Short Stories

The Sound of Silence

1532

Samani gazed at the army sergeant's mouth, aching of frustration as she tried to read his lips. They were moving too fast; much too fast. She could feel the vibration of drums encircling the field, the sound pounding through her feet. Samani glanced over her shoulder, nudging her older sister. Imanay knew immediately that Samani was having trouble reading the military sergeant's lips. She bent her arms downward, using hand signs to comprehend what he had said.

"...The new army recruits Emperor Atahualpa has chosen to join the front line military are Chiska Huacac, Reyi Jose, Kisco Palta, Inti Siwa, Samani Yu and Imanay Yu..."

The vibration stopped, a tingling sensation remaining as the aftermath of the drum's sound. Samani watched her sister spring in joy, a smile stretching across her face as she mouthed the word, yes!

This is the moment that Samani had only dreamed of as a young girl. Her goal had always been to become the greatest and most powerful warrior ever seen, but a part of her knew that she also had a disability that could crush her dreams in an instant.

Samani gazed at the setting sun, indigo and orange cascading across the horizon. Red and pink leaves drifted from nearby trees as she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. Imanay smiled, her eyes sparkling brilliantly against her bronze skin. Samani expressed a brief smile before gazing at the sunset once more, which now had a blend of various shades of blue. The sky reminded her of the blue warrior paint her mother put on Samani's face, making her feel like a true warrior.

Shouldn't I be happier? This opportunity is all I'd wanted... yet I am still afraid. Why is this? Why can't I be happy in what's supposed to be the most joyous time of my life?

After each and every day of training, Samani began to think less of her disability. With Imanay with her to translate when people spoke too quickly, she stopped fearing that her secret would come out and instead focused on her training. Without the fear and paranoia that the rug would be pulled from underneath her, she could commit herself to becoming the greatest and most powerful warrior who ever lived.

"I-Imanay?" Samani said one night, her cow hide blanket bundled in her fists. She peered over her shoulder, watching Imanay's lips move as she ran her fingers through her dark hair.

"Yes?"

"Did you see the way the sergeant looked at me today when I spoke? He looked... suspicious, as if I had committed a crime against the emperor." Samani paused, gathering her thoughts.

"Is my voice... different?" Samani asked slowly, her eyes fixed on her hands. Imanay rose from her sleeping spot, sitting down in front of Samani.

"What do you mean by different?" Imanay asked, reaching out to hold Samani's hand.

"Does my voice sound like the other warrior's voices? Do you think that the Sergeant Ruru figured out that I cannot hear?"

Imanay casted her eyes on her hand wrapped around Samani's, a sympathetic expression crossing her face.

"Of course your voice is different. You're deaf, you can't fix your voice... but I don't think that the general thinks you cannot hear. Even if he did find out, he'd surely allow you to fight for Atahualpa since you've worked so hard to get to where you are." Imanay replied, raising from the ground to return to her bed.

A pang of fear hit her, twisting into an overwhelming feeling of paranoia. Samani felt tears stream down her face, falling gracelessly onto the rough wood she slept on. She didn't bother wiping them away because nobody could see her. Samani wished that she could believe Imanay's words, but from the look in her eyes it was hard to convince herself that they were true.