[Fiction] Working title: Kasili, part 2
Summer break is great. XD I feel so industrious, posting two things in one month. Heehee.
Abel consulted his watch, taking no small pleasure in the elders' irritation. He had found the contraption at one of the forbidden zones and restored it to its function himself. The elders must have guessed as much because they each kept their distance from him, particularly from his left arm, which wore the blinking timepiece. Abel could not blame them. Rumors abounded, even now, of mysterious deaths arising from taking artifacts or drinking the water from the forbidden zones. The anomaly was their being in the same room with him at all.
"What would I get in return, to do this for you?" Abel said, looking at the doorway through which the young woman, Amang Roberto's 'ward', had retreated.
Amang Selmo snorted. "Isn't the salvation of your soul enough reward?"
Abel quickly repressed a laugh. He had expected something like this. "I would have no way of verifying whether my soul has been saved until I am dead, Selmo. How about something more concrete?"
Selmo crossed himself. "Dios." The old man muttered something about the sinful preoccupation of man with worldly possessions. Abel couldn't care less. He wouldn't have believed all this "end of the world" business, if it hadn't been for the watch. That and Gomez's mathematics. Abel tapped the face of the watch out of habit, but by now he knew that it wasn't the watch that was problematic, it was the Earth itself. That these "elders" would interpret it as the death of a mythical creature and use it to scare the general populace into submission--despicable. But beside the point, Gomez had said to Abel before herding him into the clan's groundcar. Beside the point.
"He is right," Amang Roberto said. "We cannot force our faith on others."
How generous of you, Abel thought, gritting his teeth. That he couldn't keep his emotions to himself was his fatal flaw, according to Gomez. She was always a know-it-all. In that respect, she didn't differ much from these elders.
Abel glared at Amang Roberto. "You may say that," he said, with all the venom he could muster. "But I see that hypocrisy is not limited to the young."
Amang Roberto's eyes widened. Abel was suddenly afraid that the man would die of a stroke right there. The old man's veins protruded like worms around his temples, going down in a fragile line in the middle of his forehead.
'I didn't tell you to kill him,' he could imagine Gomez telling him, later.
Just as Abel was about to apologize, the old man opened his mouth. To Abel's surprise, Amang Roberto started laughing. The others joined him, tentatively at first, but rapidly gaining steam. Spittle hung from the corner of Selmo's mouth.
Abel stood up to leave. Gomez could suffer these fools herself, if she wanted to.
"Oh sit down," Amang Roberto said, waving a hand. "We need one another. That is the truth."
"You need me," Abel said.
The old man looked Abel in the eye. "That's only half of it." He had stopped laughing.
Abel suddenly thought of the way his father's face had looked, before he died of the Curse. There was the same dullness of eye under hairless brow, but it was the tired awareness peeking through the haze that had silenced Abel, as it silenced him now. It was a wisdom that had been earned through unspeakable bargains, one that asked not for more wisdom, but for release.
Abel felt his knees give way under him. Luckily, the chair was still there to bear his weight. The other elders did not notice, absorbed as they were in their own mirth. Amang Roberto, however, did not seem to miss much.
"Silence," the old man said sharply, quieting the last of the laughter. Abel blinked, and his father's face was gone. What had he been thinking? He shook his head. The weather fluctuations were making him see specters.
"It is this way, your Grace," he heard someone say. Abel looked up, and there she was again, Amang Roberto's ward emerging through the back door like a cool gust of wind. His eyes latched on to her, as the drowning would latch on to a rope. Behind her however, there was no purchase to be found. Abel blinked again, but they were no specters.
"Amang Roberto," the man in the sealed wheelchair said. "It is good to see you." His guard hovered behind him silently.
Abel met Lakan's eye. Like any good guard, Lakan did not bat an eyelash. At any rate, it had been more than ten years.
"Sulayman," Amang Roberto replied, bowing his head almost imperceptibly.
Sulayman greeted each elder in turn. Abel sank back in his chair. There was no way to leave unnoticed now. The young woman--Huli was her name, Abel finally remembered--was observing the whole scene, but was careful to remain with her back against the wall. With her khaki house dress, she blended in with the wood quite well. Abel could not keep back a smile. She would do well.
The greetings continued in a counterclockwise circle. When it was his turn, Abel was calm. "Sulayman," he said, not standing up, and not waiting to be addressed.
Sulayman smiled. "Brother. It has been a long time."
* * *
I was hesitant to make them brothers. I thought it might be too contrived a twist (it probably is, hehe. ^_^), but I sort of like the "telenovela-ness" of that. Now that I've admitted that, feel free to pelt me with tomatoes. XD
(In fairness to me, there's some good character development that can happen if they're brothers. So there. <-- defensive XD)
There's still no discernible plot (it seems I am bad at that), but just to give a general idea of the next parts:
--> who is this Gomez, and what are the forbidden zones anyway?
--> continuation of the meeting of the elders, Abel and Sulayman. What is the ritual? Why do they need the technologists' help?
--> Huli the orphan (character development)
--> expounding on the natural phenomena associated with the end of the world (am wondering whether i should go Biblical on this)
--> a parting of ways
--> the nature of science and religion
Abel consulted his watch, taking no small pleasure in the elders' irritation. He had found the contraption at one of the forbidden zones and restored it to its function himself. The elders must have guessed as much because they each kept their distance from him, particularly from his left arm, which wore the blinking timepiece. Abel could not blame them. Rumors abounded, even now, of mysterious deaths arising from taking artifacts or drinking the water from the forbidden zones. The anomaly was their being in the same room with him at all.
"What would I get in return, to do this for you?" Abel said, looking at the doorway through which the young woman, Amang Roberto's 'ward', had retreated.
Amang Selmo snorted. "Isn't the salvation of your soul enough reward?"
Abel quickly repressed a laugh. He had expected something like this. "I would have no way of verifying whether my soul has been saved until I am dead, Selmo. How about something more concrete?"
Selmo crossed himself. "Dios." The old man muttered something about the sinful preoccupation of man with worldly possessions. Abel couldn't care less. He wouldn't have believed all this "end of the world" business, if it hadn't been for the watch. That and Gomez's mathematics. Abel tapped the face of the watch out of habit, but by now he knew that it wasn't the watch that was problematic, it was the Earth itself. That these "elders" would interpret it as the death of a mythical creature and use it to scare the general populace into submission--despicable. But beside the point, Gomez had said to Abel before herding him into the clan's groundcar. Beside the point.
"He is right," Amang Roberto said. "We cannot force our faith on others."
How generous of you, Abel thought, gritting his teeth. That he couldn't keep his emotions to himself was his fatal flaw, according to Gomez. She was always a know-it-all. In that respect, she didn't differ much from these elders.
Abel glared at Amang Roberto. "You may say that," he said, with all the venom he could muster. "But I see that hypocrisy is not limited to the young."
Amang Roberto's eyes widened. Abel was suddenly afraid that the man would die of a stroke right there. The old man's veins protruded like worms around his temples, going down in a fragile line in the middle of his forehead.
'I didn't tell you to kill him,' he could imagine Gomez telling him, later.
Just as Abel was about to apologize, the old man opened his mouth. To Abel's surprise, Amang Roberto started laughing. The others joined him, tentatively at first, but rapidly gaining steam. Spittle hung from the corner of Selmo's mouth.
Abel stood up to leave. Gomez could suffer these fools herself, if she wanted to.
"Oh sit down," Amang Roberto said, waving a hand. "We need one another. That is the truth."
"You need me," Abel said.
The old man looked Abel in the eye. "That's only half of it." He had stopped laughing.
Abel suddenly thought of the way his father's face had looked, before he died of the Curse. There was the same dullness of eye under hairless brow, but it was the tired awareness peeking through the haze that had silenced Abel, as it silenced him now. It was a wisdom that had been earned through unspeakable bargains, one that asked not for more wisdom, but for release.
Abel felt his knees give way under him. Luckily, the chair was still there to bear his weight. The other elders did not notice, absorbed as they were in their own mirth. Amang Roberto, however, did not seem to miss much.
"Silence," the old man said sharply, quieting the last of the laughter. Abel blinked, and his father's face was gone. What had he been thinking? He shook his head. The weather fluctuations were making him see specters.
"It is this way, your Grace," he heard someone say. Abel looked up, and there she was again, Amang Roberto's ward emerging through the back door like a cool gust of wind. His eyes latched on to her, as the drowning would latch on to a rope. Behind her however, there was no purchase to be found. Abel blinked again, but they were no specters.
"Amang Roberto," the man in the sealed wheelchair said. "It is good to see you." His guard hovered behind him silently.
Abel met Lakan's eye. Like any good guard, Lakan did not bat an eyelash. At any rate, it had been more than ten years.
"Sulayman," Amang Roberto replied, bowing his head almost imperceptibly.
Sulayman greeted each elder in turn. Abel sank back in his chair. There was no way to leave unnoticed now. The young woman--Huli was her name, Abel finally remembered--was observing the whole scene, but was careful to remain with her back against the wall. With her khaki house dress, she blended in with the wood quite well. Abel could not keep back a smile. She would do well.
The greetings continued in a counterclockwise circle. When it was his turn, Abel was calm. "Sulayman," he said, not standing up, and not waiting to be addressed.
Sulayman smiled. "Brother. It has been a long time."
* * *
I was hesitant to make them brothers. I thought it might be too contrived a twist (it probably is, hehe. ^_^), but I sort of like the "telenovela-ness" of that. Now that I've admitted that, feel free to pelt me with tomatoes. XD
(In fairness to me, there's some good character development that can happen if they're brothers. So there. <-- defensive XD)
There's still no discernible plot (it seems I am bad at that), but just to give a general idea of the next parts:
--> who is this Gomez, and what are the forbidden zones anyway?
--> continuation of the meeting of the elders, Abel and Sulayman. What is the ritual? Why do they need the technologists' help?
--> Huli the orphan (character development)
--> expounding on the natural phenomena associated with the end of the world (am wondering whether i should go Biblical on this)
--> a parting of ways
--> the nature of science and religion