down it. But as she was climbing down, a servant came in to fetch her to the wedding. When he saw Black Tiger he shouted for guards to come. Black Tiger smiled. When the guards arrived he
pulled out his sword and fought three of them at once. First he made them drop their swords, then he cut their belts so that their pants fell down around their ankles.
‘Black Tiger slid his claws back on, and fast, like he was running, he climbed down the side of the palace and got to the bottom before White Lily. He pulled out his sword and fought four
more guards, taking their swords and dropping their pants.
‘When White Lily reached the bottom, he told her to climb on his back and he scaled the outer wall. They ran into the wilderness. The king sent soldiers and assassins after them, but Black
Tiger fought them off. Finally, the king himself went to get White Lily back. By this time she was pregnant with Black Tiger’s child, but she wasn’t showing yet.’
A couple of soldiers moan in disappointment. ‘I wanted to hear about the fucking. Damn it, I’m horny now.’
‘The king knew that he wasn’t as good with a sword as Black Tiger, so he brought a poisoned dagger. If he could make just one cut, Black Tiger would be finished. After searching for
days, the king found them and he challenged Black Tiger. As they fought, the king fell back. He clutched at his heart, pretending to have a heart attack. Black Tiger would never stab an old man
having a heart attack. When he saw the king go down on his knee, Black Tiger dropped his guard and stood close enough to see if the heart attack was real. But that was too close.’
Shouts rise here and there, soldiers bellowing as if watching a real fight.
‘The evil king pulled the poison dagger from his robes and slashed out at Black Tiger, who evaded the dagger, but not before the very tip of the blade opened his skin. Black Tiger
didn’t notice the cut and slashed at the king, opening his throat. No sooner had he seen the king die than his legs gave out, and Black Tiger died on the ground next to the king.
‘White Lily returned to the palace and told everyone that the king had come to her bed before the wedding and she was pregnant with his child. Of course, the other wives tried to kill the
baby boy, when he came, but White Lily had been living with Black Tiger and learned many of his secrets. Finally the day came, and the son of Black Tiger took the crown, and his dynasty ruled for a
hundred years of freedom and happiness.’
The end.
Akidi looks around, chewing on her finger.
The soldiers, who cheered throughout the story, give one last cheer. Now I’m sure the Captain is smiling. ‘Yes,’ he says. ‘That’s a good story. White Lily is like
our country and we are Black Tiger. One day, the revolutionary government will be in the palace, not the fat king!’
They cheer more. I know this story, and that isn’t how it goes, but it made the soldiers happy and made me forget where I was. Akot and Akidi are pretty smart.
The Captain leaves and the soldiers settle back to their own fire and their own stew. Akot goes back to staring into the flames.
‘Are you a virgin?’ a girl called Mouse asks Akidi.
‘Yes.’ Akidi tenses up into an even tighter ball.
‘Too bad,’ Mouse replies, almost smiling. ‘They aren’t kind to virgins.’
After dinner, one of the girls gives me an old cardboard box, her bed. She says she’ll sleep next to another girl. Mouse says that she doesn’t have to do that, she
should sleep in Champ’s bed.
The Captain shouts, ‘The girls sleep outside tonight!’ The men groan. ‘We leave at first light. I don’t want them too tired.’
‘I hope you can walk straight,’ Mouse smiles at me. ‘Tomorrow, bad road.’
The ride here began in another world. The cardboard is the softest thing I’ve ever touched. I lie there listening to the camp: whimpers and rumbling stomachs, snoring and shifting bodies.
The insect hum of the day
pulled out his sword and fought three of them at once. First he made them drop their swords, then he cut their belts so that their pants fell down around their ankles.
‘Black Tiger slid his claws back on, and fast, like he was running, he climbed down the side of the palace and got to the bottom before White Lily. He pulled out his sword and fought four
more guards, taking their swords and dropping their pants.
‘When White Lily reached the bottom, he told her to climb on his back and he scaled the outer wall. They ran into the wilderness. The king sent soldiers and assassins after them, but Black
Tiger fought them off. Finally, the king himself went to get White Lily back. By this time she was pregnant with Black Tiger’s child, but she wasn’t showing yet.’
A couple of soldiers moan in disappointment. ‘I wanted to hear about the fucking. Damn it, I’m horny now.’
‘The king knew that he wasn’t as good with a sword as Black Tiger, so he brought a poisoned dagger. If he could make just one cut, Black Tiger would be finished. After searching for
days, the king found them and he challenged Black Tiger. As they fought, the king fell back. He clutched at his heart, pretending to have a heart attack. Black Tiger would never stab an old man
having a heart attack. When he saw the king go down on his knee, Black Tiger dropped his guard and stood close enough to see if the heart attack was real. But that was too close.’
Shouts rise here and there, soldiers bellowing as if watching a real fight.
‘The evil king pulled the poison dagger from his robes and slashed out at Black Tiger, who evaded the dagger, but not before the very tip of the blade opened his skin. Black Tiger
didn’t notice the cut and slashed at the king, opening his throat. No sooner had he seen the king die than his legs gave out, and Black Tiger died on the ground next to the king.
‘White Lily returned to the palace and told everyone that the king had come to her bed before the wedding and she was pregnant with his child. Of course, the other wives tried to kill the
baby boy, when he came, but White Lily had been living with Black Tiger and learned many of his secrets. Finally the day came, and the son of Black Tiger took the crown, and his dynasty ruled for a
hundred years of freedom and happiness.’
The end.
Akidi looks around, chewing on her finger.
The soldiers, who cheered throughout the story, give one last cheer. Now I’m sure the Captain is smiling. ‘Yes,’ he says. ‘That’s a good story. White Lily is like
our country and we are Black Tiger. One day, the revolutionary government will be in the palace, not the fat king!’
They cheer more. I know this story, and that isn’t how it goes, but it made the soldiers happy and made me forget where I was. Akot and Akidi are pretty smart.
The Captain leaves and the soldiers settle back to their own fire and their own stew. Akot goes back to staring into the flames.
‘Are you a virgin?’ a girl called Mouse asks Akidi.
‘Yes.’ Akidi tenses up into an even tighter ball.
‘Too bad,’ Mouse replies, almost smiling. ‘They aren’t kind to virgins.’
After dinner, one of the girls gives me an old cardboard box, her bed. She says she’ll sleep next to another girl. Mouse says that she doesn’t have to do that, she
should sleep in Champ’s bed.
The Captain shouts, ‘The girls sleep outside tonight!’ The men groan. ‘We leave at first light. I don’t want them too tired.’
‘I hope you can walk straight,’ Mouse smiles at me. ‘Tomorrow, bad road.’
The ride here began in another world. The cardboard is the softest thing I’ve ever touched. I lie there listening to the camp: whimpers and rumbling stomachs, snoring and shifting bodies.
The insect hum of the day
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