Chapter 25 The Fire Dahlia
After ten years, she did not realize that she would have the courage to return.
The trip took almost half a day. It was already nighttime when she arrived. The driver offered that she could sleep inside along with the others who also did not have any place to go for the night. They were not in Spasio City where inns and hotels were abundant and there were no rows of endless streetlights to light their way.
If you arrived from the city and had a house somewhere but the sun had already set, it's better that you wait for the morning to continue. Unless you are brave enough to watch out for wild animals that thrive during the night.
Klishei politely declined, saying that her house was just nearby. The driver was not convinced but she insisted until he finally let her go, not wanting to delay her any longer.
“Stay close to the main road, then. I trust your parents taught you what you should do when you encounter a wild boar or a wolf?”
Klishei shuddered at his last word. “Yes sir. I’ll be going, now. Thank you.”
If there was one thing that she missed here, it was the caring people. Back at Spasio City, you had to beg for them to help you. But here, everyone looked out for each other.
Klishei walked fast. Contrary to what the driver advised her, she entered a forest as it was a shortcut to her grandparent’s house. Even if a decade had passed, nothing changed much.
The trail markings were still there. Even the red thin string that Klishei wrapped around a tree trunk with small bells still sounded with the breeze, guiding her towards the direction that she should take.
Then, she heard a snort of an animal.
Klishei stopped. The sound was just nearby. When she did not hear any more sounds, she sighed in relief. She continued to walk uphill. By then, the crescent moon had started to show itself. The moon provided little light to her and Klishei had to squint her eyes for her not to trip on the roots of the trees and the rock formations that she had to pass through.
Finally, she saw a house in the distance whose windows were dimly lit. Klishei guessed there was still no electricity in this area and that her grandparents were still using candles.
About thirty steps away from her destination, a low growl came from her back.
Klishei was quick to sidestep, narrowly escaping the animal. Still, she lost balance and her back hit a trunk. Her eyes widened at the size of the wild boar in front of her.
Her instincts kicked in and she screamed, picking up herself as she ran for her life. She jumped from rock to another, evading its charges. And it became a problem when she reached the edge of the forest where there was nothing to hide.
She made it out of the trees. She could feel the raging breath of the beast at her back. She looked back and her soul almost left her when she saw how close it was to her.
Klishei stumbled on a scattered log. She whelped, feeling a bone break. The tusks of the wild boar was just inches from her.
A metal erupted out of the forehead of the animal. It gave out a gargled screech. And then another planted on its right eye. The third arrow that pierced its other eye made the boar fall down to the grass, blood flowing tremendously out of its skull.
Klishei tried to stand but felt excruciating pain in her ankle.
Light came from behind her. An old man approached with a torch in his hand and a hatchet on the other. His baggy clothes filled with soot and mud-caked boots suggested that he was still working and was not about to go inside his house soon.
“Who dares trespasses? Even if you are from the Hisho Tribe, we are not afraid to enforce our rights!”
An old woman wearing a faded pink apron trailed behind him. She still had a wooden ladle in her hand.
“Help,” Klishei groaned. The pain was hot and searing it brought tears to her eyes.
“What is your name?” The old man insisted. He did not approach Klishei whose leg was sprawled on the ground, unable to move.
It was the old woman who fixated her eyes on her face, trailing her from head to toe until she gasped and dropped the ladle in her hand.
“Y-you are…” She stammered, putting one of her palms in her mouth.
“Dear, do not get closer to her. She might be a spy whom the heavens delivered into our hands.”
His wife smacked him on his back. She pointed to Klishei. “You fool, don’t you recognize your own granddaughter?”
Klishei’s grandmother rushed to Klishei’s side. “Oh, dear, that is a nasty twist,” she said as she saw Klishei’s foot.
“La Meiphi.” When Klishei said her grandma’s name, the old woman smiled. Then, her scowl returned to his husband who was still standing in shock.
“Are you going to help me here or are you just gonna stand there like a statue that has seen a ghost?”
His grandfather returned to his senses and immediately dropped his weapon. Carefully, he helped his wife hold Klishei by the shoulder. He fully stretched out his hand that was holding the torch, afraid that he might burn her.
With their help, Klishei hopped inside their house. When she was able to sit, La Meiphi was quick to dress her sprain.
Meanwhile, Lo Garyan stood nearby, holding the torch loyally and providing enough light for his wife to attend to Klishei.
“Do you need a bigger stick?” He asked, noting how his wife kept on repositioning the splinter on Klishei’s foot.
“No, I only need you to quiet your mouth.”
After a few minutes, the pain subsided and Klishei was able to move it a little.
“Don’t put too much pressure on it, okay? Here, use this crutch for the meantime.” La Meiphi handed her a crutch made of black wood.
Klishei nodded. “Thank you, La.”
After that, the three fell silent. The sound of the boiling pot and the cackle of the fire on the hearth could be heard.
“Let’s have dinner first, shall we? I’ll just get my ladle outside” The old woman walked to the door. Before she could step out, she looked back at Klishei with eyes that seemed to be brimming with tears.
“Welcome back, our little fire dahlia.”