Awaken (22 page)

“
Oh Winston...I have a fresh
mug of ale for you,” she says, batting her eyes at him like she got
sand in ‘em.

“
Coming my lovely,” he
answers back then gives me a waggle of his bushy eyebrows. “Don’t
rush your healing on my account my dear....take all the time you
need. This is truly an enjoyable village.”

I cain’t help but laugh at his
retreating back. The laughter feels real good and truly surprises
me. I didn’t think I had it left in me to laugh. I look about at
everything happening ‘round me...really look. The villagers, they
had mostly lost interest in me by now and they are all
talking...eating....some are dancing to the little band of music
makers. It was a celebration of life happening around me and I
find, amazingly, that I very much want to be a part of it. We had
been at deaths door but we had made it through, all of us, alive
and whole and it didn’t matter how we had made it...did it? So I
had performed something totally strange and unexplainable. So I was
truly and undoubtedly a freak. So what? I had saved them, Jax,
Tater, Finn...they were alive and here ‘cause of me. It felt
good....damn good. Knowing I was somewhat responsible for them
being alive, well, it makes me feel lighter somehow...like a weight
has been lifted from my shoulders. Like my being able to save them
somehow made up for my failure in saving Rivercross.

Suddenly ravenous, I grin at
Finn.

“
So how’s the grub table
Finn?”

“
Oh gods Tara, there’s
everything you could ever want! I still ain’t tried it
all...there’s so much.”

“
Well whadda you waiting
for? I’m starving!” I say and hook my arm through his.

I don’t know where to begin, there is
so much food! I ain’t ever seen a spread like this, not ever back
in Rivercross. Everything looks so delicious and my mouth is
watering in anticipation. There’s platters of roasted rabbit, meat
pies piled high, mountains of golden corn, bowls of greens and
other things I cain’t even say what they were. The smell wafting
from it all is simply amazing and my stomach rumbles loudly.
Eagerly I reach for a sweet biscuit the same time as someone behind
me and we try to take the same one.

“
Oh sorry miss,” the voice
behind me says and I stiffen instantly. Gods, not him. I try to
move in the other direction but a dark head pushes past my shoulder
to get a look at my face.

“
Tara? Is that you?” I can
hear the disbelief in his voice and I turn on my heel to give him
the steeliest of looks.

“
Not a word...not one word!
This dress was your ma’s idea, not mine,” I say waiting for the
insults to start flying. Instead he is looking at me all wide eyed,
like he cain’t believe what he’s seeing.

“
By gods...you look like a
girl!” he says.

“
I am a girl jackass,” I
say, glaring at him.

“
No I mean without all the
dirt and mud and stink....you ain’t half bad.”

I don’t know how to take this. Is it a
compliment or an insult? I ain’t sure. So I don’t say nuthin and
neither does Jax. We just kind of stare at each other in silence.
Finally...

“
Tara, I....”

“
Listen Jax...”

We both speak at the same time
interrupting each other. He nods at me.

“
You first,” he
says.

“
No, go ahead,” I
say.

“
I just wanted
to...”

“
Jax! There you are.” A
small wisp of a girl with the loveliest sun bleached curly hair I’d
ever seen moves between us and grabs Jax’s hand. She throws a smile
my way.

“
Hello, I’m Sky. Hope you
don’t mind but I want to dance and Jax here is the best dancing
partner.”

“
Really?” I say
disbelievingly, my eyes opening wide. This dour, sullen stick in
the mud is a good dancer? Somehow I cain’t picture it.

“
Yes really,” he says
defensively, like he can see what I’m thinking.

“
Well nice to meet you
Sky...and by all means. Don’t let me stop you from having the best
dancing partner. This I gotta see!” I don’t bother to hide my
amused grin but Jax looks a mite irritated by it.

“
Look Sky, I really need to
talk to Tara right now,” he says but I interrupt.

“
Nah...it ain’t nuthin that
cain’t wait. Go dance.” I literally push him towards the ever
smiling Sky and he shoots me a look before he lets her lead him
away as if to say ‘this ain’t finished’. I watch them walk away,
Jax seeming to tower over the impossibly tiny girl. Finn comes to
stand next to me, munching loudly on an ear of corn.

“
Who’s that with Jax?” he
mumbles round his mouthful of food.

“
Sky,” I say
simply.

“
She’s real pretty,” he
says.

“
Aye, that she is,” I say,
but cain’t help but feel a bit put out. She did look real pretty in
her nice girly dress ... no confusing her with not being a girl.
She weren’t the type of girl you would describe as ‘ain’t half
bad.’ For some reason I cain’t fathom, it don’t sit well with me.
Must be the hunger getting the better of me, I think. I nudge Finn
and grin.

“
Did you save me
any?”

Shizen! Don’t think I could eat another
bite even if my life depended on it. I must have tried everything
on the table and twice over. And the dress that had been tight
before...well it now threatened to cut off my life’s breath. But I
didn’t care...I would have died full and happy.

We had just stood there, me and Finn,
eating and grinning at each other as the juices ran down our chins.
We would nod hello or such to anyone who happened to speak to us
but we don’t let nuthin deter us from the food. Cat would
occasionally saunter over and gobble up anything we dropped, but
she mainly stayed hidden under the table. There were too many
people round for her liking. I knew how she felt. If I could have
gotten away with it I would have crawled under there with her. Only
when the shouts started of “A tale Tater! A tale!” did we let
ourselves be pulled away from the food.

Eagerly we join Vi and Jax and the
others gathered round the fire. Vi scoots over on the wooden bench
and nods for us to sit. Finn moves real quick and sets himself next
to Vi leaving me no option but to squeeze between him and Jax. For
some reason I hesitate. I don’t want to sit that close to Jax and
Sky but at his raised brow I decide I’m being foolish and sit
myself down. Or try to at least but I take one step and my boot
hooks into the tail of my dress and I go sprawling in the dirt at
Jax’s feet. Horrified I stare at Jax’s boots, too embarrassed to
look any higher.

“
Oh my, are you okay Tara?”
I know its Sky’s voice asking but it ain’t her hands that help me
to my feet and set me straight. I look into the mocking blue eyes
and brush his hands angrily from my shoulders.

“
Aye she’s okay,” he says
all the while still snickering at me. “She ain’t used to dressing
as a girl is all...right Tara?”

“
Mule turd,” I mutter at him
and sit myself next to Finn, squishing him almost so as not to have
any part of me touch Jax at all. I ignore his sniggering and stare
straight ahead at Tater, my cheeks burning hot from my
embarrassment. Even Finn is laughing at me, but I give him my
steeliest glare and mutter under my breath “Don’t you even
dare.”

He stops laughing real quick.
Thankfully everyone’s focus soon turns to Tater as he gets himself
into his story telling mode. He clears his throat a couple of times
and stares dramatically at the night sky. I recognize the look of
intense concentration and I shiver in anticipation, forgetting
about my earlier embarrassment. This was going to be a good
one.

He is as still as a statue, silhouetted
against the roaring campfire. A hush falls over the crowd. Even the
music makers have stopped playing for this treat. Tater drags the
silence out for a bit, building the suspense. It was so quiet you
could probably hear a leaf drop. Then suddenly, his voice booms out
in a deep, resonating timbre...

“
Many many years ago and in
a land far far away...”

Every soul there is held spell bound as
Tater tells us the story of a magical tree planted by the gods that
grew up through the clouds...right to the sky! And of how a poor
boy named Finn (we all laugh at this) came across this tree while
hunting for food one day in the woods and climbs to the sky to find
himself in a magical kingdom ruled by an evil giant. Now this giant
has kept the kingdoms true, good queen locked away in a gilded cage
for many many years. He tells us of how Finn finds this Queen, so
sad and lonely in her confinement. She requests of Finn to release
her from her prison cage and in repayment she promises him her
jeweled locket. The problem however is the giant keeps the key to
the cage on him at all times. Brave Finn waits ‘til the giant falls
asleep then sneaks into the giants pocket looking for the key to
release the Queen, trying desperately not to awaken the giant. All
the young’uns sitting at our feet squeal in fright as Tater, who
had been pretending to be the sleeping giant, opens his eyes, jumps
up on a tree stump and booms out...

“
Ahoy! Ahoy! I smell the
flesh of a foolish boy!”

Even the real Finn next to me jumps and
grabs my arm in fright at this.

Our hero Finn succeeds in getting the
key and freeing the Queen but the giant is furious at the boy and
tries to stomp him into the ground. Tater builds up the excitement
by describing the chase between Finn and the giant. Finn is running
for his life....climbing down the tree as fast as he can but the
giant is on his heels. Halfway down the boy yells to his ma to
bring his ax and once on the ground starts hacking at the tree.
Tater is by now acting it out ...chopping at the air as if his life
truly depended on it. The young’uns are all huddled together
terrified....I even find myself on edge a little, holding my
breath; he has drawn me into the story so. I steal a sideways
glance over at Jax and am amazed to see his usual frown replaced by
amusement as he watches Tater. Sky is huddled into Jax’s arm as if
she was terrified by the story. Snorting to myself in disgust I
turn away. Really? She was acting like one of the
young’uns.

Finn nearly has the tree chopped
through when the weight of the giant topples it the rest of the way
and the giant falls from the sky to the ground, creating a fierce
hole...so wide and deep into the earth that he disappears, never to
be seen again. This hole eventually fills up from the rains and
becomes what the settlers of old used to call an ‘ocean’. As for
Finn, the locket was a treasure indeed and it gives him and his ma
the means to live the rest of their lives happily and
fruitfully…ever after.

Tater stops talking and for a bit there
ain’t nuthin but silence, then the whooping and clapping starts.
It’s so loud it echoes in my ears. Shouts of ‘Wonderful’ and
‘Magnificent’ and ‘Another! Another!’ Tater is soaking it up,
smiling and bowing, but he shakes his head to another tale. Instead
he happily accepts a mug of ale from his rosy cheeked companion and
is content to let the music makers break into a lively dance step.
He is truly where he belongs, I think as I watch someone supply him
with a flute and he joins in the music making, dancing a little jig
as he plays.

I lounge with Vi by the fire listening
to the music and tapping my foot to the rhythm. Finn, by now, has
had enough of sitting and was in among the throng of dancers. I
would catch a glimpse of him every now and then as he swung by on
the arm of someone, head tipped back and howling with laughter. It
gladdens my heart to see him having so much fun. That’s what
young’uns were supposed to do...have fun. Jax is among the many
dancers as well. I see him and Sky, swinging by, hear their
laughter. It don’t seem right hearing that deep laughter coming
from him. I ain’t used to it. I’m used to the sullen looks and
glares of disgust, but Sky, she must truly bring out the best in
him, I think. I watch in puzzlement as many of the dancers clap Jax
on the back as they pass by or kiss Sky’s cheek. It’s almost as if
they were congratulating them...but for what? Before I can ask Vi
about this though, the mob of dancers swoop by and one of them
falls out of the line, nearly landing in my lap. Laughingly the
young man gets to his feet and takes a little bow in my
direction.

“
Why are you not dancing
young miss? Come, dance with me.”

“
Oh no…I cain’t,” I say
shaking my head.

“
Of course you can,” says Vi
and she nudges my shoulder. “Go...have some fun.”

“
No.....no!” I say more
insistently as the man yanks me to my feet. Instantly I am whirled
and spun about in every direction. The swarm of dancer’s crash in
on me, then ebb out again like ripples in a pond. I am swung from
one arm to the next as the magical spell of the music flows over
me, stirring my blood, awakening some deep rooted need to just let
loose. It was exhilarating, and the dancing surprisingly makes me
feel so alive! My breathless laughter blends with the others as I
grab the next person’s hand and am pulled into the crook of a
strong arm. I look up into familiar blue eyes and I’m shocked to
see them void of any disapproval, but filled with the pure joy of
the moment. For a slight bit we share in the delight of the dance
as Jax holds me tight against his chest and I stare into his face.
I suddenly notice that he has shaved since our escape and the
missing stubble allows me to see the tiny hollow in his chin.
Funny, I ain’t noticed that little dent before. I’m stunned at the
sudden urge I feel to reach up and touch it, but fighting it hard I
keep my hands firmly planted on his chest. I can feel his heart
thumping through his thin tunic against the palm of my hand. He
suddenly smiles at me then, a real full out smile that reaches his
eyes and makes them appear bluer than the summer sky, and my breath
catches in my throat.