Author:
Jadestar Iceblade
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Date Posted: 21:12:44 09/02/03 Tue
In reply to:
Jadestar Iceblade
's message, "Trying some stories...." on 12:42:31 08/31/03 Sun
Two Years Later
"The harvest was good this year, Nira."
"Indeed it was, my friend." I agreed. "And time for me to be going home."
The look on my friend's face was incomprehension itself. "But why, Nira? Why would you wish to leave this?"
We were sitting on the lip of the mountain gazing down into the valley. S'nayla. That meant hidden valley. And it was. It was in a crater in a mountain that rose straight off the plain.
I looked down into the valley. The round grass dwellings. The little spring. It was a beautiful place.
But in my mind rose the village of square mud huts nestled by a river at the base of the mountain. The boys shouting and whooping at the cattle. The women with their cowrie shell necklaces sewing, drawing water, cooking, gossiping.
Yes, S'nayla was a beautiful place. But it wasn't my home.
"Sassu, you cannot understand." I told my friend. "You have never been away from home. It hurts in here." I pressed my hand to my heart.
I scooted around on the broad lip until I faced the sunset, and far, far down, past the goats and their herders scampering around the slopes, my river.
Sassu was not convinced. "But down there, I am told, the air lies hot and heavy on one, and the water is the color of mud, and you cannot see the sun rise and set."
None of which I could strictly deny. And it was true sunsets were more beautiful up here. This one, for instance, sent streaks of violet, lavender, and pink all over the sky.
And I did love it here. "Perhaps not until next harvest, then, my friend." I allowed.
"Excellent!" Sassu jumped up happily.
I smiled, rose, and began walking back to the grass hut where I was staying.
Going behind another's hut I was surprised to see a dirty, ragged little child there. She scrambled to her feet, held her palm out, and begged for food.
Her puppy dog eyes and air of innocence and youth prompted me to give her a piece of bread. She smiled in delight.
Continuing on my way, I asked Sassu, "Who was that?"
He shook his head gravely. His half-moon of white teeth vanished. "It is Litham." he said. "Her mother died a few days ago and her father doesn't want her. She lives back there."
He pointed to an area of shadow, a small hollow, at the base of the rimwall.
Villages are always placed to recieve as much sun as possible. To live in a cave is considered immoral.
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