Free First to Dance by Sonya Writes Page B

mesmerized by the water for a long time, when the sound of footsteps alerted her that Panya was returning.
    Panya smiled, “I’m glad to see you’re awake! How do you feel?”
    “Much better after eating,” she said. “Thank you. What are these foods called? We don’t have any of these where I’m from.”
    Panya told her their names, and then asked, “Where do you come from?”
    “T he planet Zozeis,” Ayita said.
    Panya smiled.  “Wow.  So you really are from another planet.  That’s amazing!”
    Ayita nodded and looked up at the sky.  “I guess it is amazing,” she said.  She took a deep breath and thought about Earth. She wondered where the person was who’d brought her here instead.
    Panya stretched and yawned. “It’s getting late. Would you like to come over to my home now?” she asked while rising to her feet.
    “Sure.”  Ayita picked up the blanket she had and followed her. Panya led her to the rows of table-top trees, and when Ayita realized that these were their homes, she gasped.
    “What is it?” Panya asked.
    “These are your homes,” she said. “You live here.”
    Panya nodded. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
    “No, it’s not a problem. It just surprised me.” Ayita didn’t know how to feel about everyone preparing their beds beneath trees. Yet, despite what looked like poverty to Ayita, none of them seemed unhappy.
    “What kind of home did you have on your planet?” Panya asked her.
    Ayita described houses to her, and there was a hint of recognition on Panya’s face.
    “Oh, I know what you’ re talking about. We have those where we dwell in the wintertime. This is only where we live for the warm seasons.”
    Ayita tried to picture a ho use like her own in this setting, but now she couldn’t imagine anything like that being on this planet. She was curious to see what Panya meant. “Why do you only live there in winter?” she asked.
    Panya shrugged her shoulders and didn’t answer her question. “If we didn’t need shelter from the cold, we’d stay here year-round,” she said.
    Panya led her to a tree with no one else beneath it, and she pulled out a blanket from the wooden chest at the base of the tree.  It seemed only a moment later that Panya was already sleeping.  Ayita spread out the blanket she had in her hand and lay down on it. Despite the rest she got earlier, she was still tired. However, she didn’t think she was tired enough to fall asleep here, out in the open and surrounded by strangers. This was nothing like the darkness and silence in her bedroom. The moon lit up the sky and her ears were filled with the sounds of wind blowing, leaves rustling, and people rolling over in their sleep.  Ayita lay awake for a long time and turned over questions in her head. There was so much that she wanted to know.
     
    The sun hit her eyes when she opened them--something she’d never experienced before.  She closed them immediately and rolled onto her side before reopening them, slowly this time.  She let out a yawn and sat up.  Almost immediately, heads were turning toward her.  They left her alone while she rested, but now that she was awake both her attention and her conversation seemed to be fair game.  Questions came pouring in, and the circle of people around her grew larger and larger.  Ayita felt very uncomfortable and wished to walk away, but she knew that if she left their questions unanswered they would only ask them again later. It’s better to get it over with now, she thought. 
    A s they asked their questions, Ayita noticed many differences between these people and her people.  For one, these people were filled with a pleasant curiosity.  They also did not appear to be stressed about anything, nor at all offended by her arrival. She considered briefly what the reaction might be if someone landed in town on Zozeis the way she did here.  What would they make of the incident?  Would they still refuse to believe that they’re not alone in the