Chapter Seven
9001 woke up slowly to
the sounds of goats bleating and hot breath on her face. She sat up in the hay
and startled two goats who bleated and bayed loudly. A farmer boy nearby
dropped his wooden rake.
He called out _druxš_, which means demoness.
9001 responded: Not
demoness. I am just sleeping here for the night.
The boy asked: you are
the one who came by here with your father?
She responded: Yes,
son. I have returned sooner than intended and I need to return with one of our
camels to fetch some help for my father.
The boy ran back to
the hut and the family came out apprehensively. 9001 dusted herself off and
presented a story she made up on the spot.
She said: Mother and
father, forgive me. My father and I came by the day before today. We left our
three camels, do you remember? My father has gotten sickly and I need to get
our supplies from a settlement nearby. I ask that you let me get one of my
camels to make the walk there. I need to get some medicinal herbs to save him
and I will be back this way in a few days.
The farmers were very
apprehensive, for a woman must not travel unescorted. They would need to be
responsible for their guest and her safety. 9001 argued that she had her
father’s _patu_ so that she would only need to borrow a turban to pass as a
boy. The farmer finally agreed to lend her his _lungee_ and cap. It was clearly
a farmer’s _lungee_ but that would provide excellent cover for her story. The
farmers finally agreed to her plan and felt indemnified of any wrong doing.
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