Work and Play

The sun beat down on the berry fields. It was the early afternoon, and I was in the fields, helping to harvest the limgena berries that were ripe. It was hot, uncomfortable work. I envied the little girls whose jobs were easy, like trying to find pretty shells. My knees were sore from kneeling on the hard ground, and my throat was parched and dry. I picked a handful of ripe green berries, and put them in the basket. And again. And again. Pick, place, repeat. The sun was hot. The world was hot. As you can see, I was getting dizzy. Deciding a drink of cool water was just what I needed, I got up and went to look for the well on the other side of the field. As I was walking to the well, I heard someone shout, “Minlia!” 

            I turned around, surprised to see my best friend, Anika Nahte’s-daughter,[1] standing a few paces away. 

             “Anika!” I called in delight, and ran to tackle her with my usual hug. Excitement put energy into my tired limbs. I squeezed her tightly; she squeezed back with equal vigor. If there’s one thing I like, it’s a tight hug! I pulled back after a minute. “What are you doing here?” She smiled, then replied: “I’ve been berry picking, but at the south end of the field. I was getting hot and dizzy, so I came to get a drink!”

             “Me too!” I exclaimed. Anika smiled. We often thought along the same lines. 

             “I have to keep working, but maybe we can work together this time?” she asked. I grinned. Work is always more pleasant with friends.
            “Yes, but I need to get a drink of water first.” I lowered the pail into the well, and then drew it back up. Anika took two metal cups off the rim of the well, filled them with water, and passed one to me. 

            “Anasa,”[2] I murmured, and drank deeply. The cold water helped revive me, quenching my thirst and cooling my body. I splashed the rest of the water on my face. Anika copied me. 

            “Here,” she said, once we were done, “let’s go back to your berry patch.”

We walked back together. We didn’t talk. We just savored each other’s company. When we reached my field, we knelt down together. “Ready?” Anika asked. I took a deep breath. 

            “Ready.”

✸    ✸    ✸

            Splash. Splash. After a long, hot day of work, most Etholian children sought the beach as a place to relax – or have splash fights. I  guess some people just relax in different ways! I was relaxing by playing with the naralins. Silverscale was taking me for a swim, past the breaking waves, to their hidden cave. Oh, yeah, two other naralins were carrying Anika and Lucia, so we were all hanging out together. Silverscale swam faster and faster until we reached the waterfall, the entrance to the cave. “Ready?” I asked Lucia and Anika. They both nodded, anticipation lighting up their faces. I took a deep breath, and Silverscale plunged through the waterfall. I had learned not to shriek as the waterfall hit me, but it still took restraint. It felt, for a moment, as if I was being crushed or was about to fall off the naralin and sink to the bottom of the sea.

            But then the feeling stopped, and we were inside the cave. Sparkling from the sunlight, the waterfall now looked like a turquoise curtain. And behind it? Beauty. The naralin’s cave was a large one, and its stone walls were completely covered in diamonds, opals and other gorgeous gems there are no names for. The cave was tall, but a tiny crack in the roof let a few rays of golden sunlight shine through, making the whole cave sparkle. Bright tropical flowers peeked through the cracks in the walls, and the air was filled with their heady fragrance. The water was crystal clear, so you could see to the bottom of the cave, which was deep enough for the naralins to dive in. The naralin’s calls filled the air, and Silverscale unceremoniously dumped me off her back and swam over to a naralin who was obviously her mate. I smiled and swam over to the other naralins. “Da ninrok!”[3] I greeted them. Then I turned to Anika and Lucia. “Are you ready for a swim?’

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[1] On – ih – kuh Nots – daughter

[2] Thank you, to a close female friend.

[3] Hello to multiple male friends. (In the Etholian language, masculine is used for mixed groups)