3|0.2.3.4.1.8.4.8
“You coming, or will the sun set first?” I hear from the other side of the bathroom door, as I incessantly check myself in the full-body mirror propped up against the wall directly opposite the closed door.
Thoe, my step-sister.
Today is graduation day, and a huge ceremony-and-celebration event has been planned on the front yard of our school. 1,000 people are expected to attend, and we will be in there among them.
That is if I can manage to pull myself together here…
I feel my powerful heart hammer away in my chest, as I try to make my hair look perfect. Cheeks blushing warmly…
This light pink dress that I finally settled on after an hour of searching at the local clothing market – it accentuates my curves the way I like, but still allows for plenty of freedom to move (especially considering my four arms).
Long, straight, brown hair done up in what I hope is a beautiful ponytail configuration, complete with a matching pink silk bow and ribbon to hold it in place, and an elegant headband to hold off any hair stragglers. Hair-spray to make it shine…
Eye-lights on the eyelids, blush-powder on the cheeks (not, apparently, that I need it), and some glitter-powder on my chest, to highlight my newly-formed, pert breasts.
My favourite necklace made from Oramidran silver, which has my birthstone – a ruby – enshrined on the front of it (Uncle puts by birth at Mid-spring, around the time of the equinox), and a matching bracelet to go around my left fore-hand. The school ring is put on my right-fore-hand ring finger.
The finest slipper-shoes my allowance can afford. A gleaming white…
Chap-stick to the lips, to keep them moist and healthy-looking.
I debated using some of Step-mom’s rose-scented perfume, too, and ended up deciding on just a single spurt just below my Adam’s apple.
The pesky flame still dances away in my stomach, however, causing a near-unbearable pang of nervousness within me.
I only hope that I am perfect enough to satisfy…
“Yah?!” Thoe’s voice rings in again.
Oh, right…
One last deep breath to calm the nerves. “Right. Coming,” I respond at last.
“Timekeepers rejoice!” I then hear her footsteps pitter-patter down the stairs to the lobby/kitchen.
Wow, Thoe.
We’re still not even going to be late, for the event’s slated to start at dinnertime.
I finally exit the bathroom and join Thoe, now in the foyer with her stupid little hand-purse in-hand, ready to go. A semi-nonplussed look about her…
In due time, we exit our house and make our way over to the school, where nearly everyone else waits. She manages to cheer up on the way over, with my help joking with her.
For the longest time, Thoe and I have been virtually the same height, and thanks to Thoe’s recent obsession with fitness, we now have nearly the same muscle-tone as well. I’m still only slightly more strong-looking than she. We have always been the same age – only a month apart, if Uncle is right about my birthdate.
The only real differences between us now is Thoe’s blonde hair to my brown, and the two extra arms that I possess that she doesn’t. Besides that, now, she and I are practically twins.
After a half-hour’s walk, passing private and public beaches and richmen’s estates (the so-called ‘Laria Aealia’) on the left, and eroded, rolling, tree-covered hills on the right, we meet up with Nithia, one of our few close friends, and her brother Thora. Thora dons a handsome, deep-gray ballroomsuit, complete with a cute, dull-blue bowtie, while Nithia pulls off a deep-red corset-dress with matching slippers and lipstick to completely contrast her mid-back-length, dark-brown, wavy hair.
After another half-hour’s walk, we are finally at the schoolyard. A huge, open-air carnival tent has been set up in the middle of the greenspace, lined with many rows of chairs facing a ‘stage’ – where, I suppose, we graduates sit. A podium stands proudly in the center; the stage and chairs face it.
All around the tent there are long-tables filled to the brim with delicious-looking food which suddenly makes my stomach knot up with hunger. Everywhere on the yard there are people. A dung-pile-load of people; kids with their parents and friends and relatives.
Amongst the crowd, sticking out like a sore thumb, is Step-dad. Step-mom is under-arm. They booked this day off to prepare, while Thoe and I had only the afternoon to do the same. As a result, they’re already here, while we’re just showing up.
We part from Nithia and Thora for now as Thoe and I eagerly make our way up to our parents.
Step-dad looks like a farmboy, in stature – he’s anything but. In fact, he’s a carpenter. In his middle age, his short, dark-brown hair has reduced to a crown, leaving the top of his head exposed to all the elements of Aealian daytime. A thick, well-designed moustache tops the characteristic face I’ve come to know all too well. He is also tall – roughly a head-and-a-half taller than me.
Step-mom, however, is roughly half-a-head shorter than me, with medium-long, frizzy, dark-brown hair, a golden-brown-coloured permanent tan (she’s the farmer), and in her middle age has grown quite a stomach. Though she be overweight, I still know her to be strong as an ox, and to have a nearly unlimited stamina after her many years as a farmer and mother to two barely controllable little girls who were always finding ways to accrue some mischief and place it firmly on her lap.
Quite rare for girls, indeed, but Thoe and I used to rough-about as children. It was even more entertaining when Yoll was thrown into the mix.
After weaving through dozens of loitering graduates and other people, we finally make it to our parents, and surprise them with a group hug.
“Hey! What took so long?” he bellows as he shmucks us into his beer-belly. His voice is always loud; it’s merely a matter of how loud…
“Little Hallie and her big heart,” huffs Thoe.
“We’re still early, Thoe!” I return, playing up a gruff voice, crinkling my nose.
Thoe just rolls her eyes…
I laugh, and so does she eventually. We all have a chuckle, at the end of it all.
“Right, so shall I send you two to the long-tables?” Step-mom steps in as we finally pull away from Step-dad.
“Yeah, girl!” I exclaim. I feel hunger sinking in again.
We make our way over to the buffet line. I almost make it to the tray table when my eye catches sight of the object of all my troubles back home inside the bathroom, currently piling sliders onto his plate.
I suddenly stand still; my great heart pounds away again. I stare at him for what seems like forever. Maphis: my overwhelming heart-throb crush.
He’s not the most attractive of men, as far as appearances go, but it’s not really his appearance I’m attracted to anyway. Ever since I came to his rescue years ago, from one of his many episodes of being harassed and picked on he was facing at that time, we have become friends of sorts.
Somewhere between that day, and today, I inexplicably fell madly in love with him; practically helpless to resist or intervene at all.
There’s no way I could approach him in this state. I’d probably stutter hopelessly, if I did, and that could ruin everything…
“Hey, girl!” comes an uncanny, somewhat musical voice from my right. Thoe…
I snap out of my preoccupation, and quickly reach for a plate and utensils. I start putting food on my plate, and I resist the urge to blush obscenely.
“Was that an infatuation I just witnessed, Hal?” Thoe speaks again, clearly badgering me about it. She’s like that…
So am I, actually…
I guess that happens after spending many years with Step-dad.
“Think what you will,” I simply reply, returning a smile to her before returning once more to food.
I try to steal another look at Maphis, but no such luck this time. He’s gone elsewhere, beyond my sights now.
“I could help you out with that, you know, given my prowess in dating,” enters Thoe again.
“Rely on a girl who cannot hold a man for more than a year? Yeah…” I remark, confidently for once.
“Who chokes up when things get tense?”
Fair enough…
“It has to be me, Thoe,” I say, folding, “it has to be me…”
With that, I give her another kind smile, and continue on with my food business.
I fill up my plate with as much as I dare, grab a glass of milk, and head over to where Thoe, Nithia, Thora, and our other friend Arah now sit, at one of the large roundtables that were out of sight when we walked in. After some minutes, all our parents join us also.
I’m a twig of a girl, but thanks to my muscles and metabolism I seem to eat like a whale.
We immediately get talking about post-education.
I will be attending the University in the fall to work with the Linguistics professor there in working out my native tongue, which Yoll says is called Atiatwa (which we call ‘Atwa for short). Yoll and I are the only two speakers of ‘Atwa known to date, excepting the people of the southern Koie chain, who don’t like us visiting them, but Uncle thinks that the peoples of Yol Kyire will speak ‘Atwa as well, given that Yoll and I were found in that general area. He has also found various inscriptions on the walls of several ruins on the islands he’s visited there, which he believes is the script used for the language.
My hope is to help the linguistics professor, and the University at large, fully match the script to the language, if possible. Yoll and I will both be working for him.
Thoe is hoping to become a physician for the local hospital. She is first required to take a four-year apprenticeship program to acquire the skills of the trade. Her current boyfriend has saved a bed for her at his apartment – that’s if they’re still together then.
Nithia and Arah are going to be the managers of a jewelry store that is currently being set up by their boyfriends (soon to be fiancées, I wager). The boys own it, while the girls run it. Thora is attending law-school with his girlfriend Kiarra.
The only person at this table who doesn’t yet have a mate is me. Thanks, four arms!
“So Uncle and Yoll are supposed to show up, and we’re about ready for dessert; so where are they?” Thoe remarks, suddenly changing the topic.
“They were supposed to be back from the nasatineris yesterday, but I haven’t heard from them at all yet,” responds Step-dad as I notice shrugs of cluelessness from some of the other people at our table.
“Maybe he’s sad that the Sha-Sha are gaining seats in Parliament,” I posit, jokingly.
Thoe giggles away to my left.
“Lord, their gaining?” remarks Thora, incredulous.
“Still,” I say back to him, “they’ve been gaining for a decade now.”
Thoe suddenly starts giggling again, more uncontrollably this time.
“Yah, Thoe?” I address her, and then shove a slice of delicious beef tenderloin in my mouth.
“I had a thought that maybe Uncle was fist-fighting Vicigik right now, hence his tardiness,” she manages her response, trying to compose herself. Her face on its way to a nice tomato-red colour.
“What about Yoll?” asks Arah, playfully curious.
“Referee, man,” says Thoe in reply.
“Makes total sense,” I remark, pondering it.
Thoe giggles yet again.
I turn to my vegetables now…
Supper soon leads into dessert, with tarts, pastries, cakes, and ice cream. Also served are coffee, tea, and a special liqueur that the humans call vorgyushrilga that smells of citrus and effectively scours away your entire food tract with even the slightest sip.
Always amazing, but my Step-dad is always able to drink up a healthy glass of it without any sense of overpowering on behalf of the drink itself. I chalk it up to the days of his youth when he would challenge his mates to drinking games in pubs while he was attaining his apprenticeship.
As the sun lies low in the sky, we eventually make our way over to the party tent. The parents to the chairs. The students to the stage.
Two hours of near-boredom was only broken by my ten seconds of fame as I walked up to accept my diploma and University scholarship, and to shake Headmaster’s hand. I make sure to catch a glimpse of Maphis as I make my way back to my seat, making my heart leap in my chest.
The Headmaster’s poem near the end of the ceremony was also very engaging. Very thought-provoking, in fact.
One door has closed today.
And so another door shall open.
Before each of you here.
Choose to go through its opening.
When you are ready, of course.
But be ready.
The World stands just outside the threshold.
Luck be with you.
Short and sweet. I love poems like that.
Both he and Uncle are masters of such poems. And yes, they are, in fact, friends.
They are equally as old.
Like the teachers, he wears the school robes: red covering cloak (and matching top-hat), with white under-robe, and black scarf and trousers. He, unlike the teachers, holds an ornamental mace with him, as he speaks into the amplifier horn out to the audience.
While he wears a top-hat, the teachers each wear a fez.
They sit in the front rows, just before where we sit.
The ceremony ends as the sun sets, and so begins the after-party. Just we students, under the supervision of the teachers, to have a time of our lives for one night before we finally decide to walk through that door for good…
Also present, now, is a local music band, giving us some good music to dance to.
Not me, however, as I sit in one of the chairs, now forming a ring around the edge of the tent, and try to pull myself together again. My feelings toward Maphis are inescapable, and more importantly, they render me virtually helpless against them.
Oh, there’s no way I can let myself talk to him in my current state! It’s too obvious what I want.
I feel like a nervous wreck, and my attempts to compose a more presentable demeanor appear all but futile at this point.
My heart hammers at my ribcage, despite my greatest wishes.
Maybe he’s as much enamoured by me as I am by him…
All the while I try not to force myself to burst into a sweat…
Just what I’d need…
We’ve been friends for such a long time now, but suddenly, on this day of all days, I find myself unable to think about anything other than him.
How I would ask him for a dance before night’s end.
How I would congratulate him on his achievements.
How I would give him his graduation gift – from me to him.
How I would tell him of my feelings for him.
How I would tell him I love him so much I could die.
I don’t even know where to begin…
“Hal— uh—um…”
A young man’s voice. It has just begun to break – a sign of having recently entered puberty. I know it all too well – I don’t need to look – and it very nearly makes me faint.
But I do need to look, and so I do.
And I feel faint again as I do so…
Maphis, indeed.
For an instant, his eyes and mine lock dead on, and we both quickly disengage at the same time.
My stomach feels like it has a bonfire raging inside it, and to my luck it looks like one is alive inside his as well. I’m amazed he managed to say what he did – I’m not sure I’d have been able to even get ‘Miff’ past my welded-shut vocal cords.
More deep breathing from me, and my throat eventually lets up enough that I may actually speak if I wished to. I decide to take my eyes off my lap and back onto the cute face of the object of my raging crush.
“Come sit,” I manage to get out, pulling a chair out to my immediate left, grinning kindly. He smiles politely back and hastens to the empty chair, sitting nervously so beside me.
I’m actually quite calm-looking now compared to his visibly anxious demeanor.
I put my left arms to his backside, massaging him gently. He immediately relaxes.
“That’s good?” I ask sweetly.
He merely nods at me, smiling.
We both chuckle suddenly; childishly.
Our eyes meet again, and lips are bitten and cheeks redden.
I take a moment to regain my courage, stroking his backside again…
“Will you dance with me?” I ask him now.
“I can’t dance, though…”
“That’s okay,” I respond happily, “I don’t require you to be good at dancing.”
He looks at me. “What do you require?”
“You,” I answer, and add, “I can show you how.”
With that, I get to my feet, and turn to him holding out a hand to him.
Somewhat reluctantly, he takes it, and with that I lead him out to an area of the lawn not populated by dancing and conversing teenagers. I face him and wrap my upper arms loosely around his neck, bringing myself right close to him, while using my lower arms to guide his hands around my waist. I then place my lower hands around his waist area, and I bring my nose close to his, looking deep into those beautiful sky-blue eyes of his.
I cannot help but think of those novels where the woman in this very situation is trying to see into the man’s soul through his eyes, or something like that. As for me, I’m sure if I looked hard enough into those pupils of his, I might just be able to glimpse a view of his retina, but it’s still cool to fantasize sometimes.
I touch the tip of my nose to his, allowing my eyes an especially clear view of such stunning irises. I feel him tense up slightly as I do this, but I think nothing of it – all I desire at this point is to admire the flecks of blues with hints of grey and even rarer hints of brown of his irises being barely illuminated by surrounding lights.
We sway to and fro in place. The sun long since set.
A crescent moon now greets us in the night sky.
His eyes swivel about, trying, I figure, to take in my facial features from such a near distance. Light bounces off his irises in different ways as he does, thus further luring me helplessly to him.
The fire in my tummy has now been put under control, but sparks still jump in me when he looks about my face, when he grabs at my waist, or gently strokes the small of my back.
After what feels like forever, upon having received my fill of the sparkling beauty of Miff’s eyes for the time being, and at the changing of songs to a more melancholy tune, I move my head from directly in front of his to the nice little spot between his neck and his left shoulder.
‘Bleed’. Became one of my favourite songs, recently…
I feel him relax, somewhat.
We continue to sway slowly in our spot.
I sing the chorus to him, and my heart picks up pace once more.
And I’ll bleed;
Bleed myself dry;
Bleed out for you;
So you won’t cry.
And I’ll bleed;
Sacrifice myself;
To hold you in my arms;
Bear me your grief…
I soon feel his head droop lightly onto mine. A solitary tear trickles down my cheek.
I’d do anything for you, Miff, and I’d do everything I could to ease any pain or to turn a frown upside-down.
“That was beautiful…” he murmurs dreamily into my neck. I blush incessantly, thankful he’s not witness to it actually happening.
We continue to sway…
“YIP!!”
Unpleasantly startled, I instinctively look to Maphis for any sign of what was going on. However, he looks to be as genuinely surprised as I am.
My next action is to follow Miff’s lead and look around for any sign of the person or thing responsible for the unceremoniously painful ass-grab I was just recently given out-of-the-blue.
My immediate thought is that it is one of Thoe’s pranks again.
I turn about, leaving Miff to my back.
With my super-awesome eyes and eyesight, I manage to barely make out a humanoid form seemingly crouching behind a rogue stack of chairs off near the tent’s edge. I figure the shadowy thing to be the culprit of my now-aching buttocks.
I tip-toe over to the chairs, and swiftly pounce upon the creature behind them. Being that the creature was actually Yolua, though, she was ready for me, and so what actually happened was I ended up plowing myself into her chest, at which point she proceeded to give me a rough bear-hug which made my ribs hurt.
We shook it off with laughter, and that’s when Miff came over and sat on the grass with us.
Yoll dons a relatively uninteresting, pink dress/blouse hybrid outfit of some sort or another. Her mane of neck-length, near-black hair nicely groomed for what’s left of this special occasion. Her favourite sneakers mercilessly clash with the rest of her elegant self.
Gynoids…
She is now the shortest (not by much, though) member of our little group of friends.
Uncle is still nowhere to be seen.
“Thanks for the pinch, shaastha,” I remark sternly, rubbing my ribcage.
She responds with a prissy grin and a shrug of her shoulders.
I shake my head. “Anyway,” I change the mood, “tell us about your nassa!”
“The nasatineris was enjoyable as usual,” she begins, “we charted the entirety of that archipelago that you and I were found in, and we actually found a population of hairy people near the northern-most end of it.
“I was really given a mental workout this time, because the people there use an insane number of clicks and tongue-tying articulations in their language, and their cultural practices are quite complex at times.
“Anyway… We then tried sailing out into Kentara, and after a loonnngg time sailing we eventually turned around and sailed back.
“Aaaannnnndd here I am!” she finishes, slightly winded, “Oh, and Uncle is at Parliament right now working out some serious things there, but he says he’ll stop by your house tomorrow and tell you what I’ve been promised not to tell you guys now.”
“That’s hot,” I remark. Enjoyable, Yoll? How mechanically hyperbolic of you.
“If I may inquire,” speaks up Miff, “what, umm… what does ‘shaass-tchah’ mean? Did I say that right?”
Yoll and I giggle somewhat ungraciously.
I quickly compose myself and turn to him, “you almost had it correct, but the ‘t’ in the word is aspirated – what you were trying to pronounce, like when you humans say, ‘tiberra’, the ‘t’ is said with a burst of breath. The same with shaastha, except the ‘t’, as you can hear, is said with slightly more air than what you’re used to.
“Coming along, so far?” I inquire, though he shows no signs of bewilderment.
“Yeah.”
I nod, and continue, “And as for what the word means, well… it’s for girls only, and is quite derogatory – I shouldn’t tell.”
“Fair enough, I guess,” he responds; a hint of disappointment in his voice, which in turn deflates my demeanor equally much.
“SO,” Yoll interjects suddenly, “looks like you finally managed to hook him on—”
“NO—!” I try to interrupt her. The flame in my belly swells up again, causing me to clutch at my cheeks and my throat to close up again. I feel my cheeks burn away under my fingertips.
Yoll takes note of my current, worry-filled state.
“Apologies, Hal,” she speaks meekly, “I thought that you and Maphis dancing meant— well, anyway…”
I see her cheeks blush – a first, that I know of.
“I’ve mostly been too nervous to speak, to be honest,” I confess, biting my lip as I look to him. He wears the same expression I do – we both know that we are in love with each other, but are too scared to say so.
He merely nods in solemn agreement.
“I’ll leave you two alone, then,” says Yoll, “enjoy yourselves.”
With that, she gets to her feet and walks past us into the crowd of teens in the tent, dancing away.
Hyperbolic Yoll.
Miff and I are indeed now left to our uncomfortably nervous selves by this stack of chairs.
I nervously take the nearest of his hands to me, and hold it in my fore-hands, stroking it affectionately. I try to maintain a presentable composure for him.
After what feels like an eternity of awkward silence, I feel an unyielding need to truly just put my feelings out there for him. I need to get it off my chest, and I’m sure he’d very much like to know that my feelings about him are indeed true.
I hastily try to build up the courage to say what needs to be said. In case he happens to not acquire such courage before I do, I will indeed need to be ready…
Deep breath.
I love you, Maphis. I love you with everything that I am. My spirit. My soul. My heart. My body.
Throat clenches up. Not ready yet…
Deep breath.
I love you, Maphis! I love you so much that I can’t even speak!
Throat still tight. Still not ready yet…
Deep breath.
I luv yu, Miff! I yu luv so increbidly vary much!
That doesn’t even make sense! Thanks racing mind…
Still not ready yet…
Deep breath.
Another deep breath.
And another one.
Throat finally relaxes.
One last deep breath for good luck. At that I turn to directly face my heart-throb crush.
This is it: Say it, girl!
“Shishaa uha!” I blurt out rather embarrassingly. I immediately shudder, and blush profusely. Wrong damn language! Gaaahh!
Clearly, I didn’t give my words much thought…
I bite on my lip, like the pathetic little thing that I feel I am right now.
“Umm…” is all he says; clearly caught off-guard.
“I—I know, I know…” I stutter, “I—I meant to say ‘I love you’ i—in Thoul, but—but I said it in ‘Atwa – I said it too quickly – I’m sorry…”
He squeezes my hand with his, as I bite at my lip again.
“Yah—umm… I love you, too, Hallie – a lot, actually.”
I can’t help but smile bashfully, and bite my lip once more. Having nonetheless heaved that weight from my shoulders, I can breathe easy for the first time this evening, and I can at last look at him the way I was once so easily able to. My throat also gives me the much-needed reprieve from all manner of trouble.
Rather boldly, to my surprise, I address my newly-anointed boyfriend while keeping his hand snugly in mine.
“Shishaa uha is something you can say, love,” I speak at last, “especially to me.”
I then proceed to giggle like a little maiden.
“Can we go back to dancing, now?” he asks out-of-the-blue.
You want to dance now?! Miff, my love!
All I manage in reality is to perk right up in anticipation and nod, in a ridiculous fashion, in agreement.
With that, we are on our feet again and back at our spot, holding each other and swaying about.
Just as before…
It is not until very late in the night that the festivities end, and the lot of us are making our way back to where our families reside. Giggling and giddy all the way.
I walk much of the way home with my new-found boyfriend, until we finally part for the night a couple blocks from my house. He goes left, while I go straight ahead.
Thoe and I reunite at the house, and quietly undress and set ourselves into our respective beds. Sleep comes oh-so-easily…
Roaming Eopeton (J W Daniels) 