Dimora Loessiel

(This was a the creative non-fiction story I wrote for class. With that knowledge, understand that some of this story is based on real incidences, and that some of the details of this story are not true. John D. Rockefeller is not guilty for any terraesserian blood, nor was he an abominable person. For grammatical, linguistic and cultural notes on the Terraesserians, see the 'English-Unslitino Grammar Guide' at the end of the story.)

I lay awake in bed, thinking. I cannot sleep because there is a persistent pattern of sound that will not free my mind from consciousness. For two weeks now I have heard the sound of a copper pipe vibrating against the brick foundation of our house whenever the furnace is on. Dog gone rattling! It has not been so bad as to keep me awake like this before, so I have not invested the time to descend into the basement to fix the problem. Now is different though, my wife sleeps peacefully because she is one of those sleep-skilled people who only wakes up to the sound of the alarm clock. I wake up whenever there is any noise that is suspect.

I determine to rise and correct this irritation. And, at this point, I don’t care if I have to break something to make it stop. I grab a flashlight and go to the basement. The sound grows as I creak down the stairs. The infernal noise is coming from the crawlspace. I look at the quarter-inch paneling separating the dirt-filled area of the basement from the rest of the foundation (where the furnace resides). There is a door that is just large enough for me to fit through in order to enter the crawlspace, and I proceed through it.

On this night, kismet is having fun playing with me: the furnace stops running as soon as I fully crawl onto the dirt floor. Along with the furnace, the metal-to-stone rattling also ceases. “You gotta be kidding me!” In the dark and separated portion of my home, I expect no interaction. But a warm small voice answers from the dark.

“L’esserel uman-Jordan, è che voi?”
Scared to death, I impulsively swing the unlit flashlight in the darkness before me as a weapon, but then I realize that there is something familiar about the strange words I have just heard. I have not heard this language for almost eight years now. And I certainly haven’t heard a warm shrill voice like this for a long time. I calm myself. The voice had asked, if I heard it right, “Jordan, is that you?” It is modified Italian, an ancient form of muddled Latin that has not been spoken for hundreds of years. When I researched the language almost a decade ago, in high-school, I had discovered that the language had no modern relative other than the languages spoken in Italy. So I had learned Italian.
I answered in Unslitino, the ancient language, “Sel siete Cai, sono iel uman-Jordan,” which means “If you are Cai, then I am Jordan.” (From this point forward, I will share everything said in its English translation for the sake of economy.) Cai was the name of a pseudo-humanoid creature I had met in a long-ago summer. He was the member of a race of peoples that called themselves Terraesseri (Earthen-beings). I switched on my flashlight and searched for Cai’s small figure.
When the light illuminated Cai, I saw not what I was expecting.
“Wow, you’ve grown!” I shouted. He was only about three feet tall when I last saw him about eight years ago. Now he was almost five feet tall and crouching against the brick foundation just feet from a tell-tale Terraesserian burrowing hole. His brown fur had turned blacker (though it still had dirt clinging to it), and his teeth were smaller (Terraesseri begin their lives with large front incisors that help them to burrow, but they grind down over their lifetime). But Cai still had his big eyes that were dark brown and black with insight. I had always felt very comfortable in his presence because of these eyes. His hoofed hands and feet were twitching with excitement, and his opposable digits were grasping stone-digging tools.
“Yes, uman-Jordan, I am in my prime. That and our friendship are why I was chosen to find you. Do you remember the upland-path to get to Dimora Loessiel?”
“I think I do. What is going on?”
“I cannot tell you now, we don’t have time, it has taken almost two weeks to get your attention!”
“That was you this whole time! Why didn’t you just come upstairs and talk to me?”
“Need I explain to you, uman-Jordan, what your wife would have done if she saw me first? I assume you kept your word and told no person about us. That is why I kept beating away at the wall down here when the furnace was on – so that the sound would be explainable and so that the man of the house would come down to investigate and fix the problem! Solo Dios knows how much I prayed for you to come down here.” Good point.
“Yeah, you are right. Umana-Leeann would have never gotten over it if she saw you without me first explaining you to her. I am sorry; the last visitor I was expecting was a Terraessendo like you.”
“Now, uman-Jordan, we need your help. Come to Dimora Loessiel tomorrow first-priority, I will meet you at the gate.”
“Okay…Cai?”
“Yes Altossendo”
“It was good to talk to you again.”
“I agree, until tomorrow uman-Jordan.”

I lay awake in bed, thinking. Thinking about the snowstorm in October of 1997 and how it had affected my life so much. The snow had been heavy and the trees cracked, and many fell under the weight. The woods behind my parents’ home were totally changed; I was bothered because I loved to explore the woods and climb the trees as they were.
But, with the Spring thaw, I had discovered new adventure in the woods. The hills had met a fallen and cracked tree in such a way that I could scale a nearly horizontal trunk into a network of fallen trees that were supported on the smaller trees beneath. I had named this my ‘Explorer’s Post’ and spent most of the spring-time jumping from tree to tree in search of new arboreal paths. By the time it was summer, my kingdom had spread almost one-quarter of a mile long; I could leave the ground and never touch it again with plenty of space to explore. Who knew that the tops of trees had so much to offer: mulberries, edible birch leaves and even some identifiable insects became my food (until my mother would call me in from the house).
During June I was fortunate enough to discover a narrow wooded area that provided a path into another forest that I, in all of my years of exploration, had never before seen. This is where I settled to make another ‘Explorer’s Post.’ One late afternoon in mid-June, I was stringing a rope bridge between two trees when I missed a branch I was reaching for (inevitably) and fell nearly twenty feet. On the way down, I hit a rather large branch and bruised my back and then proceeded to the forest floor. This is when my life was forever changed.
I should have been killed or at least critically injured, but I was not. Instead, the ground swallowed me. I hit the moist soil and slowed, but I kept falling, and falling, until I landed on a well-maintained floor covered with bark. The roof collapsed above me onto a network of underground roots that held the dirt nearly 6 feet above my aching head.
I had lain there for at least an hour when I finally decided that I was not dead and that this dark place was not Heaven. I finally mustered the will to stand when I felt a disgusting insect begin to burrow into my ear. “Bwaaahh! Get off of me!” were the intelligent first words of greeting I gave the Terraesserian who was trying to help me. His name was Aslo, and, fortunately, he only understood the shock in my voice, not the meaning of the English words. He knew not to speak any complicated Unslitino words to me. He only purred while he lit the gas network lights that entered the chamber we occupied. In the dull light he motioned for me to follow him, and I did.
The Terraesserians are master diggers, and create incredible caverns for their communities to inhabit. They are lit using waste and a very efficiently ventilated gas light network. Dimora Loessiel is the only Terraesserian village I have ever seen. But during my time with the Terraesserians, I discovered that these creatures have villages that span the earth, and most of their villages have interconnecting ‘highways.’ I spent three days with them after my fall from the tree, and they treated me like a treasure. Never once do I remember being hungry or feeling tired when I was with them.
Aslo kept me at his own den and I lived as one of his family, even attempting to communicate with them in their confusing tongue which I, at the time, thought was Portuguese. When I was well enough to return home, the Terraesserians indicated to me that I must leave and ‘go higher,’ which meant ‘go to the world above the ground.’ After explaining to my mom that I was on a hiking tour of Western Iowa and spending two days grounded at home, I went to the library. This is where I learned that Unslitino is actually very similar to Italian and Latin and very unlike Portuguese. I spent the remainder of that summer learning Italian and some Latin.
I went back to the place where I had ascended from Dimora Loessiel and tried to find my way back down. No luck and such was the case for several attempts until one rainy day. The Terraesserians have specially placed vents at the bases of some trees for rainy weather. These vents channel water in such a way that the village is not made muddy by ceiling drips. I caught Cai by the fur as he was opening one. He probably could have killed me (for he was in training to become a warrior) and would have if he had not known that I was the strange Altosserian who had been kept in his village for several days. In fact, all of the Terresserians knew me by sight because they all wanted to see me. Humans are not a common thing in the underground world. Cai threatened me but eventually led me into the village where he claimed to his people that I was his ‘captured Altossendo,’ and best friend.
During the rest of that warm summer and through the subsequent one, I became a regular visitor of Cai’s. He and I became friends, and he was the one who made me promise to never tell any other human of the Terraesserians. Humans had stumbled upon these people before.
“Uman-Jordan, have you heard of one Altosserian named ‘Rockefeller’?”
“No, I do not think so.”
“Well, many winters ago he discovered Dimora Novum, a great city that once was. I have heard stories about that place. There was black water in that place that the Terraesserian named Trophlin discovered could be used to create things. This Altosserian Rockefeller killed all of our people in Dimora Novum when Trophlin showed him this substance. The human took all of the black water for himself. My people wanted to share it, but the Altosserians wanted it all for themselves. That is why we do not deal with your people now…except for you; we are glad to have your friendship.”
I felt shame for what had happened. Less than a year later, my sophomore year of high school, I had learned about John D. Rockefeller and how he had discovered oil and its many uses. Why? Why kill for money? “Can I tell my friends about you or Dimora Loessiel?”
“No, uman-Jordan, you must pact to never tell another human about us. Your people will kill us.”
I did make a pact: I would never tell any other human about the Terraesserians or their home. Not even Leeann. I eventually took the warriors training, hilariously named Iteri Pugli which means ‘The Path to Battle.’ As a part of my rite, I swore to protect the Terraesserians and Dimora Loessiel with my life. Had I been one of their people, I would have been sent on a journey to obtain something for the village. Upon my return, I would have been given a Primo Civis, a medal of honor that named the warriors as key citizens in Dimora Loessiel.
Summer wore on, and then school began. Unfortunately the schoolwork grew more stressful, and I spent less time outdoors and with the Earth Dwellers until I had all but forgotten the Terraesserians. Eight years later and many life-changes since, I find myself excited about the possibility of putting my Iteri Pugli Oath to use.
Leeann wakes me up as she is on her way out the door to work. “Honey, you can’t be late for work.” I am groggy; I had slept just three or four hours last night. “Bye, Sweet Pea.” The door latch clicks behind her, and she is gone. I go to the kitchen and drink a glass of milk. Then I follow it with a glass of white distilled vinegar. I already feel sick enough to call work and say, “I won’t be in today – I have a killer stomachache.”
My parents are not home – good. I park my pickup in the driveway and proceed to Dimora Loessiel with a great deal of sweat and excitement. Why are they just now calling on me for help? The forest had been crowded out by housing developments a little more each year. The Terraesserians would probably be under a road within the decade if things continued this way. Money – that is why people sell their land, for money. I found the old gate to the underground village not without difficulty. I lifted the sod and searched for the passage. Nothing.
“Uman-Jordan!” Cai was whispering about twenty feet from me. That’s right, they change the location of the passages to their cities every year. I followed Cai down to the heart of Dimora Loessiel, and I greeted the ones I knew well and was greeted by all. Cai brought me to the center circle of the underground village. I see Aslo proceeding towards me followed by several of the leaders of Dimora Loessiel. They sit in a circle, making me the end of the circle, as is their custom. Greetings followed as well as a gesture of honor from all of the leaders. Madna, the leader prime of the city, speaks.
“The time has come for us to move on, uman-Jordan. In this task we ask you for help.” They cannot leave! They have lived here for over four hundred years, we have only been here for over one hundred.
“Madna, you must not leave. This is your home first, not ours!”
“Yes, we are aware of the Altosserians’ attempts to build their homes over us. That is not so much a problem; you know how far we dig. Rather, we have discovered something that means we cannot stay here. We shall show you.” Madna gestures, and the whole group of Terraesseri stands and begins moving toward the western portion of the city. They move me through the crowd to the front after ten minutes of marching. And I see it: dark dirt.
“We, too, have discovered the dark water here. This substance is very good for many things, as those at Dimora Novus saw. But it means death for us because your people have killed for this material before…”
“I promise you will not die because this is here!” I interrupt.
Aslo pipes in “Uman-Jordan, we have heard many stories, true stories, that prove that we cannot live where the black water springs. The Altosseri kill for any amount of it…that is why our people are disappearing.” The Terraesserians will not listen to my arguments. For several hours I try to persuade them. I will buy this land. “No, we must go. Perhaps you will kill us for the black water.” Several of the people respond with distrust. Why do they think we are so greedy?
Madna restores the order with her warm voice. “We must leave uman-Jordan. You must help us, it is not out of fear, but out of righteousness that we leave. No one must have this dark water. Neither we nor your kind can handle it right, and destruction of a thing is greater than the destruction of a soul.” Is this sadness in Madna’s voice? It must be.
I feel the weight of her words. “I will do as you ask for I serve the Terraesserian people and Dimora Loessiel.”
“Good, we have planted a destructive gas-powered implosion system in the heart of the city. You must ignite it when we are three hours gone. We love you our good Altossendo.”
What can I do? Aslo shows me how to effectively destroy Dimora Loessiel, and his family give me their fearful salutations. Why do they think we are so greedy? I watch as the last Terraesseri trail into a darkened passage. Then I cry and wait and think. This oil is under my parent’s land; would it not be wrong to destroy it? Yes, it would be wrong. I start the gas light network and scurry above ground. Up here it is late afternoon and all is peaceful.
Three months later, the pipe in the basement begins to vibrate against the brick wall again. I am quick to investigate this time and run to the crawlspace expecting to find joy. The floor is level, the Terraesserian burrowing hole is now re-filled with packed dirt, and on the dirt floor lays a round nickel medal that says: Primo Civis di Terraesseri et Dimora Loessiel

English – Unslitino Grammar Guide

Jordan, is that you? - L’esserel uman-Jordan, è che voi?
If you are Cai, then I am Jordan. - Sel siete Cai, sono iel uman-Jordan.
Earthen-beings (plural) - Terraesseri
Earthen-being (singular) - Terraessendo
High-being - Altossendo
Jordan - Uman-Jordan
Leeann - Umana-Leeann (Grammar Note: In Unslitino, like Latin, there are masculine and feminine forms of words and addresses, therefore a female human is an umana and a male human is an uman. The Terraesseri add the prefix of uman or umanna to the names of humans for clarification, it has become a custom of respect also.)
Loess Dwelling - Dimora Loessiel (This is an ancient Terraesseri village that is below the forest behind my parent’s home. The name means Loess Dwelling because of the special soil that the geographic area is famous for in Terraesserian circles.)
Strange Dwelling - Dimora Novum
The Path to Battle - Iteri Pugli (Terraesserian Warrior Training)
God Alone - Solo Dios (Note: The Terraesserians are a monotheistic people believing in Dio, the Italian and Unslitino translation of God. They have grasped the truth about Jesus Christ but do not identify themselves as Christians for such a distinction is not needed in their ideologically heterogeneous society.)
Citizen’s Reward - Primo Civis (A medal that names the recipient the protector of their Dimora.)