The Genius' First Love 261 The Thing

It was a fine day in Hamps.h.i.+re, the sky was blue with just a few stratus clouds making their unhurried way toward the ocean. At the far end, just before the boundary of Hamps.h.i.+re ends was a busy site surrounded by a swarm of men in hard hats. There were cement mixers and other construction equipment towering above them all but the most eye catching from all this chaos was the enormous bridge of steel and cables. It spanned from one cliff then to the ocean, almost reaching par line already.

"Engineer we are almost at the par line, have you sought consent already?" One of Darryl's hired foreman asked him. Everyone from Darryl's construction team knew that they cannot continue the bridge beyond the par line if the tribe will not give their consent—that was part of the agreement the government gave Darryl when they handed him the permission to build the bridge a year and half ago.

"Not yet" Darryl answered as he was scrutinizing the blue print he had on his hand. He was trying to maneuver some calculations for the bridge he was currently building. "Just focus on the finis.h.i.+ng the bridge until the par line. I'll take care of the rest"

"Alright," His foreman said before he handed to the Lagdameo heir his daily report.

Darryl was standing at the unfinished bridge together with some of his laborers who were busy with their routines. When he was done with his calculations that he only made on his head, he dragged his eyes toward the ocean where the great Manggan Island floated. He thought of how many more days will it take for the Manggan Tribe to notice the bridge that he had built. Surely, based on how big the bridge was, a normal person should be able to notice it while standing on the sh.o.r.e from the Manggan Island. However, if the Manggan tribe had already notice the bridge that was advancing to their place, they should have sent warriors to check on to it, but no one did. Darryl had watched and waited for several nights and yet no once came for him, not even a single arrow dropped out from the sky.

A year and half ago, the whole nation was in uproar when they heard Ziggorioh Montreal's confirmation that indeed the Manggan tribe had already been infiltrated with people from Hamps.h.i.+re. With this information, the Ministry of Indigenous People gave Darryl permission provided that Darryl will help the ministry make negotiations with the Manggan Tribe. Of course, the government was very interested to know everything about them and would love to make friends.h.i.+p with the people from the island. Afterall, the Manggan Island was still a part of this country and to be able to communicate with them after several decades of failed attempts will be a huge leap in promoting and preserving this country's indigenous people. Nevertheless, the permission they gave Darryl was only to make a bridge until the par line, any construction beyond that will need a signed permission by the chieftain from the other side.

Unknown to Darryl, the bridge had already been watched the moment it became apparent in one of the sh.o.r.es in the Manggan Island. The central village was located in a valley and so it was surrounded by mountains from each side and the sh.o.r.es of the Tsua'ng village was located on the east side of the island and so Darryl's bridge was not visible in there. It was rather visible on the other side, on the west part where the Somer village was located. There Baruk Tam, the youngest of all the Baruk's wondered on what was the thing that appeared in the ocean several months ago. It started as a small dot yet after days and weeks, it grew bigger and bigger, like it was trying to reach their island. He had no idea by then that it was a bridge because he had never seen bridges from the other side and they rarely make big bridges in the Manggan Island as they regularly used boats to cross from island to island.

"My husband, my sweet Baruk Tam, why are you here?" A small girl with freckles on her tiny face approached the Baruk. Her name was Maru and she was betrothed to Baruk Tam at an early age.

"Maru can you stop calling me your husband? I am not married to you yet. And besides we don't know what will happen in the future, I might end up with another royal blood than you" He said, annoyed that Maru had found him again. The girl had been clinging and obsessing with him ever since he could remember, and he hated the fact.

"We will be married one day and I'm sure I will become you wife because you had no more choice" She smiled at him ignoring his words "Our village is very small and there's no more girls to chose from. Beside I am the most suited girl in the village to you"

"Our tribe will not be forever small. As the Baruk, I'm going to make sure that one day we will be prosperous and populated like the Nan village" He said with pride. Somer Village was the nearest village in the Devil's lure and that was the reason why most of the traders and merchants do not pa.s.s nor visit such village. Apart from that, every red mood, they suffer more damages from the other tribes as the devil's child said to roam around their village first and feasted hungrily on their livestock before it goes to other villages. This too was one of the reasons why people from the Somer village migrated to other villages leaving only few martyrs in there. Among the martyrs of course were the members of the royal blood who refused to leave the village without a fight.

"Of course, it will be under your care my dear, it will be prosperous as you say so and I will be with you then helping you as you sat the Baruk's seat" She answered brightly. Maru was always a happy child and to be with Baruk Tam makes the girl happier.

"I do not need help in leading the people," He said with a frown. Baruk Tam doesn't like girls, most especially Maru as she had always been following him everywhere as if he had no privacy at all. Nevertheless, he could not completely shoo the girl away because the elders were the one who choose her to be his betrothed.

"But you will be needing an heir and I am going to help you with that," She replied happily as if the matter was an easy task. "Don't worry I'll give you many heirs that the royal household in the Somer Village won't worry about having a scarcity of heirs"

"I do not have a plan of having an heir yet!" Baruk Tam almost puked at Maru's words. How shameless could this girl be? Nevertheless, she was right, the reason why Baruk Tam was the youngest Baruk was because his father died early just like all the other Baruks that they had. He was the only member of the royal household and if he dies, there was no one to replace him anymore.

Elders in the central village believed that Somer Village was cursed as it previously belonged to a cursed Highest Gunta. They said the cursed was transferred to the royal household that was why the Somer village leaders die early. With that, it had already been planned out that when the last of the royal household from the Somer village will die without and heir, the said village will already be abandoned.

Maru's attention got attracted by the bridge floating in the ocean and so she did not hear Baruk Tam's answer. Instead her concern s.h.i.+fted to such thing and thus her once happy face become serious. The Gunta's in the Somer village had reported this thing to Baruk Tam few months ago and they had kept an eye to it ever since. Maru knew that the thing was the one bothering her betrothed these past few days.

"Baruk Tam, I think we should report this to the central village already," She advised when she realized that the thing had been growing as each day past. For the first time, she feared it was something harmful and thus she wanted the central village to know about it already.

"I'll take care of that," Baruk Tam answered. His concern for the thing intensified as days past by, yet, he does not want to report something to the central village without taking the matter first on his own. As the Baruk, it was his obligation to know what the thing was about, he must make sure he already had a solution to it before it escalates to the central village.