03
654 Words
When the man finally wakes up, he smiled as he is looking at his sleeping wife next to him, with her hand supporting his head all night long.
Slowly he rose, feeling all the pain that hit his whole body, but managed to lift his sleeping wife to their simple room, then lay her body at their old mattress on the floor, cover his wife with an equally old sheet before leaving her in her sleep.
***
The day still dark from the thunderstorm as the man slowly drags his leg, moving away towards a stream not far away behind their hut …
Looking around, seeing that no one else is around, especially since their neighbors’ lives quite apart from them, he then slowly enter the stream and lower himself so he sits at the floor of the stream. He bit a small tower that he put around his head…
***
The rain covered the muffled scream from the man as he cut the side of his right thigh then removes the arrow head. He then sat himself at the bank of the stream, and as customary of the village people, he then take the herbs paste to heal wounds, then wrapped it with the towel from his mouth.
***
After he cleans his body, he smiled as he looked to his still sleeping wife; he lowered himself, kissed her forehead, that started to show the aging on her face.
The woman wakes up, and gave a relieve sigh as she saw her husband who sits next to her. Se hugs him and rose to make some meal for him before then she goes to the stream to clean herself.
***
“Maay Jaan..” said the man to his wife after they both finish their meal and stayed at home, which is unusual for farm worker on that village. But right now, there is something more important for them to do as they both move to towards an old wooden table that becomes their family altar.
On top of the table were a statue of the fertility goddess that split in two on her waist and was hollow on its waist down, and in front of the statue, there were a clay bowl with burning coals and smell and smoke of incense flown from it.
The man, sat cross-legged in front the altar, and his wife sitting with her legs kneeled down, chanting their prayer
“Devee…” said the man…. “You have come in our dream, giving us hope for what we have waited for years…. And this is the things you asked from us to fulfill our dreams Devee” he said as he took the leather pouch from his dangerous adventure before, loosened the knot then pour the blood inside the lower part of the statue, closed it with the top part of the statue, and seal it with special sap he has prepared before, and after placing the statue on it place again, he pour what’s left of the blood to the top of the statue and to the burning coal and incense then return to his position and in unison with his wife, chants the prayer they’ve been repeating for years.
The incense is dominating, but both of them still could smell the burning blood which is sizzling as they both closed their face to the smoke comes from the bowl and inhaling the smoke. And after the ceremony, they both looking at each other, and went to their room.
***
Giving a relieve sigh, as he step out their room, he looked over his shoulder to their bed to see his lovely wife slept peacefully, covered only with thin sheet. Satisfied smile on her face…
The man then takes the dirty bundle of his clothes to burn them when a piece of metal drops down from his clothes…
- Writer
