The Heart People -- a short story

by Kim McMillon

In a faraway village, in a faraway time, lived the People of the Heart. They had no eyes to see, but moved with their hearts, Their hearts told them what to do, and guided their lives. Throughout the day, the tribe talked and sang to their hearts, These people were called the Yomande or Heart People.

In a nearby village, lived the People of the Mind or the Tibartu tribe. They had no heart, and used their intellect to make decisions. They fought, ate, and slept when their minds told them to do so. The villagers constantly listened to their minds, and did everything in a logical and precise manner. And so, the Tibartu people lived for thousands of years in their minds, never missing a heart. For, their minds were all knowing, or so they thought.

One day, a young Tibartu tribeswoman named Wasanta bore a son, who was like no other. The child had both a heart and a mind. The people of Tibartu were outraged. There had not been a heart in the village for over a hundred years. The last recorded mention of a heart was with the ruler, Shemanzu, who much to the dismay of the villagers, had married outside of his tribe. Shemanzu had married a young woman from the Yomande tribe, and so his son was born with a heart and a mind. The villagers threatened to destroy the child. Legend has it that the child was killed, for Shemanzu's son was never heard from or seen again. People began to wonder if the tribeswoman Wasanta was descended from Shemanzu's line. It was decided that Wasanta must be destroyed for she no doubt possessed a heart. The young woman and her child fled the village.

After wandering for many days, they stumbled upon the village with heart. Wasanta begged the heart people to give her sanctuary. They were kind, and told Wasanta that she was free to stay with them as long as she liked. They asked Wasanta what she was running away from. She told them that her lineage was from the People of the Heart as well as the Mind. As long as she was able to hide her heart, she was safe in the Village of the Mind. But once it was discovered that she bore a child with a heart, her life was in danger. The Tribe of the Heart listened in fascination.

"What is it like to have both a heart and a mind?" they asked. "Well, said Wasanta, I think, and I feel at the same time." The villagers with heart said that they just felt. They touched Wasanta's heart. It was not as warm as theirs. They also touched the part of her that housed her mind. It did not feel at all. But when they touched both her heart and mind, their hands radiated with warmth. They saw that this was how she existed, with both a heart and a mind.

They accepted Wasanta because they were all heart Wasanta and her child lived in peace with the heart people until the Tribe of the Mind came demanding her as a sacrifice. They believed that if they killed Wasanta and her baby, then the mind and the heart would once again be separate. The People of the Heart said no. "She is one of us now." The Tribe of the Mind was without heart, and so they slaughtered the Heart People. They did not want one person on the planet to exist who was all heart.

Before they were murdered, the People of the Heart hid Wasanta and her baby. They knew that the Tribe of the Mind would eventually cease to exist because of the limitations of the mind. They also knew that through Wasanta and her child, a people would rise with both a heart and a mind. This new race would understand that when you combine the energies of both the heart and the mind, true love can exist on the planet