KF sails in the dead of night, approaching the island, swiftly and quietly. A few man disembark from the ship, landing quietly on the soft sand. They take stock of their surroundings, before making their way inland.
Sounds of merry making can be heard coming from inside a house. From one of the windows, the men could see several Portuguese soldiers enjoying their time, whilst the natives are seen scurrying around, trying to serve the soldiers.
Mohd, Royston, Hassan, Ali, Dhandehelu and 2other men (7 men in total) are standing outside the house, trying to decidewhat to do.
"How are we going to be able to separate the Portuguese from our fellow people without harming the innocents?" Ali asks, worriedly.
"Do not worry about that. The Portuguese are the only ones who would be daring enough to come out and see who has tried to challenge them, whilst our fellow people would remain inside for fear of getting in between a possible fight," Mohd smiles, before continuing, "we shall make the devils wake up."
Mohd proceeds to pound on a metal shield left outside the house.
Indeed, the Portuguese soldiers were the first to rush out, still drunk, and were slain on the spot. It did not take long before all the soldiers were killed. The natives, having heard the commotion, cowered in the corners of the house.
The natives soon realise that the invaders were not there to harm them.
Mohd walks quietly up and offers his hand to the man he recognized as the village chief. The chief looks at Mohd inquiringly, before realising that it was indeed Mohd and his brothers, back from the dead.
"We thought you were dead," the village chief exclaimed.
Mohd reassuringly pats the village chief's hand. "We are not dead, and never were, as you can see for yourself. We think it is time forthe people of Maldives to start to take a stand against the Portuguese."
Mohd looks around the house and the people gathered in it before focusing his attention back on the village chief, "we need you and your people to help spread the word that the Utheem brothers are indeed alive, and that it is time to rise up."
The word spreads and for several nights, with no warning as to where the Utheem brothers would strike next.
The Portuguese were confused, for Mohd and his men would attack the settlements in the south, and the very next night, they would attack the settlements in the north. This made it harder for the KF (Kalhuoh Fummi, for short) to be spotted by the Portuguese, which infuriated them even more.
It is a bright and sunny day with beautiful clear skies. The KF is coasting leisurely on the waters, with the 7 men, Aisha and Sitti on board. They are enjoying the wind blowing, as the men and women go about their duties on the small ship.
They have sailed clear past an island, when they spot 2 Portuguese Man-O-War, clearing the other side of the island as well.
The soldiers on board the Portuguese ship were as surprised as those on the KF, for sudden cries can be heard from the bigger ships as they scramble to assemble their artileries. Their cannons, unfortunately, were facing the other way, and would take time to bring it to the back of the ship, which was where the KF was.
On board the KF, the men are scrambling on board trying to get away from the big ship, when Mohd's laughter stops them. "Now would be a fantastic time to show the Portuguese how even a small fish can outrun a much larger fish, even with all their fancy weapons. God would guide the winds to allow the KF to fly across the waters."
The wind is blowing stronger now, allowing the Portuguese to catch up with the KF. As the men and women on board the KF become more frantic, Mohd smiles even more. He has already formed an escape plan and directs the KF towards a narrow channel between two islands, a channel in which the Portuguese believe is a dead end to trap the KF, when in actual fact, it merges to the other side of the island.
As the KF makes its way to the other side, everyone on board the KF cheers, for they now have the sea to themselves as the Portuguese believe they have been trapped in that channel with nowhere to go.
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Freeing Maldives - A Hero in Time
AdventureBased on the novel written by Royston Ellis, my interpretation tells the tale of how a mourning Englishman gets swept back in time to a period when the Portuguese had invaded the nation of Maldives, culminating in the historic guerilla battle, that...
