Read Online The Ugly One by Leanne Statland Ellis - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leanne Statland Ellis
Ads: Link
It was the night of the full moon. We sat together by the fire, waiting for Uncle Turu to begin his storytelling.
âYou are changing,â Chasca said, her skin glowing a beautiful gold in the firelight.
âI am?â
âYes. You have never sat with me by the fire before.â
âYou are right!â I said in surprise.
Chasca smiled and put her arm around my back. She rested her head lightly on my left shoulder. Sumac preened himself happily on the other side, and I will say I felt as full and content as Mama Killa at that moment.
Chasca had spoken truly. As you have heard, I always sat away from the people, at the edge of the group. This was a small observation she had made, but also not so small. I wondered what was different.
I often forgot myself in my watching and listening. I had been studying the flames of the fire when Chasca spoke to me. But there was another reason, and I thought I knew what it was as I sat with my beautiful sister. The people treated me differently. They smiled my way more often.
Some of these smiles were fearful. They were tight lipped, with nervous, flitting eyes. These people were afraid of my powers as the
yachachisqa
, the student of the mighty shaman, or perhaps they were scared of Sumac and his big beak. But other smiles were wide and true. These smiles came for a reason that is difficult to explain. Imagine a girl rushing through her days with her head down, her face hidden behind her hair. Would you grin at such a girl as she scuttled past you in fear? No. Now see this same girl moving slowly, watching you. She will see your smile, yes? So you offer it to her.
By opening my eyes and my ears, I was creating a world of more smiles for myself. It was an odd and new sensation, to be seen after a lifetime spent feeling as invisible as the very air, and I was still learning to return those smiles.
One person in particular, Ucho, had changed his ways toward me as quickly as the air turns frigid once Inti sets from the sky. Ucho ignored me completely now. As I reflected on it by the fire, I realized that I hadnât seen him much over the past moon. I searched the faces and found him on the opposite side of the fire, sitting with his brother and the other boys. His nose had healed, but it would always have a strange twisted appearance at the end. Perhaps it wasnât me that Ucho avoided, but the Handsome One. I decided it didnât much matter, as long as he stayed away.
Sighing happily, I rested my head against Chascaâs as Uncle Turu stepped in front of the fire. Tonight would be one of the peopleâs favorite stories, a love story, that always sparked much debate after its telling.
Uncle Turu rose, rubbing his big hands together briskly in expectation. He waited for the people to grow quiet before beginning. When the air was heavy with the silence of the surrounding mountains and every pair of eyes was fixed intently on him, Uncle Turu boomed, â
Ãawpa pachapi
.â
There is much power in these opening words, yes? Can you see the people settling onto the earth more comfortably, content to be caught up in the story Uncle Turu would weave for them?
âOnce upon a time there was a girl named Chuguillanto who was more beautiful than any across the empire. She hadnât a single freckle or mole, and her face was so perfect, the very birds stopped their singing when she walked by, for she was far lovelier than any song they could offer.
âWhen she was eight, Chuguillanto was selected to become a member of the Acllahuasi, the convent of the Sun Maidens, in the capital city of Cuzco. Most of the Sun Maidens would become wives to noblemen, or servants to the sacred mummies, or weavers of the finest cloth worn by the Sapa Inca. But such was not to be the fate of Chuguillanto. Because of her great beauty, the emperor himself had chosen her to be the next offering to Inti if the times demanded a human sacrifice. In a convent of thousands of Sun
âYou are changing,â Chasca said, her skin glowing a beautiful gold in the firelight.
âI am?â
âYes. You have never sat with me by the fire before.â
âYou are right!â I said in surprise.
Chasca smiled and put her arm around my back. She rested her head lightly on my left shoulder. Sumac preened himself happily on the other side, and I will say I felt as full and content as Mama Killa at that moment.
Chasca had spoken truly. As you have heard, I always sat away from the people, at the edge of the group. This was a small observation she had made, but also not so small. I wondered what was different.
I often forgot myself in my watching and listening. I had been studying the flames of the fire when Chasca spoke to me. But there was another reason, and I thought I knew what it was as I sat with my beautiful sister. The people treated me differently. They smiled my way more often.
Some of these smiles were fearful. They were tight lipped, with nervous, flitting eyes. These people were afraid of my powers as the
yachachisqa
, the student of the mighty shaman, or perhaps they were scared of Sumac and his big beak. But other smiles were wide and true. These smiles came for a reason that is difficult to explain. Imagine a girl rushing through her days with her head down, her face hidden behind her hair. Would you grin at such a girl as she scuttled past you in fear? No. Now see this same girl moving slowly, watching you. She will see your smile, yes? So you offer it to her.
By opening my eyes and my ears, I was creating a world of more smiles for myself. It was an odd and new sensation, to be seen after a lifetime spent feeling as invisible as the very air, and I was still learning to return those smiles.
One person in particular, Ucho, had changed his ways toward me as quickly as the air turns frigid once Inti sets from the sky. Ucho ignored me completely now. As I reflected on it by the fire, I realized that I hadnât seen him much over the past moon. I searched the faces and found him on the opposite side of the fire, sitting with his brother and the other boys. His nose had healed, but it would always have a strange twisted appearance at the end. Perhaps it wasnât me that Ucho avoided, but the Handsome One. I decided it didnât much matter, as long as he stayed away.
Sighing happily, I rested my head against Chascaâs as Uncle Turu stepped in front of the fire. Tonight would be one of the peopleâs favorite stories, a love story, that always sparked much debate after its telling.
Uncle Turu rose, rubbing his big hands together briskly in expectation. He waited for the people to grow quiet before beginning. When the air was heavy with the silence of the surrounding mountains and every pair of eyes was fixed intently on him, Uncle Turu boomed, â
Ãawpa pachapi
.â
There is much power in these opening words, yes? Can you see the people settling onto the earth more comfortably, content to be caught up in the story Uncle Turu would weave for them?
âOnce upon a time there was a girl named Chuguillanto who was more beautiful than any across the empire. She hadnât a single freckle or mole, and her face was so perfect, the very birds stopped their singing when she walked by, for she was far lovelier than any song they could offer.
âWhen she was eight, Chuguillanto was selected to become a member of the Acllahuasi, the convent of the Sun Maidens, in the capital city of Cuzco. Most of the Sun Maidens would become wives to noblemen, or servants to the sacred mummies, or weavers of the finest cloth worn by the Sapa Inca. But such was not to be the fate of Chuguillanto. Because of her great beauty, the emperor himself had chosen her to be the next offering to Inti if the times demanded a human sacrifice. In a convent of thousands of Sun
Similar Books
