On the Path of the Giants

Chapter 5: Joshua

        Joshua found himself following the people that had found him, although not entirely of his own volition. The people, who he had now gathered called themselves the “Gats,” were leading him on a leash towards their own village. He was grateful that they seemed conscious of his comfort, and made sure not to pull to tight. Of the seven, only the woman who had asked him whether or not he was sharp – whatever that meant – could speak his language, while the others spoke in a tongue that seemed to be spoken at times through the nose and at others through the mouth. The dogs, which at first seemed angry at Joshua, were now much friendlier towards him, as if the fact that he, too, was leashed made him part of the group. Or maybe it was just because he had given them the cooked hare earlier.

        Joshua followed the Gats without resistance. He tried not to speak, fearing that the wrong word might lead him to an early end, and rather focused his attention on listening. The middle-aged woman who spoke his language, and who is called Johan, kept asking many questions to Joshua, and seemed to talk as if ceasing would stop her heart.

        “I live with Sharp once” she said, still mispronouncing words here and there “I like better travel West than East. Most Gats like East, but me, I like West. It’s very different. That’s where I learn to speak Sharp.”

        Joshua, even if he could understand the meaning of Johan’s words, could still not understand what she meant by them. He did not understand what she meant by speaking sharp, or being sharp, and thought that it might have to do with her strong accent, which could prevent some words from being properly understood.

        The other people in the group kept talking in their nasal language, and from time to time, Johan would turn to them and answer back. She had asked Joshua’s name, but he had felt too threatened to answer. Johan understood, and did not pressure him further. “You answer later that’s okay.”

        They made his way further and further inside of the Giant’s forest, and he felt like the trees were getting smaller and smaller as they walked. “We close to Gats” Johan would say, “you see.”

        The group reached a wide river, wider than any Joshua had ever seen. “It’s running inside of the Giant’s forest” he thought, “it makes sense that their river are longer.” Joshua tried to estimate its width, and realized that, were it to go through the village, it would submerge over half of it.

        The small group got on a floating barge, made out of wood, and one of the men started to row them across. Joshua felt uneasy, and it showed in his behaviour. Johan, who had taken a liking to Joshua, had seen it. “It’s okay we traverse the river all the time. You are in no danger with us.” She had smiled at him when she said this – a genuine smile. Joshua hoped that her words were true, as he clung to one of the wooden beams in the small boat.

        The raft seemed to shake from all sides, and the wind seemed stronger here than it had been on the ground. Joshua clung closer to the wooden beam, as if letting go of its grasp would mean his death. Joshua was delighted when they had finally reached the shore, and he fell on his knees as soon as he felt the dirt on the sole of his feet. The rocking of the boat had made him feel sick in the stomach, and he was glad this was over.

        The Giant’s forest kept going across the river, and it seemed to be taking heights again. “The River might be poisoned” Joshua thought. “Maybe that’s why I was not feeling good.”

        As they made their way further into the land, Joshua started to notice that some other people were in the area. They were never too close, but he could see them out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he became overtly aware of his leash, and tried to remove it. The man who was carrying the other end realized what Joshua was doing, and pulled harder on the piece of leather, making Joshua almost choke. He could hear Johan angrily shouting at the man with the leash, in their nasal language, as tears swelled in Joshua’s eyes – partly from pain, and partly from frustration at being unable to remove the collar.

        The tugging finally stopped, and Johan came and looked at Joshua’s neck from under the collar, as he lay on the damp and rocky earth. She took his scarf, which was lying on the ground because of the struggle, and wrapped it gently around his neck, under the collar of the leash.

        “It’s all red, you no try to remove it because it not get better.” Even though he could feel Johan was trying to help him, Joshua still felt hurt by her. But he decided not to answer, because he knew that the wrong word might lead him directly to his death. If he was not already being led there.

        The group stopped in front of a giant tree, much wider than tall. Joshua could hear more and more of the nasal language coming from inside of it, and quickly realized that he was standing at the entrance to the Gats’ village. This became even more evident when one of the women unleashed the dogs, which quickly ran inside the tree, barking at each other.

        Someone was guarding the entrance, and started asking what questions to the rest of group, all the while pointing at Joshua and speaking angrily in a way no language barrier could hide. Whenever the guard would raise his voice, Johan would double its volume and answer back. It quickly became evident to Joshua that Johan would be his only friend in this place, and he was glad he at least had that. 

        Johan finally removed the collar from Joshua, all the while keeping his arm firmly into her hand. “Welcome to Gats” she said, with a smile. “Follow me and everything is good.”