THE FREE COMMUNE OF SILVANA by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2006 writen on March 7, 1995 translated by the Author English text kindly revised by Bill
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE FREE COMMUNE OF SILVANA" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
CHAPTER 6 - The Great Commander Beautyfuls asks for asylum. The Prince's invasion. Primula and Desire
The Empire, of which Silvana Commune was now a part, had quite a short life. From the west the sovereign of the bordering land was mustering forces and inside the empire there were uprisings by some who wanted independence and by those who supported the new King who was gradually conquering the territories. All this led to an increase in the number of people seeking refuge in Silvana.
In 25/3/5 Fr LXIV (1699), the Great Commander of the Freedom Volunteers, Ours Beautyfuls, with 2500 infantrymen, 400 horsemen, some pack animals and a field gun, was going to support Braveton insurgents. He therefore sent a delegation to ask the commune free passage for his men through its territory, between Temple and Serene. But before he could get an answer, the Imperial troops faced him at Powerton engaging in a violent battle.
On the 27th the Great Commander in retreat, with 1300 infantrymen and 300 horsemen showed up at Temple boundary asking refuge for himself and his men. Silvana chronicles so describe that group of men:
"... there were fifteen to twenty year old boys... horsemen on foot and infantrymen riding horses could be seen, wearing various colors and odd style uniforms, all filthy, ragged and mixed together. Different and incomplete arming... worn-out and badly harnessed horses; militiamen having a scabbard at their side and a cartridge-box in front, more similar to brigands than to soldiers, their beards unshaven, their hair ruffled. The dismayed and worried inhabitants of our boroughs, closed in their houses, looked at them pass on the streets. Their Great Commander, his head uncovered, his long red hair free, was riding ahead of them..."
The Great Commander ordered his men to stop outside the Sun Gate and, alone, on his horse, went up to the Cliff, passing through the Road Gate and asked to be received by the Regency.
When he was admitted, he said, "Silvana Lord, Rector, Captain, Defender! My troops, chased after by overwhelming Imperial forces, prostrated by the hardship of a flight through mountains and crags, are no more able to fight. We need to pass your boundary for a few hours rest and to get some bread. Now and here our battle for freedom and independence ends. Here I am, as a refugee - please receive me as such. And I pray to you to become an intermediary with our enemy to save the men who followed me in this last, painful flight."
The Defender answered, "We will receive the refugees - this welcoming land receives you, Great Commander. We will give food to your men, we will take care of your wounded men. But you have to reciprocate by surrendering your arms, to avoid disaster and damage to our land. We accept the mission you entrust to us, because accepting it is a humanitarian task that we will willingly accomplish."
Then the Great Commander went down to the Sun Gate and said to his men, "Soldiers, we are now in the land of refuge, and we owe to our generous hosts our best behaviour so we can get the deserved respect due to the misfortune that has persecuted us. I release you all from the oath to fight at my orders. Who amongst you can, will go back to his home, but remember that our land has not to remain subjugated. You all will hand over all your weapons to the militiamen of this welcoming land, then each of you will be free to do as he decides."
In full night the Great Commander left through Woods boundary, guided by a Silvanite who knew the surroundings perfectly so he was brought to safety. When the Imperial troops surrounded the Commune and blocked the boundaries, the Great Commander was already far away, in a safe place. The Imperial troops asked that all the refugees be handed over. A group of refugees tried a sally crossing of the White River near Woods, but they were caught by the Imperial troops who arrested about 800 of them.
The commune boundaries were violated by the Imperial troops on the 3rd of the fourth month. Threats, searches, inquisitions were carried on - to no avail. The Regency had handed over to the Imperials 437 rifles, 12 swords, 17 sabres and 23 spears - they wanted all the remaining men hidden in the commune territory. In fact about 120 men of the Great Commander were still hidden in the mines, mainly young men who didn't want to go back to their homes and who applied for asylum.
The Regency showed the Prince the Imperial rescript granting the inviolability of the commune boundaries and with courage and determination asked that all the Imperial troops leave the commune territory at once. As his only answer the Prince slapped the face the Lord who had spoken in behalf of all the Regency and had the four of them under house arrest.
The General Council clandestinely reunited at Borough and issued an edict - all the population, that at this time was of about 6000 people, had to gather inside Silvana and to surround the Cliff, whithout carrying weapons, united in families including children and old people, making a wall of bodies around the Legation building, that was the residence of the Prince, asking that he immediately leave the Commune.
All immediately answered wearing their holiday clothes, and crowded at the Cliff, holding flowers and geen branches in their hands. The Imperial Prince came out and ordered everybody to go back to their houses, or else he would order his troops to open fire and kill all of them.
Then a woman, her child in her arms, stepped forward and said, "Certainly, Prince, you can order your men to kill us all. And you will have to kill us all, because none of us will move from here. But how can you justify the killing of women, old people, and mainly children in front of your sovereign? And your men, will kill this child who could be their son? Reflect on that!" then, turning toward one of the soldiers who had his rifle levelled, holding her son in front of his rifle barrel, said, "Why don't you pull the trigger?"
The soldier, disconcerted, lowered his rifle. Then the woman again adressed the Prince, "You ask us to go back to our houses, but here we are in our house. You have to go back your houses and let us live in peace. Why do you want to persist in searching a handful of defeated and unarmed men, who surely cannot be a nuisance to the empire of your Lord? Be magnanimous, be really a Prince!"
The Prince withdrew inside the Legation and nobody moved from their places. After about one hour, the Prince went again out and asked of the woman, "What is your name?"
"Primula."
"And the name of your son?"
"Desire."
"Well, Silvanites - to Primula and Desire you owe gratitude, because where your Regents didn't succeed in persuading me, those two made me change my mind. Go back to your houses and I promise you that before the sunset not even one of the Imperial soldiers will still be in your territory. You have my word of honor!"
Between Valley Gate and Plain Gate is still standing the monument of a woman raising a naked newborn baby - it is the monument to Primula and Desire, that was erected on a Forum decision exactly on 1 Se LXXXV (1700), that is one year after these events.
The new Emperor of All Lands. Strong and good relations with the new Empire
Meanwhile the war was going on and at last all the territory fell into the hands of the new Emperor of All the Lands. Captain Vital personally guided the diplomatic mission to the court of the new Emperor to grant the freedom and independence of the commune. He was received with curiosity and honor. We don't know what they said to each other in the long conversation they had, but Vital went back to Silvana with a new treaty.
The Commune could have its own laws, army and money, but this last had to be made equal to the Imperial money, and could keep its independence. Silvana citizens had free access and circulation of all the empire lands, but also the empire citizens were granted free access to Silvana territory. Only the army and the police of the empire could not enter the Commune territory.
The new treaty is dated March 23rd, 1712, according to the new calendar of the empire, which had adopted the same calendar as the western countries, and it corresponds to the 22nd of the 1st month of year 3 Fl LXXXV of the old calendar, that was now in use only in Silvana territory, but that was always written beside the new calendar generally used.
The new empire had schools and universities which Silvana citizens desired to attend, therefore on 1 Se LXXXVI (1725) there was the last reform of the Silvana school system. The "four ages" were preserved, but the Leave school was called Primary, the Flower one was called Middle, and that of the Fruit was called Secondary School and its programs were changed in order to prepare the students for admission to the Imperial universities.
Year 1734 saw the first university graduate come back to Silvana. This same year saw also the foundation of the last corps of the commune, the Volunteers, wearing a green and light-blue uniform, whose task was to take care of fires, first aid and fast intervention in case of accidents. That same year there was also the opening of the first hospital at Borough.
The aristocracy and wealthy middle class of the empire, as the news spread of the existence of that small free territory, started to go to visit it and also to spend their holidays, so that soon there was a need to build a hotel to host the wealthy villagers. It was built on the road between Borough and Temple, at the crossroad for Woods Gate. The hotel had a nice view of White River and was surrounded by playing fields and riding ground.
One of the guests of this elegant hotel and a young waiter are the protagonists of a sex and love novel.
The guest was Grand Duke Michael, twenty-six years old, the third and youngest son of Imperial Prince Nicholas, and the waiter was twenty years old and his name was Newson. The young Grand Duke heard tales from his companions about the sexual freedom in the Commune, and for this reason he decided to spend his summer holidays there in 1749 - he liked boys, thus he hoped to amuse himself in Silvana.
After settling in the hotel, he picked Newson. He was a really sensual waiter and his traditional uniform, composed of a white and tight leotard and a short light blue waistcoat opened in front, agreeably brought out his beautiful body. Therefore when the Grand Duke was in his room, he sat on the bed and rang the little bell to call the waiter.
"At your Excellency's service!" the youth said with a bow.
"Pull off my boots." the Grand Duke ordered.
The waiter kneeled in front of him, seized a boot and started to pull. Then the Grand Duke started to caress himself between his legs that were spread in a provocative way. Newson pulled off the boot, then started to pull off the other one. His eyes went to the aristocrat's hand that was caressing a more and more visible swelling.
After pulling off the second boot, the young man asked, "Does your excellency desire something else?"
"Yes, don't you see?" the noble man answered with a cunning smile.
"If I can be of any help, you have only to tell me." The youth said.
"Come here, and take care of it." The grand duke said spreading his legs farther and showing him his swollen fly.
Newson stretched out his hand and lightly fingered it, "What do you desire?" he asked.
"Pull off my trousers and suck it." The young aristocrat ordered.
Newson willingly complied, as he really liked very much that young "forer". He pulled off his trousers and underpants together and bent to lick between his legs, with clear pleasure. Michael caressed his hair and pushed his head against his groin, making him feel the intensity of his desire. Newson opened his lips and let it all slip down his throat, and sucked it. Michael let himself lay back, panting, seized by an intense pleasure.
Newson liked giving pleasure to the handsome young man and caressed the inside of his thighs, the hollow of his belly, the strong pectorals, continuing to suck him with a will. Michael was shaking and moaning, seized by a growing pleasure, then freed himself also of his upper body clothes. Then Newson undressed and, climbing on the bed, started to lick and suckle all over the Grand Duke's body, from head to toe.
Michael seized the turgid member of the handsome waiter and pulled him to himself until Newson was on top of him on all fours, so that they could suck each other. Michael, while sucking him, caressed the waiter's firm buttocks, teasing the soft, palpitating hole with his finger. When he felt that the boy seemed to enjoy that poking finger, he slipped his head between his legs so that he at first licked the firm testicles, then up, and up until he reached the furrow, then his inquisitive tongue found the hidden hole.
Newson moaned from the pleasure when the tongue started to rummage in his hole, softening and preparing it. Then Michael slipped on top of him, passing his tongue all long the spine of the waiter, who was quivering in anticipation. He nibbled at the shoulders and neck, while his pole was rummaging in the saliva coated furrow. Newson pushed up his pelvis to meet the hard rod that was about to penetrate him.
Michael made him lay on his side, so that he could caress his chest and kiss him on the mouth and finally he penetrated him with expert thrusts. Newson welcomed it inside himself, moaning and quivering, pushing against him, filled with desire; also the young Grand Duke soon felt ablaze and took the boy with growing pleasure and enjoyment. They were moving in unison, moaning and squeezing one against the other with strong passion. While Michael was taking the boy with greed and vigor, he was also masturbating him. They reached their orgasms together, moaning aloud.
Then Michael, holding Newson in his arms, asked him, "Are you all the same here in Silvana?"
"Are we all the same... how?"
"That it's enough asking you to fuck, and you are ready?"
"Well, if we like, and if we are not already united with a companion... yes." Newson answered.
"But... always so freely?"
"Certainly yes. I like you, thus when I understood you desired me, I've been happy doing it with you."
"If you didn't like me?"
"I wouldn't have done it, of course. We are a free people, my Lord."
Michael had liked very much making love with Newson, but above all he was hit by the easy spontaneity with which the waiter gave himself to him. Michael was used to finding out who was game with great caution, and to have sex with even greater caution, hiding from everybody, even though the fact he belonged to the high Imperial aristocracy gave him some advantages, mainly with his servants. The fact that there really existed a place where one could ask without problems and openly to have sex, fascinated him.
Therefore he wanted to try it with other people. If he saw a boy or a youth he liked, he just had to go near him and ask him if he wanted to have sex with him. Some accepted, others not. Maybe because they were not interested in having sex with the Grand Duke, or because they already had a companion or a wife. But nobody was amazed or upset at all for his explicit and direct request.
A young man who quietly agreed to go to his room to make love, tried to penetrate Michael. The Grand Duke refused and tried in his turn to penetrate the youth. But this one kindly told him that they were not a good match.
Michael, who liked that youth a lot, insisted and was deeply astounded when the Silvanite answered him, "Even if you were the Silvana Lord or the Emperor, my answer would be a no. We simply don't match, nothing bad in that, isn't there? Each one is made in his own way." The young man quietly said, as he dressed.
Michael, after aumsing himself for some days with different youths, at the end thought that Newson was the one he enjoyed the most, therefore called him to his room.
"I want to make love with you again, Newson." He told him when the waiter was in his room.
"I thought you were not interested in me any longer..." the boy said, "... you went with... everybody."
"I just wanted to amuse myself a little while, but you are by far the best. I like you very much. Don't you want to make love with me again?" he asked, feeling quite astounded that he, a Grand Duke, was almost begging a waiter.
"Yes, I too like you very much." the boy said drawing near him and caressing him between his legs with a smile full of desire. Then provocatively added, "Why don't you undress me, then?"
Michael pulled the boy to himself and started to kiss and to undress him, while the boy was caressing and undressing him in turn. Then the Grand Duke took him and deposited him on the bed and bent to suckle his tongue, his chest, his belly and finally his member. Then he made him turn and kissed, licked and suckled also his buttocks, pushing his tongue into the furrow to abundantly lubricate him with his saliva, peparing the boy for the penetration. Newson was all aquiver, and moaned in agreeable anticipation.
Michael made him turn again, then got on top of him while the boy prepared himself to receive him. Michael put the boy's legs on his shoulders, then bent over him and, caressing his chest and belly, said, full of lust, "I'll now take you..."
"Yes..." the boy said, guiding the man's hard and strong rod to himself with his hand.
Michael, shuddering, started to push and slipped inside the boy, seeing the pleased expression that was appearing on Newson's face while he was sinking inside him.
"You like it?" Michael excitedly asked when he was totally inside him, moving his pelvis in a slightly rotating motion.
"Yes..." Newson moaned pushing himself against the man's pubes and raising his face to nibble his nipples.
Then Michael started to slip in and out of him with vigorous and long strokes that made the boy jump and moan with pleasure.
Then, straightening his shoulders, he pulled the boy to himself, slowly raising up on his knees. Newson, not wanting to lose their contact, circled Michael's waist with his legs and his neck with his arms, so that when Michael was kneeling, he was totally resting on the strong pole firmly embedded in him. Then Michael laid on his back. Newson, putting his knees at the sides of the man's waist, started to move up and down on the straight rod of the young man with joy and clear pleasure.
After a long ride, Michael reached the peak of pleasure and soon after Newson enjoyed a strong orgasm as well.
Then Michael pulled him against his chest, embraced him and said, "I like so very much making love with you!"
"I do too. You are strong and gentle."
"Will you come to make love with me every day while I'm here?"
"With real pleasure."
But the day came when Michael had to leave. He made a present to Newson and told him he hoped to come back soon. Newson was sad for the Grand Duke's departure. He thought of him very often and with growing nostalgia. Michael also was thinking every day of Newson with unchanged desire so that, as soon as he could, he went again to Silvana to make love with the boy.
The reciprocal desire at the pleasure of being together was strengthening, so that Grand Duke Michael asked Newson to go with him as a personal valet. Newson accepted, thus left Silvana. But when he was in the Grand Duke's family's mansion, in the capital, the fact that he had to hide from everybody the relationship he had with the Grand Duke, that he could be with him almost only at night, plus the fact that he had to be amongst people so different from himself in language, costumes, mentality, usages, gradually saddened Newson.
Meanwhile Michael gradually fell in love with the boy, and Newson with the Grand Duke, so that, beause of their love, the boy was enduring everything. But Michael soon became aware that the boy was fading. Thus, about two years after he took the boy with him, he decided that the best thing to do, for both of them, was to go back to Silvana. He then told his father he wanted to move to the small Commune. His father didn't oppose the desire of his younger son, gave him his share of the inheritance and also a life annuity and let them go.
Michael asked for authorization to build a villa in Terraces territory, a little lower than the city walls, between Woods Gate and Sun Gate. As soon as he got the authorization, he built a small villa still standing there, that was called the Ducal Villa. It is a beautiful building on one floor, going down following the slope, characterized by the circular bedroom connected with a bathroom that is half in the open air, all built with stones carved outside and lined in precious wood inside. The eight naked men in white stone, that are the columns of the bedroom are possibly amongst the masterpieces of Silvana sculpture. It is said that the two statues near the covered bathroom represent Michael and Newson.
One year after they were living in Silvana, Michael and Newson celebrated their union with a great party. Four years later Michael obtained Silvana citizenship. Two years later they adopted three brothers - Vital, fourteen years old, Simple, eleven years old, and Tenth, six years old. Vital would later become Deputy of "forers" Affairs, and Tenth would enter the Order and would be Lord for one generation.
Simple instead, would become a poet and, among other works, we still have his "Sonnets in praise of my boys", a collection of 417 poems devoted to his several beloved boys, elegant and sensual compositions where he sings the good qualities of each of them. Reading his sonnets, it's evident he had had a really varied and lively sentimental life, so that in the literature of the following generations "Simple of the Duke" became the synonym, in Silvana culture, of a "Don Juan".
In 4 Se LXXXIX (1783), came the first attempt of evangelization of the commune. A group of missionaries coming from the empire tried to convert the population. This gave rise to a reaction of a new awareness about the Commune's old religion - the main reason why the missionaries failed was above all their attitude towards sex that they defined as a negative thing, primarily if between two people of the same sex. We have found an interesting "Praise of the religion of our ancestors" where Father Gilded of Weir, amongst other things, writes:
"You (the missionaries) say that your religion is based on love: about this you are teaching us nothing new. Our religion is based upon love, but your love seems to us something abstract and, even more than this, something limited and limiting. Your god seems to have nothing better to care about than to decide with whom it is legal to make love. But if love is, as you say and we agree, something unlimited, why does your god put boundaries amomg half of the human beings? You say that as for the food appetite, the fact of eating is important to the individual's surviving, also the sexual love is directed only to the species surviving. To this I oppose two things - eating good food for the pleasure of enjoying it should then be prohibited. And second, the couples made up of a man and a woman who don't procreate, should be separated. You deny these two things, therefore you are in contradiction with your message. You say that your religion is one of forgiveness, but it clearly seems that it is you who are the ones to raise guilt feelings to then be able to forgive them; but our religion teaches us to forgive and tolerate everybody, without creating absurd guilt feelings in us. What is called evil in our religion is only what deprives the other of his freedom - crushing and subjection of the other; your religion, while telling it wants to free mankind, subjugates him to an absurd law, that is neither natural nor human. And yet in your sacred scriptures is written that in front of god there is no more slave or master, man or woman and so on... How can you think to teach us a religion that is so deep in contradicion within itself? ..."
After less than one generation the missionaries, as they hadn't succeeded in having any converts, left the commune territory. But their arrival provoked a little change - the Order opened a school for the formation and the studies of their sacred scriptures and they started to print books of studies and explanations of the ancient religion that, for the first time, had a name - Silvanism. In fact, although continuing the cult of the Awakened Prince, they became aware they were now different from the ancient Princes' religion, that anyway was rapidly disappearing from the neighbouring territories.
On 5 Se XC (1804) the mail service was started in the commune - a coach was going every three days to Richton to take and to bring mail, and the Volunteers were also charged to gather and deliver the internal mail. In that year the total population of the commue was of 9359 citizens, 611 permanently residing forers, and 423 passing forers, for a total of 10393 inhabitants.
Decadence, deportation, suppression of the Commune. His clandestine life in the Diaspora
But black clouds were thickenin on the small Commune sky. The Imperial authority didn't admit and allow that even a small slip of its teritory, was not under his direct control. Thus, on 23/5/1 Se XCII (1840), with the new Emperor, under the pretext that about a hundred men who were dodging the draft asked refuge in the commune, the Imperial troops occupied all the territory. At first the Imperial authority seemed to respect the commune traditions, only imposing the presence of an "Imperial Governor" having a right of veto on the Commune laws. But then, little by little, all the Commune freedoms were suppressed one after the other: the first was that the Commune money didn't have any value outside its territory, so practically forcing the Silvanites to use only the Imperial money.
Then the draft of a thousand men for the Imperial army was established once again and two years later all the men of the commune were subjected to the Imperial draft, then the Commune army was suppressed. And later all Silvana citizens were forced to pay taxes to the empire.
On 1851 the Forum was suppressed, then the Deputation and last, also the Regency. This led to an uprising that was suppressed in bloodshed by the Imperial troops. As a consequence of the uprising, two thirds of the population was deported. It was the beginning of the end!
The Council clandestinely gathered and established some rules, in the waiting to be able to establish again, a day that would return their freedom. Some brothers, in plainclothes, started to journey to establish contacts with the deported Silvanites and, on January 1st 1867, the newspaper "The Sun" was founded in the capital. It was really the means to keep contacts with the citizens dispersed in the Empire. The Sun never talked about Silvana, but in each issue was published a short novel where, using a set of metaphors, the Commune news was spread.
In 1883, an attempt to establish their freedom again, was discovered, thus the Imperial government decreed the deportation of all the remaining citizens, and the Imperial decree contained clauses aiming to erase forever the Silvanite culture - suppression of the Order, prohibition of marriage between same sex people, prohibition of celebration any of the traditional holidays, prohibition to gather as Silvanites.
The Silvanites reacted to these laws continuing their traditions in secret. It is to be said that these laws, as they didn't establish adequate punishments to their tansgressors, didn't cause serious problems to the dispersed people, who were still united in small local communities. The Sun suggested to its subscribers that they adhere to the official Empire religion, even though just formally, and so were founded groups that, althought adopting all the external rites of the state religion, in fact carried on their old religion, in secret, giving to the youths of the Silvana communities the traditional teaching.
But in 1902 The Sun was suppressed. Using the secret files of the subscribers, a new newspaper was founded called "The Night" having a rather transparent subtitle: "Waiting for the day break". The Night, a cultural organ, was for sale together with all the empire newspapers on the stands, but only the former Silvanites could subscibe to it.
In 1917 a revolution happened that overthrew the empire extinguishing it in the blood. The new regime was worse than the previous one, disappointing the hopes of the Silvanites. But they decided to make the best of things and they infiltrated on the Unic Party organs. It was thanks to a Silvanite government official, that there became a law expelling all the new inhabitants that settled in Silvana, almost all non-Silvanites, and that the territory was transformed in a kind of great museum, called "The Dead Town of Silvana".
The new regime was particularly severe against people of the same sex having sexual relations. The Silvanites overcame this new obstacle by marrying officially, two men who wanted to be together, with two women wanting also to live together, going to live in contiguous apartments or even in the same apartment and then, in secret swapping their mates. The Night published marriage ads, often expressed as "Two friends loving open air life and sun, search for two girls, same conditions, for marriage", or similar phrasing.
To recognize each other, they all started to use a set of signs and symbols, based mainly on the colors light-blue and gold, on the sun, or on gestures like the hand closed in a fist, with the thumb inside, or, during the liturgies in the churches, having their hands crossed on the chest with the fingers well spread, to symbolize a sun with its rays.
In 1989 the dictatorial political system crumbled and for a while it seemed that a freedom wind was blowing. Thus, in 1990 for the first time, there started to rise, thanks to the new law on the freedom of the cult, new houses of the Order of the Silvanites, and also the association of the deported Silvanites, and the newspaper The Night changed its name for the third time, and was called "The Dawn" - the most interesting thing is that at its start The Dawn had exactly 9103 subscribers, and this means that the people reading it were at least twice this number. This means that the old population of the Commune, far from dispersing, had remained intact, in spite of the fact that about seven generations had elapsed from the first deportation.
The actual Silvanites were all born after the deportation. They didn't yet obtain permission to be allowed to go back to Silvana, but they were granted that all the archives, recently discovered, and to whom I owe the historical data of this publication, has to remain inside the "museum" and that the newborn "Silvana Association" was declared the sole owner of the commune territory "with all that it contains".
We believe that this is only a first step to being allowed to settle back into the ancestors' land and, if not the acknowledgement of the independence, it could at least be ascertained the acknowledgement of a certain degree of autonomy inside the nation.
The Silvana Association has at present 23,238 members, and within its interior has been established a Regency and a Council as societary organs. The Order of Silvanites owns twelve houses spread in the nation's territory, and a total of 2746 brothers and sisters. These houses became the referring and meeting point of all the lay Silvanites.
Starting this year, The Dawn is issued in a bilingual edition - not only in the nation's official language, but also in Silvanite in translation with parallel text. It is also publishing, always in translation with parallel text, books on Silvanite religion, fine arts, literature and history.
For the next year a great national gathering of all the Silvana Association members, that is of all the Silvanites is under preparation. The Regency is studying the problem of the many requests by people of the nation asking to become part of the association even though they don't have Silvanite ancestors.
As a conclusion of this short history of the "Very Right and Serene Commune of Silvana" I am pleased to say that I am amongst the people desiring to become a Silvanite - when in fact I was carrying on the research that led to the discovery of the Secret Archives of the Commune in the heart of the Cliff, one of the workers in our Archaeological mission struck me very much for his handsomeness. He was a young student of the Archaelogical Faculty from where I come.
Right, this is his name, became aware I was attracted to him and one evening, while we were together putting in order some photographic files of Flowerfield sculptures, he asked me what I thought of a marble group showing two youths tightly embraced in a tender pose.
"They are sweet, tender - it's evident they were in love and so they are immortalized."
"Don't you think that love between two men is something... disgraceful?"
"If it is real love, I don't think so. On the contrary I think it could be a beautiful thing, as this marble group shows. As well as other statues in Silvana."
"Would you accept being loved by a man? Could you return it?"
"I really think so, and in a special way with somebody like you." I then openly told him.
Right smiled to me and said, "I would like very much being able to give and receive love with somebody like you."
Thus, from that evening on, we became lovers. When Right started to know me better and deeper, and both became aware that our relationship was more than the simple reciprocal pleasure, when in short we became aware that what was driving each towards the other was clearly love, he disclosed to me he was a Silvanite and little by little he explained several things that, a short time later, we found a confirmation for in the fabulous archives we discovered.
At first Right seemd really worried and sad that we found the ancient archive, as he feared its dispersion. He didn't know about its existence, but at once understood its value, even before we could start studying its content.
Right helped me to decipher several documents, as since his childhood his parents, besides the Silvanites' traditions, also taught him their ancient language and writing. But above all he helped me to understand and to translate several colorful expressions and idioms of this ancient language.
Right explained to me also how Silvanites' traditions were secretly handed on, telling me how his family behaved with him. From his birth to four years old, that is the Seed age, his family kept hidden from him anything concerning their Silvanite identity. But from five to nine years old, the Leave age, his parents started to teach him the Silvanite language, history, and customs, while explaining to him the need to keep secret everything he was learning about the Silvanites.
After he was ten years old, in the age of the Flower, they explained to him all he had to know about sexual life, so that when he reached puberty, they asked to other Silvanite families having a son or a daughter around fifteen years old, to teach the boy to "play", that is to have sexual activities with the child, while his family was continuing both his education about sexuality and affectivity. Moreover Right learned how to participate in the social life of Silvanites.
When he was fifteen years old, he was free to have sex with whoever he wanted, but without revealing his Silvanite identity to "forers". After his twenty years, and only as he fell in love with a non-Silvanite and decided to live with him, that is with me, he could ask the authorization to explain to me something about Silvanites and eventually, gradually, introduce me into a Silvanite group. This is exactly what Right did with me - and now I want to marry him according to their ancient rite. Our rite, I mean.
THE END
In my home page I've put some of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is http://www.geocities.com/~andrejkoymasky/ If you want to send me feed-back, please e-mail at andrejkoymasky@geocities.com