Our eternal curse II

by Simon Rumney

  The boy hit the street like a deer shot through the heart with an arrow. He didn't even try to slow his fall because the blow to the side of his head had nearly knocked him out.

  Julii watched as an angry handprint began to glow red across his cheek and ear. Like a caught fish, he looked out at the air-filled world gasping hopelessly for breath with no understanding of what was happening to him. The fat man stood braced for what was to come next, but the floundering boy's cowardly friends did not stay around to help him.

  Turning back to Julii, the fat man smiled and gently escorted her towards the building next door. Looking through the window, Julii saw people sitting in “chairs” at red and white cloth-covered “tables”. They were eating from flat bowls using those shiny things Robert's nanny called “forks” to lift food to their mouths.

  Her mouth watered as the fat man opened the door of the building and the smell of food wafted from inside. The thought of eating made her feel excited and weak in the same moment.

  A man from inside the building almost ran to stand in front of the fat man and said in an angry whisper: "You can't bring no Injun in here!"

  Julii felt more fear and panic rising inside her. 'Was this the end of safety?' 'Surely the fat man must give her up in the face of such opposition.' 'As kind as he was, he must need regular food to maintain his great size.' 'He did not know her or owe her any loyalty, so he must eat alone.'

  Julii understood the kind fat man's dilemma completely. She braced herself for the next terrible leg of this awful journey, but the fat man did not let her go. He held her tighter and closer to him. He was standing by her, and the sound of determination came clearly through his voice. "At the very least this woman requires a drink of water."

  The man inside the building looked over his shoulder at the people sitting at the tables. They were all looking at Julii and he was clearly embarrassed about her being there. Turning back, he pushed on the fat man's chest and spoke in a controlled voice. "There's a trough down the street."

  Julii could feel the fat man becoming more and more tense. He sounded angry as he looked at the people at the tables and raised his voice. "You evil people make hatred of your fellow man an art form! You call yourself Christians but you are heathens! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

  Turning to Julii, he added in a calming voice, "Come along my dear girl. Let me get you somewhere away from these ghouls; somewhere where I can take care of you."

  The fat man's gentle grip around Julii's shoulders never wavered as they walked along the street. Even when many people stopped and looked at him as though he were mad, his resolve never even faltered. The fat man meant to help Julii, and she had never been more grateful to anyone in her life.

  When they reached another very tall building, the fat man escorted her inside. Another angry man inside this building shouted: "You can't bring no Injun in here!"

  Walking purposefully to the angry man who stood behind a chest-high wooden structure, the fat man produced a folded hide thing from inside his jacket. As he unfolded it, Julii saw lots of pieces of very flimsy cloth with strange men's faces depicted on them.

  The fat man handed many of the flimsy cloth things to the man at the front of the building who stood behind the chest-high wooden structure. His angry attitude completely and magically changed; just one look at the flimsy cloth things and he was no longer angry. In fact, the man was smiling.

  Julii wondered if these flimsy cloth things were strong medicine. 'They must benefit the one who possessed them, but how?' 'What possible good could they do' 'No one could hunt game with them or fetch water with them, so what good could they be to the man in the front of the tall building who stood behind the chest-high wooden thing?'

  While Julii was lost in her thoughts, the man at the front of the tall building made a few strange hand signals and the fat man escorted her back out of the tall building. She became concerned when he escorted her along the front of the building and into the tiny gap between the tall building and the building next to it.

  The fat man almost filled the entire gap as he walked ahead beckoning for Julii to follow him; it took all of her courage not to run away. She knew what happened in the alleyways at the back of buildings.

  'Was she about to be flayed like the brown man?' 'Was the fat man going to chain her to the tree with no branches and cut her back into stripes?'

  The thought of it was terrifying, but ‘what else could she do’? There was nowhere to run. After days and nights alone, she knew that there was no sanctuary in any direction. She followed the fat man behind the building determined to accept her fate whatever that may be.

  Arriving at the alleyway she knew would be there, Julii stopped walking and braced herself for the worst. She watched the fat man walk to a doorway set in the back of the tall building. When he arrived outside the door, the man from the front of the building let him inside.

  When beckoned to follow, Julii walked to the open door and accompanied the fat man into a very large room. Julii felt less threatened when she recognized many of the things in the room. It was a much bigger version of the room in Robert's parents' house. It was the room called “kitchen”.

  The fat man walked Julii gently to a seat at a table and helped her sit. From her place in the center of the room she could see all around. It had the same small waterhole, which Robert's nanny called “sink”, attached to the wall but this one was wider and deeper. It also had the thing called “pump”. There was the thing called “stove” and the things hanging above the stove called “utensils”. The flat white things called “plates” and “cups” and “glasses” were piled up in an open “cupboard”.

  The fat man reached into an open cupboard and removed a glass. Crossing to the sink, he used the pump to fill the glass with water and carried it over to where Julii sat.

  It was the best water Julii had ever tasted. It wasn't as clear and fresh as the water from her waterhole, but at this moment it was still the best she had ever tasted.

  As she gulped down the water, the fat man looked in a number of other “cupboards”. In one of the cupboards, the large man found some eggs lined up on a “tray”. Turning to Julii, he smiled. "Now then, I think even I can cook these."

  His expression and tone made it clear that something about what he was doing or saying must be funny, but Julii did not understand why.

  Giving up on his attempt at humor, the fat man placed the eggs into a pan full of water and placed it on the stove. Julii tentatively raised her empty glass and said: "More?"

  Without turning away from the stove, the fat man pointed to the pump. "Help yourself, my dear."

  Pausing for a moment, the fat man looked a Julii and asked: "Do you understand English?"

  Walking to the sink, Julii pumped. There was an unmistakable tone of pride in her reply as she said, "Yes, I speak English, thank you for asking. My Robert taught me your language."

  The fat man still fiddled with the top of the stove as he said, "Oh no. English is not my language, my dear."

  Confused, Julii watched as the fat man opened what she knew to be called a “box of matches” and struck one to light the wood on the fire under the stovetop.

  Once the fire was burning under the pan of eggs, the fat man turned and said something surprising. "I should explain. English is not my first language, so forgive me if I do not make myself understood, my dear. You see, I am Italian."

  Julii did not understand what “Italian” was, but she was pleased to have a new word to concentrate on. Then she wondered if Italian was a language like English was a language. The thought of learning a new language was too exciting.

  She wanted to ask about Italian, but the fat man was busy cutting the thing called “bread” with a knife and she didn't want to do anything that would delay him feeding her.

  She silently watched him cover the bread in a yellow thing called “butter”. Her heart sank because she knew that it could not be for her because Robert's nanny had said: "You ai
n't good enough to eat my master's butter!"

  Julii watched him remove the eggs from the bubbling pot with a “spoon” and wondered if he was going to feed her after he fed himself.

  He hurt his fingers as he delicately peeled away the hot shell and placed them clumsily onto the two pieces of bread with butter. Once again he smiled as he spoke. "Maybe this is too complicated for me after all."

  Julii wondered why the fat man seemed amused again. 'Why had he used the same jovial tone as before?' Julii understood something must be funny so she smiled out of politeness as he placed the plate of eggs on the table in front of her.

  It took a moment for Julii to grasp that the food was meant for her. 'She was being allowed to eat butter after all!' She was so hungry. Far too hungry to ask permission, so she lunged at the food.

  Julii ate all three eggs and the bread without stopping to use the silver things that the large man had placed on the table. At the end of her ravenous feasting, Julii realized she had not even thanked the large man for his kindness.

  While licking the yellow egg from the plate and her fingers, she thanked her fat savior, just as her Robert had taught her to do. But now she felt embarrassed and rude because her mouth was full of egg and bread. She knew that this was wrong because she had been snarled at by Robert's nanny for “speaking with her no good Injun mouth full”.

  She also knew using the silver things was the polite way to eat in the white man's world; she had seen the men and women using them through the window of the building with the red and white table coverings. But the need for food had overruled the need for politeness.

  In an attempt to seem less like the savage all white people thought she was, Julii spoke in her best English. "Thank you very much, sir."

  The fat man's smile beamed as he placed four more eggs into the boiling water. "You speak very good English, my dear. In fact, I think your English is better than mine."

  His demeanor told Julii that this was obviously another attempt at humor that she did not understand. Once again, she smiled to be polite. Then she wondered if the four eggs boiling in the pot were for him or her. She was still so hungry. The first three eggs had stretched her withered stomach, but she needed more food. She could feel her body screaming for more as her hungry eyes stared at the bubbling pot.

  She wanted to tip out the water and eat the eggs now, shell and all, in whatever state of preparation they were in. She didn't care if they were hot or cold, warm or runny, she simply needed more food.

  As though reading her thoughts, the fat man cut another two slices from the loaf of bread, spread yellow butter on them, and handed them to Julii. As she wolfed them down, he smiled and nodded. "These eggs are also for you, my dear girl. And, if you need more, I will cook them for you."

  This was the first time in so many days that anyone had shown a positive interest in Julii. The thought of being human once more made her smile for the first time. She wanted to give this kind fat man something to repay him, but she had nothing but her words so she said: "My name is Julii."

  "Julii?" The fat man repeated her name. Once again, he was amused by something as he spoke. "You pronounce your name Julii?"

  Julii nodded, 'yes', wondering how the sound of her name could amuse or raise a question. 'It was her name.’

  Seeing her confusion, the fat man smiled. "Please forgive me, Julii. I am being rude.” Holding out his hand, the large man said: "I am Count Anton. Please, call me Anton."

  Julii knew that the correct response to a white man's outstretched right arm was to shake the hand with her own. She shook Anton's hand with a firm grip, just as her Robert had taught her to.

  There was a look of approval in his eyes. The same look her Robert gave when she learned things quickly. Julii noticed it just before Count Anton turned to the stove. It felt good.

  As he removed the eggs from the boiling water, Count Anton said: "Where I am from, your name, Julii, is the name of a famous tribe from Roman history."

  All Julii could do is silently stare hungrily at the eggs and bread as he went on. "Julius Caesar was the most famous of the tribe called the ‘Julii’."

  Julii had no way of really understanding anything Anton said, other than the word “tribe”, but she liked being spoken to with kindness and respect. She also liked the fact that the man called Count Anton spoke of being from a different place. 'A different place may be kinder than this one called “Atlanta”.' 'A different place could mean different words and the chance to learn something new.' Julii blurted out a question. "The place you are from? Do you speak different words there?"

  He nodded his head 'yes' and said, "Si".

  Julii was ecstatic; the word “si” obviously meant 'yes'. It was completely unknown to Julii and ten times better than the word “yes!”

  The prospect of learning completely new words was just too exciting to bear. She could not contain her excitement. "Teach me all of your words!"

  Count Anton laughed while speaking. "There is simply not enough time to teach you all of them here today, my dear girl."

  Julii's heart sank. 'He spoke of not having enough time.' 'Was Count Anton leaving soon?' 'Was she going to be sent back outside alone?' 'This was terrible!'

  Julii was returning to hollow thoughts of a lonely death on the streets of Atlanta when Count Anton's next words provided a glimmer of hope. "Do you have the days and weeks required to learn them all, my dear?"

  "Si!" The new word came out of Julii in a gush. "I have much time if you have the time to teach me."

  Count Anton laughed and said: "Good."

  Then smiling, he served the plate of four peeled eggs on three slices of bread and butter. This time Julii controlled her ravenous urges. She forced herself to find the patience required to pick up the silver things called a knife and fork.

  Julii fumbled with the cutlery and chewed every mouthful with her mouth closed, just as Robert had taught her to do. She did not look comfortable or happy, so Count Anton leaned forward and removed the silver things from her hands saying, "There will be time to learn how to use cutlery also. Now you must eat."

  Relieved, Julii used her hands to finish the eggs and bread as he talked of things like “empires”, “emperors”, “Circus Maximus”, “Colosseum”, “gladiators”, and “Caesars”.

  The wonderful list went on and on. 'So many words that needed to be learned, thought about and understood.' It was intoxicating.

  White man's riot

  Resisting the almost overpowering urge to lick the yellow egg yolks off the plate, Julii sat silently in the kitchen room at the rear of the tall building storing all of the wonderful new information being given to her by Count Anton.

  'More and more new words.' The fat man must have spoken for at least two of Robert's “hours”. He even had the time to serve a third helping of eggs and bread. It was while she concentrated on not licking the third plate that Julii heard Count Anton say something that struck her as very strange.

  Breaking away from the distraction of the yellow-streaked plate, Julii searched for meaning in the strange thing in his words. She knew that the strangeness was not in the construction of the words themselves because they were the same English words that Robert had taught her; the strangeness was caused by their meaning. She asked him to repeat what he had just said.

  Count Anton thought for a moment, then dutifully repeated the words. "He always said that you would be very, very intelligent."

  Julii wondered, 'who said she would be “very, very intelligent”?' These words made no sense, but she was too afraid to ask for clarification because asking meant she did not understand something. Not understanding something meant that she may not be “very, very intelligent”, which would make what 'he' said an untruth while disappointing the man who was feeding her life-saving eggs.

  Julii tied herself up in mental knots as she wracked her brain for an intelligent solution to the conundrum. 'Who always said she was “very, very intelligent”?' 'The only person who could possi
bly think her intelligent was her Robert.' 'Did Count Anton know her Robert?'

  She was building the courage to ask this question when the man from the front of the tall building returned to the kitchen room. His voice sounded frightened and he was totally flustered. "You gotta get that Injun squaw out of my hotel. You gotta get her out right now!"

  Count Anton stood up and glared at the man from the front of the tall building. "No, I do not have to get this young lady out of your hotel. I have paid you very well. We will leave when the young lady has eaten her fill."

  "You ain't hearing me, mister."

  Pointing at Julii, the man from the front of the tall building sounded terrified. "There's a mob outside looking to lynch your squaw. Looking to lynch you too, wouldn't wonder."

  Count Anton did not hesitate. He immediately knew what to do. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his folded hide thing and made a pile of the flimsy cloth things on the table as he spoke in a voice filled with authority. "Go and find General Hardee. Tell him Count Anton needs him. Tell him exactly what is happening here."

  The man from the front of the tall building looked longingly at the flimsy little pieces of cloth with the men's heads on them. He sounded angry and frustrated. "I ain't your runner!"

  Julii watched Count Anton add more flimsy cloth things to the pile. The man from the front of the tall building also watched and sounded as though he was in physical pain. "You're crazy if you think I'm gonna leave my hotel to a mob. They're mad enough to burn the place down."

  "If you do not do what I ask, I will make sure they burn this place down."

  Count Anton moved his face closer to the man from the front of the building and continued in a louder whisper. "With you and us inside."

  Julii could see that the man from the front of the tall building was afraid of Count Anton. He said nothing more. He simply grabbed the pile of cloth things and ran out through the back door.