19-2-2-4012 DM, Arang, Telama, Hilaraya
Dari woke with a start. He remembered hearing a flute playing a restless tune and someone singing, beckoning him to come closer. As his mind slowly crawled its way to consciousness, he felt the song slowly slipping away as he desperately tried to remember it. He felt as if he was trying to pick up a strand of slippery glass noodle from a bowl with chopsticks made of porcelain. With a last futile attempt, he tried to snatch the song back from his dream into his waking mind, but it finally dissipated like smoke. He could still remember hearing a song, but he could no longer remember the notes, the rhythm... And the words... The words were unknown to him, yet they sounded familiar. It was as if he had heard the song before. But that wasn't possible. He had never heard of that song in his life. Or had he? He was no longer sure.
After some time, Dari realised that he was staring at the beams at the ceiling of his room. He knew that it was still very early because the light of the sun had not yet penetrated through the tiny cracks on the windows. It must be the seventeenth hour of darkness by his estimate, and, in an hour or so, the sun would finally start rising in all its radiant glory from the Melaku Sea.
Closing his eyes once more, Dari stretched his lean arms and long slender legs. He let out a mighty yawn, felt around his bed for his blanket and hid himself beneath it. He hugged his other pillow, curled to his left side, and felt the soft feather mattress that Amyi gave him last season as a gift to celebrate the coming of his twelfth cycle. He felt the cold morning air around him and it made him want to stay in bed forever. But of course, that was impossible.
As he lay in bed, Dari heard the soft bustle of folk moving about in the small seaside town of Arang. He heard the shrill voice of an old lakadu calling to his animals for their early morning feeding. A group of gossiping babini exchanged low murmurs as they passed by his window on their way to the market. A water buffalo groaned and huffed, followed by the sound of a creaking cart. These were the usual sounds of his morning.
After a few minutes, Dari thought he might as well get up since he knew that he wouldn't be able fall back to sleep any longer. He must have slept for a good ten hours. It really felt wonderful to able to sleep that long, but it also made him feel too lazy to get up. He pulled his blanket off his face and began to slowly rise from his bed. It was as if his entire upper body weighed five sacks that morning and the effort of sitting up was too much. A few grunts and sighs later, he was finally sitting upright even if his head was still trying to drift back to sleep and the rest of his body was still unwilling to move.
The air was suddenly filled with the mouth-watering aroma of garlic and onions frying. Dari heard the fierce hissing sound of ingredients as they danced around in hot oil in a pan. His stomach rumbled loudly. Time to get out of bed! He had always loved to wake up to the smell of a meal being cooked. Feeling as light as a feather, he stood up in one swift motion and started to make up his bed. After making sure that his bed covers were fixed in place and that his blanket was neatly folded over his pillows, he walked to his windows and slid the panels open.
Dari felt the cold damp morning air on his face and the sound of the town's hustle grew louder in his ears. He saw the eastern skies starting to show signs of daylight behind thin wisps of clouds as the sun slowly rose from its watery bed. It was still dark but his silver-grey eyes could see clearly in the darkness. He always had sharp eyes as far as he could remember and other people had always remarked on his keen eyesight. He could see the busy shapes of babini and lakani going about their early morning routines. It was like seeing dark shapes in a shadow puppet theatre against the soft glows of lanterns and candles from open windows. Morning mist hung low on the ground, adding a soft veil to the scenery before him. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes again. He turned away from the windows and regarded at the entirety of his room, giving it one last look before heading out. When his gaze fell on his small wooden study table between his bed and his cabinet, he noticed a fresh stack of paper on top of his sketch book.
"Oh Amyi, you never forget," Dari thought. Amyi always remembered to buy paper when he needed some. He smiled, making a mental note to thank Amyi later, and finally stepped out of his room.
The corridor outside Dari's room was still dark so he carefully walked towards the dining room, which was about four arms away from his room. A stream of light poured into the dining room from the kitchen door to his left. He made his way across the dining room towards the kitchen door and down three wooden steps into the kitchen. The delicious aroma of cooking food came to him like a powerful gust of wind, making him almost ravenous.
"Ah, someone's hungry already," Anya said without looking at Dari while gently stirring the contents of a metal pan over a clay stove.
From where he stood, Dari couldn't see what Anya was cooking but his nose could smell scrambled eggs with yellow tomatoes, garlic, and red onions. Moments later, she took a darkwood plate from the bamboo counter to her right, scooped the scrambled eggs from the pan onto the plate, and placed it on a small brownwood table. He made a gesture towards the plate but she gave him a warning look that made him back off.
"Good morrow to you too, Anya!" Dari greeted with a mischievous smile towards Anya, who returned it with a warm motherly smile.
"Good morrow, my love," Anya greeted back as she reached out to Dari with her right hand and ruffled his wavy shoulder-length brown hair. This was one of the ways she showed affection towards him.
Anya turned away from Dari and moved towards the counter. She bent down and took a couple of short pieces of firewood beneath the counter and placed them into the mouth of the stove. She took a long slender bamboo tube from the counter, placed one end between her lips and the other towards the stove, and gently blew air on the embers to let the flames consume the newly placed firewood. A few minutes later, the stove was ablaze once again and bathed the room with a comforting warmth that made Dari a little drowsy.
Dari saw Anya as she reached for the bamboo cupboard to the left of the clay stove. She opened it and took out the small wicker basket where she kept the dried squids. His favourite breakfast! He watched her take six pieces of dried squid from the basket and set them in an empty plate to her left. She took the pan she used earlier and placed it back on the clay stove. After a couple of minutes, she placed her hand above the pan to feel if it was hot enough. When she was satisfied, she took the bottle of palm oil from the bamboo cupboard and drizzled it into the pan. She waited a minute to make sure that the oil was ready for frying, then she picked up the dried squids with her bare hands dropped them into the pan. With a long bamboo spoon, she stirred the squids around the pan to make sure that they were cooked evenly. Dari's stomach grumbled loudly as he saw her take the pan off the stove and carefully placed the fried squid on the plate with the scrambled eggs.
"Anya, are we expecting Amyi to break his fast with us again today?" Dari found himself asking suddenly. They had been breaking fast with Amyi for the past four days, which was rather unusual because he usually didn't come home from fishing until the fourth or fifth hour of light.
"Yes, my love. He came home a couple of hours ago but he left a few minutes before you woke up. He said he was going to see Tino to talk him about something," Anya replied. Her eyes were suddenly filled with worry.
By the warm light from the burning stove and from the lantern that hung overhead, Dari saw Asha Lamuan, dear Anya, very clearly. Her straight waist-long chestnut hair was held together in a neat thick braid that fell to her back. Her heart-shaped face was already showing some lines near the corners of her small tilted amber eyes, which was expected. She had already seen forty cycles after all. She stood about an arm and a half tall, which was quite tall for a babidu of Hilari blood. She had prominent cheekbones, a small narrow nose, and thin lips that tilted upwards as if fixed in an eternal smile. Of course, she could look as fierce as a deranged fire beast when she gets angry, but she almost always had a pacific demeanour. She was a beautiful babidu, quite known around their quaint little town among the peratani, the farmers and the fisher folk. She also grew up in a different country, which made her somewhat unique in this small town where everyone knew everyone else. That morning, she wore a plain white linen dress with pleated skirts that fell below her knees and a pair of wooden sandals with leather straps that she liked to wear at home. A wide green apron embroidered with flowers and leaves protected her pristine dress from the grime of the kitchen. She liked wearing white clothes that strongly contrasted her shiny copper skin. Dari regarded Anya for a moment to admire her beauty despite the worry that was creeping on her face.
"He woke me up in the middle of my sleep and told me that the winds did not come yet again," Anya continued, frowning slightly and showing creases between her eyebrows. She always looked like this when she was worried. "They still couldn't sail out into the deep of the Melaku Sea to catch yellow sea dancers and the pedani have been breathing down their necks for the last few days."
"And that is the unfortunate truth, my son," said a deep voice that suddenly came booming from door behind them, making Dari and Anya look towards the door at the same time. Rami Lamuan, loving Amyi, had come home.
"Those burning fat pedani! Wretched merchants! They are a huge pain in the backside, the lot of them, and the blasted winds are not giving us any love at all!" Amyi sighed visibly looking furious.
"Language, my dear!" Anya glared at her husband.
Dari giggled inside. He knew some curse words himself, but he wouldn't dare use them in front of his parents. Never ever. He allowed a small smile on his lips, but forced a straight face after a moment, knowing that the conversation was about serious grown-up matters.
"I'm sorry, my heart," replied Amyi, looking abashed. His tilted auburn eyes looked down and his square chiselled face shook slightly. His eyes looked tired and troubled and the dark tan colour of his skin looked pale in the dim light of the kitchen. Despite being tall and having a wide muscular built, he looked rather small and deflated. He ran the fingers of his right hand with a downward stroke through his wavy black hair that fell to his broad shoulders. He always did that gesture when he felt embarrassed about something.
"I see that breakfast is ready," Amyi remarked as he saw food on the small table in front of Dari. "Come, let's eat while the food is still hot."
Dari had always enjoyed preparing the table with his parents. Anya went into the dining room and lit the four candles in the bronze candelabra on the table. The dark room was suddenly showered with a soft yellow light. Amyi went to one of the cupboards and took out three sets of darkwood bowls, chopsticks, and a bamboo serving spoon, which he carefully laid out on the table. Dari rose to his feet, took the plate of scrambled eggs and fried squid, and went to the dining room. He placed the food at the centre of the table and seated himself in the chair close to the door to the kitchen. Amyi went back to the kitchen and came back carrying a hot tin kettle of freshly brewed kopi in one hand and three ceramic cups in the other. He carefully laid the kettle and cups on the table and seated himself at the head of the table close to the corridor to the bedrooms. Anya, who wore thick woollen mittens, came back to the dining room carrying a clay pot filled with fried rice and placed it on the table beside the kettle. She sat on the chair to the right of Amyi and held his right hand with her left hand. Amyi reached out to hold Dari's right hand in turn. They closed their eyes as they had done before each meal they had together, and Amyi said grace in a deep solemn voice.
"Ever gracious, Amai, the Great Provider, together with the Sepalahi, we thank you for the gifts that we are about to share on our humble table. May you continue to bless us with the gifts of the elements all the days of our lives. Palasari lagi."
After a few seconds of silence, Dari opened his eyes to see that Amyi and Anya were gazing into each other's eyes, having their usual conversation that didn't need spoken words. Amyi's eyes showed worry and trouble while Anya's showed care and understanding. Dari cleared his throat a little more loudly than necessary and he saw Anya give a start.
"Rami, my dear, would you open the windows to let in the morning air?" Anya requested as she looked straight into Amyi's eyes.
"Of course, my heart," Amyi responded. He stood from his chair and walked to his right towards the windows. He slid them open in two swift gestures and sat back in his chair.
They had their breakfast in relative silence, only speaking when asking someone to pass this or that. Dari always liked having both Amyi and Anya at the table during meals. He was about to finish his cup of kopi when Amyi suddenly spoke.
"This is really impossible, Asha. It's the ninth day of the quarter moon already and the pedani are expecting our catch on the morrow. If we cannot give them what they want, they may not buy fish from us again. And they want sea dancers! Yellow sea dancers, of all fishes in the sea! How do they expect us to catch any of those when they know all too well that the winds have been silent for days? We can't go hundreds of fields out into sea to catch them, not without the wind, by Suraya! They should know this! What on Tahana can we possibly do? Call the winds to come? We don't have one of those gifted ones, those harani, in the town to help us with that."
Amyi clenched his prominent jaws tightly and Dari saw that he was trying to keep his anger in check. He let out an exasperated sigh, took the cup of kopi with his right hand and took a sip.
"Have you sought help from the Garalahi? The Pembaji and the Shembava might know a bayaharadu somewhere," Anya said calmly.
As the sun started to show itself above the roofs of houses, Dari regarded Anya, who was seated in front of him against the open windows. Her head obstructed the sun, making her appear to have soft rays of golden light emanating from her head. She looked like one of those beautiful paintings depicting the Shalarani, which were made by the great chariadu, the famous painter Jalan Abrashir. She looked absolutely divine. The timekeeper on the bamboo bookshelf on the left side of the windows sounded to announce coming of the first hour of light. The soft chimes of the old timekeeper added to the divine image of Anya against the growing daylight behind her.
"We went to the Garalahi yesterday. The Pembaji, uh, Dari's teacher in Aramkaya, what's his name?" Amyi said, looking towards Dari for an answer.
"The Periji Aron," Dari replied as he was pulled back to reality. "Yes, he would know a bayaharadu for sure. He told us many stories about his travels around Tahana and his encounters with other harani and diwani and such."
Dari suddenly remembered his kindly mentor and felt excited about his Aramkaya lessons. He liked to learn about the different plants and animals found on Tahana and the Periji was a wonderful teacher. He almost stood to get his things and head straight to the Garpanji, but he remembered that there were no classes that day. He contended himself with the thought that he would see the Periji in a couple of days.
"Uh, yes, Periji Aron, that's him," Amyi continued. "He said he knew one of them gifted by the winds, but it would take the haradu about a quarter moon to get here. That would not do."
Amyi looked away from Anya and looked out the window to gaze at the brightening sky, suddenly lost in his own thoughts.
"How about the Majarani? Surely someone from the town council could help you reason with the merchants," Anya suggested with concern in her eyes but maintained a calm disposition. She was looking intently at Amyi's eyes even if he was looking elsewhere.
"Most of them are pedani, too, remember? What do you expect? Of course, they would side with their fellow merchants! Why would do they care about the concerns of lowly peratani like us? I would sooner see the moon and the sun rise from the west than expect help from those people. Even if I am at their employ, I don't trust that they would lift a limb to help any of us," Amyi said while gazing out towards the rising sun.
"So, what do you intend to do with the pedani's demands? We still have a few silvers and coppers left but it would not last us another quarter moon, Rami. I don't mean to burden you with this, my dear, but it's the truth," Anya said as she looked down and took a deep breath as if bracing herself.
"I have a mind to join the weavers' circle here in Arang," Anya continued. "I just finished my lessons in weaving at the Garpanji and I can get an excellent recommendation from our Menava, our Mistress. I can work, Rami. I know I can and, if I do, our status would be elevated. We would no longer be peratani. We could become silapani, Rami, you know, one of the crafts folk. Imagine that."
"Of course, if that's what you wish to do," Amyi replied, holding Anya's left hand as he looked deep into her eyes to show his support. "You know I wouldn't protest to anything you desire, my heart. And you will be a silapadu, should you wish it, and maybe Dari as well, but I will remain a peratadu I'm afraid. I don't know of any craft. I only know how to gather the fruits of the sea. You can become a weaver, of course, but that wouldn't solve the problem at hand. We need something to bring in some coin."
"The pedani wouldn't accept small fish like blue skirts or even gilded fish," Amyi continued, looking frustrated. "The demand for yellow sea dancers in the regional market is very high and they are blinded by the profits they would make from it. We could lose the pedani's business if we couldn't produce what they want, but they are asking for the impossible. They had been pestering us since the quarter moon started but what can we do?"
Amyi looked at the cup of kopi in right his hand, settled it on the table, and regarded it with such intensity as if expecting it to answer his question.
"Have you considered the bigger row boats, my dear?" Anya asked.
"Of course not, Asha. They are too small, even the biggest ones. Besides, those boats don't have the right equipment. No, we can't use those. It's the wind we need, my heart. Our machayari are useless without the wind. The pedani demanded two hundred carts of sea dancers by the morrow. They are insane! All of them!" Amyi said, suddenly surprised by his outburst and looked anxiously towards Anya.
"I'm sorry, my heart, my son," Amyi said softly, slightly lowering his head from embarrassment. He looked grim in the light of the candles, the creases on his forehead deepening. The sun was now creeping up higher in the sky and its soft golden rays were starting to pour into the room. The light from the candles are starting to appear dimmer than they had been a few minutes ago.
"All the sea dancer fishers in town are growing anxious because of the threats of the pedani. They can't possibly get hold of those fish without us, but they insisted that they can find other fisher folk who could do the job if we can't give them what they wanted. They have the gold to burn so many of the Arangi fisher folk are taking their threats seriously. They fear that the pedani would employ fisher folk from other towns like Samay or Kalang. They could, of course, but I doubt that those folks would have the right vessels and equipment. No, I don't think they would. Tino and I agree on this matter but the others wouldn't listen. They kept grovelling at the feet of the pedani, asking for an extension. As if those cursed pedani would yield. They wouldn't, even if they themselves feel the silence of the winds and understand that we could not sail! Those mindless..."
Amyi trailed off and bit his tongue to keep the curse unsaid. He let out a sigh and shook his head. His right hand was clenched tightly into a fist and he appeared to be shaking slightly with the anger that he held inside him.
"So, there really is nothing to be done about it until the winds come," Anya concluded, reaching to hold Amyi's clenched hand with both of her hands. She was now bathed in rays of sunlight from the open window and she appeared as a radiant silhouette in front of Dari.
"If you cannot catch sea dancers, there are many other fish in the sea. We can sell some in the town market, my dear, bring in some coin like you said. Take your old fishing boat out to sea before dusk and try to catch something. The evening market would still be there with fishmongers for sure. I trust that the Sepalahi would provide," Anya and gave Amyi her sweetest reassuring smile.
Amyi gazed out the window once again and the early morning light touched his face. For a few moments, he pondered on what Anya had said.
"You're right, my heart. Of course, it makes sense. Waiting for the winds to come would not bring food to our table. Besides, Master Samal won't pay us anything until we catch any sea dancers, so until the winds come, I'll do as you suggested," Amyi said, turning towards Anya, and gave her the faintest hint of a smile. He looked pained as he forced himself to smile but he did it anyway. He placed his left hand over Anya's hands and they both turned into an image of comforting grace.
"Dari, would you like to join me fishing later?" Amyi asked as he held Anya's hands and turned to face Dari.
"Sure, I would like that, Amyi. I will be at the port after midday anyway, so I will just wait for you there," Dari replied, feeling excited at the prospect of fishing with Amyi. It had been a while since the last time they had gone fishing together.
"Oh, and thank you for the new sheets of paper, Amyi," Dari added, smiling at Amyi.
"You're always welcome, my little chariadu," Amyi replied, showing pride in his eyes.
"Don't forget to show me your new drawings. You know I love seeing them," Anya said, beaming at Dari.
"Of course, Anya," Dari replied, smiling more widely. He loved his parents for encouraging him and supporting him with his love for drawing. He wanted to become a famous chariadu and make them proud.
"Very well then," Amyi said with a tone of finality. "We will set out to sea later at the fifteenth hour of light. Meet me at the port before then."
Amyi let go of Anya's hands, took the cup of kopi and took a sip from it. As the dining room was bathed in the golden light of the sun, Amyi snuffed the candles one by one using his thick calloused fingers.