as he asked, I
placed the mint affront of my tongue and chewed all but the slightest. Good
heavens , I proclaimed in an abrupt manner, what is happening? With every
bite upon the mint I rose like a bird, taking the first bursts of flight. I
continued to chew, thrilled by the experience. Every person around me did the
same and before I could turn to see, they were charmingly dancing among the
air, moving to the beat as nature intended; unfolding as though a flower rising
up to receive life. My body among the others began to follow a route, turning
in a circular motion, Sandriah and Lakon centred within the group, rising a
couple of feet above the rest; I started to become increasingly unsettled as we
span ever faster, a blue haze covering each of us as we circled, flumes of
which were sucked towards the couple, illuminating them in the most vibrant and
distinct ways.
“A thousand spins and it is
done”. Jonule proclaimed.
With that, we slowed and gently
touched back down. I collapsed as my feet touched the ground, the spinning
motion making me tremendously dizzy, stupid as it may be, I kept my eyes open
throughout, not thinking about the possible effects it may have on my
stability.
Glancing over to Sandriah and
Lakon, their eyes were lit with furious colours, holding each other tightly,
they walked over to Jonule and bowed their heads, then walked back through the
archway and to the village.
“Come, it is now time to eat”.
Said Jonule.
Lining up we took it in turns to
pass by Normona. Today there was a selection of delightful treats for us to
choose from; stewed and fried rabbit meat in a rosemary infused sauce;
spit-roasted reaping pig, or hanging trout in a lemon drip sauce. I opted for
the rabbit meat; alongside the main selection of the meal, you had the choice
of five different types of bread, as well as a choice of savoury delicacies to
entice the well rounded. Scooping a heaped pile of hognobbles (Small fried
potatoes, wrapped in bacon) upon my plate I sat myself next to Operk, his skin
still intriguing me.
“It is a genetic gift from my father ”.
Said Operk.
“Apologies, I did not mean to
offend, it merely caught a piece of my mind; I suppose there is no possible
cure for it? ”.
“No… my dear and if I were to
find one, I would vanquish it from all the lands that lay before me, from the
hilltops of the south, to the sunken valleys of the east, I would not rest
until all trace of it had ceased; I value this as a virtue, handed down to me,
connecting me to many eras forgotten”.
“It is nice that you value your
past and continue to stand firm for the future”.
“Enough of this mindless talk; many years, have I heard many words, from many people, about my skin.
Now Avis, Jonule asked us to look after you as our own and to his word I shall
do the actions; I see that your clothes have become worn from your pleasant…
journey here, may I be as obliged, as I am, to offer you some of my finest
cottons?”.
Taking a mouthful of the
hognobbles, I replied in a mumbled tone.
“Yes please, if you could, that
would be somewhat helpful”.
“Very well, after breakfast
though, a needle head will not touch my hands until my hunger has been
patched”.
I cut gently into the rabbit, the
meat so tender and light, as if it were cake that had risen; the hognobbles
were perfect with the rabbit, giving the salty taste of the bacon, with the
crisp yet fluffy potato underneath. Dipping the hognobbles in the juice of the
rabbit, I quickly managed to go through most of what was placed on my plate,
leaving only the warm olive and onion bread for a small after snack.
Rising up I walked back over to
the preparation area, eating the bread as I did so, then pouring myself a small
drink of grapevine water to wash down this most welcome meal.
“Desserts and sweets everyone”.
Normona said in a loud voice, which easily led to the heads of many hungry folk
turning as hurried as it was spoke of. The queue reformed