The locals called it the . When a settler died, or a child was born, or a lover felt a grief too heavy for a human heart, they would stand before the Dovecote and speak. One of the light-shards would descend, hover near the speaker’s lips, and "catch" the vibration of the words.
Elias, the colony’s first xenolinguist, watched from the ridge as the "doves" returned. They were drifting shards of crystalline light, creatures that didn't eat or breed in any way humans understood. Instead, they carried memories. alien dovecote
As the light faded, the obsidian turned to clear glass. The memories were no longer trapped in the holes; they were flowing through the air like a warm breeze, finally setting the whispers free to become part of the wind. The locals called it the