Hauntingly Beautiful Girls

"A Goddesses' Hand (Part 8)"

For the rest of the day, I sat on a pillow a bit away from the other women and girls.

They had spent some time trying to engage me with looks and smiles. It was too much to take in.

After a while, the mother sweep around to the other girls and had them do tasks or sit quietly.

By what I thought must be nearly sunset that man with the arrow wound made an appearance again.

His mother greeted him and I walked up to see him.

He looked better off and had the stiffness of having wrapped his shoulder under his clothes.

It did not stop him from taking my hand with both of his. Giving it a squeeze, his words flowed more mellow and musical than anything I have heard here (completely unintelligible, but sweet).

He let go of my hand and slipped out the door. I turned to go back my pillow and one foot trembled (making me mis-step). Immediately I was surrounded by all the women.

Chipper in expression and talking quickly they moved me back to my pillow. They all stared in expectancy. In words they would not understand, I said: "His words were not bitter seeds."

They all reacted as if they understood. Fawning and giggling. I think (I am sure) they simply 'read' me, like my mother could do when I said one thing (but inwardly meant something else).

The mother established order in the room. She cradled my hand and let me rest my head against her shoulder for a while.

Two days slipped by in slow measure. There are often giggles when the girls draw near to each other and look my way.

The man with the arrow wound came and talks urgently with his mother. He even makes a sweeping gesture that causes him to wince and leave quickly.

"Those words were not melodic." So I stood up.

The mother brought a sword case over to me. With a slow trembling manner, she showed me in pantomime.

They might put women that raise a sword to death.

It hits me hard. It is true. Where I come from women may not go to city wars in the time battles. But women may fight in the case of city invasion. I demonstrate that by backing myself into the corner of the room and making jabbing motions.

She consoles me and leads me back to my pillow.

The women all surround me again. They are much less cheerful now. The mother shows a tender control by speaking to them.

I think she has told them it does not settle the matter settled, it is just a threat right now.