Kelly's Adventure. Chapter 7

[random_xtras]

She was standing with one foot in a crook of the signal branch, watching the wind waving the grass, when Dano straightened and fell off the platform.
She looked down at him in bemused surprise. “Are you okay?”
He sat up, blinking. “Yes, I think so.” Then he pushed to his feet and bent over Caudis.
Kelly jumped down and knelt next to him. “He ate something last night, after I got back.”
"Did he?” Dano put his hand on his adopted son’s forehead.
She nodded. “Not very much, but he complained about having to be fed like a baby.”
Dano chuckled at that, then straightened and arched his back, setting off a pop that made Kelly jump.
He saw and his face darkened. “Kerry-bird, I’m sorry I shouted at you yesterday.”
“It’s okay. I forgive you.”
A slight smile hovered at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes remained sad. “Thank you.”
She shrugged, feeling embarrassed. “You’re welcome.” Then she changed the subject, standing and glancing down at the fire. “Are you hungry? We have fresh meat.”
“Fresh meat?” He gave Caudis a last glance, then came around the platform to look. “Where did you get fresh meat, Kerry-bird?”
Her mouth twitched. “You told me to find you something to eat.”
Dano hunkered down and picked up the skin from where she’d draped it over a lower branch of the platform. “A odonot.” He looked up at her. “You killed it?”
Kelly nodded, lifting her left arm so that the lead weight swung back and forth.
Dano grinned at her proudly. “Not many women can hunt. And you were succesful the first time you tried.”
Kelly flushed and looked down at her feet, pride giving way to embarrassement. “I had to sit on it first.” She admitted.
Dano chuckled. “The method doesn’t matter, Kerry-bird. What matters is that you did it, and prepared the meat properly. I’m very proud of you.”
Kelly dropped to the platform, face pink with pleasure. “Thanks, Dano.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze and picked up the guinea pig’s ribcage and hung it over the fire.
“There’s some already cooked.” Kelly pointed to where the meat lay, wrapped in a clumsy grass bag.
“Yes, but we should cook all of it as quickly as we can,” said Dano. “It lasts longer when it’s cooked.”
“Oh.” She checked on Caudis, hopped down beside him and took her knife out of her belt to cut the haunches into smaller pieces.
“Where did you get this?” Dano took it from her and turned it over in his hands.
“From the little blond shepherd guy,” said Kelly. “I think he gave it to me for saving his little boy.”
“What little shepherd guy?” Dano looked at her questioningly. “When did you save his child? Yesterday, when you were hunting?”
Kelly nodded. “Right after I killed the guinea pig this big dog jumped on me and tried to chase me away from it. I hit him with my mace, but then another one came out of the grass.” She scowled at the memory. “It had a little kid in its mouth.”
Dano hissed through his teeth, face creased in horror.
“Yeah. I didn’t think, I just got him away from it,” said Kelly. “Then, when I looked to see where the other one was the little guy that ran into me the other day was standing there with some of his friends. The little kid’s dad picked him up and gave me the knife; and then another guy that looked like he was the leader asked me with sign language if the guinea pig and dead dog were mine.”
“Dead dog.” Dano sat straighter. “You didn’t say that you had killed the dog.”
“Oh.” Kelly stopped. “I did. Was that bad?”
Dano shook his head. “No. I was only surprised. Was it a large dog? Did it attack you?”
“I don’t think it did.” She tried to remember. “No, it didn’t attack me. It tried to bite me when I pulled it close with the cord on the mace, but I think I kicked it.”
“How big was it?” Dano repeated, eyes wide at the story.
Kelly held her hand about 66cm off the ground. “About as big as a malamute, only it looked more wolfy.”
“You didn’t bring it back?” He looked around.
“No, I gave it to the leader guy. He seemed really happy with it.” Kelly looked at him questioningly, wondering if she’d done the wrong thing.
“It was yours to do with as you wanted,” said Dano, looking at her closely. “Was the…hair…”
“Fur.”
“Thank you. Was the fur pretty?” He moved to examine her from a different angle.
“Yes. Not as fancy coloured as the other one, but it was thick and wavy, and all this misty soft grey.” Kelly raised an eyebrow at him.
He reached over and fingered a slash in her poncho.
“What’s that?” She tried to see.
“A tear made by teeth.” Dano looked at her. “You’re a brave girl, Kerry-bird. Braver than many men I’ve met.”
Kelly reached up and poked her finger through the hole, both eyebrows shooting upward. “Yikes. It nearly got me.”
“I thank the Almighty that it didn’t.” Dano gave her shoulder another comforting squeeze.
“Yeah,” she said, blinking. “Me too. Wow.”
She shook her head to try and clear away the image of big teeth snapping inches from her neck and grinned at him shakily. “We never realize all the things He saves us from, do we?”
“I’m glad,” said Dano. “I don’t think I’d want to know how many times He’s rescued me. The world’s frightening enough as it is.”
Kelly chuckled and wriggled her finger, then pulled it out and smoothed the tear, frowning. “This is going to leak.”
“If you give it to me for a few minutes I’ll sew it for you,” he offered, wiping his hands on his pants and getting up to get his mending materials.
“I can do it,” said Kelly, feeling embarrassed by the fuss.
“Yes, but let me do it this time.” He smiled as Tan crawled out of Caudis’ bed and tumbled off the platform. “That’s where she was.”
“Yeah.” Kelly lifted the puppy as it waddled over to her. “Caudis was cold.”
He nodded. “She’s a perfect little warming stone.”
“Uh huh.” Kelly turned Tan over and poked her fat tummy, then pulled out a piece of meat and started chewing it for her. Tan lay on her back and looked up at her, then squirmed, trying to roll over.
Kelly righted her and poked food into her mouth, then looked up at Dano. “Those fat people on the big sledge, they were the ones who eat the little dogs?”
“Yes.” He glanced up from his work. “They are the Vessals, the ones the Sloth People believe to be the homes of their gods.”
“How did they get so big?” Kelly frowned. “Do they eat that much?”
Dano nodded. “All the offerings of the people.”
Kelly looked down at Tan, thinking. Then she looked up. “Will their kids be the same as them?”
Dano looked up puzzledly. “Do you mean the children with them on the sledge?”
“Yeah, weren't they theirs?”
“No. But they will be like them.” He resumed sewing.
“So, they just take someone else’s kids and decide they’re the next fat people?” She frowned.
“No, the Vessals have no say in the matter,” said Dano. “The children who will replace them are picked from the Chosen families before they’re born.”
“Those are the people with the yellow hair?” Kelly winced as Tan gummed her thumb and quickly gave the puppy more to eat.
“Yes.”
“So, they’re the Sloth People royalty?”
He looked up. “What does royalty mean?”
“Like kings and queens and dukes.” Kelly used a stick to stir the fire together and then looked up at him. “You know, the leaders.”
“Oh.” He shook his head. “No, they aren’t royalty. They have no authority over the Sloth People. They have no say about anything that happens to them, they’re like slaves were in the Book.”
She stared at him. “But they worship them.”
“No, they worship the two who are supposed to be filled with their gods. The rest are only there to make sure that there will be more children to be Vessals.”
Kelly shuddered and held Tan to her chest. “That’s sick.”
He nodded slightly, face serious. “Idol religions often are, Kerry-bird. The Sloth People give the spirits they worship a home and worship, in return they expect good hunting and protection from sickness. There is no love and no hope, only obligation.”
“Euww.” She tucked Tan into the carrybag, then twisted the string so that the meat over the fire would turn and be cooked evenly.
“Euww,” came a weak echo from the platform.
“Caudis?” Dano lifted his head.
“I think Tan…leaked…on me.”
“What?” Kelly got up to look under Dano’s cloak. “No, she didn’t. You’re sweating because you’ve got too many covers on.”
“Good.” He struggled to sit up. “That would’ve been bad.”
Dano got up quickly and came to help him, then folded the cloak for him to lean back on. “How do you feel?”
“Better,” said Caudis solemnly, pushing his own cloak open to let the cool breeze in. “But I’m very hungry. Do we have any more of Kerry's guinea pig?”
“Yup.” She hurried around the platform to grab the ribs. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” He smiled at her, then looked at the food grimly. “Now let’s see if I can feed myself.”
Dano chuckled. “Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ll become too tired and maybe catch something else.”
Caudis gave him a chagrined look. “How long do I have to lay down?”
“I don’t know. Until you get your strength back,” said Dano implacably. “We’re not traveling again till I say so.” He caught the quick roll of Kelly’s eyes and amended himself. “We’re not traveling till Kerry and I say so.”
“That’s not what I was rolling my eyes about,” she said. “I was thinking about how well he listened before.”
“I’m going to listen now,” said Caudis quickly. “I don’t want to be sick again.” He gave Dano a quick, apologetic glance.
Kelly cocked her head suddenly. “What’s that sound?”
“Sound?” Caudis looked up. “Which one?”
“That piping sound?” asked Dano, also listening.
“Yeah. I heard it last night, too,” said Kelly. “What is it?”
“The Hill People.” Dano sat by Caudis and accepted a piece of meat. “They’re blowing birdbone whistles.”
“Bird bone?” Kelly hung the last of the raw meat over the fire and picked up the package of cooked meat. “How do you know what they’re made of?”
“I’ve seen them,” said Dano. “The Hill People sometimes leave them laying on their graves.”
“Oh.” Kelly felt a small flash of sadness. “Do you think the little boy died?”
He shook his head. “No, that isn’t mourning. I think they’re celebrating.”
“What little boy?” asked Caudis, looking back and forth between them. “What happened to him?”
Kelly chuckled. “Do you think you can stay awake long enough to hear the whole story?”
“No,” he admitted. “But I can hear some.”


( ( (


The pipes continued for the rest of the day and all through the night. Kelly could hear them as she sat up on the edge of the platform taking her turn to watch.
The morning dawned silent, cold, and wet. Kelly woke to a face full of rain. “Spltht!!”
“What was that?” Caudis lifted his head to look at her in amazement as Dano chuckled from his place by the fire.
“That was me trying to breath water.” She rolled over and turned Tan loose to romp through the puddles.
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I’m not used to sleeping out in the rain yet, and I was laying on my back,” she said sourly, trying to rub the sting out of the back of her nose.
“Oh.” He pulled his cloak back over his head. “I do that sometimes.”
Dano smiled at her as she looked at him blearily. “Is there a puddle in your hood?”
“Not anymore,” she arched her back, suddenly fully awake. “It’s just turned into a river going down my back. Excuse me.” She jumped down and headed for a private spot.
“Dano, can you help me get up?” she heard Caudis ask as she disappeared behind a clump of sedgegrass with Tan waddling in her wake.
She was away for only five minutes, but when she returned to the platform she could see something laying on it that had not been there when they had left it.
She stopped and looked at the thing, trying to make out what it was through the rain. “Dano?”
“Yes, Kerry-bird?” he and Caudis looked up. Noticing the thing, they too stopped and looked at it.
“What is it?” asked Kelly apprehensively, retreating instinctively to stand next to them.
“I don’t know,” said Dano. “Can you help Caudis while I look?”
“Sure.” She staggered slightly as he transferred the young man’s weight to her shoulders, then watched as he went to investigate.
“It’s safe,” he called. “Come and see.”
“Can you come get me, please?” Caudis called back. “I’m afraid I’m going to squash Kerry.”
Dano came quickly and put an arm around his waist. “We had a visit from your friends, Kerry-bird.”
“What friends?” She frowned, stretching her back.
“The people of the hill.” He dropped something into her hand.
Kelly looked at the finely carved bone beads in wonder, marveling at the intricate designs. “Ohh, they’re beautiful!”
Then a thought made her look up. “They’re not supposed to be magic, are they?”
Dano shook his head as he lead Caudis back to the willow bed. “No. I think that they’re just a thank you gift. And look at this.”
Kelly looked at the pile of meat that lay on a brown sheepskin in the center of the platform. “They gave us some meat?”
Dano pushed it aside and lay Caudis down. “They killed a sheep.”
Kelly looked up questioningly at the serious note in his voice.
“I used to watch the Hill People when I was in the grassy lands before,” said Dano. “And the only time I saw them kill their sheep was on very special occasions. They’re their most important possessions.”
“So why did they kill one for us?” She frowned.
“Not for us, Kerry-bird,” he corrected somberly. “For you. This was probably the father’s best sheep, but he gave it to you in return for the life of his child. It was the biggest sacrifice he could make.”
“To pay the debt,” said Caudis.
Kelly fingered the edge of the skin, sobered by her understanding. “Can we even eat it?”
Dano hesitated, glancing around with a thoughtful frown. “I don’t know. Sheep chew their food more than once…do you think that would help them to have less poison in their bodies?”
Kelly climbed up to sit by Caudis, considering what she knew of rumnant digestion.
Finally she looked up. “Didn’t God say that we wouldn't be hurt by deadly poison?”
“Mark 16:18.” Dano picked up his bag and pulled out his Testament. His frown deepened as he leafed through the rumpled little book and then stopped to read. “It says, ‘and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them,’” he reported, looking up.
“Oh….” Kelly exchanged a glance with Caudis. “Should just throw it away?”
Dano looked around. “I wonder if they’re still watching us.”
Kelly blinked and looked around too. “Yikes, I wouldn't want to insult them.”
Caudis lay back and pulled his cloak over his face, bored with the discusion. “Just ask God to make it okay.”
Kelly looked at him sideways, one eyebrow raised, then raised the other one and gave Dano a wry grin.
He grinned back, then looked at Caudis. “Do you want some sheep meat?”
“Mutton,” said Kelly.
“Is that what you call it?” asked Dano. “Okay. Well, Caudis?”
“I’ll eat it,” said Caudis. “Does it taste like horse?”
“Euww! No!” Kelly shuddered. “It tastes like deer or goat, a little bit like cow.”
“I’ve eaten goat, it was good.” Caudis poked his head out from under his cloak. “But right now I’m going to sleep. Can I have Tan?”


( ( (


It rained steadily for the next four days. Kelly began to think her brain was taking on water. She had never gone through a more agonizingly boreing and physically uncomfortable time in her life.
Then the temperature dropped to below zero.
Kelly bit herself as she curled in a shivering ball and stuck her hands on Tan. Compared to her own body temperature, the pudgy puppy felt like a furnace. She winced as sensation returned to her fingers, then reluctantly worked her hand up to push her hood back a bit so she could see if dawn was coming.
Seeing no trace of light on the horizon, she groaned and curled tighter, even though the motion made her belly muscles cramp as they continued to shiver.
There was a rustle, then something pressed against her back. Something covered her and she felt warm air seep into her hood. Gradually her shivering stopped and she slept.
Kelly woke and stretched, bumping into something with her knees. Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes and poked the warm wall in front of her.
“What?” murmured Caudis sleepily. “Do you need to get out?”
Eow! She shrank away from him. I’v been sleeping in the same bed as the guy I like. Where’s Dano? Why didn’t he say something?
“Kerry?” asked Caudis. "Did you go back to sleep?”
“Uhh, no.” She pulled herself deeper into her hood, wondering what she should do.
He moved slightly, letting in a blast of cold air. “Dano, what’s she doing?”
There was a movement against her back. “Kerry-bird? Do you want to get out on this side?”
“Awk!” She turned, eyes wide in shock. “Uhh, yeah…let me out. I have to go….”
“Watch out, its cold!” he warned, sitting up and giving her an open escape route.
“Yii!” She pulled her arms inside her poncho and looked around at the frozen rain that fell steadily. “Euww.”
Then she glanced back at the platform and headed out into the grass.
Euww, euww, weird. Comfy and warm, but weird, weird, weird. I haven't even slept in the same bed as Mike since we started school.
She paused and looked around, shivering. I guess I’m making too much fuss about nothing. I mean, being that close to Caudis was…unsettling, but they were only helping me keep warm. I was so wet yesterday from trying to preserve the sheepskin (I need to check that when I get back) that I probably would’ve frozen stiff.
Euww. I think I’d rather be warm and go home than be frozen and stay here.
A movement in the grass distracted her from her mental soloquay and she turned, all senses at the ready. She’d gotten used to fresh food and didn’t relish the idea of going back to the greasy traveling rations. Maybe this was another guinea pig she could bring home.
There was a soft clicking sound and the little red-haired Hill man stood and beckoned to her.
Wondering, she followed him to where a low felt structure had been stretched over two poles. The small shepherd motioned that she should precede him, then followed and squatted on a mound of earth that had been heaped up and covered with dried grass.
She crouched in front of him, her head bent so it didn’t touch the roof. “What’s up?”
He looked at her thoughtfully for a few minutes, then picked up a flat piece of wood and started making marks on it with a lump of soggy charcoal.
Finishing, he turned it for her to see, one pale rusty-gold eyebrow raised.
“You guys write,” Kelly looked at the marks with chagrin. “But I can’t read it.” She raised her shoulders in a shrug, giving him an apologetic look.
He frowned and rubbed his nose with one finger, then lay the wooden slate on his knees and started again. Whatever he was doing this time took a lot of frowning and lip biting, and glancing from Kelly to the slate.
When he was done to his satisfaction, he indicated that she should come sit a little closer and showed her a series of careful sketches.
“That’s me and you sitting in this tent, right?” Kelly pointed from the pictured girl in the first one to herself.
He nodded, clicking something softly, then pointed to the next part of the picture, which showed Kelly coming with him to the village on the hill. The last sketch showed Kelly seated in state with little men and women bowing to her and bringing her offerings of sheep.
Kelly shook her head. “No.”
He looked up at her questioningly.
“No way are you setting me up as a goddess,” she said firmly, still shaking her head. “There’s only one God, and it’s not me.”
His expression turned a little bewildered and he offered her the slate and charcoal.
Kelly took it and paused to shoot a quick prayer upward. God, please show me how to explain this.
Carefully she drew a ground and sky, then added a misty person outline in the sky. Then she drew a moon in all its phases, tapped it, and shook her head. She repeated the gesture with the sun, stars, a comet, a mountain, the clouds, and a meteor.
The Hill man nodded, his eyes showing that he understood. She wasn’t talking about any of the things he could see.
“Okay, so far so good.” She bent over her work with renewed determination.
Kelly lost all track of time as she used pictures and gestures to outline God’s creation of man, their disobediance, and how that separated man from God. She sketched how the disobediance had to be paid for with death.
At this her host whistled through his teeth and looked around fearfully.
Kelly shook her head. “Don’t worry. He took care of that, too, look.”
She was in the middle of explaining how God had come to Earth as a baby when she heard her name being called.
“Oops.” She handed him the slate. “Dano’s looking for me. I’ll be right back, okay? I’m coming back.”
The Hill man nodded, intent on the pictures she’d already done.
Kelly duck-waddled out from under the shelter and stood up. “I’m right here.”
Dano turned quickly and started to walk toward her. “We were worried.”
“Wait!” She held up her hands hastily. “Don’t come any closer.”
He stopped, looking puzzled. “Why not? What’s wrong?”
Then he frowned. “Is there someone there threatening to hurt you if I come closer?”
“No.” She thought of the deference of her pupil and laughed. “No, no one’s threatening to hurt me. I’m just doing something really important, and I have to get it finished.”
Dano gave her a look. “Is that what you mean by a roundabout explanation, Kerry-bird?”
“Oops.” She stopped. “Yeah. It is. Okay, I’m busy explaining the Gospel to one of the Hill guys. I’ll come back when I’m done.”
Dano’s eyebrows lifted. “One of the Hill People?”
She nodded. “Yeah, he came and offered me a place as goddess of the hill.”
Dano chuckled. “And you decided to tell him the truth.” He turned to go back to the platform. “We’ll ask the Lord to speak through you and help you, okay?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” she said thankfully, then crawled back under the tent.
The Hill man looked up from carefully writing something down on another wooden slate and set it aside quickly, grabbing the other slate and shoving it at her eagerly.
“Okay, okay, where was I? Oh yeah, He came to Earth as a baby, and nobody would let His mom and stepdad in, so He was born in the crummiest place in town….”
She drew on. The Hill man whistled through his teeth when he saw who the angels had told the news of Jesus birth to, and his thin, freckled face took on a fresh eagerness. He watched in solomn wonder as she showed some of Jesus’ miracles, then trembled in sympathetic horror as He was nailed to the cross and died.
“Hey,” said Kelly softly. “Don’t cry. Just wait till you see the end. And His dying made it so you don’t have to die.” She drew a Hill man with spots all over his body and his eyes exed out, then crossed it out and pointed to the Man on the cross.
He understood, his eyes lit up in awe as he clicked excitedly under his breath.
“Yeah, and then He came back to life and went back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father.” She drew with a flourish. “And we…” she drew herself… “live in Him…this charcoal’s too fat to draw that right…ah, there. And He’ll live in us. Then some day He’ll come back and take us all to Heaven with Him, including the ones that have died.”
She stopped and looked at him uncertainly, wondering if he’d understood her correctly.
He looked back, amber eyes shining, waiting for something.
When she didn’t continue he took the slate and pointed to the picture of Jesus sitting on the throne, then drew himself killing a sheep and giving it to Him, followed by one of him living in Jesus.
“Oh. No.” Kelly shook her head. “He doesn’t want a sheep.”
He frowned at her puzzledly, then handed her the charcoal and tapped the slate, clicking insistently.
“Okay, okay.” God, please help me. This is the tricky part. How do I draw confessing sins and accepting Jesus death as the payment for them?
Inspiration struck, and she drew a series of pictures showing a man kneeling with a speach bubble over his head, in the bubbles she showed the man taking things from others, kicking his sheep, killing someone, hitting his wife, hitting another man, worshiping something other than God, and every other sin she could think of for a little Hill person to do. She showed that the man was telling all these things to God.
He took the charcoal and drew the man being dead for doing those things, then looked up questioningly.
Kelly nodded, then drew Jesus washing all the sins away with His blood. The little man in the picture stood gratefully, his hands uplifted, and Jesus listened to his happy words (indicated by chicken scratches that looked something like Hill People writing).
The Hill man studied it carefully, then drew Jesus living in the picture man.
Kelly nodded. “Yes, then He lives in you and helps you all through life.”
He grinned widely and bowed his head.


( ( (


She was exhausted but bubbling with muted excitement when she got back to the willow platform.
Caudis set the sheepskin aside and spread out the tail of his cloak for her to sit on. "Did he understand?”
Kelly nodded. “Yes. Oh yes. He went over parts of it four times to make sure he got it right. Then he explained the whole thing to me. I never thought I’d get that much out of a story told by someone who doesn’t even speak the same language as I do.” She grinned and looked in the food bag.
“He explained the Good Story to you?” Dano chuckled.
“Yup. I had the feeling that he wanted it totally straight in his mind before he wrote it down.” Kelly examined a lump of soggy-looking cabbage benignly.
“Wrote it down?” Dano and Caudis both stared at her.
Kelly nodded. “They write. That’s how he tried to talk to me at first.”
“Cool,” said Caudis, picking up the skin and starting to work on it again.
“But you couldn’t read it?” asked Dano, looking thoughtfull.
She shook her head and took a bite of cabbage. “No, it was a different kind of alphabet.”
“There’s more than one?” Caudis looked up in chagrin.
“Yes. Lots of them.” Kelly laughed. “Don’t worry, though, you know the most common one.”
“Good.” He gave a sigh of relief.
"Did he make the choice?” asked Dano, standing and scanning the area.
“Uh huh, right after I finished explaining it to him for the first time.” Kelly gasped air through her teeth to combat the peppercorn she’d just bitten. “Listen, there go the pipes.”
"Did you tell him about the world ending?” asked Caudis, lifting his head to catch the music.
Kelly nodded, sobering. “Yes, I told him, and asked him to come with us. He isn’t coming.”
“Why not?”
“Because he wants to go tell other people about Jesus, so they can be ready to meet Him. He seemed to think it was pretty exciting that it was coming so soon.”
Caudis looked at her sideways to see if she was serious, then turned to Dano. “I thought all the faithful were supposed to come back to Earth.”
Dano shook his head. “All the faithful who met the messenger are going to Earth. It doesn’t say anything about anyone else.”
“But he’ll die if he doesn’t come with us,” said Caudis.
“Only the first death,” Dano reminded him gently.
“It’s still dead. It’s not going to be nice,” grumbled Caudis, scowling at him. “He must be crazy.”
“No.” Kelly shook her head. “Look at it this way: you find out there’s going to be someone really important coming to your village. He can take you with him to live in a huge village where there’s lots of food, it’s always warm, and it doesn’t rain very often. Wouldn't you want to tell people, so they could come too?”
Caudis frowned, thinking about it, then he nodded grudgingly. “I guess so. It would be mean not to tell anyone, and the big village would be pretty lonely if there wasn’t anyone there.”
Dano looked at him thoughtfully, his brow creased in a slight frown.
Kelly nodded, then took another bite of cabbage and nearly gagged. “Ugh. Do we have anything else to eat?”
Dano shook his head, chuckling. “We have mutton. Do you want some of it?”
Kelly sighed and offered the cabbage to Caudis. “I’m sure she was the best sheep her owner had, but she’s not the tenderest or the best-tasting I've tasted. I think I’m just tired of cold, greasy meat.”
“Cold, greasy meat,” repeated Caudis thoughtfully. “Now I’m hungry.”
“You are sick.” Kelly turned to give him a disgusted look.
“No I’m not,” he said in satisfaction. “Not anymore.”
She snorted, then shook her head, laughing.
Caudis grinned, then looked toward the sound of the piping. “Do you think many will listen when Kerry’s man tells them the Good Story, Dano?”
Dano smiled. “I hope so. When I was here before there were seven Hill People villages. Even if only half of them are left, that will be at least twenty people who can hear the Story and maybe become Christian.” He conteplated the soaked fireplace, scratching his head, then picked up the guinea pig skin and propped it up on three sticks so that it covered the sodden ashes.
“What are you doing?” Kelly leaned over to look.
“I’m seeing if I can start the fire,” said Dano. “So I can I can put some of the meat over it and heat it up for you.”
“Ohh.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Dano. I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I was just griping. You don’t need to make me anything fancy.”
“Do you want your cabbage back?” Caudis stopped chewing and gave her an impudent look.
“No.” She shook her head. “Will you stop being so silly?”
He tried giving her a hurt look, but the twinkle in his eyes ruined the effect.