The Greatest Fear 5
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She opened her eyes into the darkness of night and sat up quickly, trying to see what had awakened her. A man dressed all in black stood near where she lay looking down at her. His mouth moved and words that she couldn’t understand came out. He took one look at her empty eyes and understood. His fingers moved swiftly in a gesture that was familiar to her and she responded in kind. [You screamed as you slept. Are you all right?] [You bastard! You hit me!] A look crossed the man’s face. [I didn’t have a choice. They would have killed you before you reached this town’s boarder.] [Oh.] The man shook his head and turned back to what he had been doing. She looked down at her hands. What had she just done? How had she remembered the words to the hand-movements? She sighed and lay back down.
The man looked over at her and his mind summoned a memory of his earlier thoughts as he had walked to his house. He thought again about the huge flare of power and wondered if she had been its source. He knew she wouldn’t tell him, even if she did know. The girl, she must have been at least twenty, but he couldn’t stop thinking of her as a child, she seemed to view everything as though seeing it for the first time. She didn’t appear to know how, or be able to speak, and yet she knew Mademoke, something few were ever fluent in. Also her eyes never fully opened, as if they were extra-sensitive to light. Or like she was afraid of what would happen if someone saw them.
He looked back down at the soup that was burning merrily and sighed. He had never been good at cooking, but maybe he could magic the pot to not burn food? His mind wandered into the realms of spells and he didn’t even notice as the food in the pot evaporated into a fine burnt mist.
She opened her eyes to the sound and smell of food cooking, a bright light streaming through a window where before there had been only small pinpricks of it. The man was asleep in a chair a few feet away. She looked toward the door and back at him, then back at the door, then at the food simmering in the pot. The next time she looked at the door, a voice spoke from the corner where the man had been sleeping. She turned so quickly that she almost fell over.
His hand moved and her eyes easily caught the words behind the movements. [Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you. I had forgotten that you do not know how to speak. If you were thinking of running I would wait until the night. The people in the pub last night still haven’t forgotten what you did last night.] She translated words into movements and formed her own sentences. [What is speaking? I do not understand. Are we not speaking now? What is a pub? What is night? Why did they get so angry when I saved a man’s life?]
A smile curved his lips for a second or so, until it faded back into the usual line and his forehead creased in concentration as he moved his hand in the patterns of his words. [We are speaking, in a way. I meant the sound version. Why is it that you do not know how to speak? Or is it that you cannot? Night is when the sky is black and the stars, the small dots of light, are out. A pub is a place where you can get food and drink. In this town it is also a place to go if you wish to fight or to watch a fight. A mage is usually present to watch the fight and heal the wounds, as well as to dull the blades. You interrupted the fight last night and in doing so earned the peoples hate.]
Her face heated at his words of speech, and she averted her still half-closed eyes away from him. She didn’t know if she could produce the sounds that were necessary to “speak”. She opened her mouth and copied the movements that the women’s mouth had made last night in the pub, fixing the correct sounds to the movements. “What can I get for you tonight?” She then moved her hand. [Did I do it right? What does that mean? Can you teach me more?]
He smiled again at her questions. Yes, she was like a child. He laughed softly to himself. Then the inevitable question came. [What is that sound? It sounds like you are growling. Are you angry?] He shook his head and answered in the complicated movements.
[It is called laughter; it is a sound you make when you are happy. I can teach you how to speak if you wish. I am called GoldenEye. What are you called?] A look of sadness and confusion crossed the girl’s face and her hand began moving again. [I wish to try learning your speech, but I do not know what I am called.] He nodded and moved his hand in reply. [I understand. It matters not about your name. I shall give you one. I give you the name Tsingena.]
She smiled at the look of her name. [How do you say it?] He nodded, understanding, and spoke her name aloud. She smiled again at the sound of her name, and repeated it. It felt like water rolling over her tongue and she loved in instantly. Her smile brightened and she signed [Thank you. Can we start speaking now?] He smiled and nodded, laughter still glinting in his amber eyes. He signed the word then spoke it, and she copied both the words and movements correctly; asking as she spoke them what they meant.
She opened her eyes into the darkness of night and sat up quickly, trying to see what had awakened her. A man dressed all in black stood near where she lay looking down at her. His mouth moved and words that she couldn’t understand came out. He took one look at her empty eyes and understood. His fingers moved swiftly in a gesture that was familiar to her and she responded in kind. [You screamed as you slept. Are you all right?] [You bastard! You hit me!] A look crossed the man’s face. [I didn’t have a choice. They would have killed you before you reached this town’s boarder.] [Oh.] The man shook his head and turned back to what he had been doing. She looked down at her hands. What had she just done? How had she remembered the words to the hand-movements? She sighed and lay back down.
The man looked over at her and his mind summoned a memory of his earlier thoughts as he had walked to his house. He thought again about the huge flare of power and wondered if she had been its source. He knew she wouldn’t tell him, even if she did know. The girl, she must have been at least twenty, but he couldn’t stop thinking of her as a child, she seemed to view everything as though seeing it for the first time. She didn’t appear to know how, or be able to speak, and yet she knew Mademoke, something few were ever fluent in. Also her eyes never fully opened, as if they were extra-sensitive to light. Or like she was afraid of what would happen if someone saw them.
He looked back down at the soup that was burning merrily and sighed. He had never been good at cooking, but maybe he could magic the pot to not burn food? His mind wandered into the realms of spells and he didn’t even notice as the food in the pot evaporated into a fine burnt mist.
She opened her eyes to the sound and smell of food cooking, a bright light streaming through a window where before there had been only small pinpricks of it. The man was asleep in a chair a few feet away. She looked toward the door and back at him, then back at the door, then at the food simmering in the pot. The next time she looked at the door, a voice spoke from the corner where the man had been sleeping. She turned so quickly that she almost fell over.
His hand moved and her eyes easily caught the words behind the movements. [Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you. I had forgotten that you do not know how to speak. If you were thinking of running I would wait until the night. The people in the pub last night still haven’t forgotten what you did last night.] She translated words into movements and formed her own sentences. [What is speaking? I do not understand. Are we not speaking now? What is a pub? What is night? Why did they get so angry when I saved a man’s life?]
A smile curved his lips for a second or so, until it faded back into the usual line and his forehead creased in concentration as he moved his hand in the patterns of his words. [We are speaking, in a way. I meant the sound version. Why is it that you do not know how to speak? Or is it that you cannot? Night is when the sky is black and the stars, the small dots of light, are out. A pub is a place where you can get food and drink. In this town it is also a place to go if you wish to fight or to watch a fight. A mage is usually present to watch the fight and heal the wounds, as well as to dull the blades. You interrupted the fight last night and in doing so earned the peoples hate.]
Her face heated at his words of speech, and she averted her still half-closed eyes away from him. She didn’t know if she could produce the sounds that were necessary to “speak”. She opened her mouth and copied the movements that the women’s mouth had made last night in the pub, fixing the correct sounds to the movements. “What can I get for you tonight?” She then moved her hand. [Did I do it right? What does that mean? Can you teach me more?]
He smiled again at her questions. Yes, she was like a child. He laughed softly to himself. Then the inevitable question came. [What is that sound? It sounds like you are growling. Are you angry?] He shook his head and answered in the complicated movements.
[It is called laughter; it is a sound you make when you are happy. I can teach you how to speak if you wish. I am called GoldenEye. What are you called?] A look of sadness and confusion crossed the girl’s face and her hand began moving again. [I wish to try learning your speech, but I do not know what I am called.] He nodded and moved his hand in reply. [I understand. It matters not about your name. I shall give you one. I give you the name Tsingena.]
She smiled at the look of her name. [How do you say it?] He nodded, understanding, and spoke her name aloud. She smiled again at the sound of her name, and repeated it. It felt like water rolling over her tongue and she loved in instantly. Her smile brightened and she signed [Thank you. Can we start speaking now?] He smiled and nodded, laughter still glinting in his amber eyes. He signed the word then spoke it, and she copied both the words and movements correctly; asking as she spoke them what they meant.
posted by Elie at 4:42 PM
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