15 March, 2021

The child was small and clearly lost. It was impossible to determine their gender because they were completely covered in tribal attire. The child was first spotted near a hut on the border between the woods and the village. No one dared to approach them, as if they were some sort of ghost. Since no one had ever seen anyone from the tribe before due to their secrecy, everyone assumed that making contact with them was taboo. Given that the child was quite young, it was expected that their relatives would show up and help them immediately. However, the opposite happened.

The village wanted this predicament resolved as soon as possible. It was hard to wait and do nothing, they were becoming increasingly alarmed. Surprisingly, time passed, and the child stayed in a hut at night and in the woods during the day, but nothing changed. They were still there, present and alone. “Maybe it’s temporary, maybe it was provoked by all the changes and chaos happening on the First Planet”, people thought. “The balance will settle, let’s wait and see.”

In the meantime, the child remained in the shadows, as did the village and the ancient tribe. The child had the full sympathy of the village. Six months after the child was first spotted in the woods, there was little doubt that the tribe would change their minds and would come to get them. Over those months, the tribe remained indifferent and absent. It was unique and beyond comprehension. At that point, the villagers began digging for the truth about this venerable population, said to have existed in almost complete isolation throughout history. What they found was mainly vague and inconclusive folklore, lacking much scientific value. In the most romantic version, the tribe was perceived as masters of an alternative way of living that, in contrast to modern societies of Planet 1, represented something fundamentally simple.

However, although the tribe was described as those who keep their customs and follow traditions vigorously, they were also concerned about not becoming dogmatic. Other than that and a few assumptions that members of the tribe were uncomplicated and extremely shy, nobody in the village had anything more to say on the subject. The only legitimate evidence was a certain working protocol of communication between the tribe and a host. It consisted of expectations and obligations and was written by the host. The expectation was that the tribe would always be the first to initiate communication.The obligation was that contact was allowed only in the form of mute signs through a distance. Despite all that, this wasn’t helping at all to sort out the child, so during their research and endless debates the villagers agreed to a plan. They would try helping discreetly so as not to contaminate the child with their presence. Nonetheless, if it was not entirely possible, they would still provide him with food and clothes. The village understood well that there was great risk in offering something to the child. Although the fear that these acts of kindness could possibly sever the child’s ties with his tribe was overcome by a strong sense of duty. There was this feeling that they owed him something – something that was difficult to put into words.