It is the 5th day since Nouma left GeMEMEba. Nouma and Rita are declared clean by the Knights at the entrance and they enter Eclipso through the east entrance. After walking for 5 minutes, various farming plots start to appear. The eastern part of Eclipso is dedicated to agriculture. One of the major reasons for that is the vast availability of underground water there. The Group Hall of Eclipso is located in the central region close to the port. A river flows through the western region. The soil surrounding the river is extremely fertile. Hence, the fruits to be supplied to the Group Hall are farmed there.

The major occupations of people in Eclipso are farming, fishing and hunting. Eclipso exports food products to the southern region of NorkYew. Most houses are located in the central region. Houses are sparse in the eastern and western regions. 

Nouma and Rita continue to walk towards the central region. The air is pleasant. The grass is dancing in the mild breeze. There is a sense of calmness as Nouma and Rita are walking past the fields. It is noon and therefore, most farmers are back home for lunch, leaving most of the farming plots empty.

"Let's keep walking straight ahead, Rita. We will find people soon."

"I can hear your voice but I can't process it! I am hungry. After I've seen all these fruits, I just want to eat them! Can't we just take one or two of them? No one will even notice!"

"Don't you ever think before speaking? I guess you have never farmed in your life. When you grow something with your hard work only to find out that it was taken away by someone else, it really hurts."

"Fine, fine. Now don't make me waste energy by talking."  

"Also, can't you stop whining for a moment? Stop acting like a small kid!"

"Don't mock me like that."

Nouma looks away as Rita continues with an irritated look on her face, "Don't you dare ignore me. Everyone does not have the stamina you have! Learn to acknowledge the condition of others."

Pointing towards a man far away, Nouma says, "There is someone there."

He didn't listen to a single word, did he? At least he found someone!

Rita speaks with her hands on her hips with closed eyes, "Thank goodness. Now use that insane speed of yours to catch up with that man!"

Before Rita completes her sentence, Nouma is already off.

"He sure is fast, isn't he? It's scary how good he is!"

Nouma screams while waving his hands, "Hello!! Mr. Farmer! Here!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Catch your breath first. I haven't seen you here before. Are you from the central region? What business do you have with me?" replies the farmer.

He just told me to catch my breath and then bombarded me with these questions!

"I just reached here a while ago. I am a visitor from another group."

"Oh, I see. This is your first time visiting here and you probably don't know anything about this place. Which Group do you live in?"

"Group 14."

Rita runs all the way to the farm. She interrupts Nouma, still breathing heavily, "Group 12."

The farmer questions, "Who is this?"

"She is with me. We are hungry. Would you please give us something to eat?"

"Sure. Just follow me. I live with my family nearby. My name is Pranesh by the way."

Well that was easier than expected! Wholesome farmers are the best people!

Nouma extends his right hand for a handshake, "I'm Nouma and she's Rita."

Nouma and Rita follow Pranesh. On the way, they see various creatures that Nouma has never seen in his life before. Nouma feels as if he is in a completely different world now.

As they get closer to Pranesh's house, his daughter comes running out of the house, "Welcome home Papa. You are late today. What took you so long?"

"This is my 7 year old daughter Elga. Hello sweetie! When someone threatens you,"

"Show them your punch."

"Across the ocean Papa flew,"

Elga continues with a broad smile on her face, "To come home for lunch!"

Nouma looks at Rita as cringe develops in him immediately. Rita is as baffled as Nouma!

"Come on in you two. Make yourself comfortable. I know it is a small place but it is my sweet home."

Rita continues, "Not an issue. We are grateful that you let us in."

All of them sit to eat as the farmer's wife serves food. 

"Thanks for the food."

Nouma points towards one of the food items and asks, "What is this?"

"Haven't you eaten fish before?" questions Pranesh.

"Yes, I have. But this is the first time I have seen something like this."

"This kind is something that is found in the rivers in Eclipso. Have a bite. You will enjoy the taste."

Nouma tastes the fish. His taste buds excite as they discover something new.

"Wow! This tastes amazing!"

Pranesh chuckles, "I've heard that many times from visitors. Fish is our staple food here and we're good at cooking it."

After lunch, Elga and her mother set off to bring water from the nearest well. Rita joins to help them.

Nouma asks, "What can I do to help you?"

"I usually rest for some time after lunch. I feed my creatures after that. If you could feed the creatures, I can get back to field work straightaway."

"Okay, I'm on it. I'll see what I can do"

"Just be alert near the creatures, they tend to misbehave sometimes."

Nouma heads out towards the field. He approaches a creature he has never seen before. The creature is called Gayi and eats grass and certain fruits. It provides milk. 

This is awesome! A creature that is actually friendly from the get go. The world outside surely is amazing!

Half an hour later, Nouma is done feeding all of Pranesh''s creatures. He is inspecting the crops that are being grown. The farmer returns to the field by that time.

"It is good to see that you blend in well with creatures. They say that those Numans who are liked by creatures have a pure heart."

"Is that so? I just respect them. They do whatever they can to survive, which is the general instinct of numans too."

He is young but his words are surely not that of a young man.

"What brings you here, Nouma?"

"I plan to become an explorer someday. I want to attempt the Explorer Exam in NorkYew and I was told that there is a port here. So I can board a ship to NorkYew from here."

"That's good to hear! I don't know much about the central region. I live a happy life with my family and I am more than satisfied with what I have. This is my life. I got an idea! Why don't I show you this place around. I know this place like the back of my hand."

"I was about to ask that!"

"Only if you help me in the field work later though!"

"Sure, I don't mind."

Pranesh takes Nouma near the shore. Farmers are permitted to visit the eastern shore.

"This is where the fish that you ate today live. Some parts of the ocean nearby are very deep. It is really wonderful how some creatures live there. We aren't allowed to fish here for some reason."

"I used to practise swimming in a lake, but I've never encountered this kind of fish before. I once found a creature underwater which zapped me. That hurt very badly!"

Pranesh chuckles, "That must be an Eel! That is because water conducts electricity. That multiplies its effect on your body."

Maybe that is why it stung as if it was an Obunga zapping me.

"What is this that you are carrying around in your hand?" questions Nouma.

"This is a fishing rod. It is used to catch fish."

"We just use our bare hands or some sharp tool to catch them where I live!"

At a different place, Pranesh shows Nouma how to fish, describes various creatures unknown to Nouma and shows him various farming methods. Time passes quickly for Nouma as he is having the best time of his life.

"Thank you for everything you have done today!"

"It's not a big deal. You helped me a lot with my work as well. You sure are strong and your stamina is unnatural!"

"People say that a lot to me! But I don't think that's totally true. I should get going now. It's evening already. I still have to reach the central region."

"Stay at my house overnight and leave tomorrow. The houses in the central region are pretty far from here. It will take about 4-5 hours to reach there. It'll be easier to travel in daylight."

"Oh, is that so? Then it's decided, we will leave tomorrow."

Nouma and Rita have experienced Eclipso. They will head towards the central region the next day.

TO BE CONTINUED

NOTEARTH VOCABULARY #6

GROUP HALL: All the Groups 1-11 and Group 15 have a Group Hall. The Group Leaders and the parliament members reside within it. It's design resembles a palace and it is protected by Knights. The group of Knights protecting the Group Hall is led by the 2nd best Knight of the Group. The leader of the Knights changes every year.

GAYI: A timid domestic creature. It provides milk which is considered to be a luxury item. Taking care of a Gayi is very costly as the quality of milk depends on the happiness of the Gayi!

NOTEARTH PRONUNCIATIONS #1

Nouma Ginoum: No Maa Gnome
Rita Freins: Rita Frey Ains
Basten: Bass 10
Numans: Newmans
GeMEMEba: G meme baa
Dorom: Door om
Caprad City: Cape rudd city