Okay here's Story number four in the collection of short stories I'm working on. I've formatted it right this time. And unlike the previous stories I'm positve I've only posted it on one place on the forums.
Take life, give life
I woke up bright and early, opening my eyes to the dark night sky. I breathed in deeply the fresh mountain air. I got up out of my sleeping mat and walked outside to the eating area. The eating area along with the rest of the house was crudely built out of wood and stone.
My parents and baby brother were already there, eating dark wheat bread and fresh fruit around the fire. I again wondered where the food had come from. But I realized with excitement, today was the day I would soon find out.
“Ah, son” my father called to me. “Come, sit with us and eat.” Running over to them, I grabbed a piece of bread and sat down on a stump.
“Oh, this is exciting.” My mom said while bouncing my baby brother on her leg. “Today is the day you become a man.” She set my brother down and hugged me. “You have grown up so fast.”
“Yes you have.” My father said, handing me a baked hunk of meat. “I remember when you were small enough to be bounced around on my back when I ran up and down the mountains. And soon you will be a man.”
“But when? And how?” I asked him, like I did more than twice a day.
“After today son, that question will never again be asked.” He laughed. “And thank goodness for that. I thought I would go crazy from you asking that question.”
After breakfast my aunts, uncles, older cousins and the rest of my relatives came over to congratulate me. Then my mom came to me and said I had to go get water for the feast that we would have tonight. I ran out back behind our hut, grabbed a carrying pole and hooked two jugs to it.
The stream was a short distance away, and the journey gave me time to reflect on what would happen today. No one ever told me how all the food came to be on our table, but instead winked at me and told me that I would find out when I became a man, at the age of 15.
I had searched since I was ten for this mysterious food source, but I found nothing. In fact, our mountain and the mountains around it looked bare and void of life. It did not seem possible that we could survive here. Sure we had water, like the stream I was filling the jugs from now. But water doesn’t satisfy all of our needs. How was it done?
I remembered some older members of my family go to this ritual to become a man and came back proud. Then we had a big party for them, and the men tell him that he can go with them on a daily basis to get food with them. But every time they go I am at home with the women and small children, doing what I could to keep myself occupied. Like carrying water, I thought as I brought the jugs back to our group of tents. I set them down inside our tent and went outside to find the men preparing to leave.
“Ah good, your back.” My father said, handing me a sealed small jug of water and a bit of bread. “We are about to leave. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” I said, nearly jumping up and down with excitment.
“Good. Then let’s go. It’s going to be a long walk, and we hope to get there before the sun sets.”
“O boy!” I exclaimed. I watched impatiently as all the men kissed their wives goodbye. When they were done we shouldered our packs and headed out. Going the opposite way I went to get water. We walked at a steady pace, all the while enjoying the scenery. I was nearly running ahead of the group, impatiently waiting for when we would arrive and get food. After a while my feet started to hurt and all the trees looked the same.
I was about to ask if we were getting close, but I remembered that I was a man now, so instead I kept up. My father must have noticed me slowing down, because he put his arm around me and said, “A half mile to go.” Energized by his words, I ran ahead to the front of the group and walked what I thought was a half mile.
When the trees around us receded, we found ourselves in a small clearing. The men with the packs started to unpack, getting tents out and some wood and stones to build a fire. Because I had no pack, I looked around the clearing, expecting to find some mystical source of food. However I soon found there was not even a mushroom in the padded down grass. My father finished his unpacking duties and saw my puzzled look. “This is the best part.” He told me.
“It is?” I said, eagerly waiting what we would do to get food.
“Yes. We wait until sunup.”
“More waiting?” I said, crestfallen.
“Yes more waiting.” He said with an amused look on his face. “But you should sleep now. Sunup comes very early.”
“Alright.” I said, going to the tent father had set up for both of us. I thought I would never get to sleep, but I soon drifted off, thinking of what magic would await us in the a couple of hours. Sleep was very nice after the long walk and it wasn’t long before my father was shaking me saying, “Wake up its time.” I sat up, yawned, then got out of the tent to join the rest of the men.
They were in a line, silently looking intently at the trees opposite. I waited in silence with them, not wanting to break the spell. We stood waiting there for an eternity, all the while the sun was rising and the birds were waking up. Then all of a sudden, some bushes started to rustle. This is it, I thought. The food fairies have come at last. But what stepped out was not expected at all.
A tiny man came out, not much taller than me. He must have been very strong, because the pack he was caring was at least as heavy and as big as he was. He did not speak a word, but went to side of the clearing opposite of us and set his pack down. Then he unpacked the strangest things from his pack, like a jug that was clear like water, and a hollow worm with smooth skin.
He laid them carefully down, and took out a needle like the women use to sow with, only this one was metallic and sharper. He put an end of the worm on the needle and the other end in the jug. Then he unpacked some cloth, and sat down and waited.
“Alright son.” Said my father. “Go to him, hold out your arm and don’t pull away.” I was terrified at this point, but a direct order from father was not going to be debatable. So I walked slowly forward, eyeballing the man with the needle. He smiled at me, like he knew I was scared and was trying to comfort me.
All too soon I was next to him, and I sat down next to him and put my arm out. I braced myself for the sharp stab of a needle, but instead he wrapped the cloth around my arm. I looked at the cloth, wondering what its purpose was, while the man swiftly took the needle and stuck it through my arm.
It hurt quite a bit, but I managed to stay still. I thought he would take it out, but instead he held it in and turned his eyes to the jar. It was filling up with blood, and that blood was going from my arm through the worm into the jar. My arm stopped hurting as I curiously watched the jar fill up.
When it was nearly full, the man took the needle out of my arm and untied the cloth. Satisfied, he put the clear jar (now blood red) carefully back into his pack. He then reached into his pack and pulled out a loaf of bread and gave it to me. When I had taken it, he pointed behind me.
I assumed that meant that I was done, so I hurried back to the group of men, bread proudly in hand. There was much smiling and patting on the back when I got back. I was so proud especially when my father came over, took the bread, and put it with the packs.
The needle man had gotten out a new needle, worm, and jug out of his pack and waited. A man from our group went to him, and he drew blood from him too. When the blood was in the jar the man got some bread. While I watched this, my father told me to sit down and have a something to eat. I was feeling a bit woozy, so I sat down with him and chewed the bread he gave me.
“Congratulation.” He said, beaming. “You are now a man.”
“But what have I done that makes me a man?” I asked him.
“You have provided for your family, and that blood you gave will improve someone else’s life. You have done your part to improve this world, and that is what being a man is.” I smiled, feeling good. It did not take long for all the men we had to give blood, and soon we were packed up and ready to leave.
“Come son” said my father. “We have food to deliver to a party.” All the men in our group headed out, and I followed on the rear. But before I left the clearing, I looked back to the needle man. He had carefully packed everything in his pack, and hoisted it onto his back. He got up, looked at me and smiled. I smiled back, silently thanking him. He turned and went back through the bushes, while I stayed and watched until the clearing was still.
