CHAPTER SIX
Shortly after the Noon Meal, Lorla and I made our way out to the gardens, located on the northern shore. I had not seen them since last year and was excited to once again. I remembered the smell of the herbs and the wonderful, bright solors of the leaves and vegetables.
It took about ten minutes to walk to where the gardens were. The whole time we walked, Lorla told me stories of her time on the human's lands. I had to admit, they were fascinating, more so than I ever thought possible. They made me want to go, even more, to the humans' lands.
"It's absolutely amazing there, Brey," she told me with a smile. "I got to do this thing they call swimming."
"What is that?" I asked.
She smiled. "Swimming is like floating on top of the water."
I had never heard of such a thing. I had never been in deep water, (only when we washed. The Great Sea was a danger.) but from what I understood, everything sank when it hit the water. I did not understand. How could Lorla float on the surface of the water? This was something I had to try when I got to the human's shores one day.
"They also sing," she said with a giggle.
"Sing?"
Lorla explained. "It's like talking, except... Well, let me show you," she said. Suddenly, her voice was louder and melodious, filling the air with something I had never heard except in my dreams. It was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever heard in my life. Her voice was the only thing I heard. Everything else around me was silent and I was filled with her song.
She stopped.
"Sing more," I begged, wishing to hear the beauty again.
Lorla laughed and said, "Later Brey."
When we reached the gardens, they were more beautiful than I remembered. I could not take my eyes off them. And the smells were almost more than I could take. They were powerful and wonderful. The greens of the leaves were more green than I remembered, the yellows of the bananas, the reds of the apples.
"Hello," said a voice behind me. Both Lorla and I turned to see one of the members of the Synod. Keveen if I remembered correctly. "We should begin," he said with a nod.
Lorla and I followed him over to were the pales of water were. They were each filled to the top with water for the plants.
"Pour one on each tree," he instructed. "Our plants need water to live, so we must water them all."
We got to work.
"You know," Lorla said, leaning over to me as we got our pales. "They have these special ropes on the human's land that shoot water at the plants."
I tried to imagine such a thing, but was unsuccessful. I did not have the imagination of the humans, apparently. Water shooting from ropes, a thought indeed. I would remember that. I would see one soon.
The sun was hot and the morning stretched on for what seemed to be all day. It was hard work. The pales were heavy and there were so many plants. Finally, we began our venture out to the Great Hall. I was glad for a small break. Tending the gardens was more work than training was. I felt exhausted. I was lucky, however. When we train, we train three times a day: after the Morning Meal, after the Noon Meal, and after the Evening Meal. When we tend the gardens, we do not work after the Evening Meal. I would get extra sleep tonight.
The thought encouraged me even as we went back to the gardens. Sweat pored from my brow. Lorla did not sweat as much, but I could tell she was tired too. We were getting slower and slower with our pales. We got done half as many in the afternoon as we did during the morning. Keveen was moving much faster than we were, telling us to be quicker. That did not help. I was shocked at his speed.
When it was almost time for the Evening Meal, Keveen left us, insisting he had a meeting with the Synod.
"Will you sing to me more?" I asked Lorla. I could not help but love it when she sang. It more the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
"Sure," she said, and she began to sing. It was a slow song and the tune made me tired. I longed more than ever to be in my bed, asleep. But all the same, I did not want it to end.
The song continued for a long time, or at least it seemed long. I wished ti would never end. When she stopped, I could see a tear in her eye.
"Where did you learn that song?" I asked.
"From a friend," was all she said. "We'd better finish up here. I'm ready for the Evening Meal."
I wanted to talk about it more, but I understood that she did not wish to speak of it. I did not like it, but being a Slayer, I was forced to not question her. I let her be. It was her secret and I would let her have it.
That night, I slept more peacefully than I ever had. I fell immediately to sleep and did not rise again until the morning had come.
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comment//vote///become a fan. Thank you for all your support and I hope to write more soon. Sorry for the delay (a short writers block) but I'm BACK!! - - always loving what I do - - JD
