The Tales of Tikum Kadlum

3 EDGE OF DARKNESS

7.3 PURPLE PUP

All through out their journey, Ukok stayed as meek as a mouse. She didn't like Sri Kihod's company. She didn't like how he smiled at her– there were too many teeth and not an ounce of warmth in those smiles. Although he was kind and polite, something about the stranger did not sit well for Ukok. He would say one good word, but it would feel like he meant the opposite and every time he did it a sense of fear would grow inside Ukok's heart. Her bapa always warned her about people she did not know. He always told her to trust her instincts more than other people. And at that moment, Ukok knew what her father meant.

Even though Sri Kihod said, that he and Tikum were good friends, Ukok still felt unsettled. As though it was a lie. And there was something about Sri Kihod's eyes too. They always grew cold with the mention of her father's name. Mister Kihod even knew her mother as well. This made Ukok curious a bit since her bapa never told Ukok about her. Ukok tried to search her memory, looking for any fragment of thought about her mother. But only blankness and a nagging headache came to her every time she tried. As though all Ukok's memories faded the moment she thought of her.

The stranger knew far too many things about Ukok. Things she had no idea of. What she did not like the most was he would go on and on about it, speaking in riddles. Unable to flee, she tried silence, but every time Sri Kihod asked her a question about his father she always felt compelled to answer him. When silence did not work, she tried to do other things to occupy her mind. First, she sang... remembering Mistress Jurah's lessons. Her ati teacher said, songs and chants had in them the power to calm nerves and lift spirits. So, Ukok sang the tales of Alunsina as she fled from suitors she did not love. And when no songs were left, she chanted about heroic tales, grand and romantic. Most were inspiring while others were somewhat tragic. At times, she would forget a part of the story but the man alongside her would aid her. Sri Kihod knew of the stories too, expressing fondness at how she told it all. Her favorite was about a heroine slaying a Bako na Sawa to save mankind.

Time passed and their long journey only became more grueling with the unwelcoming terrain. Eventually, Ukok grew tired, throat dry and in need of rest. But when silence did arrive, she started to fell unease again. She hugged herself as a deeper cold cloaked her. When she felt she could no longer bare it, she began to speak just to break the silence, urging herself to dispel it. For Ukok, the sudden quiet with the stranger was so disturbing. She felt as though she was a spotted deer in the middle of a forest, eyed by some unknown predator hidden in the shadows. And all she could hear was her heart. It was an awful feeling, like loneliness, but emptier and much more vast.

The stranger must've noticed Ukok because he started to address her, telling the child how she looked increasingly like her parents. But the more Sri Kihod talked, the more she felt alone. Ukok bit her lip. At that very moment, she missed her father. She missed Mistress Jurah and her best friend, Mendang, too. Even the grumpy Milong...

She turned to the side of the road instead and watched as the great mountain vistas and green carpeted meadows came seamlessly one after the other. Where were they? Was their destination close to Ananipay? Ukok asked the stranger and Sri Kihod would always choose to steer their conversation. Instead, he would talk about her mother and father. When Ukok pestered him with more questions about himself, he would look at her more curiously. It was not some menacing look she would have from Tikum if she disobeyed him. It was different. Ukok did not know how to put it, only that the stranger's lips would form into a smile and he would then look back to the road ahead as though contemplating about something.

When Sri Kihod spoke again, he told her about some gate Ukok needed to open for him. He said it was important. He said it would do good things to all buruhisans. She did not fully know what he meant. Only that the word buruhisans sounded interesting. Her bapa and Jurah would often used it in their conversation. And every time Sri Kihod used it there was always pride and vigor in his tone. And she noticed that the uneasiness the oppressed her felt a little lighter. It didn't go away, but it was not as dreadful as earlier.