Day 3

Kerri-liana awoke on a hard stone slab. The room was cold. She saw she had been bandaged up but she had no idea by whom. Getting up she left the room. She realized she wasn’t in any pain. She followed the sound of voices and saw a man talking to Lakisha. His back was to her. She was startled when James touched her shoulder

“Where are we?” he asked.

“You’re awake!” Lakisha exclaimed delighted, throwing herself into his arms

“I was so worried!” she added.

“This kind man carried you both here and fixed you up. From what I can tell he’s a religious man.”

The man had short black hair and brown eyes. He was reasonably young.

“Thank you! From both of us” Kerri-liana said.

“You are welcome. My name is Sparrow.” He said politely

“I am Kerri-liana and this is James and Lakisha. We are a bit lost. We don’t know where we are?”

“You are in the city called Point. It is the main trading city in the world.” Sparrow informed.

“World?” Kerri inquired.

Sparrow accounted it to being touched by death so he explained very kindly as if to someone who had lost all memories.

“We live in the world call Chayim. There are many cities, towns and villages. We are ruled by our Queen Tiffany who experienced her family being murdered fourteen years ago. She hasn’t recovered. You were shot with an arrow poisoned with the touch of death. You and your friend here” he indicated to James

“Almost died, Lakisha ran the streets trying to find help. But no one could understand her so when I saw her crying, I had to see what I could do. It’s the least I could do. So, I followed her and brought you back here were I prayed the antidote would work, and it did since I am talking to you now.”

“Come” he said “Let me feed you something so you will stay strong.”

“Thank you. That would be nice.”

She turned to James and Lakisha,

“He wants to give us something to eat.” Kerri said

They followed him to a big wooden table.

“Please have a seat” said Sparrow.

They sat down.

While waiting for his return Kerri-liana filled them in on what Sparrow had told her.

Kerri was not sure but suspected that they were in the place her grandfather had told her about, a magical land filled with wonder. She also suspected that the blue crystal around Lakisha’s neck and the blue crystal she had cut herself on in that monastery had something to do with how they got here. But she kept this to herself. Still unaware that it was because of her.

Viola and her sister Fiona didn’t sleep well in the stables on an empty stomach.

Ranger however managed to sleep just fine.

“I am so hungry” Fiona moaned.

They got up and looked for someone who could understand them.

“I don’t even have a clue what they are saying” Viola complained

Her dress was ruined, she smelt like dung and horses and she was hungry. Oh, and let’s not forget she was travelling with her estranged sister and her new weird red eyed boyfriend.

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Viola’s feet still had blisters and they smelt funny from the goo Ranger had put on them. The goo had helped though.

But when one is hungry everything seems worse. The tatty girls walked about town asking people where they were. But no one understood.

Ranger lurked from a distance keeping his head down.

The slave traders were selling the new slaves in the square. Rich people with nice clothing bought them, some of them.

“Where are we?” Fiona perplexed

“How barbaric is this place? Selling people in the middle of a crummy town.”

“I think this little town is somewhere far away from home.” Viola speculated

Viola and her younger sister Fiona were so tired and so hungry that the markets food started to look good.

Point was not clean or hygienic. Their food was laid on the street. People came, looked and bought the food that was laid out. Flies crawled on the meat and people didn’t seem to care. At first this had been off putting. But hunger makes people see what they want to see.

Ranger was also hungry and the longer he stayed in town the bigger his chances of being caught. He remembered that the monks sometimes fed the poor and they never judged or asked questions. He indicated to the woman to follow him and he led them to the monk’s chapel.

Monk Sparrow was preparing food for the poor when Ranger came in with two strange looking women.

“I hope that’s not the new fashion” he said staring at Viola and Fiona.

“No, it is not” Ranger replied.

“We are hungry travelers on a journey home.”

“Please have a seat” Sparrow said.

Ranger sat down. Viola sat down. Fiona sat down.

“Why are we in a church?” Fiona asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe he can help us?” Viola ventured.

James not thinking walked into the main room which he had been asked not to go into.

When he saw people sitting, he remembered

“Oh, I am so sorry” he apologized.

“No problem” Viola replied.

Then she stood up,

“You speak English!” she proclaimed.

Fiona jumped in

“It’s so good to see someone else who I can talk to. I was going crazy wondering where we were and how we got here.” Fiona was standing in front of James extending her hand,

“I’m Fiona and that is my sister Viola and this kind man Ranger has been helping us.”

“I’m James” he said shaking her hand,

“I have had an interesting time since I arrived” James said understating.

“So, have we” Fiona added, looking at Ranger.

She really liked him and she hoped he liked her too but she really wasn’t sure at all.

Sparrow came in with a tray and food for the three. He was surprised to see James talking to one of the women in his own tongue.

“Where did these people come from?” Sparrow asked Ranger

“Another world” Ranger revealed

“Thank you for the food, we are very hungry.”

Fiona stuffed her face with food, James went to tell the others.

“There are sister’s sitting in the main room, who speak English” he told Kerri-liana and Lakisha.

They went to the main room and spoke with the sisters. Kerri–liana noticed Viola’s star necklace.

“That’s a beautiful necklace” she fished.

“Thank you” Viola said.

“Where did you get it?” Kerri asked hoping for a more informative answer.

“It was a gift from my father” Viola replied realizing Kerri wanted a story about her necklace.

“Is it part of the Ceronio diamond collection?” Kerri asked seeing Viola wasn’t chatty.

“Possibly” Viola said wondering why she was so interested in her necklace.

Kerri then noticed Fiona’s charm bracelet

“That’s so pretty?” Kerri marveled to Fiona

“Thank you” Fiona said.

Lakisha whispered to Viola

“She likes jewellery. She asked a whole bunch of things about my necklace.”

She showed Viola her swan,

“It is part of the Ceronio diamond collection of blue diamonds. My gran gave it to me.… and this one I got while I was in New York. And thing one I bought with my birthday money on a ship. We went around the coast. It was awesome.” Fiona told Kerri

Fiona went on showing each charm and giving its back story.

“The shoe I found on the beach in California”

Kerri-liana realized that her adventure had probably caused a lot of problems. Others had been affected. She quietly went to Sparrow,

“Do you have any clothes for those ladies, or at least shoes?” she asked.

“No, I do not” he said sadly.

“Are you going to depart today? You have recovered very well.”

Kerri got the feeling he wanted them to leave.

“Where shall we go?” she asked him.

“There are inns and work available in the market for those willing to work”

She got the picture.

Sparrow was not usually so quick to throw people out. But he had troubles of his own. He didn’t want the extra attention.

Ranger had sat watching them. How happy Fiona was to be talking with her own people. How Viola wasn’t happy she was talking with their own people. The new women were friendly and the man looked capable. Ranger quietly got up thanked Sparrow and left.

When Kerri announced that they needed to leave that they couldn’t stay at the church another night Fiona looked to Ranger, but he was gone.

“Where is Ranger?” she asked, her worry showing

Sparrow said nothing. He gave them some bread for the journey ahead and bid them farewell.

“I am going back to the forest. I think I can remember how to get back to that tree house?” Fiona said.

“No” Viola said

“He has left and it’s for the best.”

“Best for who?” Fiona snarled

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

“Sorry” she said sadly

“I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“Why do you care so much?” Viola asked nicely

“Because when he was in my mind. I was in his. I saw his soul, it was beautiful.”

‘Saw his soul?’ Viola thought, ‘yeah right, you sound like a stupid teenager with a crush,’

But Viola found something nice to say instead,

“I think he will remember you always”

Maybe the always was too much, Viola worried

She looked at the sister with a sincere look.

“I hope so” Fiona said hopefully.

But Fiona wasn’t giving up she wanted Ranger, and she really had seen his soul while he was looking at hers.

She had sensed and seen flashes of his life. Unlike Viola that resisted his sight. Fiona embraced it. She thought it was amazing. His gifts, his talents, they could really be something together.

“Plus” Viola added

“It’s not like you can take him home.”

Fiona realized that was true.

She felt torn, pulled in too many directions.

Kerri got them work, unloading wagons and cleaning horses. It was honest work. Yuk work and hard work, but they could at least buy dinner.

Little did they know that Sparrow served the best food around and their dinner might be cooked with flies.

They worked hard and stayed in the inn for the night and paid for the next night as well. The food was terrible. But it was food. They had work for the next day, cleaning horses and unloading wagons.

Kerri’s ability to speak the local tongue was invaluable and everyone relied on her for guidance and direction.