Discovering me.

True feelings

Kiway sat there quietly for some time, then said, “I knew you where up to something dodgy! now spill the rest of your plan boy, before I get someone to keep you away from the tree permanently.”

The only thing that went through my mind, is that this tree has probably been plotting against me, with the old man. Otherwise, why would he be so protective of it?

The old man seeing me lost in my thoughts repeated himself. Slowly and loud enough for the tree to here, when he said, “say your plan or you will be escorted home immediately.”

Scrunching up my forehead I looked at Kiway and said, “at most I thought you would refuse. I never thought that you would be interrogating me or even threatening me because of a tree.”

You should not be trying to get any more, than what you have gotten from the tree. You can’t keep taking when you don’t give anything.

Now I was confused, “what have I taken from the tree. Nothing! I said confidently.

Kiway took me outside and made me stand facing the tree. Then proceeded to say, when you do your sparring, do you block as much as you used to? Your attacks are they not more harder to evade?

Who do you think taught you that? cause your sisters fighting skills is more forceful and witty. While Nehu’s is more aggressive and precise.

When you last saw the tree did it look like this?

He was leaving a lot of open ended rhetorical questions but the last one hit me hard.

Only noticing the tree for the first time since I got here. It looked like it was fading or weakened. I couldn’t tell if it was sulking or crying but it looked droopy.

Grandpa Kiway why is it fading? I questioned with sadness in My tone. Never had I thought I could relate to a plants emotions.

Well you take so much time pestering it. Now you get to take some time observing and healing it, its your turn to give.

Then he turned back to his cave and walked away leaving me, with my thoughts and worries as I looked at the tree, not sure what to say or do.

I went closer but not to close, also being mind full of it probably needing space. I sat down and said, “I am sorry if I hurt you.” With tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

The tree did not move at all.

I sat there trying to figure out, what would cheer it up. Maybe some water would do.

Yet when I looked on the ground, it was clear that kiway had done that, more than enough. He even made a flower garden next to it. He added more soil to the roots obviously trying to make it more comfortable, raked over the soil so that it had nice patterns.

Clearly he tried to do everything that he thought would work for a plant. Yes it is a plant but maybe because it is a magical plant. It needs a magical solution.

I can’t fail by not doing anything, so I am going to come up with a solution. I said this out loud to the tree.

Yet it was for me to find strength, for this up coming challenge.

Kiway came out of the hut and gave me a packet of feathers and leafs and said, I should leave now because it is getting late.

I couldn’t argue even though I would have liked to stay a little longer. I said goodbye to kiway and to the tree, promising to return with some solution.

Then I walked into the forest, to go back home. With a worried expression and many tangled thoughts, about what I know about the plant. That could bring it’s fighting spirit back to life.

When I got home I took the package to my mother’s room. I found her sitting on the floor, weaving some straws to make carriers. They are used when our people, get water from the river.

Mom, kiway said, I should give you this. I said as I walked to her side with the package. Putting it down next to her.

Thank you Carter. How was your day my boy.

Well it was quite short because of the stupid nightmare, that left me exhausted. This leading me to sleep into the day. When my plan was to wake up, very early and go see the tree.

Would you care to share what the dream was about. No thank you! cause it didn’t even make sense to me. So let’s not rub it in. You know! the fact that my brain is getting fried.

Your brains are not fried and we all know that. What if it is a message. You know that dreams are important.

Yes, I know because you keep telling me that, but breathing in mud and thinking that, worms are going to crawl into your nose. Can not be a message even for you.

Besides whenever it’s a message. It repeats, so let’s see if it will ever repeat. Not that I would want it to, because it was a terrible dream. Hence I was left tired, from trying to escape.

Okay, I won’t push. Just make sure you tell me if it repeats.

I will mom! now before you start smelling my sweat, from all the way here, let me go bath.

You do know that mother’s don’t get disgusted by any of there kids body fluids.

Mom please don’t start with that weird conversation again. Nothing about that topic should be normal. This I said fleeing from her room.

I went to bath, then went to check the pots. There was left over food, from yesterday so I took some rolled bread and soup, eating this for supper.

While I ate, Angelique walked in and went directly for my food. Separating everything into two, like I had invited her. In addition to her weirdness, she is telling me about her day. Like I had just asked, how was your day.

She is like this, if she is not singing she will be talking.

There was a time where we missed her voice though. It was after our father passed on. I don’t have a lot of memories on any of it, but I know that she would take me from mom, at times and hold me in a tight hug, for a long time.

Mom says we thought that she will never talk again. Till one day she and Nehu came back, from the training ground, looking like an animal had been fighting them both. Laughing hysterically at the same time.

Apparently there was no dangerous animal, just the two dangerous females. An a training ground full of potentially, harmful weapons.

No one understood what was going on, but from that day. Angelique returned to us in leaps and bounce, like she needed to escape.

After she was done separating our food, she sat down next to me eating from the same dish.