Young Writers Society

Sorry it took me so long to get this on here but I have been super busy lately.

Now, I must warn you, this is really really rough. I really struggled with this one so I need all the help I can get.

Happy Reading
_____________________

CHAPTER THREE

Back in town, Yamini discovered Amish out in his parent’s fields wading through the rice paddies. She could make out his little brother in the middle of the flock of chickens they owned, laughing and waving his chubby arms every time the fat birds flapped their wings. “Amish!” she called out once she was within earshot.
Amish tilted his head upwards, running a hand across his forehead before a droplet of sweat could hit his eyes. “Yamini, what is it?” he snapped irritably, his back hunched with pain.
“Sorry to bother you, Amish, but I have news.”
“News?” Amish perked up at this, unable to hide his curiosity, his eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun.
“Yes. My Pitaa has just allowed a sailor to keep stay with us,” she announced excitedly, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
“A sailor? Your Pitaa allowed this?” Amish wasn’t convinced, his brow pinched. He too knew the story of her mother and the drowning.
Yamini nodded soberly. “Anusha convinced him.”
Amish was impressed. “She did?”
“Yes, and now we have a sailor staying with us!” Yamini cheered.
Amish couldn’t hide his curiosity any longer. “Can we go meet him?”
“Sure.” Amish glanced apprehensively at where his father was coaxing a stubborn calf back into the fields. Then, flashing her a wide smile, he took off at a quick sprint, Yamini trailing after.
When we reached her home, Amish fidgeted anxiously, twisting his hands behind his back. “It’s okay, Amish. I’ll cover for you if you get caught.” He just nodded, unable to stop his nervous twitching. But upon seeing the sailor, he forgot all his worries.
Thomas was leaning against the side of the home, his trousers rolled up and his tunic gone, leaving only a thin cotton tank underneath. Yamini stared. The man was sweating profusely, his pores excreting vast amounts of perspiration. She wondered suddenly if he was ill, for only the sick sweat that much.
“It sure is hot,” Thomas commented, glancing over in their direction.
Amish nodded. “Always like this in India,” he answered in rough English.
“I’m not used to it,” he wheezed, lifting up his tank to rub off the sweat from his face. Yamini caught a glimpse of his underbelly—pale and scrawny with his ribs protruding oddly from his chest. “Are you hungry?” Yamini blurted before she could stop herself. She had just then realized that no one had even offered him a glass of water yet.
Thomas smiled, his lips curling up over his teeth. “I am kind of hungry. What do you have for grub?” Yamini frowned at that word. What is grub? she wondered but kept this to herself as she led the way back into the house. “Where is Anusha?” she called over her shoulder as she set about to prepare a bowl of yogurt for the sailor. Amish stood off to the side, unable to keep his eyes off of the white man.
“Your sister? She’s off in the fields with your father.” Yamini cringed inwardly. Anusha was doing her chores again. If she hadn’t run off to tell Amish the news about Thomas, she would be in the fields instead of Anusha.
Yamini turned and placed the bowl of yogurt in front of the man with a wooden spoon. Then she laid out a cup of water for him as well. He ate quickly and both children watched in fascination as the food all but disappeared in under twenty seconds.
“Thank you,” Thomas uttered after his last swallow.
“Your welcome.” She placed the bowl, spoon, and cup aside for washing later.
Amish spoke up then. “Where do you come from?”
Thomas smiled. He seemed to have been waiting for this question for he leaned forward to answer. “Way across the ocean to the land called America.”
“America?” Yamini tried it out, the word sounding funny on her tongue. She smacked her lips together, and Thomas laughed—low and sweet.
“Sounds good, huh?”
Amish smiled. “What it like there?”
“Much like this but with cooler climates. We actually have a cold period that we call winter when it snows?”
“Snows?” Yamini piped up.
“Yes. White puffs of frozen ice falling from the sky.”
Yamini’s face screwed up in horror. “Ice falling from the sky?” Amish shivered in response.
Thomas smiled apologetically. “Yes, but not what you are thinking. It’s soft, like fleece from the sheep.”
“What else there?” Amish asked, eager to know more.
“There are lakes and rivers with sparkling streams. Mountains with snow on their tips; forests with trees older than your grandfathers. Animals that hoot and tweet and growl. There are so many things there that aren’t in India. You also have things that we don’t have.”
“Like what?”
“Like, for example, monkeys. We don’t have monkeys in America.”
Yamini looked surprised. She had grown up her whole life to the sound of monkeys in the jungle. It was odd to think that there was a place on earth that didn’t have them.
“We also don’t have elephants.”
“Really?” Amish seemed more shocked at this. Elephants were a huge part of Indian culture and it was a surprise that other people didn’t even know of their existence until coming here.
Thomas shrugged. “We don’t have a lot of things.”
Just then, Anusha came in from the fields. Upon seeing Thomas at the table with the children, she flashed him a dazzling smile that perplexed Yamini. What’s wrong with her?
“Are they bugging you?” she asked immediately, looking severely at both of them.
“No, no,” Thomas assured her, standing swiftly. “Yam..i…Yame…Yamin…Yamiyi was getting me something to eat.
Anusha laughed at his attempt at her sister’s name. Yamini, however, didn’t find it funny at all. She scowled as he butchered her name.
“Well, that’s good. Would you like me to show you more of the land?”
“That would be great.” Thomas and Anusha exchanged glances and Anusha peeked down at the kids.
“I’m going to go show Thomas the rest of the farm. Why don’t you two go out and play,” Anusha suggested in Indian.
Yamini frowned but obeyed, Amish following sullenly behind her.
Once they were off the farm, Amish exclaimed, “It’s awesome that you get Thomas to stay at your house! I want a sailor!”
Yamini shrugged. “I guess it’s all right.”
“All right? You get to hear all the adventures he’s been on and everything! You’re so lucky, Yamini.”
“Why’s that?” Lokesh materialized from behind a tree, his face curious.
“Yamini gets to have a sailor stay at her house, “ Amish blurted, aiming to impress.
“So what!” Lokesh brushed it off, and Amish sighed, disappointed in himself. “Sailors come here all the time. What’s so special about this one?”
“He’s going to tell me all of his adventure stories,” Yamini defended, lifting her chin in defiance.
“Yeah, sure.” Lokesh rolled his eyes. “He’ll stay for a month at the most and then he’ll be gone, never to be seen again.”
Yamini had never thought about it like that and she didn’t like the thought of it. Glowering, she shoved past Lokesh back to her farm. Amish didn’t follow, staying loyally at Lokesh’s side. She heard them call something at her but she didn’t bother to turn around.
If Thomas was only staying for a month, maybe less, she was going to use it to her full advantage. She wanted to know all about the world and it’s wonders. And if she had a man that could tell her, she wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass her up.

*Not to be Continued...