The Chest of Visions: Secrets of Caperston. Tim Ferguson
my compol. It is a communication device. In our third year of school we are all given a training compol, which is used in our education. All our tests and assignments are given on the compol as well as music and some comedy shows. It was on my compol that I reported on my project a little while ago.
After our sixth year in school we are given a new and better compol, which allows us to do additional things. There is a station with news of everything that is happening in Caperston. My father often appears on this news station. We also now have the ability to send messages to friends and family members. After we write, we place our thumb on the screen signaling that the message is completed. It was in my experimenting with my compol that I found you.
I hope I will get a chance to hear Chihaysu speak again. He was interesting.
Your new friend,
Mattpaul
Date . . . May 3rd
Dear Mattpaul,
Thank you for describing your compol. Now I understand. Chihaysu talks about a ruler, whom we also know. We call him God. Chihaysu’s teachings remind me of a person, who we believe was God’s son. We are told this man, who lived many years ago, was named Jesus.
You ask about praying. Yes, it is an activity we do. It is both difficult and easy. It is difficult because we do not know where to start. When I am in church, I hear our pastor pray with such ease. Words flow out of his mouth as he talks to God. Then there is time for silent prayer, and I am unsure of myself.
However, prayer is also easy. When we realize that our creator, God, cares enough about us that he wants to hear from us, well, then it is like talking to my best friend. God is our friend, Mattpaul. Your friend and my friend.
Please continue to write.
Tim
Date . . . May 8th
Dear Tim,
I am excited to tell you this. Chihaysu came to Lake Gael again, closer to our village and many people came to hear him, including my father, my sister Rachaeling and her friend Michaeling. He spoke about a ruler, whom he also calls God, and then told a story that I keep thinking about. It was something like this. There was a man who was traveling across Lake Gael when his boat hit an underwater rock and began to sink. The man was far from the shore and could not swim. Fortunately, he managed to pull a piece of wood from the boat before it sank. He stayed afloat by holding the wood.
A short time later a powerboat was seen in the distance. The man waved for help. The boat was driven by one of the Ruler’s most important advisers. He lived in one of the fancy houses on the shore of Lake Gael.
The advisor slowed down as he approached the man and called out, “I am sorry my friend; I cannot help you as I am already late for a meeting with the Ruler.” He quickly drove away leaving the discouraged man holding onto his piece of wood.
Several hours passed and the man was getting cold. He tried kicking his feet to stay warm when another, smaller powerboat appeared. It was driven by the leader of the school. In his boat was a large fish which he had caught earlier in the day. The driver saw the man and steered his boat to him. He reached into the water, touching his hand, but realized that the only way he could pull him into the boat was to discard the prize fish he had earlier caught. He sadly looked at the shivering man in the water and stated, “Friend, I am so sorry. I have never caught a fish this size and need to bring it home and have it stuffed so it may be displayed in my den. I am sure someone else will come.” He then left, leaving the cold man behind in the water.
It was almost dark with the only light coming from a sunset. The man in the water was ready to accept his fate when he heard a “Swish . . . swish” from behind him. A Mountain Man was paddling towards him. When he arrived, he reached over and pulled the man to the side of the boat. Then the paddler realized that the only place he could sit was behind him and that seat was covered by a large bucket, filled with small fish. The paddler stated, “My friend and brother, you are from the valley and I am from the mountain. I have been fishing all day, making a good catch, and my family will be well fed this evening. However, God has brought me here to you and you are more valuable than any, in fact, than all of these fish.” With that said he emptied the bucket of fish into Lake Gael and pulled the man aboard, paddling him to safety.
What a beautiful story Chihaysu told. It makes me think of what I would do if I were driving a boat towards this man in the water. Chihaysu asked, “Who was the truest of friends?” We all called out, “The Mountain Man.” Chihaysu replied, “Stop being separate from the Mountain People. In God’s eyes you are all equal. Reach out to them and make them your friends.”
My father told me that the man Chihaysu seems to be an inspirational man, but that he does not understand that we and the Mountain People are simply different. But I remember Marcus. He was just like me and I want to be his friend.
Mattpaul
Date . . . May 11th
Mattpaul,
Thank you for sharing your story. I think others would like to hear it so I will feature your letters on my home webpage. I hope we will find interested youth from our world to correspond with you. I also hope you continue to make an effort to see Chihaysu. He seems to be a good man and is asking people to open their minds to working together as equals.
It is a message people in our world also need to focus on.
Tim
3
Who is Chihaysu?
Date . . . May 19th
Hi Tim,
I am sorry for not writing for a while. After the meeting with Chihaysu, we asked our schoolteacher about him. Is he one of the Mountain People? He does not really look like them but neither does he resemble a Valley Person.
The teacher said that a generation ago the Mountain People were dispersing into different villages. This dispersion was beginning to move northwest towards an uninhabited area known as Stone Woods. The Ruler asked them to come to the valley to register so he could understand where they resided. The Ruler was nervous about this expansion into an area not far from the homes of the Valley People.
This registration had an impact. Many Mountain People met and decided it was best to move back together towards the mountain region. There is now one major village and three smaller ones. The Ruler was extremely pleased and considered the registration a success. There is a rumor, my teacher said, that Chihaysu was born during this time of registration and, since it was an unstable time, it is unclear who his parents were.
Chihaysu has not appeared at Lake Gael since I last wrote. We, particularly the Valley Youth, hope to see him again.
Your friend,
Mattpaul
Date . . . May 26th
Greetings,
Let me share more information. Though we have not seen Chihaysu for a while, our teacher told us something interesting. He said there is a rumor that Chihaysu visited one of the small communities on the northeast side of the Lake Gael. All the communities are having trouble with a disease called AHT. This disease makes people feel dizzy and tired, falling into a sleep that can last all day. We have medical equipment to diagnose diseases in Caperston, but this disease is new, and the equipment has yet to clearly diagnosis the ailment and a cure is, therefore, unknown.
The rumor is that there was a girl, named Dawnling, who had the AHT disease for many days. She is a year away from completing school and her cousin is Marcus, who taught us how to “head”