Melana walked almost as if in a trance through the thick vegetation that surrounded the edge of the village with the rustle of yellowing leaves. She neither knew where she had just come from or where it was she was even supposed to be going, only that For some unexplained reason she felt as if she knew the small village, Knew this little village better than she knew of her home village, wherever that was. The village bore many of the same features as the one she had grown up in. The thick clay bricks that made up the small huts had the signature hand pressed look she was accustomed to and the smell of pigs hung in thick in the air like a highwayman's warning to passerbys, but she did not know this village's name nor did she know where she was at exactly. All she seemed to be aware of was that she belonged at this unnamed place, no, to this unnamed place upon which map she did not know. The mud clung to her feet like quicksand as she made her way forward, she tried to look upwards to see the position of the sun to find it hiding behind the clouds.
Never there when you need it she thought to herself as she walked the empty streets aimlessly like an arrow without an archer. Where was everyone? she again thought to herself as her eyes fell upon a curious looking squat house. The first thing she noticed was the fact that It had one window, or had at one time had a window, now shattered. The only place she had seen glass used on something so frivolous was when she had rode with her father to the city for medicine for their pigs which were at the time dropping like flies to disease. Everyone in the city had glass windows, Or at least the houses and shops she had seen, even the poor looking buildings had them.
The window on this house however just didn't match the rest of the house, the house itself was standard mud brick and thatch roof. Even if its shape was arguably crooked, the owner of such a thing was a craftsman of sorts she was sure of it, who ever owned the hut knew how to work with glass. What was most confusing of all however was she did not see a forge or fire pit. Melena however became quickly entranced, forgetting the unlikeliness of such circumstances and was seemingly drawn to the structure like a fawn to feed , surely the owner was not here and who was going to stop her, everyone left. Maybe plague had struck. But if that was the case why were the pigs still in their pens? Melena whipped around with a surprising quickness to confirm the pigs were in fact still here only to see a sight that confused her. The pigs were not pigs. She turned to see three soldiers on their hands and knees in the mud.
"What are you doing?", Melena shouted to the men. The men stopped and their heads snapped simultaneously towards her, faces covered by riding scarves and helmets. Simultaneously the three men stood up and stared at her In unison like some sort of perverted stage act.
"That little bitch is judging us", the middle said
"How dare she, its not like we can control our nature," the left said
"Teach her?," the right said
"Teach her," they all three said simultaneously taking steps toward Melena.
Melana rushed towards the house almost instinctively. The mud turned to hard packed dirt that sent painful shockwaves up her calloused feet the closer she got to the house, In her frenzy Melana ran into the door and began pounding frantically on the splintered wood. Fear rising like hot air in her restricting throat. She looked back to see the men all in sync walking towards her. Melana let out a frightened sob as a tear fell down her cheek.
She felt a pair of icy hands wrap around her neck and slowly squeeze, the overly long yellowed nails digging into her throat, the restricted air she was receiving smelled like rotten meat and sweat."GET OFF OF ME!" Melena screamed as she punched the door in desperation.
Pain radiated through her knuckle as the splintered wood, almost out of spite cut her hand. The soldiers' hands however were gone. Melena whipped around to find the attacker the same way a deer looks for the hunter. close to a breakdown searching wildly for the would be attackers. She felt her neck and began shaking. A tiny drop of blood fell from her cut hand and inaudiblly struck the smooth packed dirt at the threshold of the house. As it landed three loud knocks sounded from the other side of the door, the blows landed so heavily the house shook from the shockwaves and the house groaned like an old man in the winter weather with each blow, and the door swung open so violently that it cut through the air with an audible whoosh and struck the wall behind it so violently it sounded off like a crashed kitchen cart.
Melana stared into the pitchblack doorway dumbfounded. She knew that the door had been locked, it had refused to open to her endless barrage of pounding until now, when it seemingly opened by itself as if it had been kicked in. Melena hesitated to enter. She stood shaking on the threshold for what seemed an eternity, her eyes darting from the shattered window to the door, and then to the pig pen.she looked from one to the other to the next over and over again as she stood there, she might have stood there for another eternity except for when she turned back towards the pig pen for the last time the three men were back against the drab wooden fence that acted as the pig pens enclosure. A gasp escaped from Melana when she further noticed the men were dead. Their wrists were nailed to posts above their heads forever pointed skyward so they stood stationary like scarecrows for the living. Their faces concealed behind burlap sacks stained with blackened blood as if whoever did it beat them before nailing them up like works of art.
Melana closed her eyes and turned around, the fear that forged icy fingers through her chest now was constant as if a block of ice had been permanently fused to her. Melana turned away and peered back towards the house still visibly shaken from the encounter, was it bad to be glad they were dead and couldn't hurt her anymore? should the feeling of relief that washed over her body like the summer sun make her ashamed?
"Hello?,"Melana questioned as she sucked on her knuckle and stepped forward to peer through the doorway.
she squinted to see anything, the house was as dark as pitch and a smell radiated from the house that made Melana weary, The smell of fresh baking bread wafted out of the house in waves and yet more distinctly it wasn't just any bread, it was the smell of the bread similar to the bread her grandmother used to bake, the air heavy with the smell of raisins and pecans. She saw no oven or felt any heat radiating from the house and Melana knew the old coot was long dead.
Melana stepped through the threshold like a mouse peeking its head out of its hidey hole to scavenge, and into the dark room she crept. All the while she could almost feel the dead men staring at her, almost against her will she turned back to look at them. Melana instantly regretted her decision, the middle corpse had a tear in the burlap where its left eye would be, staring almost through her was a single golden eye, bloodshot and blinking. Melana whipped back around and resolved not to look at the bodies again. She squinted waiting for her eyes to adjust as she inched further and further into the little house. She felt something stick to her face and she let out a grunt as she began to pick a cobweb off of her face.
Melana took another step forward, her feet sliding across the hard packed dirt was the only noise and it was painfully obvious to her, the only light was now coming through the doorway and the shattered window, but even that grey light cut no further through the light than a dull knife through a tough cut of meat. Melana took another breath, the smell of baking was dull now and a second scent stood out as if it had been hiding behind the smell of the sweetness that had originally drawn her into the tomb of a house, the smell was not favorable like the baking of bread, it was sweet and sour all at the same time and it clung to her so thick and so suddenly she could almost taste it, the smell was nearly like if fear had an odor, or like when her father left the entrail bucket beside the house to long and it went rancid. So thick if it had a color she would find herself blinded by it the smell was not entirely rancid, it had the same sort of chemical element to it over the sick sweetness.
Melana turned to leave,if her options were three corpses staring at her and this house and its smell, she would choose the three corpses anyday. Melana however turned to find herself not facing the doorway and window, but instead facing a sitting lounge that she swore had not been there moments before, the area was well lit and had chairs of seemingly beautiful craftsmanship surrounding a lit hearth, the chairs a rich mahogany with red embroidered cushions that stood out against the dirt floor like black on white. The texture of the fabric so obvious to her she could almost feel their fabric without even touching them.The chairs surrounded the Hearth like grandchildren surround their pater when he is telling of his youth.
In the chair on the right sat a man in riding gear, leather riding pants and jerkin with a baskenet helmet enclosing the top portion of his head. A clean but however chipped blade sat propped against his chair like a companion. In the Chair on the left another man sat absently playing with the string of a bow. She could not see his concealed face from the angle she was standing. The warmth from the hearth radiated over her as the man on the right began to sniff, whether the man was laughing or crying she did not know.
"Sir are you alright," Melana said as she reached to touch his hand. She recoiled back, and let out a gasp of shock, his hand stood hanging by a mere inch of flesh and a jagged bone protruded out of his still gleaming stump.
"Figures, the last woman I dance with takes more than my pocket money," the man said laughing and crying simultaneously.
"You're not real," Melana said standing tall to appear unfrightened.
"No love, Not anymore i'm not," The man said, wiping his eyes with his right hand."Do you know how long it takes before hell see us?"
"Who?," Melana said curiously, positive now that she was dreaming.
"The little fellow said we were going to be sorted as soon as he looked over our deeds", The man on the left said, still concealed behind the chair.
Melana stepped forward to get a better look but the man on the right stuck his leg out in her path."Best you don't look at him little lady, Nothing pretty to see anyway"
"Why not",Melana said with an air of defiance as she crossed her arms and frowned at the man.
"Careful Little lass, some sites can not be unseen, specially for those of us privileged enough to see again", the man said looking her directly into her eyes, with a stare so fierce he seemed to be looking through her. He had a scar that ran from under his right eye to the top of his lip and the sight of it disturbed her, she was further disturbed when he grinned at her revealing a mouth full of broken teeth. The path of tears could be made out on his weathered cheeks and she was genuinely frightened now.
"Go home little lass, you've wondered too far from your bed I think", the one armed man said softly almost in a caring tone
"He took our friend but he wont take us the man on the left said in an irritated tone"
"He stood up and turned towards her."
The repulsion blasted through her like a bull on a rampage.
Melana gasped and woke with start, her sleep ridden eyes staring upwards at the smoke filled sky. She sat up and brushed the small blades of grass off of her that always seemed to accumulate as one slept outdoors. She looked upwards to find the sun hiding behind the dull steel grey sky, even so she could tell mid-day was fast approaching as the smell of morning had lonng since left.
"Pleasant dreams?", her friend Shereem said sitting cross legged a few feet from Melanas prone body.
"I hate it when you do that," Melana said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"What?" catch you slacking off from work, Shereem said, casually blowing her thick curly hair out of her eyes.
"And I suppose your just the model worker?",She said her voice dripping with sarcasm
"Absolutely, who else to tell others what to do", Shereem said playfully.
"You don't tell as much as swoon and coo men to do things for you"
"I admit my leadership style is unorthodox", shereem said standing and brushing the grass off of her dress, which seemed to be fitted with new patches, the strings still hanging out of the edges of the patchwork.
Melana rolled her eyes and joined her friend as they walked across the grassy field and towards the small collection of mud brick homes that was their village. These days it did however seem to almost be split into two villages, there was a new small city of tents.
The drunk soldiers that inhabited it at all hours of the day no doubt had more favours to ask. Why they of all places had been chosen to house the small brigade of ragtad soldiers and mercenaries, Melana did not know but she welcomed the coin they wasted. A bucket of milk? Two groff. A coy smile? One groff. A playful game of cards? As many groff as the poor drunk boot had on him. The widows made out like fatcats giving the rough band of warriors 'company.
It did strike Melana as unfair that her whole life she had never had so much as her own coin to spend on anything and yet some stupid boy joins the Holy Guard and they have so much money they could support a family each themselves if they hadnt wasted it on wine, gambling ,and women.It made no matter to her, she had several of her own coins now and all she really had to do was annoy the ones nursing hangovers.
"I really don't want to scoop up after hogs, I'm already covered in enough of their muck as it is", Melana said in a pouty tone as they made their way wandering aimlessly through the village.
"You don't see me complaining.", Shereem said matter of factly.
"You don't even do anything, you just get bored after a couple of minutes and find an excuse to go somewhere else", Melana said scoffing.
"That's not true, I helped yesterday",Shereem said defensively.
"Until that group of soldiers came round asking if we had anything besides pork."
"That's different, it was a business opportunity,'' Shereem said cheerfully once more.
"How? You just batted your eyelashes and flirted with them"
"I got paid, didn't I", Shereem said, kicking a rock out of her path.
"These soldiers, doesn't it worry you just a little bit that they chose to be stationed here?"Melana asked changing the subject.
"Not at all, it's not even 100 men, it's a few brigades and some horses they are probably catching up with the rest of their men", Shereem said simply.
"But the fact they have even come out this far means their expecting a fight out here", She said reinstating her belief with a slight frustration that Shereem did not care nor even cared about caring.
"Look if theres a fight well see it a mile off and make a run for it",Shereem said dismissing Melanas worries.
"Not if that fight is here". Melana stated plainly.
"Then we shouldn't worry about it because it will be over before we know about it in any such case",Shereem said grabbing Melana by the hands and spinning her playfully. "Let's go see Arik!",
"But the-"
"Pigs can wait"
"Fine but your helping me when we get back!"
"I'd rather not"
"You can be a whore or you can be lazy, you can't be both"
Melana followed shereem with the slight air of impatience as they shifted course and headed for the nearby woods in search of Ariks hut in the woods. It wasnt that Melana didn't enjoy Ariks company, it was more that they could waste the entire day talking and sharing stories completely neglecting any work they had originally set out to do, leaving Melana to suffer her father when he found out none of the chores were done that needed to be done if they were to have healthy meat come winter.
Melana actually rather enjoyed Arik, even if his pipe left her smelling god awful. How he managed to casually puff and do whatever he was doing constantly was a trick Melana did not know of, nor did she plan to learn, Melana knew he liked shafer over prairie leaf and she also knew shafer made a person lazy and possessed that person with an impressive appetite.
Shereem hummed softly as they made their slow march to the hermits clearing, with any luck Marlow would be there as well. Even if Marlows Im right and your just stupid Mentallity angered her beyond reason.
"Do you think Marlow will be there", Melana asked casually as they made their way over the grasslands that surrounded the village and laid before the rim of the woods.
"Honestly I hope not,but probably. He and Arik share a pipe and he reads",Shereem said in a tone that could only be accompanied by a roll of the eyes, even if Melana was staring at her black waves of hair, she knew the tone by heart.
"I mean Marlow isn't that bad", Melana said
"What are you sweet on him", Shereem said sarcastically.
"Absolutely not, but he can be pleasant"
"When hes leaving"
Melana and Shereem broke through the edge of the ancient woods the had always seemed to ominously stand over them.their constant voyages had left a path upon the forest floor over the many years and many visits, Melana always stood mesmerised for a split second as she looked up to see the sunlight come down in beams of almost majestic light as it went through the canopy of the lush leaves of the ancient Elder Roots. Melana had to crane her neck to see the tops of the wonderous trees that had been her before her father's father, and would no doubt be here after her great grandchildren had died.
The perpetual silence of the forest also was a wonder to her, she could hear the deer as they ran from her in fear of ignorance as to what creature it was they were beholding, and how her own footsteps could be heard so clearly when she could not hear them elsewhere. Besides that dream.
Melana had cringed in remembering the dream. It had been to surreal. The way the village had been so eerily silent unsettled her in her waking hours now that she had reflected on it. Something about the dream was just, well off. And yet it was so real she could still smell the house. Melana let out a shudder and continued on the path
They peacefully trekked their way through the forest, the dream once again forgotten and finally, they came upon Ariks hut, it could be seen as well as smelled from some distance away however, as he always kept his smokehouse lit. He was a fan of rabbit jerky and always seemed to have a bundle of it on him. Behind his small square home he had a field he tended himself, the far end most open to the sun was a patch of shafer plants, the closest to the house were the cabbage plants. Some days during the summer when Melana had nothing to do she would help him tend his oversized garden and listen to him hum softly to himself as he talked softly to the plants. Or help tend his hogs, whatever was on his chore list on such a given day really.
Today Arik was sitting on a bench out front of his house peeling potatoes and singing softly to himself. Ariks weathered face gleamed with joy when he looked up to see the two girls make their way to him.
"You can always count on folks to show up for a meal", Arik said jokingly.
He sat the knife he was using down and wiped the water off of his hands onto his stained once white shirt, and for good measure once more on the legs of his cotton trousers.
"Marlow here"?Shereem said as hugs were exchanged. Melana had never really minded Ariks loving nature, it was just how he was. He was a kind spirit. Even if he did come off as a bit unusual to others, Melana liked him
"No that boy came down seeing as I told him I had a fresh batch of shafer come off the drying rack, poor boy tried it with me, damn near passed out shuffled his way on home", He said positively howling with laughter.
"Top all that off some of them boots came round demanding I feed them"
"What did you do," Melana asked with an air of curiosity.
"Well I didnt want no fight so I had lunch with them, they were saying they been marching for something close the two monthes before they stopped here", He said sitting back onto the bench and resuming his potato skinning."mark some territory."
Melana made herself at home as did Shereem.Melana Grabbed a potato to help him.
She had always carried a small blade because you never know when you'll need, a knife is dead useful when you don't have a servant to do everything in the world for you.
"What are you going to make"?,Shereem asked
"Dish my mom used to make when I was young bout a hundred years ago," Arik said jokingly. "She called it potato soup, I donno why more in it than potatoes but it's good. "
"Where the soldiers angry?", Melana said no longer able to contain her curiosity.
"Them soldiers dont seem to happy, I guess I wouldn't be to happy either, the ones tha came up around here told more stories than of marching though, they was saying them damn barbarians been burning whole villages to the ground and killing even the children," Arik said, a subtle accent coming out, as it did when he was preoccupied. It sounded almost Foriegn, Melana hadnt heard it before, then again she hadn't really heard any.
"Did they say anything else?", Shereem said with an air of caution.
"Said the normal stuff, im gonna kill every last one of em this that and everything else unholy under the sun.", Arik said pulling his pipe out of his trouser pocket and a bundle of dry sticks.
"Shereem go light this on fire and bring it back, hurry though it-"
"Goes quick, I know"
"Thank you"
"Your welcome."
"Do you think theyll come here?Melena asked worried as shereem as walked of to light Ariks bundle"
"Yep", Arik said totally unconcerned
"Why", Melana asked shocked at his answer
"We're in the way, from the beach over by Gondar where people say they landed, well if they learned anything about this country, they know east is the fastest way to the capital. And were east
"Surely they don't know that"
"They do", Arik stated plainly
"How do you know", Melena asked
"Grab any of these boots, they know the country. Everyman cracks eventually," Arik said still peeling potatoes as if unconcerned with the turn of events.
"But they dont speak like we do", Melana said with a triumphant tone.
"They can learn '', Arik said tossing a naked potato back in the pot as shareem rushed up with a bundle of flames.
"Thank you Shereem", Arik said touching the flame to the pipe and taking a deep draw, he shook the bundle out and blew a lazy smoke ring into the air.
For some time the three sat in utter silence preparing the dish as Arik drew lazily on his pipe, Peeling,Quartering,and building a small campfire to boil the pot of potatoes over. Arik gave directions as the soup was made. He seasoned the potato broth with chicken stock and various spices and herbs before finally adding a diced section of pork belly. The smell was divine as the soup came to a simmer over the campfire they had made the concoction over.
"She's finished alright,"Arik said, sampling the soup with a spoon."Should let it thicken but i'm hungry"
"Cant argue with that logic", shereem said
The three of them sat down with bowls of soup and began to eat right under the ever lower hanging sun.
"Arik do you think they really kill everyone", Melena said staring into her bowl.
"Not women", He said sniffing and picking food out his teeth after getting the bit of food unstuck he casually flicked it in the fire.
"Well why not, if they kill the children-"
"When an army rolls through, they will kill in a frenzy, the men and children and then rape the women. Happens every time, don't matter what language you speak"
"I'll fight before I let that happen", Shereem said with a slight air of arrogance.
"Unless they pay you"
"Fuck you"
"Sorry can't afford you"
The two friends looked at each other and began to laugh merrily.
"Shit", Melana said looking up as though she had just forgotten something.
"What"
"pigs."