[Birdland]

The boy sat by the bank, bare feet in the water, head tilted back to catch the rays of the Sun as She ran toward the distant Misty Mountains, to find Her way to the sea. He should not have been lying there by the stream, not in broad daylight, and certainly not in an open meadow. But what child doesn’t love the Sun?

“Ceo! What are you doing? Da will be that angry at you, he will. Coming home empty handed.“ The boy jumped up, grinning as he held up a pair of limp conies that had been hidden in the grass beside him. “Saw a bustard today, Fina.”

“Oh, did you? And where is it now, knowing how fond we all are of bustard?” Despite her earlier scolding, the girl joined the boy by the water, setting a willow basket down, and also dangling her long, bare feet in the cool stream.

“She was still being followed by her chicks. Don’t worry, I’ll find her again.“ And he did a perfect imitation of the bird’s ratchety call, and spreading his arms, struck up it’s mating “dance.”

Fina laughed at her brother’s mocking (for brother and sister they were. Born on the same day.) and said “Aye, if I were a bustard, I could not resist your charms.“

“What have you found, then?” Ceo rummaged in the basket, pulling out various roots, shoots, leaves, and mushrooms, which he sniffed appreciatively, before finally settling on some cattail bulbs which he rinsed in the stream and began to peel with a small, iron knife.

“Least you didn’t find the berries. I kept them separate.” Which caused Ceo to toss aside the cattail and wheedle, “Come, Fina, share with your brother. Just a few. I’m that hungry.”

“Just a few. I didn’t find that many. It’s still early in the season.” She carefully opened a pouch on her belt, and handed him a small handful, taking another for herself. Fina delicately ate her own berries one at a time. Ceo tossed his in his mouth at once, then looked around for the cattail he had tossed away.

“I wish we had some corn for tonight.” said Ceo, munching on the root, then making a face. “And salt.“

“It’s a full moon. You’ll have to wait awhile for more corn. And Da wouldn’t want us to go back to that last field anyway. I was that scared, when that Big Folk started to holler, and his dog to bark.”

“Hah! I’m not afraid of any Blind-Feet. They’re so big, I’m surprised they can even walk, let alone run. Clumsy as a troll. Just as stupid as one too. Most of them, anyway.”

“ ‘Most of them’? And just how many of the Big Folk have YOU had dealings with? And don’t call them ‘Blind-Feet‘. Ma says it’s crude.”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it? Wearing all that leather and iron on their feet. How can they tell where they’re goin’?

“Ma says their feet are all short, and squishy. And naked, like a baby bird!” Fina giggled and shuddered at the same time. “They must look that odd”

Ceo grinned “Bet they stink too.” Which set the twins into a fit of giggling, with various theories about just how bad the Big Folk would smell.

Finally Ceo looked up at the mountain ranges in the far distance, and jumped to his feet. “Look where the Sun’s at! She’s almost gone behind the peaks. Da will call us out, for sure.”

The children bent to gather their foodstuff in the basket again. Ceo placed the conies on top, and took the load, slinging it over one shoulder. Then carefully looking around, they set out without a sound across the meadow, and into the shelter of the trees.

A minute later, and you would never have known that they had been there.

[ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]