Seeing that her daughter is holding in her arms a baby, he was furious. He demanded that Ivory abandoned the child, promising to forgive her recklessness in return. But the daughter, who hated his father because of the death of a loved one, only cursed him and left his father's house. Once on the street without money and with a baby in her arms, she did not despair. Sold the last that remained of the old carefree life - gold jewelry, the woman went to live at the very edge of the city, close to the border of the jungle, where his own hands built a hut of reeds inferior.
Father, unable to endure the betrayal of his daughter, fell ill and died in a few days. And Ivory and still lives with his son, in his tiny cabin.
Several years passed, Mikoto grew up, learned to set traps and hunt small game. Ivory wove beautiful baskets from local red vines and sold them in the market. Proceeds enough money for food. They lived happily, though his way of nowhere and did not. White residents of Ivory despised for communication with the natives and born of a son to the locals - for white skin. Mikoto also grew outcast children constantly beat and threw stones at him, calling Guaqui, white frog - for his light skin and eyes.
One morning, Ivory could not stand up. The day before, when she went to cut the vine, her bitten by a poisonous osaishita. From the bite of this insect man he became hot and was lying in a fever for several days. But if the natives are easily recovered from the poison and Ishita off with a small scar at the site of the bite, the woman he did not survive. So Mikoto was all alone.
For several days he wandered in tears through the city, I did not eat, did not drink, did not see anything in front of him. So far, losing his last strength, he fell down dead in the middle of the street. The boy picked up an old man who always sat next to his mother on the market, selling scary amulets carved from the stone tree. It was the only one who treated him kinder. Perhaps what was once he was expelled native tribe.
And now the old man, who was the last loved one boy in this hostile world, died. And Mikoto, seeing no other way out, stole the money to feed the dying. "
Of course, initially, this story has been told not so nicely. About something the boy did not know about something guessed kakieto conclusions made myself. But we can say that in the artistic treatment of this sad story have sounded that way.
- So they threw stones at you? From the fact that you are different?
- Yes, - the boy shrugged. - And from what I'm smarter than they are. I speak the language of the white, know how to read, I was almost the same as the other white. And yet, they are afraid of me. I said I grow up, I'll take the gun in white and shoot them all. So I think they will try to kill me while I'm still not an adult.
I walked for a while in silence, overwhelmed by the words of the boy. Chemto he painfully reminded me the same, and even Donny as he was when we first met him in an orphanage. Although, no, this kid was much bolder and stronger than both of us put together ...
- This is our home - Mikoto showed on rickety shack with no doors and with huge gaps and holes in the walls.
Entering, I had much to duck, and straighten up completely inside it was not possible. The whole atmosphere hut consisted of a number of woven mats, a large flat rock, which apparently served as a table, and heaps kakogoto ragged rags in the corner.
When we entered, the heap stirred and turned that inside man is hiding. The gray-haired native, obviously very old, weak and very thin, more like a skeleton than a living person. Obviously, it was the boy's grandfather. Rather, the one who replaced his grandfather's hometown.
As soon as we entered, the boy ran shouting to the old man and started to explain something hurriedly, pointing at me. I was silent, allowing him to inspect me from head to toe. When the old man's eyes fell on Joey's face for a moment changed. Just for a second, but I noticed.
After exchanging a few words with his grandfather Mikoto turned to me:
- Grandpa wants to know where you got this dog.
Oh yeah! So I did not seem old man obviously knew something about the mechanical creations may have seen them before. Intuition has not deceived me, and I have come to the right place and had to come.
- Tell your Grandpa, I'll tell him, but only if he, too, will help me.
- But the grandfather can help you, he is quite old. He would die for the new moon.
Here I'm an idiot, but really, it was very similar to what the old man even breathing hard. And it is not only on age, but also from hunger. So, we will have to wait a little with questions ...
- Mikoto, take - I handed the boy a handful of silver coins. - Go on, buy kakoynibud food, and I'll wait for you here.
Boy happily grabbed the coin, but from a heap of torn curtains, and the faint cry of a short sharp phrase, and he sighed and put the money back into my hand.
- My grandfather forbade taking money that is not earned. He says that, without giving anything in return, I give the soul.
That's really what I did not expect was to meet such scruples here in this forgotten all Creators corner. Commendable, but only in this case completely inappropriate, and not at the time.
I pulled out from under his shirt and showed the old man amulet.
- Tell me what the dress will be a story about this thing - all that he knows. Who found her, where, how to find this man. And yet, I'll talk about my dog.
Mikoto turned again to the old man, this time the answer is clearly yes. The boy broke into a wide smile and once again grabbed my palm with a coin.
- I'll be right back, sir!
As soon as he jumped out, the old man suddenly pulled the thin, shaking hand in the direction of Joey and commanding tone, quite loudly a short phrase. I do not know what it meant, but it sounded like this:
- E hele mai! E hele mai ia ia'u, ilio, au e kauoha aku i ka inoa o Tlaloc!
And he turned at the same time, no one else, namely Joey. I must say that the dog from the moment we entered the cabin, completely ignored the old man, and that on the contrary, did not take his eyes off him. After repeating several times that phrase and not having achieved nothing, he turned to me with an amazed and bewildered look.
- Mea, aole ia i malama i ka ke Tlaloc! Ua 'a'ole i waiho i ka inoa o Tlaloc ...
- I'm sorry, I do not understand and can not answer. Let's wait for Mikoto.
Hearing a familiar name, the old man calmed down, apparently realizing that without a common language interpreter, we could not find. He dug deeper into their cloths and lay still, occasionally muttering something unintelligible.
A few minutes later the cabin burst smiling boy with kakimito bags and bundles in their hands. Soon, he was laid out on a reed mat their wealth - strips of dried meat, a few tortillas, a bag of grains of corn and another one with kakimito long pinkish tubers the size of a potato. Handing grandfather cake and a cup of clay with water, Mikoto began to grind grain in the heavy stone mortar.
- I will cook soup. I bought some dried venison. Wanted to take capybaras, Dorit sold - caught this morning, but changed his mind. It should immediately have, and then there was a stink, and venison can be a long stretch.
Looking like a smartly Mikoto controlled cooking, I involuntarily remembered the boys Hackney area. Those, too, were forced to grow up very early, and in the age of eight, had worked in the same way as adults. Well, or stolen.
- Your grandfather said something, while you were gone. I did not understand, but he repeated several times the word "Tlaloc" ...
As soon as I said the word out loud, the old man began to shout again chtoo strange, repeatedly saying, "Tlaloc, Tlaloc!". Mikoto asked him something a few times, then turned to me.
- Grandpa says that your dog did not listen when he told her to come in the name of Tlaloc. He says that all children are subject to Tlaloc, who commands the name of it, but your dog does not want to. Therefore, the grandfather asks if your dog has a soul, and it is like an empty shell, just like a divine child?
Divine Child? What's this nonsense, the old man was not joking right? However, he did
not look like the Joker, face with a question waiting for an answer, putting aside the cake. But what does it say? Do Gioia soul ... To know more, that it generally represents.
- Tell your grandfather that Joey has a soul, but he was not a child of Tlaloc, who would be there was not one of Tlaloc. Tell me, what made him a great master, my teacher, so I can say that it is his child, not Tlaloc.
Mikoto, on ceasing to wield the pestle, turned, and lively patter grandfather translated my words. He paused again carefully looked into Joey, then turned back to me and chewing toothless gums, again something said.
- The grandfather asks the lord ordered the dog to come to him. Then he will tell all that he knows about the children of Tlaloc and an amulet that hangs around your neck.
- Joey, it's a friend. Come and say hello! - The dog, wagging his tail in greeting, he went to an old man wrapped in rags. - Tell my grandfather that a dog named Joey, and he was glad to meet him.
The boy turned my words, and this time I watched in shock as an old man, released from the heap of rags, tearfully hugging Joey, stroking him and mumbles something in his ear.
Mikoto began to build a fire in the hearth, and I sat down on one of the mats, as the stand, stooping so as not to abut against the head in the roof, it was quite tiring. Put on fire a large clay pot with water, the boy announced that he is willing to translate the words of his grandfather. And for the next hour listening to his story and asking clarifying questions, I learned an amazing story, which itself is worthy of a book was written about it.
The old man, whose name was Ashihta, was in Belize for about forty years ago, exhausted and hungry, went out to the coast after a week of wandering through the jungle. He was expelled from his native village, without weapons and ammunition, and what he did came to their homes, it was a great miracle.
But most surprising was not that, and the fact that he was born and grew up in the tribal past admirers living god Tlaloc. And, if I understand correctly what I translated Mikoto, the Tlaloc was able to create mechanical beasts, such as Joy. They only differed from Joey that being awakened to the life of "the breath of Tlaloc," strictly follow orders given to the use of its name. Poetomuto old man was trying to get Joey to comply, calling out to his god.
Tlaloc himself was not merely an idol or kakimto way, existing only in the minds of the people - this is really living in a native village god, well, opyattaki, if you trust the words of the old man. It was very large, twice as high as any of the villagers. Even given the fact that the natives rather undersized, it still came out no less than three meters. When asked to describe Tlaloc, the old man was silent for a long time, then said that God is like a man, but he had a jaguar's head, and he is made of metal shining sun. Honestly, hearing this description, I froze. It looked so animated statue found Thomas and Rebecca in the temple, in the book "Mystical expedition."
It turned out that many years ago, how many exactly, the old man was at a loss to tell, but said - when his grandfather was a child - left, about a hundred, Tlaloc kakimto fought and defeated by another god, but was badly injured. And now he could no longer perform miracles, or rather, nothing at all could not deprived crushed in a battle of arms and legs. Since then, the tribe lost nearly all their wealth and power as no one else was doing hardy and strong animals - Tlaloc children.
Over time, things started to fall into decay, but God gradually mad. Was once good, he turned into a monster, claiming more and more victims. The priests, in the hope of regaining the old grace, regularly filled his altar with fresh blood. First of all, it concerned the tribe enemies, but in their absence were good and tribesmen.
Amulet, which I showed to the old man, not just called the heart of a mechanical dragon. It was once, the dragon and like it hovered over the jungle, hunting for a tribe and frightening enemies. Over time, they have disappeared, since due to its fragility, much more often than other animals fell into disrepair. Mend the creation of one of these tribes could not, and would not dare, because it was the sacred work of God.
- I remember this shard - translate words Mikoto old. - Hunter Ratuun brought it out of the jungle. I asked him to give me, as a memory of my people, but I did not have anything in return. He sold it to a rich white, who then sailed on a huge boat.
Professor Steynvik, nothing else! When asked about the hunter, old native promised that Mikoto take me to him, but when I asked about his parents and his uncle, he just shook his head.
- If your family were to vaytukku, you will never let them see. They use the latest children's Tlaloc to obtain for him the victim. It's the only thing they left - Mikoto's face expressed sincere sorrow. - I'm sorry, sir, but that's exactly what he said.
Chapter 12
Hut hunter Ratuuna, in my untutored eye, does not particularly different from the home of Mikoto, well, perhaps that was a little more spacious. But boy it seemed clearly almost palace. Coins, which I gave him, were interspersed in a bag hanging on a thin cord at the neck. And now, this jingling bag, Mikoto with the obvious superiority in his voice said it would build them a new house with his grandfather, not worse, than at Ratuuna.
Ratuun itself was small, stooped man with long, like a gorilla, with his hands. He was unhappy with the acquaintance and questions answered very reluctantly, even when stimulated pair serebrushek.
A few minutes later it turned out - why. It turns out that the area where hunting Ratuun was "vukku" taboo for the whole of the coastal population. But, vowing kakimito unknown spirits of the Earth and the Loa that it will remain a secret, and promised a couple serebrushek upon arrival at the place, I was able to hire a guide to the very place where he found things my virtual parents.
On the same question about my uncle, Hunter shook his head negatively, saying that did not drive it myself, but merely pointed out the direction of motion. Apparently, uncle, said to it without the support of someone else local, accompanied by mercenaries, seemed untrustworthy, and even too dangerous.
Agreeing with Ratuunom a meeting at dawn the next day, I confess, I felt some relief. Does luck or I just followed the script written by someone, but I was able to pretty easily and quickly solve the most important problems of the current - find strings, which I hope will lead to my game relatives.
There was still one problem that appeared literally just that, but it also needed to be addressed. What I, in fact, I am going to do right now. Immediately upon returning to the hotel.
Saying goodbye to Mikoto and agreed to meet him in the morning (in case you still have something to shake down with Ratuunom), I went back a quarter of whites.
Hotel in which Donnie Marissa rented accommodation was much more modest one in which we lived in PuertoBello. But here, all three rooms are joined by a common balcony, which surround the entire building, and was divided into sections of several meters. On this balcony for eating huge baskets of fruit, I found a sweet couple.
- Oh, Sherlock! Join us and tell. You took so long was that we already had decided that you went into the jungle alone, and were going to go look for you - Marissa, in an open summer dress with spilled over her shoulders black curls were simply delicious. I have a couple of moments, staring at her, mentally comparing with the only woman with whom fate drove me to it, and which also caused a "movement of the soul" - Molly. They were both beautiful, but at the same time, so different that it was difficult to pick up the comparative adjectives, every second without risking falling into the trite platitudes.
- Hey, you all right? - it turns out, I still stood in prostration, and this is reacted Donnie.
- Yes, everything is fine, I found the trail - I got out of the basket full of dark green pupyrchatoy fruit with white, sugar-middle, and began to clean it, simultaneously telling about familiarity with Mikoto, its called the grandfather and generally all that managed to dig up. - So the situation is such. Tomorrow I'm going with this Ratuunom in the jungle, he would show me the place where he found the abandoned camp with the things that had belonged to his parents. Hopefully, fro
m that place, I can understand where I move on.
- Wait, wait, I have something a little misunderstood - turned to me Donny. - What do you mean it's yours, "I can see where I go." Since when we have ceased to be a team?
About the reaction I expected. But how do I explain to my friends that are actually the only real-life people here - it's me. Only I have the game immortality, unlike them. Oh no, this I afford just could not, and then it would be a direct violation of the prohibition of Proteus.
- This tribe, if you believe the words of the old man, human sacrifices. So I can not admit that you went there with me, it's too big a risk.
- And if you bring a sacrifice, it is, therefore, quite possible. So what ?! - Donnie began to raise his voice, which he almost never does not allow.
- I've got Joy, it is almost the same as their mechanical beasts, maybe it will give me a chance. And you I can not endanger!
- And, again, the Joy! All the matter in it! You've changed, when he came, but I did not think it would be more important to you friends! - blurted out these words, Donnie jumped up and rushed to his room, knocking over a chair on the road and slamming the door.
- What the hell? What's wrong with him? - I'm puzzled turned to Marissa.
- Do not you understand? - she smiled.
- To be honest, somehow not very much.
- It's simple enough. Donald is very unsure of himself, so he is always looking for a reason to prove to myself, to me, to everyone around that he is strong, brave, and that he is worthy of me. He's calm, gentle nature, he has his own strength, and that is what I am in it, and expensive, but he suddenly decided that this is not enough, and I'm waiting for him heroic and otherwise prefer kakogonibud conqueror of the jungle and wild animals.
Named Sherlock Page 76