The Gardener of Nahi

Chapter 38

Nahi

I’ve heard that intercessors sometimes abstain from eating in order to bring them closer to the Father Sea – an experience which supposedly produces an intense clarity of mind.

     It is no falsehood. 

Since our food supplies have greatly diminished over the past few days while we rot in this prison, we have been rationing.  And although we seemingly have an endless supply of trickling water from the gutter outside, scarcity of food remains an urgent issue.

But with this hunger does come a clarity unlike any other.

It all started two days ago.  Tsuru was digging through the sand looking for crumbs (yes, we have sunk to this low) when he stumbled upon something vitally important.  At first I did not pay much attention since I was preoccupied with writing in this very journal, but the word “egg” caught my attention.

“I’ve found food,” Tsuru boomed, his rare voice still surprisingly deep.

“Oh, is that another egg?” Seirsy asked, standing up.  “Open it up!  It might be fresh-”

“No!” I exclaimed, getting up from my prone position and rushing over to the dark corner where Tsuru was kneeling.  I stopped suddenly before nearing him, however, and extended my arms at my sides to keep Myria and Seirsy from coming near.

“What’s the problem?” Seirsy asked.  “It could be fresh-”

“It’s not food,” I said.  “Tsuru, don’t move.”

“What is your concern?” he asked.

“Just don’t move.  Hand me the egg, please.”

I could see doubt flash in his eyes, as if for the briefest second he feared I would crack the egg open and let it fall down my open throat, but he eventually extended his large hand and dropped the small white egg into my palm.

I smiled.

“What?” asked Myria.

“This is a skinning egg.  Not a chicken’s egg.”

“Does that mean we can’t eat it?” asked Seirsy in a disillusioned voice.

“Yes.  It’s not food.”

Seirsy cursed and walked away in disgust, but Myria put a finger to it.  “This is what you used before-”

“Yes.  The real Finn must have found this unused skinning egg some time ago and buried it here.  Let’s hope that there is a matching one as well since it is useless by itself.”  I took a careful step forward, toes first.  “Tsuru, where did you dig this up?”

“Here,” he said.  Indeed, in the shadows there was a large pit at least a foot deep in the sand directly in front of him.