Berganashio - Chapter 10

The anointing day feast continued throughout the day. There were lots of games, dancing and soaring around in circles in a fun air parade of sorts. The smallest of the meerbirds played together while the elderly meerbirds watched with pure adoration, reminiscing of memories when they were younger. Keenwai and Kunya had played several games of hide and seek with the children meerbirds. After a while, they grew tired of the silliness of the game and walked toward the thicker forests. Keenwai, kicked up some leaves and asked, “What does adoration even mean to you, Kunya?”

“Hmm…it’s what I have for you.”

“What do you mean though?”

“When I look at you, I see so many great qualities that I admire and respect. You have qualities that a lot of the other male meerbirds your age don’t possess. You know that?”

“So, I’m weird?” He asked, as he glanced back at the rest of the meerbird mob behind them.

“Yes, but it’s a good thing.”

“A good thing for a chief?”

“Yes… you’re an old soul.”

“But not as old as Grinyella”

“Ha… heavens no!”

“It seems like you know me better than I know myself.” He laughed and looked off into the distance. “I probably shouldn’t play games with the younger meerbirds anymore now that I’m supposed to be responsible and mature, right?”

“You can’t be serious all the time and never have any fun. Before your father got sick, he knew when to have fun too at the anointing day festivals.”

“That’s true…his laugh always made me laugh too.”

“Let’s go flying for a bit,” and she started flapping into the breeze. “The wind feels amazing!”

Their wings gracefully sliced through the sky as they flew freely. The sun warmed and comforted their bodies. “It is nice to get away from the mob for a bit,” Keenwai said while looking at Kunya who was flying beautifully.

“Phew! Something smells awful!” Kunya tried covering her nose while still flying, but then she started to sharply dip toward the ground.

Keenwai looked downwards. “It’s the manchineel tree line below. That’s where the bad smell is coming from. It’s not me, I promise,” and he giggled. There were hundreds of manchineel trees on this side of the forest.

She smirked and rolled her eyes at him. “Let’s land on that boulder over there.”

They landed and sat down to take in the spectacular view from a massive boulder that was on the edge of a cliff.

Keenwai, took in a breath and spontaneously spoke the words of a new poem while they rested together.

“This land,

it will never be bland.

I prefer the fresh airy breeze,

rather than the smell of the manchineel trees.

I’m so grateful for wings that lift me higher,

above the ground, always to aspire.

Chief of the mob,

a nerve-wracking, but rewarding job.”

Kunya smiled and looked at him affectionally. “Great job.”

Behind them, toward the woods, a horrifying shriek was echoing through the air. “I’m stuckkkkk!” They turned around and saw a boney, sickly meerbird behind them with her paw in a spiderweb.

“Help meeeee!” She was distressed.

Keenwai and Kunya looked at one another and immediately knew that she was one of the lost meerbirds who were addicted to sheckleberries that grew on the manchineel trees. They had heard rumor that some of the meerbirds would roam in that specific area.

The meerbird looked more like a skeleton than an actual meerbird. A more frail meerbird they had never seen. Her eyes were bloodshot and crazed. “I must get back to them!” She yelled dramatically.

“Back to who?” Kunya asked.

“The sheckleberries!” She answered and then continued to struggle in the spiderweb. “They need me, and I need them!” She could have easily broken away from the web, but she was in a hallucination of sorts. “Don’t…keep me here…forever!” She screeched in a manic state at the harmless spiderweb.

Keenwai casually swatted the spiderweb down and said, “There… you’re free.” He looked into the hallucinating meerbird’s eyes with deep pity. He gasped and all the air from his lungs felt like it disappeared for a minute. “I know you…” Sadness grew in his heart. “Finy… mom?”

Finy, dazed and confused, asked, “Now you think I’m a mom?” She laughed hysterically.

“I’m your son.” He took a slow step towards her.

“No…I don’t know you!” She stepped away, and had a crazy look in her eyes.

“Your husband was chief of the mob, but now he’s dead.”

“What are you saying? There’s no chief here!”

“I’m chief now over the mob.”

“I don’t care! My babies are waiting! Listen… hear that? They’re calling me!” She skipped a step away from the spiderweb that was no longer a threat to her. “The berries are my dear babies!” She flapped her thin feathery wings but could hardly fly at all, so she staggered down toward the trees.

“Wait!” Keenwai yelled after her but she had already disappeared into the thicker woods.

Kunya put her paw on his shoulder. “Keenwai, it’s no use.” His mother couldn’t even hear him anymore.

Tears rolled down Keenwai’s sad face. “My brother Bargan is in there somewhere too.”

“Both your mother and brother loved you at one point… I mean before they gave in to the berries.”

“I’m all alone now. Do you realize how hard it is to have no family with me now?”

“It’s awful…I know it must be. I don’t know what I would do without my father and mother and little brothers and sisters.” She reached over and hugged Keenwai tightly.

“It’s not fair…” He bitterly clenched his teeth together. “Not fair at all! My father is dead and my mother is crazy and who even knows what’s happened to my brother…” One lonely tear started to fall from his face but he wiped it away quickly. He shrugged.

Slowly and sympathetically Kunya replied. “I know. It isn’t fair… and I’m so, so sorry…” She looked ahead at the sun that was starting to set.

“I’m ready to fly back to the mob.” He flatly stated as he tried to clear his mind.

Kunya nodded in somber agreement. They started flying quietly, without a word spoken the whole flight home.

Read chapter 11 via the link below: