Shay's Pov
Suddenly, I was damn scared.
I'd read books about some strange men like this. What if they were cannibals? What if I was their sacrificial lamb? What if they planned to serve up to their king?
The what if ran on endlessly.
I was away from home, in a strange unknown land with no one recognizable in sight. Speaking the only language I knew (English) was like speaking in tongues to them.
Were they this stupid not to realize..... I stopped to think.
The cowry!
If I hadn't shown them the cowry, they wouldn't have jumped on me like that. Maybe they were another set of men.
Maybe, they were from another settlement. That explained it cause if not, why would I be bonded up like a criminal?
Hold up a minute!
Was that handsome man kidnapped? Were they thinking that I kidnapped him? maybe, he was related to them in a way.
Well, hell no!
I couldn't have..... I stopped to look around me, muffling hummed words as I tried to talk through my gagged mouth.
We arrived at a settlement, what I had thought was a torch burning was a bonfire. Several women and children sat around it. When they saw me being carried in a cage towards them, they all gathered around me.
Their women were clothed with little clothing, and mostly their private parts were covered. The young boys looked similar in hair style to their male counterparts.
The older women had their hair painted in a single braid then tied into a bun while the younger girls had their hair let down. This must be their culture, I thought to myself.
But, I only wanted to know what would happen to me. Was there no one in sight who would understand me?
The men unbound my hand while an older woman walked up to touch my clothes.
Having no sight of such in their world, she took a knife and tore up part of my clothes.
"Hei... that's rude!" I spoke up.
She was younger, taller with her hair let down. Then she spoke up.
"I see your likes, many. One teach me...English they say it is," she spoke in broken English.
My heart lept out in joy, finally, someone who understood me. "I'm a stranger, I'm no enemy to you. My name is Sharon," I told her as she ungagged me.
She smirked, "You a spy."
Was that a statement or a question, I simply had no idea. All I knew was to save my life. "I am no spy, I swear to God."
She smacked me hard across my face with the back of her hand. The pain shot through my body like a sting, spreading across the other half of my face.
What was that for?
She turned to the rest of the people who had gathered around the bonfire. Her voice rose high as she spoke in a strange language that felt surreal to me.
What was she saying to them? What would become of me?
After her speech, she gave the knife to the spiked-haired man who knelt before a bigger man. His hair was in longer mass of hairs, it had several pieces of clothing tied around his hair like a band.
He wore a heavy, thick fur walking close to me. Then he pushed open the lid of the cafe and took a bottle of whatever it was from the spiked-haired boy. Then he began to pour the liquid from it all over my head.
The liquid came down on my hair, soiling my dress and penetrating it, and it smelt awful. Disgusted, I winced down at myself wondering what on Earth they were pouring on me.
"Dogeå!" he said out.
The women's shrilly voices rose high in the air like a thunderclap. The men thump their men while the children who were old enough to gather around the bonfire made whooping sounds.
I gasped as I realized what was happening to me.
They would indeed kill me. The men gagged me up again, sealed the lid of my cage, and started down the way to where I would be imprisoned.
The place they took me was made of bamboo planks, some group of people were there, they must be prisoners, I told myself.
Three women who had their hair shaved, and a young man. What was their their offence? Shouldn't I will be concerned about safety before bothering about them?
"Where is this place? What is this place?" I asked them.
They shifted away from me, leaving the spot in which I sat. When I tried to move close to them, they all shifted around in circles, running away from me.
Were they this dumb?
I gave up and sat back on the floor. Whatever would happen, let it come. If this were a dream, I would soon wake up from this.
I placed my head on the floor, it was clear to me. Then, I shut my eyes hoping for a hope of good fortune when I woke from my dream.
I woke up to the sound of a hiss, a thick fog covered everywhere making one to be unable to see what was happening.
The door opened and a blessed hand grabbed mine. I gasped but I didn't scream out. This could be my rescue team but was I known here?
I was after all unknown to this part of the world. I followed, pulled by the hand until I came out of the bamboo prison. A head came out of view as the fog lifted.
The sides of his head were scrapped, and the middle of his head had full overgrown hair....my heart jumped. His head turned around to me, motioning with a finger on his mouth for me to be quiet.
He was the one!
My knight in shining...I looked down at his piece of clothing around his waist to his thigh... shining drab.
And as we raced through the dark lane, he led me through the gates. I realized that three others were following us.
I tapped him to look behind us.
"Not to worry, they are my men," he told me.
I nodded, following closely behind him.
I replayed his words. Did he just speak English?
No way!
(It is the tradition of the Tar'kish women to have their women prisoners hair shaved. Their young women's hair let down while married ones had their hair tied in a bun. Their language is known as the Tar'k language.
Dogeå means prisoner. For the fact, Shay had mentioned God in a swear word, that was a taboo to use a swear word in such context.
The royaltys, both male and female were the only allowed people to have whatever length of hair they wanted.)