Survivors II

[aurelius]

Survivors II: 6-10

 

 

6

 

We came out of the smithy and for a while walked back the way we came.  Then we took a path to the right through some trees.  These weren’t palm trees; we had climbed higher, away from the coast, so the shade was deep and dark.  But the path was clear.  

 

As we got further into the shade, Lateef said to Garin, “I should go ahead to see if anyone’s there and if anything is going on that our fathers would want us to avoid.”

 

“Got ya,” said Garin and he slowed down to let Lateef sprint past.  

 

“Wow,” I said, “that boy can move!”

 

“It’s a benefit of his not carrying around a lot of muscle.  He’s very fast.”

 

We walked on a while longer; Abari was interested in the flowers we saw and the birds we heard.  Suddenly, we met Lateef coming back.

 

“There were a few men in the pool—some were new arrivals: soldiers who jumped ship last night and swam to shore.  But they were with their new brothers, Menes and Shakir, and all of them were understanding.  So there are only two men swimming now—I think they sprained their ankles; the others have gone further into the trees.  We shouldn’t see or hear them.”

 

“And I’m sure you were your usual diplomatic self,” Garin said.

 

“Hey; what’s smarts if you can’t use them?”  Lateef smiled.

 

We were soon at the pool.  Lateef turned to me and Abari: “You’ll see men coming here to fill their water jugs over there at that waterfall,”  He pointed to a waterfall which was easily accessible from slabs of rock on either side.  The water fell down into a stream that fed the pool. “And the water from the pool runs off over there, into the jungle where the trees are tall and the snakes are big.”

 

“Snakes?” I said.

 

“Yeah, big snakes; but you don’t have to worry about them—they almost never come out of the jungle.”

 

“Yeah, we never go into the jungle except when we need to kill a snake.”  Garin smiled a devilish smile.  “Here at the pool, men come to swim; usually they’re guys who have sprained something—“

 

“Or broken something,” added Lateef with a smile.

 

“OK!” Garin said, irritated.  “Lateef is referring to the time I broke my leg jumping off a cliff into the sea.  And of course he told me not to do it.  But it was such fun!  I jumped two or three times—until I slipped and landed on a rock and broke my leg.  Amare had to carry me the whole way to this pool.  It took a day or so of sitting in the pool and drinking the water.”

 

“And that healed your broken leg?”  I had to ask.  On the opposite side of the pool, I noticed a couple of big, good-looking men chatting with each other as their ankles stayed in the pool.

 

“Yep,” Garin said. “The water is powerful stuff!”

 

“So this is the same water that has kept me feeling full and not needing to eat anything?”

 

“Yep,” Garin said again.

 

Meanwhile, Lateef had gone over to the waterfall and filled his jug.  When he came back he said, “Now, you can drink all the water you want in the pool, but the water from the waterfall is a little bit purer, so I suggest you drink the water from the jug.”  He handed me the jug.

 

“That sounds good to me,” I said, taking a sip and handing it to Abari.  “Besides, I think both Abari and I are going to need help in the pool, since neither of us knows how to swim.”  Abari drank a sip and handed it to Garin, who did the same.

 

“Well, we’re in luck, since Garin can easily handle Abari, and because the pool water is unnaturally buoyant, I can support you while you learn to swim.”

 

After Abari and I took off our long shirts, Abari looked up at Garin and said, “Please don’t let me sink.”

 

“Not a chance, little brother.  Are you ready for your first swimming lesson?”

 

Abari put his hand in Garin’s big hand and the two of them went down to the water’s edge.  Garin stepped in and turned around and held out his arms to Abari.  “Jump in my arms, little brother!” and Abari did.

 

“And are you ready, Jabar?” Lateef said to me.  “You can jump in my arms, but it might be better if you just walk into the water.”  We walked down to the water’s edge; Lateef went in first and turned around.  He extended his hand, and I took it.  This whole day I’d been learning how to trust.  

 

I walked into the water.  It didn’t feel like normal water.  I had gone into the Nile a couple of times—mostly splashing around, not really swimming at all—so I knew a little bit about how water should feel.  This water felt both closer and heavier, as if you could put your hand in it and hold it for a minute before it ran through your fingers.  And yet at the same time, it felt very clean.

 

“Ah!” said Lateef, “I know that look!  You’re feeing how buoyant and clean the water is!  Enjoy it, my brother!  You only enter the power pool for the first time once.  I’ll let you play a bit.”

 

And I did want to play.  I felt younger, and I felt like I’d never felt water before.  So I splashed a little; I splashed Lateef; he splashed me back, as if we were Abari’s age again.  It was all new to me—just as all these muscular men were new to me, and all the love I felt from Amare and Gareth and Lateef and Garin—and even Zuberi and Xander.  I wondered if I could handle all the love.

 

“If I lie back, will I sink or float?”

 

“You will float.  Trust me: lie back; enjoy the pool!”  Lateef was all smiles; it seemed he was enjoying this more than I was.

 

I carefully let my head go back; then I got scared and didn’t go all the way back.  Lateef came behind me and said, “I’m here, Jabar.  You can trust me.  I will catch you.”

 

And so, when I did let go, when I did fall back into the water, it helped that I could feel Lateef’s hands on my back.  He was there.  I wouldn’t sink.

 

Floating in the power pool was like nothing I had ever experienced.  All my skin that touched the water felt bigger, younger—just more.  After being supported by Lateef for a minute or so, he let me go and I floated on my own—away from the shore.  I didn’t know this except that there were no trees above me and I saw only blue sky.  I panicked a little.  But Lateef was there: “I’m here, Jabar.  Don’t panic; trust the water and it will keep you afloat.”

 

His voice sounded close, as if it was supporting me—supporting me as much as the water.  But I had to turn around and see where he was.  When I did, I panicked and thought I was going to sink.  I didn’t.  Once again, I saw that Lateef was all smiles.

 

“See?  You’re not sinking.  The water holds you up.  Now, if you’re ready to learn to swim, I’m here to help.”

 

Learning to swim was easy for me, once I had learned to trust the water.  I learned to tread water—which I didn’t need to do that much since the water was so buoyant.  And I learned to breathe as I put one arm out and brought it back under me, and then put the other arm out and brought it back under me—in a word, swimming!  I thought that maybe since the water felt heavier than normal water, it would be hard to swim; it wasn’t.  The water was buoyant and giving.

 

I looked over at Garin and Abari.  Abari was having the time of his life.  He was splashing Garin any time he wanted—and Garin would make little splashes back at Abari; I liked that.  It showed that Garin was controlling his strength.  I pointed this out to Lateef.

 

“Yeah, the big guy loves your little brother.  You should see the huge splashes he unleashes on me!”

 

I glanced over at Garin and Abari again.  Now Garin was tossing Abari up into the air—away from him, so Abari was hitting the water with a splash.  But the little guy went under the water, then came back up, shook his head and splashed at Garin again.  Like I said: the time of his life.  Seeing Abari so happy, I felt joy—something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

 

 

7

 

We swam in the pool for what could have been a couple of hours.  We even had a relay race from one side of the pool to another.  But since Lateef was a better swimmer than Garin, and since I had learned the swimming basics, our teams were Lateef and Abari against Garin and me.  Because Lateef was a fast swimmer, he quickly swam past me, and he and Abari won—much to the joy of Abari, but everyone was pretty pleased with that result.

 

As the sun started to fall from the sky, Lateef got out, picked up his strap with the jug, and said we really had to get going.  He asked us if anyone needed a drink of water before we left.

 

“Why?” said Garin.  “We’ve been swallowing water for an hour or more!”  

 

“I just thought I should ask,” said Lateef.

 

We didn’t say or do much as we walked home.  Abari didn’t even ask to ride on Garin’s shoulders until after Lateef had us stop for a drink about half way.  I figured the water really must be nourishing and strengthening.

 

We got back to Amare and Gareth just after sunset.  Neither of the fathers was upset.  Amare said, “Thanks, Lateef, for bringing them back more or less on time!”  But he smiled as he said it.  The torches were already lit; as I walked in, the house seemed more like a home.  Lateef filled water cups for Amare and Gareth and we all sat around on the floor.  

 

Abari was soon curled up in Amare’s lap.  He looked up and said, ”I had a great day!  We went to see Zuberi and Xander and I got to try and pick up Xander’s hammer.  And Zuberi’s making—“

 

Lateef interrupted: “Hush, Abari!  Remember, it’s a surprise!”

 

“Oh, right!  I forgot!  Sorry!  But we met all these other big men like Zuberi and Xander at the smithy.  I’m glad that they stopped working, because they were so noisy!”

 

“And then, did you get to go swimming?” asked Amare.

 

‘YES!  I had such fun!  Garin went into the pool first; then I jumped into Garin’s arms and he held me while I learned to paddle and then to swim.  And then we had a race and Lateef and I won!!  Did you know Lateef is a very fast swimmer?”

 

Everyone chuckled.  “Why yes,” said Amare, “I did know that.”

 

“Well, of course you would; you’re his father!”

 

Gareth turned to me and asked, “And did you have a good day, Jabar?”

 

“Yes, I did—somewhat to my surprise!  I found out I could trust Lateef and the water in the pool.  And I learned that my little brother trusts Garin completely.”

 

“Yes, I do!” and Abari jumped out of Amare’s arms and jumped into Garin’s arms.  Garin was all smiles; he turned to Lateef and softly said, “It’s good to be trusted” and hugged Abari close.

 

“As I remember you have trusted me,” said Lateef.

 

“Well,” said Gareth to me, smiling, “I’m very happy you’re building your trust.”

 

“And I know I can trust you, too,” I found myself saying—the words sort of jumped out of my mouth.

 

I thought Gareth was going to cry; his eyes welled up with tears.  “That’s wonderful to hear, Jabar!”  And when he opened his arms to me, I found myself going to him, and soon found myself wrapped in his big, thick arms.

 

I could have stayed there and enjoyed being surrounded by strength and protection, but I’m still me: I still had questions.

 

“I have a question; where do Lateef and Garin sleep?  Are they going to stay here?  Have Abari and I displaced you guys?“

 

“Oh!  I hadn’t thought about that!” Abari turned his face toward Garin’s: “Have we made trouble for you and Lateef?”

 

“No, little brother,” Garin said.  “Lateef and I have our own home.  It’s a little further up the hill.  It’s true, we do spend lot of time with our fathers, but we also have our own place—which our fathers mostly built for us.”

 

“And some day,” Amare said, “We will help you and Jabar build your own home, too!”

 

“Then I guess,” I said, “that Xander and Zuberi have their own home too?”

 

“Yes,” said Gareth.  “It’s even further along the hill—and closer to the smithy and the path that leads to the military training grounds.”

 

“Oh!” said Abari, “I want to go there next!”  He turned his face up toward Garin’s and then over to Lateef’s. “Can we go there tomorrow?”

 

“Of course,” said Lateef. “Garin and I will show you as much of the island as you want to see.”

 

“That’s good!” Abari said slowly as he yawned.

 

“I think that’s a signal for us to leave,” said Garin, glancing over to Lateef, who nodded.

 

Garin brought Abari over to Amare and put him gently into his father’s arms.  The goodbye ritual began again.  I got out of Gareth’s arms so he could say goodbye to his sons.  Amare hugged his sons while seated and balancing a nearly-asleep Abari on his wide shoulder.  I realized I was witnessing the ritual a second time, and that it didn’t seem as strange; in fact, it seemed completely right.

 

By the time Garin and Lateef had left, Abari was asleep in Amare’s arms.  We were all sitting together.  Amare softly said, “I’m a bit surprised, Jabar, that you’ve begun to trust us more.  You’ve had to be suspicious for so long.”

 

“I’m surprised myself,” I said.  I looked at Amare and then at Gareth, who was sitting next to me.  “But Lateef made a lot of sense.  I asked him questions as we walked to the smithy.  He’s very smart; he said he was glad I was becoming his brother—well, I’m very glad he’s mine!  And then seeing how much fun Abari was having with Garin—and how gentle Garin was with Abari in the pool—and then the water itself: once I trusted it—as Lateef said I should—I started to relax, and I realized I could let others look after Abari, and I could—“

 

“Be a kid again?” suggested Gareth.

 

“Yes.  That.  Do you always know the right thing to say?”  I couldn’t resist adding that last remark.

 

“Most of the time, yes, I have to admit,” said Amare, smiling, and he put his huge arm around Gareth’s shoulders.  Everything Amare did was big.  The hug—or maybe it was what I said—lit up Gareth’s face.  I realized that when he smiled, he was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen.

 

“You know,” I said, “You two guys are wonderful.  I think I learn something every time I see you together—like may be how love looks.  You know,” and here I paused for a bit; I was aware that I paused for awhile—and yet Amare and Gareth were patient with me—“I haven’t been around a lot of love in my life.  I know Abari loves me, as I love him, but any boy will love someone who treats him fairly.”

 

“No,” said Gareth, softly but firmly.  “You love him and he knows it.  Without your love, there wouldn’t be as much joy in Abari—as we’ve all seen today.  All the joy he’s been showing is due to your love.”  And here, Gareth reached out and put his hand on my knee.  I could have cried, but I settled for falling into his arms and giving him as big and strong a hug as I could.  

 

“And I love you too, Jabar,” Gareth whispered in my ear.

 

“I think it’s time we all went to bed,” Amare said as he stood up and carried Abari to his bed.  Then he went around, putting out the torches.  Gareth also stood up, and he carried me to his bed.  I think I cried a little as he set me down, but then he snuggled next to me, and I felt one of his big, strong arms wrap around my body.  It felt so right.

 

 

8

 

The next morning I woke up and wondered who I was.  I felt bigger.  Then I looked over at Abari, who was also just waking up—he looked like he had grown an inch overnight!  

 

Amare was pouring water into cups.  I had to ask:  “What’s happening to us?  I feel bigger and Abari looks like he’s grown an inch!”

 

“It’s the water,” Amare said.  That seemed to be a standard answer.  “Really?” I said.  “After just a day of swimming in the pool?”

 

“I knew you’d be skeptical, but that’s the way it is.  When you’re first exposed to the water, it makes you feel better—healthier.  But if you have more exposure, it starts to change you.  And it affects different men and boys differently.  You should have seen Garin grow during his first week!”

 

“I want to be like Garin!” of course Abari said as he got out of bed.

 

“But it didn’t affect Lateef as much?” I asked.

 

“Not as obviously.  But although we couldn’t see much change, his muscles were getting longer—and that’s why he’s so fast, both on land and in the water.”

 

Gareth was sitting just outside the doorway netting; he was scraping a knife along his cheek; he was shaving hair off his face.  Where he scraped, his skin got red.  Then, when he felt his face was smoother, he dipped his hand in a cup and splashed some water on his face.  The red went away.  He rubbed his whole face, put his knife back into its sheath, and turned to us:  “Hey!” he said, “Now that you boys are up, how would you like to join me for a swim?”

 

“My man, the human fish!” Amare said, laughing.

 

“Well, we live near water, and I just thought that since the boys learned to swim yesterday…”

 

“I’m game!” I said.  I grabbed a cup of water Amare had filled, and took a couple of sips.  “Cool!  I don’t feel sleepy!  I guess I’m getting used to it!”

 

Amare smiled.  “Yes, you are.  Now, run off and go for a swim with your father!”  And he slapped me on my butt—lightly.

 

“I want to come too!”  Abari also got a cup of water, took a couple of quick sips, but then he stopped, midway toward Gareth.  Abari turned and said, “Father, I want you to come too!”

 

“Sure!” Gareth was smiling, “Come on, big guy!  Let’s make it a family affair!”  Soon we were all running down to the beach.

 

As we got to the shore, Gareth turned toward us boys, “Now, sea water isn’t as buoyant as the water in the pool, so if you feel like…”—but Abari had already stripped, jumped in and was splashing around.  I joined him.  Our two fathers stood on the sandy beach, watching us splash each other.  

 

“Like ducks to water,” said Amare.  And laughing, he pulled Gareth into the water.

 

We had fun in the water.  Of course, Abari wanted Amare to toss him into the air.  Amare would only do it if they went further into the bay, since he was going to throw Abari high and he would need extra depth as he splashed down.  Abari didn’t mind; he trusted Amare completely.  It seemed he sailed through the air before falling rapidly into the water.  He was under for a moment or two, then popped up, shook his head and said, “Do it again!  Do it again!”

 

Gareth looked at me: “I can’t throw you as high as Amare can throw Abari, but if you’re game…”

 

“Sure, throw me, Gareth!”

 

Gareth looked at me sideways.  “Really?“ he said.  “We’re back to ‘Gareth’?”

 

I looked down, then recovered and said, “Sure, throw me, father!”

 

Gareth wasn’t as strong as Amare, but he threw me pretty far and pretty high.  I didn’t sail through the air like Abari, but it was high enough for me.

 

After several throws, Abari had another idea: “Father, can you throw father Gareth?”

 

Suddenly, Gareth’s face darkened.  I heard him mutter, “Not this again!”  But he said, “Well, OK.”  Amare looked over at Gareth and smiled with a grin I’d never seen on his face before—something close to devilish or maybe even evil.  But once Amare got an idea in his head, it seemed nothing would stop him.  Before Gareth could object, Amare was behind him: 

 

“Ready, my love?”

 

“If you must!”  Gareth seemed to grit his teeth.

 

“Then up you go!”  Now, Gareth was a big man, as I’ve said before: tall and muscular.  He could have weighed ten times what I weigh, and more like twenty times what Abari weighs.  But Amare hoisted his lover up in the air several feet—and he came down with a hard splash.

 

“Wow!” said Abari.  “Do it again!  Do it again!”  My little brother loved seeing his father show his strength.  But Amare looked down and shook his head; he must have known that to do so again would hurt Gareth’s feelings, and he loved him too much.  “No, my little one.  Tossing you up again and again and again—“

 

“And again and again and again and again,” I added.  I had been keeping count.

 

Amare smiled at me; then he looked at Gareth who swam a few strong strokes toward us.  “I think once is enough for my love—unless you want to do it again?”  he sort of asked.

 

“No, once is enough.  I think I need a rest!”

 

“I think we all could use a rest,” Amare said.  Then he turned to me: “Jabar, would you please run up to the house and bring back a small jug of water hanging over the table?”

 

 

9

 

“Sure,” I said, suddenly feeling grown up, to be trusted with an errand.  I ran up to the house, found the jug and brought it back.  Everyone was lying on the sandy beach.  A new thought flashed in my head: “My family.”  I gave the jug to Amare who took a sip and gave it to Gareth, who took a sip and gave it to Abari.  I had to poke Abari on the shoulder before he remembered to hand the jug to me.

 

Soon Abari was snuggled in the arms of Amare.  He looked ready for a nap.  I had other ideas.

 

“By now, you guys know I can be a pest with questions.”

 

“Very understandable,” said Gareth.  ‘You’re Abari’s protector.”

 

I smiled; it felt good to be recognized.  “I know a lot about how Lateef and Garin came here, and even a bit about how Zuberi and Xander came here.”

 

“But you don’t know our story,” said Gareth.  The man could read me easily!  He looked at Amare as if to say, “Do you want to tell the story, or should I?”

 

Amare took the responsibility:  “In Egypt I was a slave master.  I used to whip slaves to get them to pull slabs of rock to the pyramids.”  He must have seen the look on my face—how?  How could such a gentle man be a slave master?

 

“I know,” said Gareth, “bit it’s true.  I was one of his slaves.  He would whip me every day.  But I liked the guy: big and muscular—though not as big and muscular as he is now—I thought he was beautiful.  You see, I’d never seen a Nubian before.  I had been captured by some Macedonians in battle and sold as a slave.  The Egyptians kept fondling my hair.”

 

“And I’d never seen a pale-haired man before.  So this scrawny slave was interesting to me.  And he was stronger than he looked.  He always did his work, so I stopped whipping him.  And then one day he smiled at me.”

 

“I smiled because you were beautiful, you big lummox!” and Gareth reached over and hit Amare lightly on his thigh.  Amare smiled.

 

“In short, we fell in love.  And then things got interesting.  I would invent excuses to inspect the slaves late at night.  I would find this guy—“ and here Amare hit Gareth on the shoulder—“Ow!” Gareth said.  “You hit harder than me!”  “Yeah, sure!” said Amare.  Gareth then sent me a devilish grin as he rubbed his shoulder.

 

“I would find this guy and find a dark place where we could kiss and—well, do other things.”

 

“So he fucked you?” I said to Gareth.  Abari by now was fast asleep.

 

“You could call it that.  Or you could say we made love.  This big guy—“ and here Gareth reached an arm around Amare’s big shoulders—“can be very gentle, very loving. In fact, he taught me things about making love for which I’m always grateful.”

 

“And it’s not like my love here—“ and Amare returned the gesture, putting his big arm around Gareth’s shoulders—“didn’t give as well as he took.  He wasn’t all that gentle at first, but he learned quickly.”

 

“We became lovers,” Gareth said.  “I was deeply in love.”

 

“And I was as well.  In fact, soon most of the slaves recognized me and pointed out where Gareth was sleeping.  They didn’t mind our love; in fact, I think our making love made the slaves more productive!”  Here Amare paused; Gareth nodded his head and said, “I know it sounds strange, but I think our love changed a lot of things.”

 

“What it changed most was the fact that I couldn’t keep being his slave master.  Other slave masters said I was ‘playing favorites with the white boy’; they taunted me with being involved with the white boy—as if that was a bad thing.  Of course I denied it, but I think it became hard for anyone to believe me.”

 

“And I wouldn’t obey any other slave master.  We were heading for trouble—both of us.”

 

“So one night,” Amare said, “instead of making love, we started talking about escaping.”

 

“And other slaves overheard us,” Gareth said.  “I should say that by this time, I had made several friends among the slaves, and they had made friends with Amare—and that was another reason why we had to figure out a way to escape.”

 

“One of the other slave masters also overheard us talking, and he said he wanted to go with us—and he had a cousin who owned a ship,” Amare said. “He sent this cousin a note; they talked, and the cousin agreed to take us down the Nile and to an island he had heard about, an island west of the Delta.”

 

“So, the next step was to escape,” said Gareth.  “A couple dozen of us slaves got organized.  I guess I became the leader because I wanted to run away most—and the other slaves recognized my desperation.  Amare and the other slave master signed up to be on guard one night—and that was the night when we quietly, two-by-two, ran out of the slave quarters and down to the Nile.”

 

“We got on the boat—this was past the middle of the night.”  Amare shook his head. “How the ship’s captain navigated the Nile through the night I’ll never know.”

 

“Frankly, I didn’t care,” said Gareth. “When I wasn’t manning the oars, I stood on the deck of the ship, the wind blowing through my hair and my arms wrapped around my love.  I had never felt so free—it was heaven for me.”

 

“And I manned the oars too.  Both the other slave master and I insisted we were equals with all the runaways.  They all treated us fairly.  There was no idea of ‘getting back at the masters’.”  Amare paused.  “This is a longer story than I remember!” he said.

 

“That’s because we both know Jabar will only ask more questions if we leave anything out!” and Gareth put his hand on my shoulder.  

 

Amare smiled and said, “I only started to relax when we pulled away from the Delta.  And I kept my eye on the western horizon throughout the day, hoping to see the island we’d heard about.”

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lateef and Garin quietly come down to the beach and sit a ways behind Amare and Gareth.  Garin looked like he wanted to join our group; Lateef actually tugged his arm so hard that Garin had to sit down.

 

“Of course we made it to the island,” Gareth said.  “We stowed the boat on the other side of the island.  It still gets used to take ores, metals, jewelry and fish to markets along the coast or to Crete.  Our ship’s captain threw in his lot with us—and was very happy he had done so, once he drank some of the water.”

 

“We all fell asleep.” Amare said, “after we drank the water—all 30 or so of us.  It was like we were suddenly hit by something all at once, all at the same time.  But when we woke up, we felt better and stronger.  And those of us who had not been attracted to other men—well, now they were.  Of course, the water didn’t change that in us; it just made us more—“

 

“Horny?” I said. “Yeah, that,” said Amare, smiling.  He continued:

 

“After a few days of exploring the island and drinking more water, we saw how much more muscle each of us had.  So we started having tests of strength, throwing boulders around, pulling palm trees out by the roots—pretty childish things.”

 

“But then pairs us wanted a place to stay,” Gareth said.  He looked at Amare, “Remember how suddenly so many pairs had the same idea—that we wanted to make houses and homes?”  Amare nodded.  “With some tools from the boat, we found a bunch of rock that we discovered we could carve, and that started our quarry.  We made crude rock tools and started making rock walls—the same as what you see in our house.  It was easy for Amare to carry a couple slabs of rock; I could carry one.  We carried them from the quarry to where we wanted our house to be.  We dug a trench and Amare slammed the slab into the trench, and it stood upright.  Guys chose different places for their houses all over the island.  Meanwhile a couple guys started a fire for smelting ore, and the smithy was born; we started making more tools at first; since then, we smelt ore and make weapons and jewelry.”

 

“Gareth and I wanted to be look-outs.  We settled where we did, so we could look out for Egyptian ships.  There were a few raids and they enslaved some of our now-bigger brothers.  I guess they liked the increased muscle, because the Egyptians keep coming back.  It took us a while to get organized, to develop a defense force, but they’ve gotten pretty good at shutting down big raids.  And you know what happens when there’s a small raid—like your boat.  I’m pretty good at throwing boulders and destroying or at least harming single ships.”

 

“And if there’s a stray boat that doesn’t have soldiers in it, I swim out to see what I can find.”

 

“And he rescues kids like you.”  Amare took another drink of water.  “And now you’re caught up!”

 

 

10

 

With the story concluded, Lateef and Garin joined the group.  “Hi Jabar, fathers” said Garin.  Amare and Gareth looked around.

 

“How long have you been back there?” Gareth said.

 

“Long enough to hear the last part of the story,” Garin said.  He turned to me: “Of course, we’ve heard it before, but we both love the story.”

 

“Yeah,” said Lateef.  “Big guy wanted to join your group earlier, so we could hear it again.”

 

“I know!” I said, “I saw you actually pull him down to the ground!”

 

“I’m not that strong. I just appealed to Garin’s guilt.  I whispered to him that you needed to hear the story for yourself and we should respect that.”

 

“Thanks, Lateef!  You’re right.  Sorry Garin, but I wanted our fathers to tell me the story themselves.”  Garin looked a little embarrassed.  But then Abari—I guess he heard Garin’s voice—woke up, saw Garin, and of course ran and jumped into his arms.  End of embarrassment as Garin hugged and kissed his little brother.

 

“Are you going to take us to the military place?” Abari asked.  I wondered if he understood that ‘military’ meant soldiers.  And I wondered if he would have flashbacks.  So far, everything had been wonderful for Abari, but on board the ship, he had bad nightmares and I had to hold him until he went back to sleep.

 

“I think we’ll go back to the smithy,”  Lateef said, “We’ll ask Zuberi and Xander to show us where the defense force practices.”

 

‘That sounds like a good idea,”  Amare said.  “I like the idea of all you brothers going together.”  Gareth nodded; then he looked at the jug of water and said, “But I think you’ll need some more water for the walk.  Jabar, can I ask you to do the honors again?  And there’s a strap to carry the jug—it’s on the table.”

 

“Well, OK.  But I don’t want to become your water boy.  That’s the job I had on the ship!”  But I picked up the jug and raced back to the house, filled the jug with water, and then carried it back to the beach.

 

As we got up to go, I noticed Garin and Lateef simply hugged each of their fathers and didn’t perform the goodbye ritual.  Abari and I also hugged each of our fathers.  Amare told Abari to have fun but listen to his brothers.  Gareth smiled and told me to ask questions—to which I said, “Of course!”

 

And of course Abari asked Garin if he could ride on his shoulders—and of course Garin picked him up and put him there.  And of course I walked beside Lateef again,  Once again, we were on our way to the smithy.  Abari didn’t ask to be put down so he could explore.  Instead, he gave a running commentary that mainly consisted of “We saw that yesterday!” and “I didn’t see that yesterday!” 

 

Once again, Lateef had us stop about midway in our trek to take some water.   As we started walking again, Abari asked, “What did I miss when I was asleep?”  

 

“Amare and Gareth told how they got to the island.  Amare was a slave master in Egypt and Gareth was one of his slaves.”  Here, Abari’s eyes got really big: “Really?  Did he really whip Gareth?  And did Gareth fight back?”

 

“Yes, he did whip Gareth at first, but then Gareth smiled at Amare one day and soon he was looking for Gareth among the slaves at night.  They became friends and Amare couldn’t whip him any more.”

 

“That’s good.  So what happened next?”

 

“Amare and Gareth started planning to escape.  Other slaves heard them and they wanted to go.  And another slave master wanted to go too—and he had a cousin who had a boat.  So one night Gareth found a way to lead the slaves out of the slave quarters and down to the Nile.  And the boat carried them to this island.”  I figured if Abari wanted to know more details, he would ask me later.

 

“Wow!” he said.  “They were very brave.  And they ran away because our fathers loved each other.”

 

“Amazing how he got the absolute heart of the story,” Lateef whispered to me.

 

“Yes,” I said to Abari, “that’s pretty much what happened.”

 

“Look!” said Abari. ”I can see the smithy!  Let’s hurry!”  Easy for him to say—he was riding on Garin’s shoulders.  But Garin was durable; he picked up the pace a bit.  By the time we got to the smithy, he was out of breath.  Lateef took Abari off Garin’s shoulders, saying, “Let’s give your brother a rest.  Can you walk to the smithy or do you want me to carry you?”  Abari raced ahead to the smithy.  I raced after him, knowing that someone had to watch out for him or he could end up with liquid gold in his hair.

 

Just inside the smithy, I caught up to Abari and put a hand on his shoulder.  “Let’s stay here until Zuberi comes over to us.”  Since the smithy was noisy again,  I put my hands to my mouth and called “Zuberi!  Our little brother wants to ask you something!”  Zuberi lifted his head and smiled—his bright teeth a contrast to his dark skin.  He came right over.

 

He bent down to Abari and said, “And what can I do to help you, little brother?” 

 

Abari looked a little confused.  He turned around to me; I bent down and whispered, “Ask him if he and Xander can show us the military place.”

 

Abari fidgeted with his hands as he said, “Can you and Xander show us the military place?”

 

“Of course.”  Then Zuberi put his hands to his mouth and called, “Xander!  Our little brother wants us to show him the military place!”

 

Xander put down his hammer, said a few words to another young man, and jogged over to see us.  “Can we stop along the way at the pool? I could use a swim.”

 

“Great idea!” said Zuberi, and of course Abari said, “Goody!”

 

We were retracing our steps from yesterday.  At the pool Lateef was able to refill the water jug, and Abari and I were able to show Xander and Zuberi that we could swim.  And we enjoyed splashing water at Xander and Zuberi.   But Xander had to show us something special.  “Yeah,” Zuberi said, “Greek boy loves to show off his dive!”  Xander climbed up the rock face and then dove off—backwards—into the pool.  It was most impressive!  “One of these days, I’m going to learn how to do that,” said Garin.  

 

“Don’t break your leg,” said Lateef.

 

“Well even if I did, I’m in the pool; all I’d have to do is stay here for a day or so!”