Door to Kandalaura (6 page)

Chapter 8

I JOIN IN THE DANCE

A
NDRON
MOTIONED
FOR
me to follow him to the center of the field where the Kandalaureans
had begun their dancing. We didn't enter in, and I was glad because I just wanted
to watch. Children were dancing right along with their parents. It was all about
family and fun. Almost all their dances were done as a group not as individuals or
couples.

First they formed two long lines facing each other, sort of like our line dancing
at home, but their moves are different. Then they broke into circles facing each
other and holding hands. Sometimes they would come together in the center with hands
raised and shout a loud shout. Then they would all laugh. I don't know what they
were saying because they only translated when they were speaking to me directly.

Almost all their dancing was done in formations. It reminded me of our marching bands
during halftime. If I had been riding in a helicopter over the field, it might have
looked like a kaleidoscope with shifting shapes and colors.

At one point the women and girls formed a huge outer circle, and the men and boys
formed an inner circle. The ones in the inner circle began squatting and kicking
out one leg or the other.

“We borrowed that from your Russians,” said Andron.

“This must have taken hours of practice,” I said.

“No,” said Andron. “It's all spontaneous.”

“What?” I responded. “How can that be?”

“Someone will step up as a leader for each dance. They all know his thoughts, so
they dance in formation. If it's a dance they've done several times, they don't pay
as much attention as when he's trying something new.

Now they were dancing and singing at the same time. It was like some of our traditional
Jewish dances and songs. At times the music seemed like that of the Far East. Not
all instruments played each song because different sounds were required for each
type of dance. Soon trumpets and guitars were playing Spanish sounding music, and
percussionists were joining in with castanets and tambourines.

“Come on,” said Andron. “Let's join them.”

“You have to be joking,” I said. “Trust me when I say I'm not the world's best dancer.
I'd rather play football.”

“Come on,” said Andron. ”Be a sport. No one sits on the sidelines here.”

“Andron,” I said stubbornly, “I m not even a good dancer on my own planet. I don't
have the slightest idea what to do here. I'll make a total fool of myself.”

“That would be impossible,” said Andron. “You don't understand how these people feel
about you. Come on.”

Reluctantly I gave in but not happily. He didn't give me any choice.

“If everyone felt they had to be perfect, it would ruin all the fun,” he said.

So we joined in. I did my best to keep in step. Once I started to get the hang of
it, I had to admit that it wasn't as bad as I thought. It just wouldn't have been
my first choice. Thankfully nobody was watching anybody else perform. They didn't
seem to notice if I got out of step. Or if they did, I guess they didn't care. This
was a celebration not a performance.

Finally it was time for the feast. Now that was something I could really dive into—total
participation on my part.

“We'll collect plates from our table and head for the food booths,” said Andron.
That was music to my ears.

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I'm right behind you.”

The setting his family had designed reminded me of the tropics. It was complete with
waterfalls, ponds, fragrant flowers, and huge green plants.

“I could really grow to like this place,” I said.

Chapter 9

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A JERK

B
EFORE
ANYONE
PUT
food on their plates, one of the village elders began to bless
the food in a loud voice:

Father, once again we gather to celebrate You and Your Son, Jesus. We are grateful
for the many blessings You have poured out over Kandalaura. We ask You to bless
this food, and we invite You to be part of our fellowship. Amen.

And all the people echoed, “Amen.”

No one seemed to be in a hurry. Slowly they meandered over to the food and filled
their plates. Some tried samples. I heard oohs and ahs over the food.

There were actually some dishes that were similar to ours, like the beef kabobs and
some seafood. That got me to wondering.

I looked at Andron and before I could ask my question, he said, “No, Mikey, we don't
kill our animals for food.”

“But this tastes like meat we have on earth,” I said.

“Though it's permitted on your planet, we don't need meat to survive on ours. However,
we brought a few pieces back with us from your planet, and our chefs have somehow
managed to replicate the look and taste of the real thing.”

That was a relief to me. Most of their foods were new to me and some even seemed
strange, but they were all seasoned well and tasted delicious. There's not much
that can keep me from eating.

I was in the middle of my munching when I realized that Andron's entire family was
staring at me.

“Andron,” said his father, “how long has it been since you fed this boy?”

“Not that long, sir,” he said.

“On our planet, we all chow down, especially us growing boys,” I said.

They all laughed. They were not used to the way I talk. I was enjoying their company,
yet I felt a little foolish and awkward at times. I didn't like being the center
of attention, never have liked it.

“I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself,” said Andron's mom, trying to smooth things
over.

I was still a little embarrassed, so I slowed down and changed the subject by complimenting
them on their landscaping.

“You guys sure know how to throw a party,” I blurted out.

Again they laughed and smiled, and we all continued eating. By now Nicholas, Andron's
older brother, had joined us.

“We're glad you're here, son,” said his father. “It's great to have the whole family
together again. But what happened to your quest for exploration? I thought you were
going to keep looking till you discovered other beings in the universe.”

“I was,” said Nicholas. “But after a while, I began to wonder if my goal was futile,
so I asked Jesus.”

“Wow!” I said. “I keep forgetting that you guys actually see Him and talk to Him.
Did He tell you?”

“Actually, He did,” said Nicholas, “but His answer surprised me.”

“How so?” asked his father.

“Well, He said that at this time, we are the only two planets with spiritual and
intellectual beings on them. That made me wonder why He created so many galaxies
and planets.”

“Hmm, that's a good question,” I responded. Now he had me wondering. “What did He
say?”

“He said that whether there is more life or not, it takes the entire universe to
maintain our two planets and keep them in balance. He has created everything to work
together. Then He reminded me that They (Father, Holy Spirit, and Himself) have existed
forever and are not limited by any dimension of time. He looked right at me and
said, “We have all eternity and can create new life any time we desire.”

“On earth we have a hard time understanding eternity,” I said. “Our lives have a
beginning and an end, and that's the way it is. Most people of our race are thinking
about how to get more stuff and do more things before they die. We also have many
challenges to overcome.”

At that I began to wonder what life would be like without big challenges. How do
people on Kandalaura keep from getting bored?

It was Andron's father who intercepted my thoughts. He looked straight into my eyes
with the sincerity and purity I had seen in Andron. Deep love shone through his eyes
and came all over me. I felt loved as if I were his very own son.

Tears gushed from my eyes. I was embarrassed for losing control. Back home I would
never have done this, but here on Kandalaura, I had a difficult time holding it all
together. And it could happen in a matter of seconds.

“It's all right, Mikey,” he said. “You see, our planet is what your planet would
have been if your first mother and
father had not believed the serpent. We have no
boredom, or laziness, or lack of purpose here. You're wondering how we can have purpose
if we have no mountains to climb.”

“I guess that about sums it up,” I said.

They smiled at my choice of words.

“It just seems like your people play and do whatever they want to all day. Yet you're
all so beautiful and pure, and you love God. I just don't understand what makes you
tick.”

Again they smiled at my choice of words. They seemed amused by them.

Andron's father smiled. He put his hand on my hand, and said, “Mikey, we have the
same purpose here on Kandalaura as you do on Earth. Do you know what it is?” he asked.

“Most people think it's what we do to earn a living, but that's not it, is it?” I
said. I remembered my discussion with Andron about worshipping God at work and at
school.

“No, Mikey, it isn't,” he said. “What you do for a career is how you sustain life
on your planet, but that's not your purpose. You were created for something else,
and I think you know what it is.”

“It's Jesus, isn't it?” I answered. “And I can worship Him no matter where I am or
what I'm doing.”

“Exactly,” he replied. “We all worship and serve the same God. Getting to know Him
is a quest for both our planets.”

“Just think,” said Nicholas. “Even in a trillion of your earth years, there would
still be more to learn about Jesus.”

“I've heard it said that there are so many dimensions in His realm, and so many facets
to His personality, that even His angels are still learning about Him,” said Andron.

“Wow!” I said again. “But I hope you don't think I was judging you. I love it here
on Kandalaura, and I respect your people for their purity and how they treat each
other.
And they treat me nice too, like I'm really someone special, but I don't feel
like I deserve it.”

“You still don't get it, do you, Mikey?” said Andron. “You are like a hero to us
and our people.”

“A hero?” I responded. I was shocked. “But I haven't done anything.”

“That's what you think,” said Andron. “Don't you know that everyone on our planet
has a greater understanding about the creature and his true motives because of you
and your mom?”

“I had no idea,” I said.

“Not only that,” said his mom, “but the Bible you gave to Andron has been replicated,
and Kandalaureans all over the planet are reading it and studying it. That book has
given us knowledge of the conflict between God and Satan. We understand the importance
of not being deceived by this wicked creature.”

“It could be that all of Kandalaura has been saved because of what you've done,”
explained his dad.

“I had no idea,” I said again.

“You see, son,” said his dad, “you must understand what this creature is like. He
is eloquent in speech and extremely beautiful to look at in every way, even with
all the beauty we have here on Kandalaura. To put it in your language, he takes our
breath away because he is so appealing to our eyes.”

“And we're not accustomed to being deceived,” said his mom. “We are a naïve and innocent
people who tend to believe whatever we hear because so far, we've never been lied
to. We don't lie to each other, and Jesus can't lie.”

“Your Book teaches us about guarding against deception,” said Andron. “Now we know
how to respond to the creature in order to maintain our way of life.”

“It's no small thing,” said Nicholas. “Your Book has also given us insight into the
power of even the name of Jesus. We understand the scars on His hands and feet, and
how He died and then was raised from the dead. We didn't know any of that before.”

“Now we reverence Him even more,” said his mom.

“Wow! I had no idea,” I said for a third time. “I think we take a lot for granted
on my planet.”

“But you are doing just fine, Mikey,” said his dad.

That made me feel a little better about myself. Sometimes I feel like such a jerk.

“Say, how would you like to head over to the food booths again and dish up some dessert?”
suggested Andron.

“That suits me just fine,” I responded. They all laughed because of my words. They're
not used to clichés or slang expressions.

Dessert was awesome. Afterward Nicholas filled his cup under the waterfall, so we
all did the same. Then we put our cups together and made a toast.