Chapter 11

When I spoke Dallie a little to close to the sun

I found a peaceful night of sleep for the first time since Calla died. No guilt prevented sleep from taking me, and no dreams plagued my mind. I woke up that morning feeling well rested for the first time in days. I had my best friend back, and knowing I could talk to him gave me so much comfort.

When I woke up to the loud morning bell, I felt a small amount of hope for the day. I dressed in my uniform, and it didn’t feel as uncomfortable as usual. When I pulled my boots on, the fact that they were two sizes too big for me didn’t bother me as much. I hadn’t realised how much weight my falling out with Pill had put on me until it was gone. I felt ten times lighter. A weight still rested on my shoulders, though. A weight that pushed me down into myself. This weight would only go away with time. There was no easy fix to it, and I hated that more than I can describe. I loved the easy way, but there was no easy fix for grief.

Once I was finished getting dressed, Pill came towards me and said, “Valstrum amee. Zeesum fee en?” good morning. Sleep all right?

“Amee amee,” great.

Tu-Wampla came towards us with a hostile expression. "Speak, Mino. No one wants to hear your fucking language.” I had never liked him. In that moment, I hated him.

I turned to face him and yelled, “Quinta froutla!” silence bitch. He was not about to ruin this day that had started off so well.

I looked at Pill, and he looked at me, and we both just began to laugh. This guy was about as thick as the whèintõmba we ate each morning.

Tu-Wampla looked at me with pure anger in his eyes, “what did you just say?” He was acting like a little kid.

“I said, quinta froutla.” I was impressed at how calmly I said it.

“Say it in Mino, you little dick!”

“I’m all good, but thank you for your offer. It was very kind of you.” I put on my most sarcastic grin for him. He didn’t like that. I worked hard to perfect my sarcastic smile.

Pill was still laughing behind me, and my remark made him laugh even harder. Tu-Wampla really didn’t like that. He hated it enough that he punched me. He punched me right between the eyes. Pain erupted from where his fist had connected with my face. This man was two years older than me and about thirty centimetres taller than me. In other words, his punch really fucking hurt.

I stumbled slightly, and Pill steadied me. Tu-Wampla spat on the ground in front of me before leaving the tent.

“Fucking hell that man can punch,” I held my nose as blood poured from it in torrents.

"Sorry, Rico, probably shouldn’t have laughed.” Even as he said it, he was still laughing.

“All good, Pill. I probably should have shut up.” I grabbed a handkerchief from my pack and held it to my nose. It was bleeding profusely. “I’m just going to wait till my nose stops bleeding, then we can go to breakfast, and I will introduce you to Staggy, Gill, and Figra.” We had eaten just the two of us last night, but I wanted to introduce him to my friends.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

* * *

It took five minutes for my nose to stop bleeding. Before we went anywhere, I went to the bucket of water (usually used for hand washing) in the corner of the tent to wash the blood off my face. Staggy would have had a fit if he had seen me covered in blood.

Once my face was free of blood and I had changed my shirt (I had gotten blood everywhere), we got some whèintõmba. I led Pill to where Staggy, Gill, and Figra were sitting, eating breakfast. I waved to them. The moment Staggy saw me, he jumped to his feet and rushed towards me.

“Your nose is swollen. Why is it swollen? Let me have a look.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. He poked my nose a few times. I couldn’t help but grunt in pain, “swollen but not broken. Who punched you?”

“Who said someone punched me?”

“I’m a medic in a camp full of young men who have spent too much time together. I know when someone’s been punched. So, tell me, who punched you?”

“Tu-Wampla.”

“Ah. I never liked that bitch. Who’s your friend?” He pointed towards Pill.

Pill was looking sufficiently uncomfortable. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then gestured him over, “this is Sa-Pillum. He is also from Pallamin.”

“Lovely to meet you, Sa-Pillum. My name is Me-Li-Stagtum, but I hate my full name, so please call me Staggy,” he gave a small bow as he spoke.

“It is lovely to meet you, Staggy. You can call me Pill. I don’t like my full name much either.”

I could tell Pill was uncomfortable by the stiff way he was speaking. I sat down and signalled for Pill to sit down next to me. He rested his plate on his lap and spooned a small amount of food into his mouth.

I turned to Pill and whispered to him, “Ga revelan sum ima enta ama megana, meas tam dill quaplee xi ilu.” I know he can be a lot, but you get used to it.

“Ga umu nan ova tountana ova ga setou.” I am not as scary as I look. Gill had lent over and joined our convocation in Dallie. He spoke Dallie!

I looked at Gill. He was smiling a stupid smile. “You speak Dallie?”

“Only a bit, but yes, I speak Dallie. I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of the Sun City before I moved into the city when I was seven. It’s so nice to hear you speak it. I haven’t heard proper Dallie in years.”

“I’m glad to be of service.” I bowed my head in mock politeness. I was still kind of in shock that Gill spoke Dallie. Barely anyone spoke it those days. I supposed that there were more people who spoke Dallie but didn't, so that what happened to me didn’t happen to them.

Pill seemed to take a strong liking to Gill. He taught Gill some swear words in Dallie since he hadn’t really spoken Dallie since he was a young boy; he had the vocabulary of a six-year-old.

I loved hearing Pill swear. It was honestly so relieving to know he wasn’t too big of a goody two shoes. He was always the teacher's favourite in school. I hated school while I was there, but I almost missed it. I really hoped that my younger sister, Fi~Calula, was still doing well in school. She had always gotten good grades in school. I hoped she was still trying as hard in school. I hoped the war hadn’t affected her life too badly.

The more I thought about it, the more it scared me that I knew so little about my family's lives. They could be dead, for all I knew. But no, I won’t go there. I’m sure they are alive and well. My mum, dad, and sister are probably sitting around the table, drinking tea, and eating some amazing meals my mother had created. Yes, that was a better thought. Even without me there, they could still be happy. Just another four and a half years before I could see them again, unless I died before I could get home. I may die like Calla. Die years before I should have even joined the army. Die before I could live. Die before I could ever see my family again.

I hadn’t realised that I hadn’t thought about Calla all day until he was there again. I began to cry. I couldn’t help it. That day had barely begun but I was already emotionally and physically spent. I tucked my legs into myself and buried my head in the yellow fabric of my pants. I felt a hand on my back. Pill’s voice washed through my mind, but I couldn’t make out the words. The one hand on my back then turned into an embrace. I finally made out Pills words, “ga umu turema. Ga umu en turema ibi tam,” I am here. I am right here for you.