Chapter Seven
Given Away
“You uplander?” The girl suddenly asked in heavily accented English.
It was the first time I’d heard her say anything and my surprise was without equal at hearing English words come from off her lips.
“Yes, I am.”
The girl nodded as if it had been a foregone conclusion to her. We’d stopped in a grouping of boulders in an area of the jungle that was broken up here and there and devoid of tree cover.
We were afforded a filtered view over the surrounding landscape that ran along this side of the stony mountain ridge that we were traveling along. In the distance as far as I could see was coastline. My sense of being on an island intensified.
My gaze came back to the girl who was an enigma to me. She was all but naked except for a brief skirt about her waist that appeared to be made of twisted together grass like reeds. She was the picture of unspoiled naivety and oneness with nature and yet she spoke English of all things. How on Earth could that be possible?
“You speak my words?” I asked.
“A little. A woman teach my father and I learn too. She very good woman. She look like me, but come from up there.” The girl said pointing upwards with a finger.
To my continued shock I realized that there must have been a good bit more interaction from the surface to these hidden realms then even my former government had been aware of.
“Will you take me to her?”
The girl shook her head no and pointed towards the sea, “She on the far islands. No monsters there. She come not often now. She have………” The girl seemed to struggle at a lack for words and to make up for it she cradled her arms together and rocked back and forth suggestively.
“A baby.” I filled in for her and she nodded with a pearly toothed smile. Then impulsively she reached forward and felt at several strands of my blonde hair, which had pulled free of my ponytail at some point. I’d lost my hat long since at some point along my forced march.
The girl said something in her own language and though its meaning was hidden I was pretty sure she was quite taken by the color of my hair. I very well may be the first such woman she’d ever seen and so I let her touch my hair.
I watched her eyes scan down me speculatively and then tilting her head to the side she asked, “Why you wear so much?”
“Umm, I just do. It’s how we dress from where I come from.”
She nodded and then somewhat prophetically sounding she said, “You here now. I take you home.”
She got up and started off again and I had very little else to do but follow my somewhat enigmatic little companion. She’d helped to save my life and the least I could do was extend her a little trust in return.
That said the future opening up before me was one of imposed worry over all the things that could happen.
Several hours passed by and in consternation I broke the silence of our journey to ask, “Your parents let you travel so far from home?”
The girl shrugged, but offered no comment. Then the girl spoke, “You uplanders make unsafe. I know forest. I safe. Your kind kills.”
How true that was. “I’m sorry. I…. I’m not like that.”
She looked back and viewed me for a moment before succinctly saying, “I know. That why I take you home.”
She went back to leading the way forward and wearily I continued to follow.
*****
Rocky upthrusts of stone rose all around us like great teeth and as we made our way through the silent citadels of rock I asked worriedly, “You live here?”
The girl nodded and made the motion for me to be quiet, but it was too late. I barely had time to take a sharp indrawn breath before I felt the piercing quality of the sharp spear points being pressed against the skin of my belly, back, and throat.
I held my breath in fear that to breathe I would impale my throat on the sharped stone point held pressed to my throat by one warrior of but several which had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The little girl was shrieking out excitedly and jumping up she latched onto the spear shaft connected to the spear at my throat and forcefully tugged it away.
I had the impression that the muscled warrior allowed the action more than it being a case of being overpowered by the little girl. I watched him reach forward and grip the girl by the top of the head with one hand and lift her up towards his face to angrily shout into her face.
Her response was to spit full into his face and kick him so hard in the groin that I found myself involuntarily flinching at the look of pain that passed across the warrior’s face. The spear points ringing my waist held by the other phantom warriors relaxed just slightly as they all broke into laughter and called out taunts to their companion writhing in agony upon the ground.
He’d dropped the girl in order to clutch at himself and now my rescuer stood feet spread wide as she faced the recovering bully who even now was making the attempt to get back on his feet. It was clear that he wanted to hit the girl, but something held him back and so he settled for a spiteful glare that had heat to it.
Another voice rang out and I watched as another warrior who had more bearing of character to him strode upon the scene. His eyes scanned over me to then fall upon the girl who looked far more trepidatious in the presence of this warrior than the one she had sucker kicked.
The warrior’s voice rang out with sternness to the girl as he gestured at me. The girl bravely drew her shoulders back and stepping back to me she surprised me by grasping a hold of the chain linking my cuffs together. She then tugged on it a bit forcefully and uttered a simple line of speech that I watched roll off the surrounding warriors with combined effect.
The stern faced warrior blinked and then blinked again. He turned his face to the side and despite his best efforts I saw that he was on the verge of laughing out loud.
Drawing from some deep reserve of control he redoubled the look of former sternness by placing his hands on his hips and approaching to stand toweringly over the little girl, who looked quite intimidated now. Just what had the girl said to the man?
The man spoke to the girl and the way he spoke hinted at both a fondness for her, but also had a tone of reproach to it. Pointing to me once more with a shake of his head he said something more to the girl that seemed to have a demeaning ring to it.
Surprisingly then though I watched the girl’s fear evaporate as her face broke into a full smile that showed all of her teeth, an action which seemed to shock her accuser. She pointed to me and then in a quite respectful tone she said something in her own language which she capped off with by placing her hands on her own diminutive hips as if in echo of the warrior’s actions before her.
This time the warrior’s face wore a look of shock in the aftermath of the girl’s words. Then with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I watched the warrior’s eyes come to trace up my form until his gaze culminated with my face and hair. Whatever was at play was definitely not good!
The warrior’s gaze moved back to the girl, who arched an eyebrow at him in a gesture that echoed of one far more advanced in years than her own limited experience of 5 to 6 years of life. The warrior shook his head and chuckled before reaching a hand out to tussle up the girl’s hair.
She grinned impishly and the warrior made a gesture to the others gathered around. The spear points were withdrawn and then I was being tugged forward by the warrior the girl had seemed to overcome with her words.
In desperation I looked to the girl who wasn’t following along. With a beaming smile the girl called out, “You live! I tell them you my slave. No fear. I give you to my father. You be his woman when he comes back.”
I stared at her in horror as I was moved along further into the shadow of the towering walls of rock. How could such a sweet little girl do such a thing?
I wanted to scream at her, but I knew that she’d saved my life by doing what she had. How could I be angry with her and grateful at the same time?
She’d given me to her father!
In a daze I followed along behind the warrior who led me into a cavern like opening in the rock that was lit brightly by torches. The semidarkness was suddenly gone though as I suddenly found myself back in the bright orange glow of this sunken world.
Before me lay a brief section of cultivated looking trees that were surrounded about by high natural stone walls that effectively ringed in this little hamlet like a natural fortress from the rest of the island. The open sided end of the hamlet hidden from the rest of the island was bordered by the ocean whose waves were broken up by a long wall of breakers that I doubted even a ship could make its way through.
I was very much a captive all of a sudden in a way that didn’t promise to have any escape from it. I was led out along a stone trail through the boulder wall that protected this village of people from the harsh realities of the island at large.
As soon as we got down to the tree level people began to flock from everywhere as word spread. I found myself blushing as the strictures of the society I had been born into were noticeably absent in almost every way here. The reality that this place could be my permanent future was overwhelming.
The people, despite the shock of seeing me written plain on their faces, were still open and as friendly looking to me as the girl had been. We made a circuitous path through the fruit trees and gardens of these people until I felt my shoes sink into the sands of the beach, which I was led across.
My ponytail was long gone now as it had been moved by the actions of so many curious onlookers just as the girl had been in terms of wanting to feel at my hair. Now as my hair blew about my face I fought to come to grips with my new reality.
I didn’t resent these people. I didn’t even resent them for what would happen to me. However I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why this should be God’s plan for my life.
Looking back I saw that the people of this place had drawn up in the sand and no longer followed. Looking forward I saw a structure of stone that had a roof thatched with bundles of dry grass.
It was built on an uprising of stone where the ridge of rocky breakers that guarded the harbor arced back into the land. The house overlooked the outlying ocean as well as the protected harbor of the village. It was a house of distinction and so was its owner most likely.
I climbed up the path of steps that had been carved into the natural rocky outcrop until we reached the door of the house. There was no solid door or coverings of any kind over the many windows that were located around the sides of the house.
The wind was free to blow through and as I stepped within the confines of the house I felt a familiar peace sweep through me. I needed to see nothing of this house’s interior in order to sense something profound at once. This place was a home and it felt blessed and in order for it to be so a good man must reside here.
I felt tears slide down my face. Perhaps God had a plan after all.
The warrior who had brought me here watched me now closely. In his hand he had a rope, but he looked reluctant to make use of it.
Guessing at his intentions I made my way to a low-lying bed along the one wall and sat down on it. Looking up at him through my tears I said, “I won’t try to run.”
He must’ve understood, because he dropped the rope to the floor. He nodded affirmatively and then went to the door.
I watched him stop and turning back he said in heavily accented English, “My brother good man.”
Nodding my head I said, “I know.”
The warrior left then and I was alone. Rising stiffly I walked across the room toward something that caught my eye as it ruffled about in the breeze.
It was a book, but not just any book. It was a Bible and the dog-eared and much used appearance of it reflected the reality of someone’s intense study of it.
I felt increasingly more relaxed by the moment within this place of peace and warm sea breezes and seeing the Bible seemed to make all my emotions culminate and spill over. Picking the Bible up I then made my way back over to the bed and taking my shoes off I lay down on the bed tucking the Bible beneath my cheek.
Now all that remained was to wait for my man to come home. In expectation of that eventuality I fell asleep.
*****
The barest whisper of the sound of flesh moving across stone was all the warning Okani had of his brother’s return. Standing up he turned and came face-to-face with his older brother, who did not look pleased.
“They told you?” Okani needlessly inquired.
The anger on his brother’s face was evidence enough. Tolak made to move around his brother and climb the stairs, but Okani gripped a hold of his arm and stopped him to say, “Do not be angry with Sheatera. She only wants to be happy and she thinks she’s made a way to have back what she lost when her mother was killed last year.”
Tolak breathed out heavily before then speaking in a low angry tone fraught with frustration, “What was she doing being out so far from the village?”
“Probably looking for you. You are not home often any longer brother. She needs you to be here. The woman inside is her way of making you stay.”
Tolak snorted and nodding sympathetically Okani said, “I know you don’t want this, but a woman is not a bad idea and Sheatera needs the security of a family. You have to do what’s right for her and besides the stranger…… you might just like her.” Okani finished with at the last as he released his brother’s thick muscled arm.
Tolak gave him a dark look before looking away. Turning to look at the house once more he said, “Let none of our people leave the confines of the ridge. The uplanders are everywhere and the Sea People have declared all-out war. I am not sure that is such a good thing for us.”
Okani gasped in surprise to hear such a statement from his brother, “You think we should let them come and destroy us as once Solomon did?”
“No, I do not, but this resistance could prove just as fatal for us brother.”
“I do not understand!” Okani exclaimed.
“I know and yet just the same I feel it is true. Have the people start building what extra boats we may have need of in case we must flee this place.”
Tolak advanced up the stone stairs as his brother called out, “But the Sea People will protect us, right?”
“The Sea People will do well to just protect themselves. Despite their advances they are far more fragile than you and I, brother. Now leave me to deal with this stranger.”
Okani fell silent as his brother disappeared within the house. Obediently then he turned to see to the accomplishment of all his brother had said to do.
*****
Tolak knelt down before his bed to view the golden haired vision that lay there more closely. Desire for the exotic haired woman rioted through his system almost instantly, but he was not a man controlled by the wants of his flesh and yet it was hard to deny the appeal of the woman that lay before him now upon his bed.
Her white skin and golden hair was so at odds with the appearance of his people and yet she remained enticingly female just the same. His gaze took in her form mostly hidden from his view to then focus on the chains about her wrists.
His desire stilled as he took in the signs that this woman was an outsider even among her own people. Her head shifted and in startlement he saw his most prized possession situated half under her head.
Carefully he removed the words of God from beneath her head and standing up he went to his table to set them back where they belonged. A sudden premonition had him glancing toward the horizon in search for a storm, but the clouds continued to glow orange with no hint of graying.
Just the same he picked the Bible up and wrapped it in a watertight covering and set it in a box beneath the table. Straightening he turned back to the golden woman on his bed and debated about what to do.
His lust for her already was too much to be of a rational mind so quickly he left the house in search of a place of solitude in which he could collect his thoughts as to whether to accept the gift that his daughter had brought him or not.