It was the early nineteenth century and a huge country with abundant resources was being colonised by the merchants, in phases. Another ship arrived that week and more visitors landed ashore to spend the summer and to enjoy the rich bounty. Elsa and Jack were thrilled to receive five children of their age from their motherland. The summer cottage they had recently moved in to, sprawled across a vast area. There were lawns, fountains, flowering trees and cobbled walkways. They treated the guests with mouth-watering delicacies of tender meat, cooked with local spices.
The next afternoon, Jack and Elsa decided to take them on a walk in to the forest.
“Once we get rid of the morons, the forest and the adjacent hamlet will be annexed to our territory.” said Elsa.
Jack continued, “They are fun to watch, they live in mud dwellings covered with dry coconut leaves.”
While the other children were all ears to Jack and Elsa, they had failed to notice a wild boar that was running straight towards them. The children were terrified.
A half-naked, barefooted tribal man jumped from a tree, wielding a long pole.
“What can he do with just a pole? My dad would have shot the animal on its head, he’s a great hunter,” whispered one of the girls in the gang. The man made a strange noise, and swung the pole as if to hit the boar. The animal got scared and ran in to the thicket.
“Not bad!” Said Elsa.
When the children walked a little further, they spotted a tribal couple and a moaning cow under a tree.
“Are they slaying it?”
“Shhh! Watch the barbarians in action!”
They saw a tiny head appear from the cow’s rump. The man was helping the cow deliver a calf. It was a rather overwhelming sight. The man then placed the newborn calf near the mother cow and offered her some hay. Then he and the woman bowed in front of the cow and threw their hands up, chanting prayers.
“A sacrifice?” shouted Elsa and the couple turned to look in their direction.
They gestured to the children to come closer. The gang hesitantly went near the cow. “How adorable the calf is! Look at how the mother is cleaning it! Life is really beautiful!”
The woman gave them sun-dried cakes made of honey, coconut and wild millet flour.
It was dark by the time they decided to return. No one knew the safest way back to the cottage. Jack, with a torch in his hands, led the group. They heard the tribal man follow them.
“Why is he following us?” someone said in panic.
The man insisted on something that nobody understood.
He walked past them, pointed at the torch and said, “Light! No! Animals! Fear!”
He escorted the children back to the cottage. The children then stood there and watched, as the unarmed moron disappeared in to the darkness.
***
Photo By: Unsplash
This is an entry for Five00-9, #Vintage. Find all the entries here: https://writers.artoonsinn.com/category/five00/five00-9/
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