"The Devils" child had chosen to take our Baruk this time instead of our livestock," Elder Du voiced out as everyone gathered at Baruk Tam"s bed. A physician was attending on him yet all of them knew that he had no more hope and that they were there to await his death. "This is our fate,""What will happen to us now?" Another elder spoke.
"As what had already been agreed for a long time, our village will be abandoned and this land will be returned to the Nan people," Elder Du replied.
"But we cannot just abandon our homes,"
"A village without a leader is not anymore a village. The other villages will welcome us for sure, the Tsua"ng village had already made invitations for us to live there in case the Nan people will drive us out," Elder continued.
"I never once imagine that the Somer village will end this way," Another person p.r.o.nounced. "Perhaps Somer village is indeed cursed and so to end the curse we must also end our village,"
"What are you all taking about?" Maru who was there sitting beside Baruk Tam"s bed spoke suddenly. She doesn"t understand why these adults were already talking about her beloved"s death when he was still breathing. "There is still an antidote to the snake bite? Didn"t the central village have a stock of antidotes?"
The elders quieted at the Maru"s words. They knew the girl was having hard time accepting Baruk Tam"s situation than everyone else. They knew how fond the girl was with the child Baruk.
"Maru, we don"t have antidotes for snake bites," Elder Du revealed.
"We do. Isn"t snake antidotes one of the medicines we get from the other side every voyage? The main island had plenty of them" She reb.u.t.ted. She was aware of the voyage the Baruk Tsu and Aki Owens conducted every two years and she knew that the main reason for it was to get medicines including antidotes.
"Maru the voyage happens only every two years. The central village ran out of stocks already," Elder Du explained.
"That"s not true!" Maru cried when she heard the truth. She thought that since Baruk Tam was a Baruk, the central village would do everything to save him. Yet seeing that no one from the central village extended some help not even one came to check on her beloved, she was thoroughly disheartened. She was aware that their village was small and probably the poorest among all the villages but she never once thought they were below any one else. "How can the Chieftain just allow a young leader to die?"
"We sent some messengers to the Chieftain"s household but they only extend their condolences. We already knew that snakes antidote had ran out months ago and so we cannot do anything anymore,"
"How could you just give up that easy? Wasn"t Baruk Tam important to you? You don"t even have the slightest concern for him!" The girl expressed her frustration to everyone.
"Maru!" Elder Du chided her reproached "Don"t forget your manners. I know you are hurt but that is not enough reason for you to talk back against people older than you"
"You are all useless! If Baruk Tam will survive this he will surely not be happy about how you did nothing to save him," She accused them. Although Maru knew how the elders spent some effort on making sure that Baruk Tam gets a physician to check on him right away, she still felt like they still fell short of their efforts. They did what they needed to do yet all of them easily gave up.
"You are such an ungrateful child!" Elder Du said to her "You are not even a member of the royal household yet but you are already rude to everyone who extended help,"
"Baruk Tam is our leader! Even if I am not his betrothed, I will still find ways to help him get through this" She said with so much tears. She had been crying since morning but the tears never end. "He is just a little boy,"
"Trust me child we did. But we know that death awaits all those gets bitten by snakes" Elder Du"s voice became sentimental. He knew how hard this thing was for Maru but there was nothing more they can do. "If only I know how to make an antidote but no one amongst us does, not even Aki Owens who comes from the mainland. Only people from there knows how to make the antidotes,"
There was silence after that but Maru"s tears continued to flow endlessly in her face. She cannot accept the tragedy that fell on them and she doesn"t want to let go of Baruk Tam. She wanted to do something, she wanted him to live. She was even willing to sacrifice her own life for him if she could.
"Please leave us," She said to everyone who was in there "I want to spend time with my Baruk in his last moments,"
"If that is what you wish little Maru," Elder Gu replied and signalled everyone to leave the girl alone with the Baruk. When they all left his room, Maru looked at his beloved whose once pale face was turning violet. The physician said it was only a matter of hours before the Baruk will take his last breath.
"Baruk Tam. I am so sorry but I cannot let you die," She whispered to him. "I know you will hate me for this but I have to do this to save you and our village"
The girl caressed his beloved"s face and kissed his forehead before she went to get something from Baruk Tam"s closet. Soon, Suma entered the room and looked at the little girl who was making herself and Baruk Tam ready to go.
"Little Maru the boat is ready," Suma told her.
"Thank you Suma," she replied "Please help me carry Baruk Tam to the boat. We should hurry since we don"t have much time"
"As you wish Little Maru," Suma spoke for the last time and proceeded to carry Baruk Tam on his arms. The little Maru approached him earlier and told him about her plans and that she needed his help. Since little Maru is Baruk Tam"s betrothed, he did not declined her plea especially that she was doing it to save their leader.
Suma knew that Maru will be in trouble for doing what she planned and that Baruk Tam himself will probably loathe her but she had decided already.
For love, the girl was willing to take the risk.