The Journal of Dreams (The Tales of Tahana - Book One)

Chapter 24: An Unexpected Welcome

"Ah, good morrow, Dari!" the Periji exclaimed when he saw Dari approaching. By the looks on the faces of the people by the fire, they all seemed to have had a restful night as well.

"Quite a good day to start, no?" Jesi commented as he took a sip from a tin cup while Alyana sat to his left.

"Very much so, Jesi. Good morrow," Dari replied, smiling. The smell of the frying sausages was making his mouth water.

"The animals seemed to have settled down. Do you know what could have caused it, Periji?" Dari asked, trying to divert his attention from the sizzling sausages in the pan.

"I can't be certain, Dari, but whatever it was, I'm glad for it. Kopi?" the Periji said, shrugging. He took a sip from a tin cup of steaming dark liquid.

"That would be nice. Thank you," Dari replied, looking forward to having something hot in his hands. It was rather chilly for a summer morning, but it had been like that inside the Takyanan Forest. The sun's heat didn't penetrate the forest's thick canopy of leaves until about the fifth hour of light.

"Come, sit by the fire," the Periji said, inviting Dari to sit to his right on the log on which he was sitting.

Dari obliged without hesitation and sat beside the Periji. The Periji took a kettle hanging from a tripod by the flames, poured hot kopi into another tin cup, handed it to Dari, and took a sip from his own cup.

"Ah... Yes, this is really good kopi, isn't it? Mistress Jira was not exaggerating," the Periji exclaimed with satisfaction. It was the first time that Dari had seen him happy the since they left Arang.

"It is," Dari agreed after taking a sip of the hot beverage. The dark liquid tasted sharp in his tongue and it sent a quick jolt of energy through his veins.

"I miss the Mistress," Alyana added, suddenly looking at Dari from across the camp fire where she was seated. There was more than nostalgia in her eyes. There was a hint of pain, which Dari couldn't quite place.

"She was very good me and Dari..." Alyana added and settled her cup on the ground with shaky hands.

"It's normal to miss someone, Alyana." Sheilin said as she stoked the camp fire with a long stick in her right hand. "But don't let the pain of parting eat you. Cherish the time you had together and keep it close to your heart. That way, you can always go back to that time whenever you want to do so."

At this, Dari felt his left hand move towards the kurami pendant hanging by his chest. The necklace was the last gift he received from Amyi. He realised that it had been more than a quarter moon since he left Arang and almost a quarter moon since he last saw Amyi. He missed his parents terribly and he would give anything to see even a glimpse of them right at that moment. He wished that he could simply open the shell and find them standing before him, but he knew that was impossible. With difficulty, he resisted the urge to open the shell to see their names, but he continued to hold it firmly in his hand.

"Are you alright, Dari?" Alyana asked with sudden worry in her voice. She must have thought that Dari was having another episode of the chest pain he felt in Yatlang.

"Yes, I'm alright," Dari replied, looking at Alyana first, then to the rest of his companions by the camp fire. "Truly. I'm alright. I just miss Amyi and Anya."

Dari realised that his hands were starting to shake so he let go of the shell and settled his cup on the ground between his feet. He also realised that he was feeling pain in his chest all along, but it was a different kind of pain from the one he felt in Yatlang. This one brought sorrow and longing. He took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.