Despite my initial fears, Babaru and Wurp were open-minded. When I told them about my idea, the siblings accepted it without hesitation. It wasn't long before a few representatives of the Zumbazumbanom species were also summoned. Their ability to listen within and beyond time is exceptional. Once the Friips had instructed the Zumbazumbanom sufficiently, the meanings began to gradually unfold.
Twirppies’ communication consists of only a few sounds. Babaru said she recognized four, although some of the Friips suspect there are more. To me, the sounds just seem like a strange babbling. However, when I listen closely, I can just about distinguish subtle differences.
Different types of babbles may open up different lines of conversation, or they may change the structure of things in the middle of a sentence. However, I believe that the most significant factor is the frequency of the sounds, their duration, and, above all, the pauses between them. The differences in frequency are incredibly subtle. Just fractions of a hertz. Then there are the durations, which vary by as little as picoseconds. Zumbazumbanom can distinguish between these, but the Friips cannot. This clearly calls for seamless cooperation between two very different species in order for Twirppies' speech to be understood to any degree.
There are a huge number of different characters in Chinese and Japanese writing. But the diversity of Twirppies’ language dwarfs even the combined number of characters in these languages. These strange space birds probably never had a written language. Despite all my experience, I cannot even begin to imagine how a language like this could ever be put on paper.
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Their language is incredibly rich, and many things can seemingly be said in almost endless ways. The Friips tentatively theorize that, depending on the context, subtle differences in expression can mean very different things. So there is plenty to decipher.
The incomprehensibly long timescale that this form of communication has had to develop explains to a large extent why it is so unfamiliar. Add to this the fact that its development began in the previous universe cycle, who knows how many eons ago.
My writing can, at its best, be lively and colorful. But it falls so far short of this incredibly rich language. Twirppies’ offspring will probably speak much more vividly at just a few seconds old than I could ever hope to do in my most ambitious dreams.
The Friips will not run out of work. And I don't believe they will ever be able to fully decipher it. If they achieve a fraction of that, it would be a huge achievement. It could make basic conversations possible. The history of Twirppies is so rich that even I'm eager to hear more about it. The universe is vast, and the time scales are incomprehensible. But now that I have introduced my brain to the cycles and those who survived them, I don't expect my insomnia to improve any time soon.
I still haven't had time to visit Mrs. M to ask about the pillowcase. Maybe I'll do that if someone will accompany me for a little moonwalk. I'm not yet confident enough in my abilities to put on that body-hugging spacesuit without help and supervision. Until then, I'll keep my pile of feathers in a small fabric bag that Winston dug out for me from the depths of his bar counter.
In the end, there was no need for that magic pillow. The mystical visit of the mystical cat was enough to open up that little stream, from which a river of fumbling understanding grew. How much Pearl actually knew about all this before anyone else remains a mystery. One more for this extraordinary cat.
Till next time.
- Johnny