7. The Upright Island
959 Words
We saw the island and it was big. There were forests, mountains and lakes. I also noticed houses, a windmill, and smoke coming up from the chimneys. The place looked nice, like a real village. There were people waving at us on the pier, a welcome committee. Some approached us with small kayaks. They all looked friendly, but we arrived at the pier with care, weapons in hands.
”Welcome, strangers, welcome!” shouted a big, bald man with bright red beard. ”Welcome to the Upright Island! I’m the Mayor of the island, my name is Chief Mori.”
We shook hands with everyone at the pier and introduced ourselves, one by one. There were people of all ages, older and younger, some pretty girls and some kids too.
One tall, muscular guy spoke to Grog and for my great surprise, Grog answered him. He could speak? They changed a few words, looked at us and smiled. Grog could smile?
”What did you say to him?” I asked the tall guy.
”I just asked its name”, he answered, smiling. ”I’ve met others of its kind and learned their language a little bit.”
”And…?”
”Its name is Laulau.”
”I thought he was Grog. What does ’Grog’ mean then?”
”It doesn’t mean anything. It’s the noise they make when they have air in their stomach. Like ’burp’.”
”Oh.” I was embarrassed.
”Those creatures are called Poromoros, big and strong, but stupid like bricks.”
I looked at Grog – I mean Laulau – puzzled.
”Let me introduce Laulau to his likes. We have several Poromoros in our island.”
That sounded like a good idea, Grog – I mean Laulau – must be excited. He left with the tall guy.
”Now, the rest of you”, Chief Mori spread his arms. ”Let me offer you a welcome dinner. We have a lot to talk about. But first we’ll accommodate you in the bungalows. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the clean sheets and a shower.”
Sounded almost too good to be true.
He looked at Noona: ”Is the mutant with you?”
I was surprised for the question. ”Of course, Noona is a member of our group. Just like Gr…”
”Ok then. Let’s go.”
We walked through the center of the village. They were dozens of houses made of wood, reed, and palm leaves.
The place looked even nicer at close, almost like a holiday resort. The villagers were doing their chores; carrying water, cooking food, having a chat with each others… I let go my sword. This place looked like the haven we’ve been searhing for.
After taking a shower(!) I joined the others for a banquet.
”Wow, a bed and a shower”, I said to Noona. ”Can’t remember the last time…”
”You had a bed? I was guided to the barracks full of mutants. But no complains. It’s dry and warm.”
We entered the biggest building of the village, some kind of a town house. There was a long table inside, set for a dinner. We sat down among our hosts. The Chief sat in the head of the table. At the opposite side was Mama Mori, his wife.
They even had an electric lamp hanging from the ceiling.
”Wow, is that a lamp? Where do you get the power for it?”
”From the windmill on the hill. You must’ve seen that on your way here.”
Funny, I saw the windmill on my way here, but the blades were not rotating.
Chief Mori proposed a toast, we all raised our glasses. ”Once again, welcome. And cheers! Let’s have a sip of our delicious, home-made pineapple juice.”
Pineapple… ooohhh…
”Let me tell you a little about us. We are called The Uprights. We are the chosen people, we’ve been living peacefully in this beautiful island since the Deluge.”
All kind of delicacies were brought into the table; coconuts, tomatoes, grilled fish, baked potatoes, and more pineapple. The servants were mutants, some of them had horns, some had tails or long spiked ears. I saw Noona getting very uncomfortable. But the food was delicious, we all dug in like a bunch of savages.
Chief Mori continued: ”The Upright Island is an outcome of decade’s hard work and team spirit. We are doing very well, but we are in a need of new blood. We need to broaden our gene pool. In order to maintain this system we simply need more population. Do you understand now why we were so happy to meet you, specially you younger ones?”
I would have choked if I wasn’t too busy eating.
”Please stay with us for a while and decide yourselves if you want to stay. We offer you a peaceful surroundings, friendship, and a future. And don’t worry, this island is not going anywhere for a while. It’s drowning, yes, but very slowly. You can stay here with us for the rest of your lives. And so do your children too.”
Ok, that was too much. Children??? NOW I almost choked on my pineapple.
Bobbie stood up and gave a short speech, thanking our hosts for their hospitality. He was very polite. ”…and now if you don’t mind, we have to excuse ourselves and retire in our rooms. You gave us a lot to think about. A lot.”
We said our thanks and left. I looked at Bobbie, he seemed as bemused as I. Was this really happening?
- Writer
