Quantum Leap: Multiverse Transmigration 7 1.7: Shadows

"Aiyo Abang, how many times Ani have to remind you not to walk in dripping wet like that," she explained while picking up the wet wraparound cloth and quickly went down the flight of stairs. I saw her wringing the wet cloth and spreading it on the clothesline beside the house. After doing so she walked up and stood in front of me and fumbled and tied the dry wraparound cloth around my waist tightly. I looked at her with a curious look and she later remarked, "Abang, you seemed odd today la. You forget how to wear 'sarong' is it?" Soon thereafter I realized that this wraparound cloth was called a sarong.

She went over near the door and hung my "keris" and proceeded to place my earlier worn clothes in an orderly manner in the corner of the room where a woven basket was. Seems to me it looked like a dirty laundry basket.

The cloth was soft to the touch, its design simple yet eye-catching especially the manner the design was weaved and not printed. I thanked Ani again under my breath and I asked her if she was done preparing dinner. "Dinner is ready, come and eat together before heading for bed. Tomorrow you need to wake up early to a.s.sist the brothers to weigh in their catch." Ani replied while she enters the 'clean kitchen' and came out with a tray and set it on the floor of the main living hall.

On its tray, I saw 2 wrapped banana leaves mound, a simple dish of 2 deep fried sun-dried mackarel and a dish of blanched greens with a serving of stir-fried coconut gratings on it. The mouthwatering wafts made me salivate involuntarily. There was only one spoon and a bowl of clean water; meant to dip the fingers in before eating. There were also a wooden gourd and 2 wooden cups. "Come, let's eat," Ani said while putting one mound of wrapped banana leave before me.

Ani sat crosslegged in front of me and she deftly flipped the mound of banana leaf on hers while removing the wooden skewers. She carefully removed the flaps and it revealed a portion of white steamed rice. She took a piece of fried mackerel and placed it on the side of the rice. Using the wooden spoon, she scooped a portion of blanched greens with some garnis.h.i.+ngs and set it aside as well. Afterward, she dipped her fingers in the bowl of water and began to place some rice with bits of greens into her mouth. Her actions were secretly observed by me and I copied the exact manner of what she was doing and a.s.sume what she was doing afterward.

"So this is the way to eat by using bare hands. How I wish they have a complete set of eating utensils instead." I thought aloud in my mind, slowly adjusting my way of eating using my own hands while scooping the food and maneuvering my right hand into my mouth. After several attempts, I managed to correctly adjust the way the scooped rice and placing it into my mouth without making a mess on my face.

"Hmmm.....delicious lah! You surely are a great chef!" I praised Ani after a few mouthfuls. She looked up and smiled with a silly look on her face. The food even though without an accompaniment of soup; which I am used to eating was simple yet delectable. I could feel the freshness of the fried mackerel melting in my mouth. The blanched greens along with the garnish of stir-fried coconut gratings made a perfect combination. The taste of coconut blended with the chili and onions even though it's rather spicy but soon became a perfect blend when eaten together. Simple yet filling.
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The blanched greens were neither soggy or undercooked.

After eating, I helped Ani to clear the place up where we ate and went to the 'clean kitchen' in tow. Not only being gentlemanly, but I also took this opportunity to scrutinize the living conditions as well as the interior. There was a sleeping area with 2 tatami mats made from dried coconut leaves that were woven closely. 2 pillows were on the tatami mats and the coverings of the pillows were made of the same material as the 'sarong' i was wearing except for the designs.

After clearing the stuff in the 'clean kitchen' I noticed the absence of cooking materials hence the name of 'clean kitchen' solely the main purpose was to store and serve prepared food. I peered through an opening on the wall and saw where the 'dirty kitchen' was situated. As dusk was fast approaching, Ani lit two oil lanterns the size of a palm and handed one to me."Put it in the bedroom and don't forget to extinguish it before sleeping," she advised as she took hers and placed it at the corner of the living hall, illuminating the whole place immediately while casting long shadows at the same time.

I took the advantage to ask Ani about her day and quickly understood that she was helping the women of the settlement in weighing in the raw and dry grains to be stored in the settlement's granary. She also helped to monitor its stock movement and inventories everything to first in and first out kind of movement. Not only that I learned that she was able to juggle her time to tend to the house as well as her work.

When I was trying to stifle my incessant yawning, Ani noticed and told me, "Abang, why don't you take a rest first? Tomorrow you need to be at the beach to transact with the other buyers for the green mussels and bring a few pieces back with you so I can cook dinner for tomorrow." I replied, "OK, no problem. I will choose the biggest ones for tomorrow."

I picked myself up and headed to the bedroom. Ani blew the light off from the living hall and went to the bedroom herself. We laid down on our individual tatami mats before I blew the light off from the lantern. With the full moon in the sky and its s.h.i.+ne penetrating the cloudless night sky, there is no need to have any artificial light at all. The large luminescent moon was enough to lit up the whole settlement.

After a few moments later, I heard soft steady breathing from Ani which indicates that she had already fallen into a slumber. A few hours later as I tossed and turn trying my best to fall asleep on the hard floor, I felt that I had an urge to answer nature's call. I sat up and stood up slowly trying to avoid making any noise that might awaken Ani. I went to the living hall and walked down the staircase and wore my sandals. Everything around me was dead silent. The bonfire in the center of the courtyard had long died, leaving a few embers crackling. Cicadas were calling out to each other within the trees behind the common latrine.

After relieving myself, I walked slowly back. With the moon illuminating my way, I could see and imagine how this simple settlement was able to survive and thrive in this kind of condition. When I was about to climb the staircase of 'my' house, instinctively I turned my head about when I heard some rustlings.

Suddenly I saw a HUGE shadow shaped like a wolf walking on its hind legs lurking around near the granary........