her, ‘I think he did
this because he knew I had no home to go back to.’
‘ What happened to
your home?’
‘ Not just my home: my
family and people too. A nation called Japan invaded our islands.
They were very cruel and harsh. Especially the officers. They acted
like conquerors. They came through our village one day... one of
them saw me and demanded that I be sent to his camp. I was
frightened and my father decided to send me up to the chocolate
hills to be with my great grandfather. None of us knew what would
happen if we defied them.
‘ They tortured my
father and my people until someone revealed where I was. Then they
shot them, murdered the whole village and burned it to the ground.
They killed my grandfather when they found me as well as some of my
cousins who were there. I was beaten and dragged back to his camp.
They threw me in a hole in the ground for a few days. Then he came
for me. He forced some of the camp women to bathe me and then I was
supposed to submit myself to his lust. One of the women had left a
knife lying and I had managed to grab it and conceal it under the
clothes that they forced me to wear. They put me in his bedroom and
left me there. He came in and sat down on a chair to take his boots
off. He commanded me to remove them. I think that’s what he meant.
I walked up and stuck the knife in his throat. As he fell to the
floor I jumped out of the back window and ran into the jungle. I
evaded them for days, but they caught me in the end. I was beaten
and was being dragged back by my hair when we were abducted by the
Albany.
‘ When I finally
returned to my village there was nothing left of it: a few sticks
poking out of the ground, here and there the odd shard of pottery.
The jungle had claimed the rest. I think maybe he visited my
village before I did and discovered what I was to learn later.
Maybe this is why he left his home to me.’
‘ It sounds like
Gairloch. He pretty much refused to believe anything until he saw
it with his own eyes.
Tears filled her eyes and ran freely
down her face, ‘He was so kind, but why?’
Rannalld was mesmerized by her tears,
then felt an upswelling of emotion for his lost brother. They had
always been close, always getting into trouble together. He touched
the woman’s shoulder and she suddenly buried her face against him.
A long mournful bellow escaped his throat.
She stepped back and dried her tears,
‘I am so sorry.’
He smiled at her in that manner they
had, ‘It is OK Mya. Gairloch is greatly missed; but of all the
things he did in his life, I think this is the most compassionate.
Come back to the house. Let us eat.’
The meal laid down in front of them was
inedible to Mya. She laughed at the big bowl of hay and the staffs’
eyes rolled in their head as Rannalld gave them a bollocking. She
concentrated hard and laid her hand with the communicating device
on the surface of the table. A few minutes later a steaming bowl of
rice appeared and a few seconds later stir fried noodles and
vegetables. The staff beat a hasty retreat and Rannalld was
intrigued by the smells wafting across the table at him.
‘ What is that?’ He
inquired, ‘It isn’t meat is it?’
‘ No, just stir fried
vegetables and boiled rice. Rice is a staple, like grass is to you,
and is normally eaten in the east and south of our planet, in the
warmer climates. In the north and colder areas they normally eat a
thing called potatoes. They are quite nice but I prefer rice. The
noodles here are made from flour. That’s a type of
grain.’
‘ Oh! I was under the
impression that you ate animals all the time. Grass is our staple
but we also eat vegetables and some fruit.’
‘ Would you like to
try? I promise there is no meat.’
He took out a small device. Mya had
seen them before. The device told the owner if food was consumable
and everyone had one. The food passed the test and she passed a
little into a dish. Rannalld thought the rice was quite bland,
this because he knew I had no home to go back to.’
‘ What happened to
your home?’
‘ Not just my home: my
family and people too. A nation called Japan invaded our islands.
They were very cruel and harsh. Especially the officers. They acted
like conquerors. They came through our village one day... one of
them saw me and demanded that I be sent to his camp. I was
frightened and my father decided to send me up to the chocolate
hills to be with my great grandfather. None of us knew what would
happen if we defied them.
‘ They tortured my
father and my people until someone revealed where I was. Then they
shot them, murdered the whole village and burned it to the ground.
They killed my grandfather when they found me as well as some of my
cousins who were there. I was beaten and dragged back to his camp.
They threw me in a hole in the ground for a few days. Then he came
for me. He forced some of the camp women to bathe me and then I was
supposed to submit myself to his lust. One of the women had left a
knife lying and I had managed to grab it and conceal it under the
clothes that they forced me to wear. They put me in his bedroom and
left me there. He came in and sat down on a chair to take his boots
off. He commanded me to remove them. I think that’s what he meant.
I walked up and stuck the knife in his throat. As he fell to the
floor I jumped out of the back window and ran into the jungle. I
evaded them for days, but they caught me in the end. I was beaten
and was being dragged back by my hair when we were abducted by the
Albany.
‘ When I finally
returned to my village there was nothing left of it: a few sticks
poking out of the ground, here and there the odd shard of pottery.
The jungle had claimed the rest. I think maybe he visited my
village before I did and discovered what I was to learn later.
Maybe this is why he left his home to me.’
‘ It sounds like
Gairloch. He pretty much refused to believe anything until he saw
it with his own eyes.
Tears filled her eyes and ran freely
down her face, ‘He was so kind, but why?’
Rannalld was mesmerized by her tears,
then felt an upswelling of emotion for his lost brother. They had
always been close, always getting into trouble together. He touched
the woman’s shoulder and she suddenly buried her face against him.
A long mournful bellow escaped his throat.
She stepped back and dried her tears,
‘I am so sorry.’
He smiled at her in that manner they
had, ‘It is OK Mya. Gairloch is greatly missed; but of all the
things he did in his life, I think this is the most compassionate.
Come back to the house. Let us eat.’
The meal laid down in front of them was
inedible to Mya. She laughed at the big bowl of hay and the staffs’
eyes rolled in their head as Rannalld gave them a bollocking. She
concentrated hard and laid her hand with the communicating device
on the surface of the table. A few minutes later a steaming bowl of
rice appeared and a few seconds later stir fried noodles and
vegetables. The staff beat a hasty retreat and Rannalld was
intrigued by the smells wafting across the table at him.
‘ What is that?’ He
inquired, ‘It isn’t meat is it?’
‘ No, just stir fried
vegetables and boiled rice. Rice is a staple, like grass is to you,
and is normally eaten in the east and south of our planet, in the
warmer climates. In the north and colder areas they normally eat a
thing called potatoes. They are quite nice but I prefer rice. The
noodles here are made from flour. That’s a type of
grain.’
‘ Oh! I was under the
impression that you ate animals all the time. Grass is our staple
but we also eat vegetables and some fruit.’
‘ Would you like to
try? I promise there is no meat.’
He took out a small device. Mya had
seen them before. The device told the owner if food was consumable
and everyone had one. The food passed the test and she passed a
little into a dish. Rannalld thought the rice was quite bland,
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