On his way home, Orion was seized by the urge to knock on the doors of his neighbouring huts to discover who lived there and who would answer. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. He felt too lazy to go through with it, and the thought of potentially having to answer personal questions from his neighbours, who he was sure already knew quite a bit about him, like Grandma Celia and the others, was off-putting.
“I’m home!” Orion declared, opening the door with a resounding ‘click’ to ensure that his announcement was heard throughout the entire hut.
“Where did you go?” his older sister questioned suspiciously, causing Orion’s gaze to shift downward to meet her inquisitive stare.
Orion let out a tired sigh. “Not even a welcome,” he muttered under his breath.
Reena snorted at her brother’s reaction. “Not unless I know where you’ve been,” she retorted, taking another bite of the kalna fruit she had been munching on.
Exhaling dramatically, Orion replied, “I went to visit Grandma Celia’s hut,” as he walked over to his sister. Once he arrived, he paused and picked up one of the five remaining kalna fruits, savouring its delicious taste. As he ate, he pondered how these fruits could fill him up and provide an unnatural amount of energy. He couldn’t help but wonder how they were grown and why he hadn’t seen any meat or other delicacies.
“Huh!” Reena stared at Orion in confusion, her suspicion growing with each passing second. “And when did you start visiting those old women’s huts?” she asked incredulously.
Orion smiled at Reena’s incredulous expression. “Since today,” he replied, trying to reassure her. Seeing that she still looked doubtful, he added, “Weren’t you the one who told me to get close to Grandma Celia and the rest?” He snorted in amusement, recalling the conversation they had had earlier.
As he walked up towards her, he couldn’t help but notice Reena’s linen shirt. Without a second thought, he went behind her and slipped his hand underneath it, searching for something specific.
After a moment, he found what he was looking for and grasped it tightly. Reena raised an eyebrow at his sudden action but didn’t say anything as she continued to eat her fruit.
“Well, I didn’t think you would take my words seriously,” she finally replied, still looking a bit sceptical.
While cupping her breast and playing with her nipples, Orion chose to divert the question by asking “Where is mom?”.
“She went out to fetch water”.
‘Fuck!’ Orion couldn’t help but internally cursed out loudly within his mind. He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to join her in fetching the water.
Reena continued her response with a hint of annoyance in her voice, “She looked for you, but since she couldn’t find you and didn’t know where you had gone, she decided to fetch the water herself.” .
Orion felt guilty and decided to make it up to her by waking up early tomorrow and going to fetch the water by himself. As he released Reena’s nipples from his grip, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of desire. He quickly shook his head to dispel those thoughts and headed towards the backyard to wash himself.
After a quick bath, Orion walked back into the hut and was surprised to see Gina chatting with Reena. He decided to join them and listened quietly to their conversation, picking up some interesting details about their lives. He learned that Gina had visited a friend early in the morning when he had left, and some minute details about the kind of farming work Reena does.
“Hey Reena,” Orion asked with a curious tone, “What gifts did you awaken?”
Reena shot a cunning smile towards her brother and replied, “I’m not going to tell you.” She stuck out her tongue at Orion in defiance. “If you really want to know, then try to remember it yourself.”
Gina couldn’t help but chuckle at her older sister’s retort and shook her head at the behaviour of her two older siblings.
Orion was about to respond, but the sound of the door opening drew his attention. He quickly sprang to his feet and headed towards the door, knowing exactly who it was.
As Celeste walked in, Orion’s instincts kicked in, and he rushed to help her carry the clay pot down from her head. Celeste, however, couldn’t help but appreciate his newfound courteous behaviour.
Initially, she felt a pang of frustration when she couldn’t locate it on her way out. However, she knew that staying angry at him forever wouldn’t do any good.
Orion deftly took the heavy clay pot filled with water and headed towards the backyard to fill it up in the tank.
“Come and help me, Gina,” Orion hollered at his younger sister.
“I’m on my way!” Gina swiftly got up from the floor and ran towards him to lend a hand.
Observing all of this, Reena shook her head and muttered under her breath, “Children.” But her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed her mother reaching for the last fruit in the bowl.
With a sigh, Reena watched her mother happily munch on the kalna. “Parents,” she muttered to herself.
At times, Reena found herself feeling vexed by her family’s quirks and habits. But despite all of that, there were moments when she couldn’t help but love them and feel grateful for their presence in her life.
Noticing her daughter lost in thought, Celeste finished eating the kalna in her hand and walked towards their room. “I heard that the messenger from the village chief might come tomorrow, so you all should go take a bath so that we can sleep early tonight,” she said in a loud voice, making sure her words reached her children’s ears. “Especially you, Orion.”
“Okay, Mom,” they all responded in unison, with only Reena nodding her head in agreement but letting out a tired sigh.
True to Celeste’s words, as darkness descended, they all took their baths and retired to their mats to sleep, preparing for the arrival of the village chief’s messenger the following day.