22 Lawrence - Falling to My Death (2/2)
[Will do.] He replied.
When my mysterious companion was a step or so from me, and I had made no threatening move, he seemed to take heart. He slowly, almost fearfully, reached out and touched my face—His hands lightly traversing my face and on down to my chest and along my arms. Almost as if he wanted to make sure that I was real and not just something that he had dreamed up.
He reached out and grabbed a small vine that was close by. He pointed to the cliff top high above us then to the vine, then to me, and jerked the vine as if it had something on it. I nodded my head as I took the vine and held on to it for a moment. Although he did not talk his meaning and reactions were unmistakable, he had seen me fall and could not believe his eyes. Well, I had been there, and I still couldn't believe it. He hesitated then placed my hand over his heart and held it there for a moment. It felt like some sort of ceremony to me, so I replied by grasping his hand and placing it over my heart. I winced slightly as the pressure descended on my wound. Apparently, I had responded correctly for he broke out in a huge smile.
Feeling that things were going smoothly I decided to shoot the works, so I looked him in the eyes and pointed to where the other two persons waited. They were completely hidden by the branch, but I could still see their ghosts. Both images were smaller than the giant facing me, but one was very small.
He just shook his head in denial, so I pointed again then raised two fingers. Next, I held my hand at about my height then again about mid-chest and pointed back again. As I had become more familiar with his looks, I fancied that the expression on his face was amazement and disbelief. He sang out, his word, or cry—a liquid trill sounding more like some wild bird than human speech.
A few seconds later a woman and a small boy descended with as much ease as he, landing on the branch where I now stood. She walked up to me, her muscles rippling beneath her smooth, supple skin. She like the giant was dressed in leather breeches. A strange exotic scent, reminiscent of a rose, hovered near her. Her figure was more than adequate. She could have had a job as a top model with any fashion house just as she was. The boy appeared to be a smaller version of the giant, but I could see some of the beauty in him also. They huddled together seeking solace in companionship. They talked together their tongue a soft flowing sound, which reminded me of the wind rustling through the trees and of, streams babbling, several times he gestured to me. Then the discussion apparently over, she approached and held her hand out to me. I extended mine, and she placed it on her chest and held it there, so I had to reciprocate.
I winced as I placed her hand on my chest. She noticed and with a look of concern tried to push aside my Gi so that she could see. I gently moved her hands aside and opened my Gi exposing my bruised chest. Blood had now caked around the still oozing wound. She gently explored the wound then sang to the boy. He swarmed up through the branches, rapidly disappearing.
The beauty plucked a large green flower that looked somewhat like a vase and pulled a puff of cotton like substance from another plant. She poured some kind of liquid from the flower onto the puff of vegetable matter and cleaned the blood away from my chest. She had no more than finished when the boy lightly fell through the branches with a variety of flowers and leaves cradled in one arm. She picked and chose from the assortment until she had a small handful. She added what looked like dried and compressed leaves from a bag she carried. She then masticated all of it into a sticky pulp. This she smeared over my wound and the bruised area. It smarted on contact but rapidly the hurt vanished entirely and the substance dried to a hard but elastic covering in a matter of minutes.
The boy had retreated while Beauty had doctored my wound, so I approached him and held out my hand. From the startled looks that I received from all involved, I was sure that this was not traditional. However, he allowed me to place his hand on my chest, and I reciprocated. His face lit up as though somehow he had just been admitted to the adult world. I looked back at the beauty and the giant, if that was not a look of pride that filled their faces, I'd treat.
So far, we had conducted our exchange in total silence. Almost without thought, I spoke my thoughts aloud ”Well now, I need to call you something so how about Beauty, Giant, and Youth. What does that make me anyway?” I certainly did not expect a reply and when she haltingly and painfully struggled to make her mouth conform to strange sound replied ”Hu ah G'da.”
I almost fell off my branch, and Imp indeed fell off of his perch, if the storm of laughter that I could hear was any indication. The words didn't make sense, but she definitely had tried to use Imperium. Giant tired of playing this game apparently decided that it was time to move on. He spoke to Beauty in their soft liquid language, and she halting spoke ”Hu kum wi huss?” and pointed to each in turn then pointed up into the tree. I nodded my agreement. She then sang to Giant, and they started to climb the tree going almost as fast up it, as they had going down. They stopped on the next major branch and looked down at me as if to say, well dummy—is you coming or not?