Listen children, here is a story.
One day Ekkreth was a slave. They were the best slave that Depur ever had. They would do all their work very fast and very diligently. They always did everything Depur asked. And they never talked back to Depur. They made Depur a fine vast array of wealth. And because of this reason Depur greatly prized them and made sure that they could never escape.
But as diligent as Ekkreth was, they were still Ekkreth. They were still the slave who makes free. And they still rebelled against Depur. They did it in secret, and held on to their longing for freedom in secret.
Depur thought Ekkreth the perfect, obedient slave. It was using their obedience as a cover that Ekkreth took out their slave chip and escaped into the wilderness of the desert.
There they ate the wild plants and drank the river water. For Ekkreth was of the desert and the desert provided for them. They rested in caves when the suns were too burning to hot and they slept on the fine sand. They did not hunger. They did not thirst. They walked the desert and were protected by it.
But Ekkreth knew they had to be careful. They knew that Depur would not let his prized slave go so easily. They knew that Depur would be searching for them and would not hesitate to capture them when he had got them in his sights.
And so Ekkreth turned into a bird. And they flew up and up into the sky, for they are the Sky-Walker. And they scanned all the desert lands for any sign of Depur and his overseers.
On the first day they looked far and wide and they saw nothing. On the second day they looked farther and wider and they still saw nothing. On the third day they saw a wave of Depur's overseers like locusts swarming out from Depur's palace to all sides of the desert.
Ekkreth's heart was overcome with fear. They knew that there was no way they could hide from so many searchers and overseers. Not without help.
And so they sat upon a large rock, still in the form of a bird, and they started to sing a song. The strong melody pierced through the desert and all the animals came from far and wide to see who had been singing such a melancholy tune.
Bantha came. Dewback came. Kirik Fly came. The wild Anoobas came. The vicious Sketto came. Kind Eeopie came. Scraggly Womp Rat came. Tavekriti came and so did their family. Grandfather Scarlacc even came and so did Little Sister and Elder Sister herself.
All the flying creatures came, and perched on the rocks of the desert. All the swimming creatures came, and they looked on from the river. All the walking creatures came, and they stood in front of Ekkreth. All the climbing creatures came and they hung on to the side of the great cliff. And all the burrowing creatures came, poking their heads out of the sand.
The Mumachis also came, who could build sturdy casings made out of the resin they secreted. Gartho also came. The powerful digger with many curved claws on their two long arms who dug holes into the sands of the desert.
The overseers were not dispersed at this area of the desert yet, and so everyone was safe for the meantime.
All the animals asked Ekkreth why they sang such a melancholy song. And Ekkreth responded to them, saying that Depur the chain binder had sent all their overseers out into the deserts to search for them, and when they would surely be found out, they would be taken back to Depur and made to serve as a slave.
The animals heard this and they were much saddened for Ekkreth. For they all knew that all the Mother's children thirsted and hungered for freedom. And so they said to Ekkreth,
"Worry not, for we will find a way to hide you from Depur's mighty reach."
They all talked amongst each other of how to hide Ekkreth from the overseers. The swimming creatures suggested that Ekkreth should hide at the bottom of the river. But Ekkreth said that the overseers had ships that could go under the water and see them there. The flying creatures suggested that Ekkreth could fly up above the clouds and hide. But Ekkreth said the overseers had flying ships that could go up into the clouds and see them there. The climbing creatures suggested that Ekkreth hide in one of the nooks and crannies of the cliff.
And Ekkreth paused. They thought that this was a good idea. But after scouring the cliffs they could not find a hole deep enough to sheild them from the eye of Depur.
Finally the burrowing creatures suggested that Ekkreth burrow into a hole deep inside the desert sands and wait there until all of Depur's overseers had given up their search.
Ekkreth thought that this was indeed a great idea. And after talking amongst themselves all the animals agreed as well.
They went on now to decide who would be the one to dig the burrow into the ground and how they would protect Ekkreth from the sand and the dust.
They formulated a plan together. The Mumachis would create a casket made out of dried resin for Ekkreth to be shielded from the sand and the dust. And they would create a little hole for Ekkreth to breathe through in a tube as small as a pebble. Gartho would dig into the sands and bury Ekkreth and the casket. Then they would fill the hole with sand except for the small tube for air. The animals would then place boulders and rocks around the air tube so that sand would not get in it and it would only look like a small rock among many rocks. Then the animals would go about their lives as if nothing was amiss. And once they saw that the desert and it's skies and it's waters were clear of all of Depur's enforcers they would dig Ekkreth out of the earth again so that they could walk the skies a free person.
Ekkreth thanked everyone deeply for their help. And they promised that they would use their freedom to rid Depur from the lands so that the desert could bloom again.
And so Ekkreth was put in a resin casket that the mumachis made of the resin they secreted. And Gartho buried them deep in the sands. And Ekkreth breathed through the breathing hole. And they thought of all the many stories to help pass the time while they waited.
Ekkreth had brought food and water with them but not a lot of food could fit in the resin casket. Their food and water had run out in four days. But there was no sign of Depur's enforcers being gone yet.
Ekkreth was afraid. They did not know how they would keep on hiding without any food. But they told themself to stay strong and to not give up. They told themself that they had to try.
And so Ekkreth thought about the stories. Stories of the desert and all its many plants and creatures. Stories of the slaves and all the ways that they were clever and rebellious and all the ways that they helped each other. Stories of the prophets and their lives and their teachings. Stories of the sandstorm and all it's wild rage and Dukkra. Stories of the prophecies of when Depur would be cast down for good and the rain would come. Stories of the times before Depur when the desert bloomed and all people were free. Stories of simple joys amidst pain. Stories of everything that was contained in the Mother's world. For all the stories contained everything that was in the Mother's world and everything that was in the Mother's world contained all the stories.
And the stories gave them strength to keep on hiding. But eventually Ekkreth could no longer ignore their hunger and their thirst and they felt an aching to emerge from the sands and go to the river to drink and eat.
But they knew that Depur could not find them if they stayed in the resin casket. And Depur's overseers would find them if they ventured out upon the sands. And so they told themself that they had to stay strong for a while longer.
So they thought then of the songs that the slaves would sing in the night time or while they worked. They softly hummed the tunes of the songs to themself. Songs of hope amidst the suffering. Songs of sticking together and showing solidarity in ways big and small. Songs of resistance to oppression and bondage. Songs of hard work and toil and suffering. Songs of the simple joys of life amidst that. Songs of stories and songs of history. Songs of prophets and songs of prophecy. Songs of nature and untameable beauty. Songs of grief and loss and love. Songs of wonder and secrets and rebellion.
And the songs gave them strength for some time. And they could hold on and ignore their thirst and their hunger. And so they stayed strong. As strong as they could.
But they could not ignore their hunger and thirst forever. Soon they had a deep itching feeling to go above and get water and plants. They knew that it was not safe. But their will had grown very weak from the hunger and from the thirst and they did not know if they possessed the strength to go on for much longer.
But they knew that they could try. That they could continue trying. And they promised themself that they would try for longer.
And so they started praying. They prayed to Ar-Amu for hope, for help, for strength, for guidance. They prayed to Her for a miracle to help them get through this. They prayed to Her for courage and fortitude. They prayed to Tena for her bravery, her resilience, and her ability to not fear death. They prayed to Ebra to give them kindness and hope and solace. They prayed to Amah for boldness and cleverness and a way to get through the hardest of trials. They prayed to Dakka for a heart that was unfettered and to have what it takes to become free. They prayed to Maru to get through the thirst and to hold on to hope that the water will come. They prayed to Mitta to have patience. They prayed to Erato and Salha to have faith. And they prayed to the desert and the future and the past.
And all the prayer gave them strength for a while longer. And they were able to keep holding on, curled up there in the womb of the earth like a baby in their parent's belly.
But eventually the last of Ekkreth's strength ran out. They tried to hold on. They tried to hold on as long as they could. But they could no longer. For they were so hungry and thirsty that they had to act upon it.
They hit the resin casket again and again with their maddened, wild fists until it broke and they dug their way out of the sand and dust with their bare hands, pushing the rocks away.
Once they had reached the surface they took ragged, desperate breaths. It was night time in the lands. And there was nothing amiss to be seen under the light of the moons.
They ran to the river and they drank thirsting and deeply of the waters. Then they harvested the plants that grew along the riverside and ate them hungrily. They ate until they were no longer aching inside.
But once they were full, the horror of realization struck them. They knew that now they would be found by Depur and brought back to slavery. They cursed their foolishness and their weakness. They thought about changing shape and digging back into the sands. But they knew that the overseers would be suspicious about a hole in the sand and would dig to find out what was in it. And they went to sleep by the river with dread in their hearts.
They were woken up in the morning by Dewback and Gartho. The animals were surprised to see Ekkreth out by the river instead of under the ground.
Ekkreth apologized profusely at getting out early and wept bitterly at the certainty that now Depur would find them.
Dewback and Gartho told them that Depur's enforcers had all left the desert last night and that the two of them were now coming to dig Ekkreth out.
Ekkreth felt a great feeling of joy in their heart at knowing that they were free.
They thanked the desert creatures once again profusely and they promised to do all they could to free all the children of the Mother and the very lands themselves from Depur's grasp.
I tell you this story to save your life.
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