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Liloran
“Why do you say that, dear?” replied Karena, not looking up from her sewing. “Because I look different. We all went swimming yesterday and they don’t look like I do without clothes on Mommy.” Karena put her sewing down then. She looked up, over her child’s head, her eyes searching the small cavern for signs of listeners. Seeing none she set the sewing down beside her chair and patted her knee. The child hopped up eagerly and curled up in Karena’s lap. “You must never tell anyone about that, dear,” said Karena in a hushed whisper. “But why not, Mommy?” “Because no one must know that you’re not like the other boys,” Karena told her only daughter. “You’re just special dear, but the others may try to hurt you if they know.” “But why, Mommy? Why would they want to hurt me?” the little girl asked, looking up at her mother through innocent baby blue eyes. Her blonde hair was cut in a boyish style and her clothes were those of a five year old boy, not a five year old girl. “Trust me dear, please,” said Karena, a note of fear slipping into her voice. “Mommy knows what’s best. Don’t ever let anyone know or see that you’re not like the other boys, okay?” “Okay, Mommy,” said the girl, snuggling closer to her mother. “I won’t let them know I’m not a normal boy.” Karena looked up, praying that the powers above would forgive her for what she had to do to her only daughter. They lived too harsh and dangerous a life for a girl. She had eight sons, all of which came from different fathers. In the cavern they inhabited there were many families, but more single men who roamed about at night. The caverns each family claimed had no doors and only a scarce few of the families contained men old enough to protect the women in the dark of the night. Karena hadn’t had any brothers to protect her and her first son was born to her when she was only thirteen turns old. Now she was a few turns past thirty and terrified that her daughter might end up like her. Yes, her daughter had brothers to protect her, but they couldn’t be with her every moment. And so when Karena had born the child she had sworn the midwife to secrecy and named the girl Liloran. She had sat her eldest child down and told him what was going on. Korin was now twenty turns old and he well understood the need for his little sister to be protected. He had heard the other young men his age talk about their late night prowling of the caverns. He had always been repulsed by what they talked of so proudly and so he readily agreed to help Karena protect his little sister. Korin was the leader of the pack in his family. All the younger brothers looked up to him and did whatever he did. If he told them that their youngest brother was different and that he would need their protection, they were behind him all the way. So Liloran grew up well protected and well loved, never understanding why he looked so different from his brothers, but accepting it blindly because that’s what Mommy and Korin did. Continue... |