"Preservation"

 

The guide led her tourists along a path that weaved its way up the face of the cliff like a snake ascending a brick wall. At the summit, she brought them to stand next to a great brazier, encased in stone, the top of which met most of the people just above eye level.

"Braziers like this one were used in the eleventh and twelfth centuries almost like altars," she explained. "During religious ceremonies, fires for the gods were built inside of them, and sad to say, often times as part of the ceremony, a live animal or even a human being was thrown into the fire for a sacrifice." Most of the tour group groaned; a few people shuddered. One man off to the side said, "Cool."

The tour guide crept toward the group and slightly lifted her head. "Would you believe," she whispered, "that this brazier is still in use today?" She stepped back and lifted her hand, palm up, toward the structure; a middle-aged man took the cue. He stood on his toes and peeked over the rim. The rest of them did the same. 

The brazier's bowl was filled not with bones or body parts but with soil, rich and brown, adorned with flecks of glossy minerals. In the center a colony of plants had started to grow. Small though the plants were, their essential structures had begun to take form, and they were distinctive: leaves like folded circles, stems like musical horns, fruits like jugs of water hanging from a hook.

"The Department of Preservation has been using the braziers as demo gardens for some of the native plant species that are facing a loss of resources," the guide said with a smile. "As we continue our hike, you'll see more of these brazier gardens, and I'll also be able to point out the plants in their natural habitat along the way." She gestured toward the next segment of the path, and most of the group headed toward it, except for one young man, the man who had said, "Cool." He remained peering over the edge of the bowl.

"These plants," he said as the guide approached him. "Aren't they all carnivorous?"

"Ah, you're very smart," said the guide, who bent down, grabbed him by the ankle, and hoisted him head first into the brazier. A growl, low like the wind, rustled the bodies of all the little plants inside. But the guide put her finger to her lips as she walked away. "The sand pits are next on the tour," she called ahead to the group. "Be sure not to go too far without me."