly. Especially since they had publicly lost the 
fightÉto a Human. She didnÕt envy them.

* * * * * * * * 

In the next week, she began formally gathering cultural data. She conducted 
numerous key informant interviews with Katani and Sorail, Birin, Satai Rathenn, 
and others who volunteered. In this regard, she found that the fight she had 
engaged in a week earlier, seemed to make people more eager. She had 
remarked on peopleÕs willingness to participate, and KataniÕs answer had 
been at once interesting and disconcerting. "They respect you. You stood up to 
the soldiers well, and even defeated them. Despite your past victory, no one 
was expecting you to win in such an open hand-to-hand confrontation. In 
addition, you have worked hard in the past few years in the service of your 
people, to better life for many, and this also is respected. And, they know that 
your work here is supported and in fact, endorsed by the Grey Council, so they 
wish to contribute. And, as you may have noticed, many of us are concerned 
about the future. The documentation of a culture is no small task and of no 
small importance, especially in times like these."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems to me that the Minbari spirit is changing. Our culture is changing, our 
attitudes. I believe that before long, our culture and our souls will never again 
look as they do now. They have been changing for some time, the total 
character of our society. Our young people are restless, even angry. It is as 
though our time has come and gone and something in us is waning, and our 
young people know it. Or perhaps it is merely that we need fresh ideas, fresh 
spirit. We have a tendency to cling to old ways, which is a benefit in some ways. 
But in others, we would benefit more by being more like Humans. What little I 
have seen of your race is encouraging. You are vital and always hungering for 
new horizons and new ideas. You suffer and waste a great deal that is useful 
because you discard the old so quickly, so you do not gain wisdom quickly. 
What you do gain, is through trial and error, through terrible mistakes and loss. 
But because of this, you also make great leaps in cognizance and 
understanding, and with so much variety. Your cultures are so vibrant and 
adaptable. We need this. Our historians and historical analysts can tell us 
where weÕve been. You can help to tell us where we are now and why, and 
perhaps help us to determine where we are going, or where we need to go. 
Someone like you has a unique view of the Minbari. You stand with one foot in 
and one foot out. You can see and understand us, but as a Human, you can 
also see things about us that we cannot see as Minbari. You understand?"

"Yes. I think so." She thought about her father and realized that Katani was 
closer to the truth than she knew. 

Katani and Sorail proved to be excellent sponsors, as Rathenn had indicated, 
giving her access to rituals and events that she would not normally have been 
privy to, as an off-worlder. Tonight, however, was for anyone and everyone. It 
was the end of the Minbari year. Longer than Human years, their cycle, at least 
on this continent, ended in the summer. All of Yedor, it seemed, came out to 
say goodbye to the past year. Their most celebratory ritual came at the end of 
the old year rather than at the beginning of the new.  Katani, Sorail and little 
Nohri were all dressed in their finest robes. Both Katani and Sorail carried 
candles encased in clear crystal holders. They gave Havah a candle to carry. 
The streets were teeming as they walked down the avenue towards the 
Temple, and the people she passed all carried candles too. The road to the 
temple reminded Havah of the last scene of the old Disney Fantasia, in which a 
path up the old demon mountain was lit by bobbing little pinpoints of light. 
Except this was a river of candles, a stream of glitter-fire going off to the distant 
crystal tower, ice blue in the starlight. All other lights in the city had been 
extinguished, at least as far as Havah could see, perhaps because they were 
all here, bearing their little slivers of starlight, surrounded by night. Katani 
explained as they went. "The Minbari calendar is constructed so that there are 9 
days between the old and new year. The days are not continuous from one year 
to the next, so that we have time to plan the new year. This is the last night 
before the interlude. You have a holiday calledÉHalloween, yes?"

"Yes. It marks the death or waning of the year and life on our planet. It is also 
called All Souls night. We are visited by the dead that night. And we dress up as 
otherworldly beings or monsters to represent the dark side of the year and of 
life."

"Well, our interlude has elements of that sentiment in it. For the next three days, 
some of us will pick anotherÉprofession, another caste, and walk in the ways 
of that calling or station. I am Religious Caste, so I may pick either a profession 
in the Warrior or Worker Caste. I will be trained as such, by those in that 
profession who have not chosen to Change. It is not required, only encouraged 
for enlightenment. There are not many who do this any longer. That tradition 
was once more popular, and has always been more popular among the 
Worker Caste than among the other two. On the fourth day of the interlude, 
Minbari have a day of impropriety. On this day, there are no stations and no 
castes recognized. We do not observe all of the customs that we normally do, 
except those needed for safety and avoidance of hurting the feelings and 
physical being of others. But most etiquette is discarded that day which is 
normally observed for rank and station. Teachers become students. And 
people can dress as figures in our myths that were negative or frightening, like 
your Halloween. I am going to be Chok Ôti! He was a figure from our myth that 
you would callÉa demon. He exemplified unchecked jealousy. And Sorail is 
going to be a shok Ôtot. His costume is very frightening. When Nohri saw it, she 
ran and hid behind her bed." Katani beamed in delight. "The next two days are 
the opposite of this improper day. On these days, we remember our dead with 
respect and also remember people in our lives or history whom we admired 
and who taught us. On these days, people often dress up as those we wish to 
emulate in the hopes that if we resemble them, some of their souls or their 
inspiration will come into us. I am going to dress as Valeria. She was a great 
teacher and prophetess."

"I bet that there are twenty-million Valens that day."

Both Katani and Sorail laughed. "Yes. That is a popular one. But you should 
know that this ritual predates the coming of Valen by thousands of years. He 
saved us in the last Shadow War, so he was the greatest of us, and the most 
recent, but he was not the only great figure of our history. You will see."

"So what about the last three days?"

"Those are days of meditation. During this time we have been wrapping up our 
affairs of the past year, paying old debts, trying to heal old wounds, or simply 
tying up old unfinished projects. In the last three days of Interlude, we absorb 
and reflect on what we have learned in the past six days, with the exchange of 
caste and station, with the exemplification of impropriety, and the 
exemplification of what we wish to become. From that reflection we try to plan 
the next year to be more productive and enlightened than the last. And on the 
first day of the new year, new plans are often made or revealed, professional or 
personal."

"WowÉ" was all Havah had a chance to say because they had arrived in front of 
the Temple. They stood back from the crowd a bit, and Sorail put a squirming 
Nohri down. He had been carrying her on his shoulders, but she had decided 
that it was time to run around. Katani held her hand so that she didnÕt run off 
and get lost in the crowd, since she displayed the same ability as other 
children to teleport away from her parents at stunning speed. The ritual was 
about to begin. The light of thousands of candles carried both by the observing 
Minbari and on the platform altar, poured into the air, warming it with a golden 
glow, reflected in the crystal. Three larger fires were lit on either side and in the 
back of the platform, and a small assemblage of priests and young acolytes 
formed in the back. One stepped forward and began to speak. Katani leaned 
over briefly and whispered to Havah. "He will tell of the Beginning, so that we 
know from whence we came."

"DolÕAn, she who is the Universe, was born in blackness. All around her was 
blackness. When she looked around and saw nothing and no one around her, 
she yearned for others, for something to see and feel and touch. So she swam 
and swam and swam, looking, searching, seeking for others to be with. From 
the heat and the toil of her swimming, parts of her broke away and became the 
stars and the planets. The spinning of the galaxies were the eddies of her 
passing in the current of space-time. The expanding of all things is the 
spinning of her body in the center of the blackness as she surveys what her 
seeking has brought. From her breath in the black, the Old Ones were born. 
They walk among the stars, her companions. Millions of years ago she came to 
Minbar. But our world was then silent except for the sound of the wind of her 
breath through the crystal mountains, and the spinning of the stars." 

At this cue, a musician to the side of the platform began playing an instrument. 
It was the singing of water rubbed around a crystal rim, a high pitched molten 
hum. It was the sound of the beginning of Minbar. 

"The sound saddened her with its loneliness. It so saddened her and 
reminded her of her own loneliness that she began to cry." More water-tones 
were added to the first, a chorus of wind and teary cries. Water and air. 

"Her cries reverberated through the galaxy, bouncing off of other planets and 
the stars themselves, shaking parts of them loose, seeds of fire." At this cue, 
more musicians added more sounds to the crystal wail. The first new sound 
was a single straight beat, one per measure played on three huge drums, the 
sound of a voice among the stars. 

"One of these seeds of fire fell to Minbar, and sank into the land in the heart of 
the mountains. Watered by DolÕAnÕs breath and the yearning of her tears, the 
seed grew and split into many seeds." The beat became far more complex, 
with paradiddles and trills. The backtone of the steady beat played on, more 
staccato now. The patterns reminded Havah of the Japanese taiko drummers, 
and the Minbari playing them became animated in the same way, motions 
exaggerated. She looked down at Nohri, who was spinning around and around, 
and bouncing up and down, dancing to the beat. 

"From this fiery star-seed, the tears of DolÕAn, and the crystal of this land, the 
first Minbari were born in the seas formed by those tears." A few acolytes who 
had lain down in the center of the stage rose, like a pod of dolphins, and drifted 
around searching for food. "The world then was full of fire and star-seeds. In 
the seas, on the land and in the sky, the seeds sprouted and made the waters 
warm, under the fiery sun, the eye of DolÕAn. She was happy now, and her eyes 
shone. The sun, and the two moons. When her eyes were closed, the light 
even came through her eyelids. Her breath was full of light, the spirits of Minbar, 
and they shimmered in the northern and southern skies. The children of the 
seas saw the northern and southern lights and were at peace. The lights were 
the mirror of her reflection. All the children had to do was look to the sky to see 
her. Alas, DolÕAn left, to return to the black, but left the spirits here to tend to 
Minbar and her children. But in her absence, the water grew colder and turned 
to ice, and her children began to freeze. They swam and swam to find warmer 
waters, but none were warm enough." The young acolytes all huddled in the 
center of the platform, shivering. "The spirits had pity on them and led them to 
land and gave them the strength to walk in the air and leave the water. The 
children of DolÕAn left their cities and walked on land. But this new home was 
harsh. They felt the air and found that the world was still too cold. So they 
gathered up their families and began the long trail. After many seasons, they 
arrived in a warmer land and built their homes of the mountains and earth." A 
group of acolytes carried chisels and mining equipment onto the platform and 
began chiseling imaginary homes. 

"But they soon found that monsters lived there. Nights were spent in terror and 
fire." Another acolyte wearing a stylized mask of a creature brandishing a 
flaming brazier ran out among the group of acolytes, scattering them. 

"The children learned to fight the monsters. They fashioned weapons of the 
earth and hewed shelters deep among the mountains, and defended them 
from the monsters. There were great battles and many children and many 
monsters were destroyed. But finally, the monsters were gone, and the children 
continued to live." A small gaggle of monsters rushed out and began chasing 
the group of acolytes, who drew long crystal swords, flashing in the firelight, 
and slashed them in play at the monsters, who wrestled with the acolytes and 
then fell down, along with some of the acolytes. A couple still stood, looking 
around at the small collection of bodies, who surreptitiously crawled off of the 
platform. 

"The earth of which they built their homes was like solid water and reminded 
them of the sea and ice from which they had come. Some missed the sea and 
remained close by the new shores. The waters there were warmer, but the 
sea-children found that they could no longer return. They had been of the land 
for too long and had forgotten how to live in the sea. They cried and asked the 
spirits to help them learn how to live in the sea again." The pod of acolytes 
kneeled on the platform and washed their faces with buckets of water that had 
been placed out, and raised their hands to the sky. 

"The spirits replied that it was too late, but they could visit the sea sometimes. 
The sea-children learned to build crafts to visit the sea, and homes near the 
shores of the sea, so they could always feel its breath in the air. And they ate of 
the sea, always hoping that if they did, someday they could return." The school 
of acolytes began handing out small nuggets of cooked fish to those closest in 
the audience. 

"Some Minbari ventured into the land and made their homes there, missing the 
sea, but enjoying the land and the life they found there. Those families who had 
been the most successful in fighting the monsters, remained warriors. Those 
who had built the best shelters, weapons and land-tools became the 
craftsmen, and those who had been the best at speaking with the spirits for 
guidance, and keeping the children together on the long trail became the 
priests." A large group of acolytes broke into groups and began acting out 
different tasks. 

Katani leaned over again and whispered, "That is why we say that someone 
ÔGoes to the seaÕ, when he or she dies. They are returning home." 

The story continued for a while, through to the first conflict between families and 
then ended with an exhortation to remain as united on land as they had been in 
the sea. There were cheers, a raising of candles and then the presentation of 
the vegetable and fish offering to DolÕAn and the spirits that helped them 
survive the Cold Times and the Long Trail. 

Havah glanced around. Nohri was tuckered out and had fallen asleep on 
SorailÕs shoulder, short arms dangling. The conclusion of the ceremony was 
the sharing of fish. Pieces of cooked fish were passed out through the 
gathered masses of thousands, while people talked and embraced. Many 
different people greeted Katani and Sorail and her, and expressed hopes that 
their past year had been good and that their new year would be better. About 
half an hour later, Havah got a piece of fish. It was slightly salty but otherwise 
plain, and remarkably fresh since they were a ways inland. 

As they walked home, still carrying the candles, Havah was deep in thought. It 
made sense that the Minbari had been aquatic animals like dolphins, at some 
point in their history, even after their initial evolution as sentient beings. It would 
explain a lot of things, first as Katani had mentioned, their phrase, Ôgoing to the 
sea.Õ It would also explain the lack of hair, the sebaceous glands that were not 
quite like the sweat of Humans, the high strength but lithe build. The strength 
must have been from a combination of being born swimmers, then forced 
miners. This would have formed denser bones and musculature despite a 
gravity that was similar if not identical to EarthÕs, like the iron bone training of 
some Earth martial arts, repeated concussion and exercise. And their marine 
origin might explain the formation of the bone crest, which must have been 
cartilaginous at one time, like the ramming forehead and snout of a dolphin. 
Everything Havah had seen, from their sun-fish star-ship design to their 
buildings to the flow of their writing was reminiscent of the sea and the shape 
of water in some way. They didnÕt bathe like Humans to get clean, but when 
they immersed themselves in water, it was to remind themselves of where they 
had come from. They also seemed to be very mother-centered. "So, DolÕAn is 
female. ThatÕs very interesting. Many of EarthÕs creations myths make the Prime 
Creator male."

Katani answered. "Well, She is really an It. We portray her as a she because 
females are the ones who bring forth life, but it still takes two to make it, and 
she can be whatever she wants to be, male, female, both, or neither. It simply 
is. It is everything, so really, It is both and neither."

"Ah, I see. I guess that is also similar to Earth gods. We are the ones who 
assign gender and characteristics to something, in order to understand it 
within our context. Does the name mean anything?" 

"DolÕAn means She who Was Born in Blackness. ÔDolÕ or ÔdralÕ means dark or 
black. ÔAnÕ is the principle of riding or existing in or among, using or 
transforming something. So DolÕ An also means she who uses the blackness 
or rides in it. Whereas one of our Warrior Caste clans is called ÔFitÕ An, for ÔStar 
RidersÕ, they who use the stars or ride among them. As you know, our flagship 
during the war was called the ÔDrala ÔFiÕ, the Black Star."

"I see. So what happened to make your world cool off like that?"

"Only time. Our world was once much hotter because our sun was hotter. It 
wasÉI believe you call it a White Star. But our solar system is much older than 
yours, so it has cooled slowly and as it did, our polar caps formed and grew."

Crystal formation such as that on Minbar had to have been formed by 
tremendous heat and slow cooling. She glanced sideways at Katani and 
Sorail, and idly wondered what it would be like on Earth if people could 
understand the speech of dolphins. When they arrived at the house, Sorail 
deposited a floppy Nohri into her bed and sat up with a cup of tea next to Katani, 
talking of people they had encountered. Havah thanked her hosts, bid them a 
happy Holy Day, and good night, and excused herself to write down everything 
she had witnessed and learned that night. She had a million questions that 
would be answered another day. Laying, trying to go to sleep, brought to mind 
old Earth legends about mer-people, who lived in the sea, and all of the per-
mutations of those tales: the sirens, whose enchanted voices lured sailors to 
their deaths among the rocks, the Selkies of the Shetland Isles, who would 
shed their seal-skins to come ashore for the love of a Human, and mourned 
forever when those skins were taken and they couldnÕt return to the sea. She 
shivered and went to sleep.

22