After the communal shower, I was the first to exit since I am still unaccustomed to the freezing spring water from the well. Even if the water is meant to be refreshing, but I find it a bit too cold for my liking even though it"s quite a welcome for a stifling heat from the afternoon. As I stepped out from the communal area, I was abruptly stopped by Cheng and he said, "I will bring you to meet the Master in the next few days when we are not picking up the "treasures". I nodded in reply and quickly headed out of the communal area and made a beeline towards the house.It was not out of disrespect but it was one of the ways to avoid making an embarra.s.sment of myself by shivering out of my skin!
After putting the wet "sarong"on the clothesline and while only wearing the earlier "sarong" that I had with me, I bundled my day clothes into the wicker basket on the corner of the living hall right after cleansed my feet by dousing them at the foot of the staircase using the water from the earthen jar."Abang"s home....." I exclaimed to Ani as I made myself to the room.
"I"m at the back here Abang, dinner would be served later. I had just finished distributing the ration to the rest of the Sisters and I"d go for a shower right after this." she called out from the "dirty kitchen" as she juggled her ch.o.r.es between making steamed rice and cooking the "ginataan".
"OK, don"t be rush. Take your time.....I"m going to change first and take a short nap since I am still full from earlier"s lunch. furthermore, we won"t be going to the beach these three days and decided to hang around with Cheng and his brothers."I exclaimed loudly as I changed into a fresh pair of clothes and intending to being a cold jug of water to relax at the entrance of the house.
"OK Abang, you just relax a bit since there was nothing else at hand," advised Ani from the back.
After wearing a fresh pair of clothes, I went to the "clean kitchen" and picked an earthen jug filled with drinking water and three wooden cups. I placed them on a flat tray and went to sit at the entrance while waiting for the brothers. After sighting them exiting from the communal area, I called out over to them. They waved back and made their way towards me.
"So what else do you want to know about?" asked Cheng. "It"s about the Master you were talking about earlier. Is he somewhere in this settlement? Do I need to prepare some special request or something?" I queried as I was about to meet someone with such a vast knowledge or else he won"t be called Master for anything.
" Just prepare yourself would be enough. Since there we won"t be going out to sea in the next couple of days, we there decided to accompany you. The distance is about two settlements away and it may take up at least half a day travel. Tomorrow morning be sure to be about by the moment the rooster starts to crow." advised Cheng.
I nodded in agreement and we rested and chatted about other important matters, cracking jokes along the way, breaking the solemn moments into raptures of laughter. Ani heard the chatters and brought a jug of hot coffee instead. All four of us enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee with helpings of honey.
"Would you be staying for dinner?" I asked in a matter-of-fact. "Nahhh.... Don"t bother. Our sisters had also prepared dinner and it"s unfair for Ani to serve us food that"s meant for the rations of two." quipped Ding as he slowly stood up and gestured for the rest to follow him.
"Alright, please excuse us. We are taking our leave now. You know its not customary for us to hang about until dinner time. Furthermore, we have our own "responsibilities" you know," said Cheng while he winked mischievously at me.
I smiled as I stood up and sent them off from the top of the stairs." Till tomorrow then, okay? "I reminded at the trio.
" Yeah, do not forget to bring along your Father"s Keris along with you before leaving the house. "advised Eun.
"Alright, I would surely remember," I replied as I turned my back and returned inside the house.
I cleared up the jugs and cups and brought it back to the "clean kitchen" and laid it on a makeshift table made by strips of bamboo laid on its surface. Ani had prepared the dinner and I helped her by bringing it to the front back to the living hall.
There were the same two mounds of steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves and a bowl for dipping the hands before eating. Ani brought in a large bowl of the steaming dish and from the smell of it, I could smell the distinctively rich smell of coconut milk and cooked mussels.
After dipping the right-hand fingers in the bowl, we quickly opened the mounds of rice and I scooped a bit of gravy into the rice. This is my first time savoring such dish and its a definitely pleasure when the rich coconut gravy with pounded chili, garlic, and onions was stuffed in my mouth.
Again, my taste buds welcomed the explosive and exquisite taste from this outback cooking and the taste of the cooked mussels really accompanied by the thick gravy.
"Tomorrow I"m going with the guys to meet the Master," I said between mouthfuls. "Oh yes..... I overheard it just now. Please send my regards to the Master. He is the same Master that Father had trained for spiritual guidance under him." said Ani while looking at me while reminiscing the past that "our" Father had meddled in the spiritual world.
" In G.o.d"s will.... I will convey your regards to him. "I replied and smiled at Ani. Looking at Ani scooping the tip of her fingers with food and deftly put it in her mouth made me wonder how was her life before I had entered this world belonging to Bo"s. Even when she was wearing a wraparound "sarong", her skin was not much affected by the weather and its kind of glow with a slight tan.
I swallowed hard at my food as I was observing her and pushed all kind of weird thoughts away to the back of my mind.
As dusk was nearing, dark clouds gathered over in the horizon and soon splinters of lighting was seen in the overcast and booms of thunders soon followed. Soon the lightning and thunderclaps was almost close to one another indicating that rain would fall pretty soon.
Ani remarked that it was going to rain soon. As I methodically counted the moment the flash of lightning struck before the thunder, it seems that rain was inevitable and the lightning may be just one or two kilometers away. Gusts of strong wind swept across the courtyard and its surrounding while making small tornadoes on the ground and picked loose leave in a circular motion upwards.
We quickly finished our dinner and I helped to clear the "dishes" to the "clean kitchen" while Ani lighted two oil lamps and placed it in corners of the house that wasn"t affected by the wind. Quickly she lowered the louvers of the windows shut inwards and secured the bottom part of the window to the frame of the house. Immediately the house plunged in darkness while trickles of rain as big as pebbles soon fell to earth.
As there was nothing much to do at this moment except watching the rainfall and created puddles of water on the ground. The women a.s.signed to thumping the grains had long gone back and the mortars on the ground were inverted and placed on a short log to prevent from collecting water. All signs of activity seemed to cease as the rain fell in torrents.
I crept inside the bedroom followed by Ani while we sat and engaged in small talk. Luckily I thought that it"s fortunate I had taken the initiative to inquire about the Shadows thus being acknowledged as the Guardian Spirit and the plans to meet with the Master tomorrow.
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I lay down on the tatami mat when suddenly Ani inched her body towards me. Her back was towards me and she took my right arm and threw it over her shoulders. I can smell her fragrance on her body and hair and can"t help the feeling of smelling it. Instead, I uttered goodnight to her and slept while holding her like a bolster.
The night pa.s.sed.......