Home Is...Series Vol.07 Home Is Unwell

7th Volume in Home Is Series.

Dovetails with Rainbow’s Start, Vol. 1 in Rainbow Series.

Zhea~ Year 7825-26

Ryonne~ struggles to govern and work as healer despite fevers and unwells caused by the Change, the rise from one trade level to the next. But, slavers plague the small colony. 346pp.

ASIN: B002IPHEFY File Size: 393 KB (Kindle Edition - July 22, 2009)

Home Is... Vol.07: Home Is Unwell Kindle Edition

Excerpt. © Dannis Cole. All rights reserved.

[From Jen’s Journal]

Our respite flew by, and our healer friends returned to their work. Ryee formed new enneads from a flood of new healers. Assigned them to a greater flood of new patients. Doug and I came to amuse the more well with poetry and animated holos; most of them enjoyed the diversion. It amazed me how quickly they did healings and moved to the next case. Ryee and J~oie had to take a nap after each one. Doug worried about them; he just had to peek in on ‘em while they were sleeping to make sure they were still breathing.

In the middle of the day, after two difficult healings, Ryee’s terminal summoned him to his father’s side. Doug asked to go with him, since he looked pale. J~oie didn’t want him to leave. Poor Ryee had that lost soul look, and J~oie warned him that he might get confused or have a seizure soon.

Ryee spoke slowly. “I must go to Fa; perhaps he suffers the confusion himself.”

“Well, keep Doug and Jen nearby, in case something happens. Okay?” Laura put a hand on his shoulder.

He smiled. ”I will.”

We took a skimmer into Oshfah. One of his servants took it to park it, and we followed him into the Palace. Short trip; his father was asleep now, and his mother said he’d be solidly zonked for hours.

“Let us return, then.” Ryee sighed, but he kissed his dad anyway. He led us out [somebody always had to lead us around in the Palace; Doug and I are directionally dysfunctional], but he seemed awfully quiet as we set out onto the Commons. In the middle of the day, all the kids were with tutors, and the shopkeepers had no customers, so they were inside the stores doing stuff until late afternoon. The place was deserted. A deserted desert. I thought of a poem, but suddenly Doug fainted and had a seizure!

“I try to help him.” Ryee put shaking hands on Doug. At first I thought it was just Doug shaking him. Then I noticed that the only part of Ryee touching Doug was his hands, and when he lifted them to put his fingers another place, they shook just as bad. I wondered why the seizure prog didn’t work.

“Are you okay, Ryee?” I watched him.

He nodded, and kept trying to help Doug. My husband went limp in my arms, finally, and took a snooze. Ryee didn’t quit trying to practice healing on him, and I thought that was a little odd, but then, he gave a little jerk, and I knew seizure meds had kicked in on him.

Ryee sat back on his legs, blinked, then looked at me. “What is it that I do now?”

“You were trying to heal Doug, but he’s okay. He’s asleep. I’m running a program to keep him from getting sunburn, so he can stay there for a bit. The sand doesn’t bother him like it does Laura, now that Be~saech wrote a program to keep it away from us.”

“Laura Sherri? Are we on Earth?” He stared at me as his orange eyes wandered all over the Commons.

Uht oh. “No, we’re on Ye~. Want me to call–“

Suddenly, a green dimportal came down over us! At first, I thought Laura, Adia, or somebody sent one to bring us back out to the Emperor’s place; I held on to the guys so they didn’t drift away. Ryee cried!

“What’s the matter, Ryee?”

“What happens? My head burns!” He put both hands up past his ears and clutched the back of his head as if somebody’d just hit him!

“It’s a dimportal–somebody’s got us.”

“Help me! If I fall, I am lost–“

“I’ve got your arm. You aren’t falling, Ryee, I’ve got a good hold on you.” Just to make sure, I pulled him a little closer so I could lock my arm around his waist. Doug, too. He floated, so I pulled his body over and grabbed him around the waist. He slept through it.

Ryee’s head fell down on my shoulder. Ouch! I didn’t let go, but it sure hurt; I bit my lip.

Suddenly, the dimportal dropped us onto green grass. Where was this? Huge flowers stood above our heads reaching towards a blue, cloudless sky. An Earth-looking park bench sat next to us and a bunch of boxy buildings the color of sand lined walks the same color.

I looked down as Ryee groaned. “Hey, are you okay?”

He opened his eyes. “Where are we?”

“I was gonna ask you! It looks kinda like Earth, except for the giant flowers.”

“Flowers?” He looked up, but flinched like the light hurt his eyes. It wasn’t midday here; the two suns sat low in the sky.

“There’s two suns, like on Ye~. Is this Areon?”

“Areon. Ea. Looks like Areon.” He tried to sit up. I helped him, and he leaned his forehead on his knees while holding the back of his head again.

“You got one of those bad headaches, Ryee?”

“Ea.”

I saw a lady passing by. “Hey, you speak English?”

She seemed angry, and when she noticed Ryee’s hands, she started to walk away.

“Hey! We need help! Is this Areon?”

“You don’t know which planet you’re on? Why did you come if you can’t pilot?” She didn’t slow down.

“We didn’t come here by choice–somebody snatched us!”

She put her nose up in the air and walked away.

I tried my terminal, but it didn’t work. Suddenly, I looked up and saw the clouds get darker. The smell of rain stung my nose. Rain. Ryee can’t get wet!

“Hey, guys, we need to find shelter–“ A man in a dark blue jumpsuit noticed us. Looked at Ryee, and his light blue eyes nearly popped out of his head!

“Ryonne~! Eae pas?” He came off the sidewalk and sprinted over the grass to us. Ryee didn’t look up.

“He’s sick. Can you help us find someplace to go? I mean, it’s gonna rain and he’ll get really sick if–“

“My home is nearby! Ryee, can you walk?” The man put both his hands on my buddy’s shoulders, and he painstakingly looked up.

Ryee stared at the man, then his orange eyes got bigger. “Vonn!” With help, he stood up.

“Can you walk, or shall I carry you?” Vonn kept his arms around him.

“I walk.” Ryee slowly looked at Doug lying on the ground sleeping. “Is Doug well?” He tried to keep his eyes up, but his head dropped into one two-fingered hand like he was about to faint!

“We need help.” The taller man gave a sweeping glance across the park–he froze–took a breath. He didn’t yell, as I expected, but another man ran to us. “Derees, can you carry the sleeping one?”

The brown-eyed dark-haired guy smiled. ”I believe so. Ryonne~, it is good to see you again, but certainly not in this situation!” I appreciated the care he used in lifting my sleeping Doug. Quickly, we all walked past row after row of houses until we got to one with blue flowers. Vonn put his hand in front of a square etched into the rough concrete-looking wall; a dimportal let us pass. The room looked empty. But for a white sofa, and constantly-changing pictures of Areon landscapes, the place was devoid of even a rug for the bare, hard floor. I felt it through my Yeff boots and wished for padded shoes. It smelled faintly of flowers, but I couldn’t tell what scent. Neat!

Another sofa appeared on the other side of the small living room; we helped the boys lie down, and Ryee fell asleep, too.

“Do they need a healer?” Vonn frowned.

“Doug’s okay. I don’t know about Ryee; he had a seizure before the dimportal got us, and then a bad headache after.”

“You came by dimportal? Why did you not take a ship? I have heard that Ryonne~ cannot stand interplanetary dimportals! Let me summon a healer!” Vonn waved his hand before one of the ever-changing pictures, but nothing happened. “System! I am Vonn Links. We need a healer!” Silence whined in my ears.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but suddenly, another dimportal got us!

This time, the noise didn’t let me speak. The three of us held onto our two sleeping bodies in space. Neither of them woke up. I felt pressed in from all sides, Harry shouted in my ears, and I couldn’t help but cry!

A floor solidified under us, and I felt the clicking of ship engines. When my eyes stopped moving, I saw that we stood in a room with six bare walls, a low ceiling, and a smooth but springy floor. The boys appeared on it.

Vonn leaned over Ryee, and Derees studied Doug. “Doug is okay, Derees, but Ryee is hurt! I fear this ship’s propulsion will make him worse. Yeff are affected by engines, especially unbalanced hummers!”

Derees met his anxious gaze with a brown-eyed look over Ryee. “Yeff are harmed by engines! What can we do? I do not know any healing.”

We sat on the floor watching them for hours. Doug finally woke up, gave me a hug, then noticed where we were.

“Where are we going, Jen?”

I told him I didn’t know, and he got really upset that Ryee was sick. Doug insisted on holding Ryee, in case he got scared when he came to.

These guys were Areonian, but they were strangers. I didn’t talk much. I sat by Doug, almost shaking with fear, and he nodded off a couple of times while holding our friend. Finally, I got him to move against the corner of the wall, so he could lean back.

A long time later, Ryee blinked his eyes slowly. “Ay?” His eyes fell on me.

“Jen. Adia’s not here, Ryee.”

He tried to bring his head forward, and Doug held him up. “Are you well, my friend?”

“Doug! You lay...in the Commons...did I help you?” His head sank into both hands, and my husband rearranged him so Ryee could put the side of his forehead against Doug’s shoulder.

“I think so. I don’t remember.” Poor Doug got all bleary-eyed, so I reached for him.

“It’s okay, Sweetie. Ryee did help you.” He smiled at me. Ryee trembled.

The blonde guy knelt beside us and took Ryee’s arm. “Ryee, is there anything I can do for you?”

With a frown, Ryee slowly turned his head towards him. “Vonn.” Then a serious look came over him, and he tried to sit up without Doug’s help. “Vonn, Minister of Trade–“

“Please, my friend, lay your head down! Even I can see pain; and surely these engines worsen you. Old-style MLMT in an overworked mode. It is a wonder you do not lie unconscious on the floor now! You told me you know healing; teach us all that you can, before whoever has us lands with us!” His blue eyes filled with tears. The guy had heart.

Ryee took a short breath and shivered again. “What is our situation? This is ne a Yeff ship, and the feel of it is ne right for one of yours.” Vonn reached over as his head nodded, and slowed it so it wouldn’t hit Doug’s shoulder.

“Let him lie down, Doug, so he can rest!” Vonn said it nicely, so much that my husband smiled. The brown-eyed guy helped Vonn and Doug get him lying down. “No, this is not a ship like any I have navigated. Can you read my thought?”

Ryee nodded slowly, and Vonn shared memories with all of us about our being in some remote park on Areon after our dimportal kidnapping. Ryee’s light orange eyes looked dark, the pupils were so big.

“I had been summoned to my house when I saw you, and we barely had you inside before rains started.”

“I thank you for your service to me.” Ryee shivered again.

“Are you cold, my friend? I feel chilled myself, and I do not need as much warmth as you.” Vonn put a hand on his wrist and startled.

Ryee nodded, and Vonn started rubbing his arms as he shared his terminal’s refusal to listen to his pleas for a healer and the dimportal that landed us in this ship.

“No, friend, you’re too rough.” Doug touched his shoulder gently. “Laura does this.” Vonn used quick strokes on small areas of his arms at a time. Doug used a very light pressure and pulled his hands all the way down Ryee’s arm, one at a time. Some of the lines disappeared from our friend’s face.

“I am so sorry, Ryee! You must teach me what to do, to help you, as your friend Doug, here.”

“Doug learned well.” He smiled. I glanced at Doug, and he beamed. Bless Ryee, for helping my battered husband to feel some pride in himself! “I fear there is ne much you can do for me without others to stand with you. Once we leave the ship, I think some strength returns.” He shivered again.

“What effect will this cold have on you? Are you in danger?”

He took a breath that got interrupted by another shiver. “If we are here the day or more, I may stiffen so that I cannot move. Cold environs tend to cause Yeff blood to pool and increase greatly in viscosity. What you do now helps, but you will tire.”

“Maybe we can take turns helping you in this way.” The other guy said. Ryee looked at him as if just noticing him.

After several minutes, Ryee frowned. “I apologize. I ne remember you. Have we met?”

The brown-eyed man smiled and took Ryee’s arm away from me. He massaged it very gently. I breathed a sigh of relief–my arms felt about to fall off! “Many years ago, you worked three weeks with me in our lab.”

Ryee’s orange eyes flew all the way open, and he smiled weakly. “Derees Jons. You worked with my wife, Adia, and Vonn also.”

“Yes, my friend. I am afraid we have all fallen into my other coworker’s trap.” He shook his head with a long sigh.

Vonn studied him with blue eyes made darker by large pupils. “You blame Ossy for this? It makes sense now. He wanted me to refuse to give Ye~ aandats, told Ryee that I would not trade with him, and did everything his position could do to interfere with shipments to Ye~. I found him out after a two week investigation, and I gave him a warning. Since I have so many other officials threatening me and giving me trouble, I did not think more. I should have.”

Vonn and Derees stared at each other as Ryee joined the telepathic party. “I know this ship. It is of Zbbat configuration.”

All three of them looked panicky, but I felt something from Ryee that made my skin rumble. Yeff telepathy was far different than between me and Areonians or other Earthans. With Yeff, I actually felt physical sensations along with the emotion, if the subject was intense. I nearly fell over.

Derees stood up. “You mean, Zbbat slave traders?”

“Slave traders! No! No! They will beat me—“ Doug nearly threw Ryee off his lap, but I grabbed him.

“I won’t let ‘em, Sweetie, I promise I won’t! They’ll have to kill me to get to you—“

It took me a long time to get Doug calmed down, and it was a miracle he didn’t have a seizure. Ryee helped, too. “We will have to help each other in this.” He shook his head slowly. “Survival rates in the mines are dismal, but groups have lived in fair health until rescue by cooperation. Let us consider each other family. The stronger of us can help the weaker.

“I worked three weeks in the mines of Aegelis; perhaps this is where they take us. I joined a group and we ate together, worked together, and helped each other produce our quotas. None of us was harmed during this time. I cried when the nesde came for me and took ne my companions, but at that time, nothing could be done. The mine yet uses workers in tasks the machines cannot do.”

“Machines can’t do mining? With all your technology?” Give me a break!

He felt my stubborn thoughts and put a shaking hand on my arm. Cold! I massaged it as he went on. “Certain minerals give off radiation that interferes with signals of machines. Many attempts to create machines that imitate the functions of our brains have failed. Ne machine in our technology, including computers, can function in the presence of serpentite derivatives, level nine acetephylines, mepergutes, and many other classes of substances. Even Tessite has qualities that make large deposits unreachable for mechanized processes, although small amounts can be gathered without computer systems.”

“In a mine situation,” Vonn made his voice softer, “any of us is likely to be injured.” Doug trembled in my arms. “Teach us something, so we can be prepared.”

Ryee sighed, and spoke in a breathless whisper. “All of us have aandats, so any of us injured enough can RG. It takes abundance of pain to trigger a regen, so if any of us sees another injured, there are few precautions. Make the person lie still, even if he insists he can rise. Keep an injured one quiet. Offer small comforts. Watch over him once he begins RG, so that if some distraction wakes him, you can soothe him. Perhaps RG will resume. In your species, hmas groups are very similar. Regeneration begins with a deep sleep. It ends with a feeling of great vigor if complete. An unfinished regen, or ‘reaching limit,’ is very dangerous. Most deaths of limit occur because the person thinks because RG is finished he may try activity. Such a action overloads an exhausted heart and can still it. If one of you wakes from RG feeling tired or painful, ne rise! Further rest is surely necessary to save your life.”

“What about you, Ryonne~?” Vonn picked up one of Ryee’s legs to massage it.

“I cannot achieve full regen. If I need RG, I ne survive for lack of healers to augment it.”

I wanted to cry. Vonn and Derees looked down as Doug cried on Ryee’s shoulder.

“Listen to me, my friends.” Ryee spoke in tremulous whispers. “There are many dangers in the mines, and I fear I teach you too little of them. “They will probably put me to pulling the sleds when filled with ore and stacking large rock to stabilize the tunnels. Vonn, Derees, Doug, you may be set to sorting the large rocks or carrying trays of ore to the sleds. Jen, you will be separating the dust for fine particles of ore; women and children usually take on tasks of this nature.” He shivered, and Vonn rubbed his arm again. “Collapse of rock is frequent. If someone is buried, usually they die, but sometimes if others act quickly to unbury them, they can live after. Broken bone and head injuries are common in the mines. After such injury, regen is imminent. The guards will usually ignore injured, so if one lies hurt, encourage him to lie still and remind him that RG will help. Some guards will allow one worker to attend an injured one, but they will likely assign Jen or someone unable to produce.”

“Because I’m a woman? Come on, are all these idiots sexist or something?” I got really angry at the insinuation that women were weak and wimps and all that. Never mind that I was petite and not well endowed with muscle.

Ryee looked up at me with tears in his eyes. Then I wished I hadn’t opened my mouth. “I did ne mean to offend you, Jen.”

I busted out crying. “It’s okay. I’m just scared.”

“Me, too.” Doug cried with me.

“We are all afraid, and this danger is very real. The things I tell you may be different where we land. All I can offer is my strength and knowledge, until they fail me. Let us pledge to help each other, if allowed to remain in group, so we can at least have comfort.” He held Doug’s hand. Kneaded it gently. His fingers bent like ratchets. “If my strength fails me, and the situation requires it, there is a way to increase it. You must slap the back of my head, with force. Then I will arise. You will have to tell me what is it I must do, for I will ne know. I may be unable to speak, or say words of nonsense. But, perhaps, I may help you before I die.”

“Doing this would kill you? Then why tell us about it?” Vonn leaned forward.

“It is merely dangerous, ne necessarily fatal, but situations that require such an act might require sacrifice of my life. I tell you of it ne knowing what will happen. I must share with you facts that I ne wish to admit. I have seizures, as Doug also, that render me helpless for hours. Occasionally, I wake in mind pain so severe I cannot rise. Without the medication of my terminal, I fear this will happen oft. One occurrence may cause my death at hands of the other workers.”

“We will protect you–“ Vonn sat up quickly.

“Ea ne! Most of the slaves attack the weak, because they are punished for low output; if you protect me, you doom yourself. It is ne only seizures, but in rare times, I become mindless and wander. I may ne be able to take direction in those times, and so will be a target. My friends, you must protect yourselves! I hold ne ill will for self-protection.”

We tried to figure out some way to escape or what to do when Ryee or Doug had seizures, but kept running into dead ends. Vonn got Ryee to close his eyes and sleep while we massaged his arms and legs, and Doug soon fell asleep, too. Both of them had a rough day, and who knows when the ship would land.

I fell asleep, too, and woke to hear Vonn and Derees talking about different species and how to tell who was what and how to disable the few Vonn knew about.

“Ryee is an expert in this; when he wakes, we must ask him to teach us.” Vonn looked at his pal. Derees nodded emphatically in agreement.

A panel slid open, and in the small space, a tray with food and a spigot showed. The tray and the five featureless, handleless cups were the same gray stuff of the walls and floors. Hexagonal cups. I put one under the spigot and water poured into it until it was half full.

“They ration the water?” I took a sip. Then I knew it wasn’t like water on Earth. “What is this stuff?”

Vonn laughed. “Water is too heavy to carry on ships; we combine the hydrogen and oxygen as required, so it has an unusual feel to the mouth, in presence of ship’s environment.”

Ryee opened his eyes and saw me with the cup as I took a second sip. “Is it well, Jen? There is ne metallic or sour taste?”

I shook my head. “It’s tasteLESS, that’s why I’m complaining. They wouldn’t drug it, would they?”

“Ne. They will wait until we arrive, then most slavers use substances for compliance if the workers ne cooperate. We must show ne resistance; some slavers use chemicals, induce brain damage, or implant terminals.”

“I thought you said terminals didn’t work in the mines.”

“They do ne, in many mines. Terminals are useful for programming of workers in sleeping periods or if they escape the mine. The technology takes much time and effort, so it is only done on workers with potential for a year’s above-average output.”

We all looked at Ryee. They’d think it was worth it to use that on him, and by the looks Vonn and Derees gave, they thought the same thing.

It warmed up in the little compartment. Ryee sat up, although he still looked pale. Still had that headache, I bet. He studied the foods on the tray before any of us ate.

He sighed. “I cannot tell for certain, but most of the foods are likely to be safe for you. These white squares are made of some starchy grain mixed with some kind of fruit. They are probably safe for all of us, if ne contaminated with microbes or toxins.” He handed each of us a large block of what felt like Styrofoam. I bit into mine, and had to wash it down with a lot of the tasteless water.

“This is probably fruit–you will need to taste it lightly and see if it makes you to feel different. Use caution, and if you project your sensations as you taste, I can help detect adverse reactions.” I picked up a pear-looking thing that was green with blue stripes. The first bite made me gag, but as the extreme sour taste went away, it tasted sickeningly sweet. I liked it!

The others didn’t want theirs after the first bite, so after Ryee’s okay, I ate them all while he explained the third thing on the tray. The fruit had too much water for Ryee to eat any, so there were only four of them.

“The round globules are a sort of mixture of–from the smell–water animals, ground plants, minerals, and grain. Our captors must be familiar with hmas groups, because many of them eat like.”

“Like what?” Doug sleepily leaned up. I gave him a white square and a bite of the fruit, which he promptly gave back to me.

“Like. Similarly.” Ryee smiled at him.

I picked up one of the dry, marble-like but dull multicolored balls, and bit it. “It tastes almost like oysters.”

Ryee ate one of the white squares, and there were enough of the marbles for each of us to have twenty! After the rest of us finished, Ryee gave several more to each of us.

“But you have eaten little.” Derees frowned. Ruffled his dark hair above his forehead. His dark eyes reminded me of my brother, Marcus.

“I fear I cannot eat much of these foods without becoming unwell. They hold ne enough simple carbohydrate to catalyze my digestion.” We helped him lie down, and Vonn got him to explain species differences and weaknesses until I tuned out completely. As if I could fight! They’d trample me with a look. Harry’d do the rest. I was still hungry after all I’d eaten, and I ate more than anyone else.

“Are you well, Jen?” Ryee looked at me suddenly.

“I feel fine. Why?”

“I think we can safely assume that the foods you have eaten so far are well for you. Most adverse reactions in hmas show fairly soon after the meal.”

“That’s good to know, but you look awful! Are the engines getting to you, or did the food make you worse?”

He blinked. “I feel overly warm, but the foods benefit me by raising my body temperature. I think, once we leave the ship, if they feed us similar rations, it will help me adjust to the mine’s cool temperatures. Most slave mines are of the coolness we feel here. I am well enough.”

I thought about his comment as we later got ready to sleep again. We all huddled around Ryee to keep him warm like last night, but he kept us warm. The next time we woke up, he smiled. “You keep me from Heat Sickness, my friends, and I thank you.”

“Then, I’ll stay next to you, ‘cause I’m freezing.” It wasn’t easy at first, to touch somebody besides Doug, because Harry yelled at me. After a while, Harry still echoed in my ears where no one else could hear him, but Ryee was different. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He didn’t even put his arm around me or try to hug me so I could let myself lean against him and enjoy the warmth on part of me, anyway. The rest of me froze every time Doug moved; he was too hyper when he was awake to sit for long. My husband took to pacing back and forth. I guess he kept warm from all the walking. Vonn and Derees just sat quietly and looked uncomfortable when they weren’t talking to Ryee, who laid out on the floor all day long. I think his head hurt too bad to move.

We got to eat shortly after we woke up and a second time when we got really sleepy. I lost track of how many days we had been on the ship when the clicking stopped.

Derees got on his feet, then Vonn, and Ryee stood up quickly, too.

“Are you well, Ryee?” Vonn reached, then put his arms down.

“I am well.” He looked it, too; I felt glad. “We land.” There wasn’t enough time to ask him how he knew before the door opened.

Two strong guys for each one of us came and took our arms. We went very quietly, as Ryee warned us.

I expected to see sky–what a shock–stone walls as far as I could see! Red rock.

“No, no!” Doug whimpered.

“I am here with you, as is Jen, and Vonn, and Derees.” The guards moved the boys closer so Ryee could soothe my trembling husband. Probably hallucinating.

“I cannot be here, I am still on–on–where are we, Ryee?” He cried.

“Doug, Sweetie—” We walked into this room that looked unfinished or like a cave, and they stripped our clothes off. Before I had time to feel embarrassed–aandats cover everything like one piece swimwear–they put these long tunics on us that came past our knees. Tunics made of spun gold. It made me itch a little, but suddenly I felt like I had super energy.

“Tessite garments.” Ryee scraped his arm on his. “They must mine it here.”

The gold tunics distracted Doug enough that he stopped trembling.

Then they marched us for a long time down steep ramps. I stumbled badly lots of times, but they helped me not to fall. They weren’t gentle. My arms felt like one big bruise. And the boots they put on us fit tight.

Ryee’s didn’t fit the shape of his two-toed feet at all; he tried to rearrange his position with every step, though he walked as quickly as we did.

Finally, after that exhausting walk, my guards set me in a pile of dust and showed me how to tease the red, gold, and silver stuff out of the brown. There were other colors, too, every once in a few minutes. Nobody spoke. He did some sorting and I tried to copy what he did. Several times I made mistakes, and he slapped my hands. One of them made a noise as if angry, got up, and left. The other man shook me roughly, then started all over again. Apparently, he saw some difference in what I did, and he stood up and watched me. Later he left to supervise other slaves.

Go to Vol.8 Home Is Refuge