Chapter Four

Luke noticed the mountains even before they got near the river. They were very distinctive – not perfect peaks nor perfect domes, colored various shades of green due to the trees growing up the sides.

His heart gave a little jump in recognition and he felt Lisa slip her hand into his. Smiling at her, they continued to follow the little bird.

Plum glided through tall stalks of bamboo and circled around once she got into a clearing. Chirping, she landed on Lisa’s shoulder, hopping up and down.

Big rocks parted the silty water in places; they looked as if they were positioned in a way that would be good for balance practice – same with that one thick tree branch jutting out over the water if a student was small and light enough.

Plum hopped from Lisa’s shoulder over to Luke’s and chirped, tapping her foot twice and tilting her head.

“She’s asking if this is it,” Lisa translated.

Squeezing her hand, he walked over to the water’s edge and closed his eyes, focusing. A gentle breeze ruffled Plum’s colorful feathers and tousled his and Lisa’s hair. As if sensing Luke’s need to concentrate, the bird flew over to perch on Lisa’s shoulder.

Luke inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. Finally, he turned to face them and nodded, smiling. “Yes,” he said. “This is what I saw, right here.”

“Which means,” said Lisa, coming to stand closer to him and spreading her hands, “the clearing where it’s going to be built shouldn’t be too far away.”

Plum chirped, tilted her head, and tapped her foot twice. Luke figured out that meant she was asking a question, though unless he tapped into Lisa’s ability he didn’t know if that question was “What’s going to be built?” or closer to “Are you hungry?”

“We’re on a mission,” Lisa explained, extending her hand for Plum to perch on. “We are tasked with teaching the next generation of protectors – called ‘Jedi’. Luke is one.”

The bird looked over at him with a chirp; he felt as if he were being appraised. Turning back to Lisa, another chirp, head tilt, and double-tap.

“ ‘Protectors of what?’ she wants to know.”

Luke never thought he’d have to explain the Force to an exotic bird but here they were; five years together, nothing Lisa did really surprised him anymore.

He spread his hands. “Every living thing is connected by an energy,” he said. “A Force. Some people, like me, are sensitive to that energy and are able to sense it in others. There are people that use it to hurt and destroy.” He reached for Lisa. “I use it for peace and balance. Together, we are to train the future guardians of that Light and their loved ones.”

Chirp, tilt, tap-tap.

“What I can do is different to what Luke can do,” said Lisa. “He can’t understand you like I can, for example.”

Plum chirped and whistled.

Lisa laughed. “No, he doesn’t have wings.”

The bird chirped and tapped another question.

“She wants to know, ‘Why here?’ ”

Luke thought how best to explain to a bird. “Sometimes the energy – the Force – can show what could happen. It showed me here.” He pointed. “The river, the mountains, the forest. I heard all kinds of wildlife – the frogs, the insects – ”

Chirp, tilt, tap-tap.

“Maybe he heard you,” said Lisa.

“I definitely heard birds,” confirmed Luke, nodding. “Definitely one big one.”

Plum tilted her head quizzically and whistled, but there was no tapping so it wasn’t a question.

“We will respect the land and all of you,” said Lisa. “There will have to be sheltered areas to keep us and our students safe from weather and sun. We won’t build over grazing areas or nesting places.”

“In exchange for letting us use the area,” finished Luke, “if anyone has a problem they can’t solve themselves, since Lisa can understand, they can come to her and we’ll see if we can help.”

Luke could almost hear Han’s voice “You’re negotiating with a bird!” but in Luke’s opinion it was no different than negotiating with the Ewoks. Different species, different language, but similar requests – shelter, help, permission to use their land.

Plum fluffed up her feathers, chirped, and flew off. Luke looked to Lisa for explanation.

“She’s going to talk to an elder,” she said. “We should wait here.”

Luke nodded. “Fair enough,” he said, and tugged Lisa’s hand so she’d sit beside him on the riverbank.

They watched the water ripple around the rocks. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. Closing his eyes, he allowed the Force to let them know what would come next.

Back *~*~* Chapter Three *~*~* Chapter Five