Read Online A Measure of Disorder by Alan Tucker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alan Tucker
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water on her face.
Sara was waking up when Jenni returned. Sara blinked her eyes at the brightening sky, and reached for her glasses. She turned to Jenni and said, “Hey, I can see you.”
“Well, of course you can see me, silly.” Jenni laughed. “I’m standing right here.”
“No,” Sara insisted, holding her glasses out for Jenni. “I can see you. Clearly. No glasses.”
Jenni realized what Sara meant and stared. “First you lose the braces, now your eyes are fixed?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a smile, “but I like it.”
They joined the others for breakfast and discovered more accounts of strange things. Two others had their braces fall off, and four who had glasses or contacts no longer needed them. Excited, they ate quickly and set out at a brisk pace, following the river.
Later that morning, Crank was riding piggy back on Jenni’s shoulders when he let out a shrill whistle. Jenni stopped and clapped her hands over her ears.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Sorry,” Crank apologized and pointed at a bird overhead. “Saw Faerstrastenai scout and want to talk.”
“What?” Jenni asked in confusion. She looked up and saw a bird was circling around them, coming lower with each pass. Everyone else eventually stopped to see what the fuss was about.
The bird swooped in toward them. It was shaped and colored like some swallows she had seen but was at least twice the size. As it came closer, Crank held out his arm.
“What are you doing?” Jenni shied away.
“It okay, stand still,” Crank replied and Jenni fought the urge to run.
The bird braked and flapped to land on Crank’s outstretched arm. Jenni turned her head to look and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Smiling down at her, was a tiny man sitting on the back of the bird.
Four or five inches tall, with a shock of unruly brown hair, his chest was bare and his pants were roughly stitched together from rags and other small pieces of cloth. He had a ruddy complexion, but his teeth were bright as he smiled.
“Greetings!” the tiny man said.
“Um, hello,” Jenni replied.
Crank looked at Jenni in surprise. “You understand him?”
“Well, he just said ‘Greetings,’ — wait, why does he speak English?”
“He doesn’t,” Crank said. He turned back to the little man and spoke in his own language, but to Jenni’s surprise, she was able to understand many of the words.
By the looks on their faces, it appeared everyone else had discovered the same thing.
Crank asked a few questions about the land around them and what lay ahead. The bird rider told him the way was clear and should offer them no trouble. Then, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the rider whispered something in the bird’s ear and they took off from Crank’s arm and flew away.
“Okay,” Jenni said after they’d started moving again. “What was that?”
“ Faerstrastenai ,” Crank said. “Many kinds, but they all take care of Mother.”
“They take care of your mother?” Jenni asked, confused again.
“Not my mother. Mother,” he corrected and spread his arms. “This all Mother,” he said with reverence in his voice.
Jenni thought for a moment, then whispered, “Mother Earth.” Then she said to Crank, “You mean Mother Earth.”
“Yes. Mother.”
9
They traveled for five more days, following the river as it wound its way through the grasslands.
Their inexplicable knowledge of the local language grew daily, until most of them needed little translation to understand anything Crank said.
Some of the boys took to spending time after dinner each evening sparring with each other using their tree branch weapons. Brandon had taken some martial arts classes and led the sessions. Mr. Kain kept an eye on things to make sure no one got seriously injured. Sara and another girl, Kim, sat and watched the first couple of times, then had asked to join in the next night.
Kim was a big, strong girl with shoulder length brown
Sara was waking up when Jenni returned. Sara blinked her eyes at the brightening sky, and reached for her glasses. She turned to Jenni and said, “Hey, I can see you.”
“Well, of course you can see me, silly.” Jenni laughed. “I’m standing right here.”
“No,” Sara insisted, holding her glasses out for Jenni. “I can see you. Clearly. No glasses.”
Jenni realized what Sara meant and stared. “First you lose the braces, now your eyes are fixed?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a smile, “but I like it.”
They joined the others for breakfast and discovered more accounts of strange things. Two others had their braces fall off, and four who had glasses or contacts no longer needed them. Excited, they ate quickly and set out at a brisk pace, following the river.
Later that morning, Crank was riding piggy back on Jenni’s shoulders when he let out a shrill whistle. Jenni stopped and clapped her hands over her ears.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Sorry,” Crank apologized and pointed at a bird overhead. “Saw Faerstrastenai scout and want to talk.”
“What?” Jenni asked in confusion. She looked up and saw a bird was circling around them, coming lower with each pass. Everyone else eventually stopped to see what the fuss was about.
The bird swooped in toward them. It was shaped and colored like some swallows she had seen but was at least twice the size. As it came closer, Crank held out his arm.
“What are you doing?” Jenni shied away.
“It okay, stand still,” Crank replied and Jenni fought the urge to run.
The bird braked and flapped to land on Crank’s outstretched arm. Jenni turned her head to look and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Smiling down at her, was a tiny man sitting on the back of the bird.
Four or five inches tall, with a shock of unruly brown hair, his chest was bare and his pants were roughly stitched together from rags and other small pieces of cloth. He had a ruddy complexion, but his teeth were bright as he smiled.
“Greetings!” the tiny man said.
“Um, hello,” Jenni replied.
Crank looked at Jenni in surprise. “You understand him?”
“Well, he just said ‘Greetings,’ — wait, why does he speak English?”
“He doesn’t,” Crank said. He turned back to the little man and spoke in his own language, but to Jenni’s surprise, she was able to understand many of the words.
By the looks on their faces, it appeared everyone else had discovered the same thing.
Crank asked a few questions about the land around them and what lay ahead. The bird rider told him the way was clear and should offer them no trouble. Then, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the rider whispered something in the bird’s ear and they took off from Crank’s arm and flew away.
“Okay,” Jenni said after they’d started moving again. “What was that?”
“ Faerstrastenai ,” Crank said. “Many kinds, but they all take care of Mother.”
“They take care of your mother?” Jenni asked, confused again.
“Not my mother. Mother,” he corrected and spread his arms. “This all Mother,” he said with reverence in his voice.
Jenni thought for a moment, then whispered, “Mother Earth.” Then she said to Crank, “You mean Mother Earth.”
“Yes. Mother.”
9
They traveled for five more days, following the river as it wound its way through the grasslands.
Their inexplicable knowledge of the local language grew daily, until most of them needed little translation to understand anything Crank said.
Some of the boys took to spending time after dinner each evening sparring with each other using their tree branch weapons. Brandon had taken some martial arts classes and led the sessions. Mr. Kain kept an eye on things to make sure no one got seriously injured. Sara and another girl, Kim, sat and watched the first couple of times, then had asked to join in the next night.
Kim was a big, strong girl with shoulder length brown
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