It seems very sincere.
*Chi-chi chi-chi*
“You must get your rest. Chi-chi-cuckoo-chi!”
“Listen to this one.”
Umf.
Nia could never be ordered about.
Ha-ha-ha.
What was the bird thinking.
Nia would surely put him in an Oz styled birdcage.
“I do chi-chi apologize for my deep concern for your wellbeing. I remain your willing slave.”
*Chi-chi*
It starts to pace again.
Seems to stare over at the main gate and starts pacing towards it bewildered.
It chi-chis frantically.
Many feathers shed from its body.
It then walks fast back towards us.
He bows.
Starts.
“May I go over the menu with you, My chi – Fair – chi – Lady!”
How it manages to chi-chi and speak as if it was the easiest thing to do, amazed me.
The voice was a crisp, mature voice.
Clear.
It sounded almost British.
For some reason he reminded me of Anthony Hopkins.
That movie he was in with Emma Thompson where he portrayed a butler.
Nia and I both loved that movie.
If she only knew how close to the truth it all was.
Why does it all always end up as riddles.
Why can’t it all be simple.
The truth is stranger than fiction.
That’s why.
We convince ourselves of truths in our minds, that when it is not like that, it is a lie.
We can’t accept it.
Then we start with reasons for why the person would want to lie.
Connecting imaginary dots that do not exist.
Only because we have made them to.
Forget the point completely.
Uhm.
Umf.
I never saw the ending of that movie.
The guineafowl looks at Nia a bit uncertainly then chi-chis fast and starts.
“My Fair Lady. Today the chef has prepared something to chi-chi cater for your individual taste chi-chi buds. He is delighted to share this celebration of individuality chi-chi to mark your return to your home. We chi- are all – chi-cuckoo-chi honoured by your presence.”
Nia looks at the guineafowl as it continues.
I was not sure whether she wanted to laugh.
No.
Uhm.
She was listening intently.
Smile wide.
This must be surreal to her.
She loved to watch them on her farm.
She always wondered what it was that they were digging around the ground for.
She imagined they too were digging for sparkly things.
To give to their mates.
Nia.
My sweetpea.
Real farm girl.
But she sure liked fairy tales.
She hunches.
The bird is slightly startled.
“Chi-chi chi-chi!”
*Chi-chi-cuckoo-chi*
“For the main, My Fair Lady,” it steps a bit back and continues, “will be Eisbein. Chi-chi. Croustillant grillé!”
Nia looks at the bird.
Doe eyes as if they were picturing what it was saying.
It brought a broad smile to Nia’s face.
She seems to taste it.
“Yummy!” She shouts.
The guineafowl runs a few feet away.
Chi-chis back slowly.
It sure seemed paranoid.
“Sounds delicious, hey Sher. Mmmmmmmm.”
Nia starts tippy-toeing towards the gate.
She must be excited to get to it.
The Castle.
I ran forward and kept up with Nia’s excited pace.
“What’s for supper?”
I look at Nia.
Curiously.
“Didn’t you hear what he said?”
Nia looks at me astonished.
“You were right there?”
Doe eyes.
Accusing.
Umf.
My sweetpea.
Fair Lady.
Did she forget that I do not speak French?
“Si si, demoiselle,” I joke.
Nia rolls her eyes.
Then looks at me intently.
Doe eyes.
Enchanting.
“Sorry, Sher. I forget.”
She sort of sticks out her tongue quick.
*Prrrrt*
“We’ll be having all my favourites. They didn’t miss a thing.”
Nia licks her lips.
Doe eyes.
Excited.
She starts.
“I loved the way that eisbein sounded. Crispy crispness is what I imagined. That bird sure knows how to spin its French.”
Nia chuckles.
“Sauerkraut and carrots. He promises they’ll be tender and soft.”
Her doe eyes closes.
She bites her lower lip.
“The kraut ripe. Not too sour, he swears. Umf. Slice of Granny Smith, sweet red onions and soft cranberries.”
Nia seems to see it all in front of her.
The bird sure got her mouth watering.
Ha-ha-ha.
It was scurrying up the small hill.
As you entered the gate.
Seemed to be chi-chi-ing orders.
Nia went through the gates, not even noticing the guards.
They stared me up and down.
Looked like people.
But like they were vacant.
Zombies.
But stare at me they did.
I wonder what is up with them.
Sure look stern.
Serious faces.
Like they were annoyed.
With me.
I swore the one was giving me thé eye.
Must be jealous that I can walk with the Queen and they have to stand guard at the gate.
Ha-ha-ha.
Utopia was full of surprises.
Nia gasp-s in amazement.
“Oh, Sherwin!”
She steps closer and takes it all in.
“Vygies...”
She bends down and picks one.
Smells it, and then starts twirling it through her fingers.
“Scarlet pig faces.”
She sighs.
She puts it next to the small yellow daisy behind her ear.
How the daisy managed to stay with her.
Through the forest and the tunnel.
I was confused.
It must be holding onto Nia somehow.
Must still be alive.
Things sure were different here.
Nia steps forward into the flowers.
Almost like she was scared to trample on them.
She goes slowly at first.
Then faster.
When she was almost in the middle, she looks back.
She gasps.
Shocked.
There were tortoises everywhere she stepped.
Some small.
Others big.
Depending on how much Nia stepped onto the vygies.
She picks up a small black one with red circles on its side.
Turns it upside down.
It only peeps slightly.
Then pulls back inside.
She gives it a kiss then puts it back down.
The tortoises slowly start walking towards the area where the guineafowl was seemingly waiting for Nia to arrive.
It was a long rock pathway that had several arches.
Right at the end you could see a big bright pool of water.
It looked like a fountain.
A mermaid in the centre.
Water flowing from her bamboo like cup.
Nia notices, but was soon startled by the cheering sound.
“Go go Nia go! Go go Nia go!”
Nia looks around amazed.
Not believing what was obvious.
It was the flowers.
They were cheering.
All in unison.
Different voices.
But all harmonious.
Nia turned in circles.
Smiling from ear to ear.
Those doe eyes.
Just as I remember them.
She always looked like that just before she made a shoot.
The crowd would then go even wilder.
I imagined she must be thinking that she was on the court.
But instead of the people, there were these vygies.
Nia lifted her arms up and started kicking her legs.
She seemed to not miss a beat.
Suddenly all the voices go quiet.
“Chi-chi chi-chi!”
The bird nervously looks at Nia.
Then steps forward quick.
ii
The guineafowl walks slowly over to meet Nia.
It chi-chis softly.
Still looking very paranoid.
Umf.
It was not that it was scared of Nia.
No.
It was more that it seemed afraid of disappointing her.
Offending her.
Even if only through a gesture of its wings.
Or a tone in its voice.
Its chi-chi sort of an apology in some way.
To make up for what it could not see.
The things it did that might upset its queen.
It was only a bird.
After all.
It sheds a feather.
Looks nervously down.
Then cautiously up at Nia.
It chi-chis.
Then steps onto the feather as if to hide it.
Ha-ha-ha.
Nia didn’t miss a thing.
She pretended that she didn’t notice.
I think she was starting to warm up to the guineafowl.
It was her willing slave after all.
It ran the castle.
Made sure everything was as its Fair Lady desires it.
Not the way it does.
It was firm.
It seemed.
Whenever it chi-chi-ed, there would be quick reaction.
Lines formed.
Swords went up into the air.
Nia watched in absolute silence.
Her breathes short.
She was still tippy-toeing.
But suddenly goes flat on her feet.
She seems to fix her hair and straighten her top.
She tugs at her unmatched socks.
Then starts walking ceremoniously down the rock pathway.
It was like there was a sudden humbleness to her.
A sense of humility.
Like she felt honoured and wanted to show respect.
She couldn’t help but gush out at times.
Sometimes she laughed.
I was slightly behind her.
Kept an eye in the sky.
I wouldn’t want any of those flying things from the forest to come and get us here by surprise.
But the skies were clear.
Bright.
Unusually bright.
I understood that it was not the sun.
Uhm.
At the beginning of the steps, Nia turned and faced me.
She was suddenly behaving strangely.
She hints for me to come closer.
I couldn’t believe it.
It was like she was suddenly nervous.
She tugs me hard by the arm.
I nudge closer.
”You could have warned me we would have company.”
She rolls her eyes.
Those doe eyes.
Slight frustration.
I didn’t understand.
It must be the mood swings.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Really not understanding why she would be upset.
“I would have worn my shoes.”
She looks back.
Unconsciously waves.
Then looks back up to the steps.
“Or perhaps no shoes are better.”
She breathes in deep.
Then looks at me.
“Who’s idea was it to have a thousand steps here?”
Doe eyes.
Frustrated.
“You know I hate to do stairs.”
She seems to remember that we were being watched.
Smiles shyly.
Tugs at her khakis.
Umf.
Ha-ha-ha.
My sweetpea.
No matter how much Nia might try.
She always looked perfect.
Uhm.
Suddenly the vygies were cheering.
You could hear their voices echo all around the castle corners and turns.
Nia was less nervous.
Turns around and smiles.
It was the strangest thing.
I looked at her.
Those doe eyes.
Filled with wonder.
I looked at what she was staring at.
The vygies.
Mostly these pink ones.
Scarlet pig faces.
That’s what Nia called them.
They were her favourite.
She did love the colour pink.
But around the centre were different coloured ones.
They were the closest to the pool of water.
There where the mermaid fountain was.
It was much bigger up close.
The detail of the mermaid incredible.
Like it was real.
Like it was turned to stone.
Trapped.
In stone.
These vygies near the water.
They had their roots out of the soil.
They seemed to be the cheerleaders.
Nia did love to watch cheerleaders compete.
If only on tv.
Who would think it would be like a sport.
Entertainment.
More distraction.
Umf.
Ha-ha-ha.
I could come up with reasons for why it was popular.
Uhm.
Those Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders was Nia’s favourite team.
Sarah Shahi and another; those she enjoyed to watch.
I forget the other one’s name.
Think it was Kristin.
Holt back then.
She enjoyed watching movies in which they were featured too.
These included The Love boat and Salute to Lady Liberty.
She always said that if she wasn’t a netball player, she would be a cheerleader.
Move to America if she had to.
Ha-ha-ha.
She was very serious about that.
But then.
Yes.
The Grave’s disease.
It had to stick out its ugly head.
Nia smiles as she listened to them.
I was more concerned with getting us inside.
No fire was visible from here.
No signs of the heat either.
But I felt the fire burn inside my chest.
It was as if it was just a steady blaze.
Waiting for the moment when it would all burn out of control.
The doof doof was silent.
I was glad for that.
For once I could think clearly again.
With us at the castle.
The odds were in our favour.
They did not come near The Bright.
I looked back at Nia.
She was still smiling.
Beautiful white teeth.
Those full lips.
Uhm.
She turns her head and stares at me.
“They’re all so beautiful, Sherwin.”
She says that softly.
Doe eyes almost closed.
She steps closer to the edge of the rock pathway and hunches to her knees.
The guineafowl chi-chis f
rantically and loses more of its feathers.
I hunch next to Nia.
“They’re so beautiful, I could worship them.”
I looked at Nia.
What a strange thing to say.
They’re just flowers after all.
I looked down at the ones she was caressing.
Shiny petals.
Almost like velvet.
Seemed perfectly smooth.
It was a beautiful thing.
Perhaps that’s what Nia was referring to.
But why worship that and not the one that created it.
Nia stares at me then sighs.
Then she stands up and faces the gathering.
I was confused.
I stood up too.
The guineafowl comes chi-chi-ingly closer.
“My Fair Lady chi-chi.”
It bows.
Lower than usual.
It stays there.
Slightly flaps its wings.
*Chi-chi*
Then nervously rises.
It starts.
“Is everything to My Lady’s satisfa-chi-chi-ion?”
It looks to almost try to avert her gaze.
Ha-ha-ha.
It sure looked funny.
The bird sure was nervous.
I look at Nia.
She was smiling wide.
She goes to her one knee.
Slowly.
The bird chi-chis softly but does not move.
It rather bends its neck slightly.
As Nia touches it lightly on its head.
It closes its eyes and presses its head up against Nia’s caress.
*Chi-chi*
Softly.
It then opens its eyes.
Flaps its wings.
Frantically chi-chis away.
*Chi-chi*
Just feathers as it went scurrying through the vygies.
All the way to the grass.
It seems to chi-chi even louder when it seems satisfied.
That it was far away enough.
It looks slyly back.
Then to the front quick.
It flaps its wings.
Its whole body seems to shiver.
All the feathers stood up.
It shook the loose ones off.
Turns its head.
Looks at us cautiously.
Then turns around and starts walking casually back towards us.
Chi-chi-ing orders as it went.
It decides to head to the rock pathway.
Rather than walk over the grass.
It approached us as if nothing had just happened.
As if it was the first time to see Nia.
It bows.
Then just stares at her.
Umf.
“Hahahahaha!”
Nia and I burst out together.
The bird.
I swore it sort of blushed.
The blue of the head almost more purple.
The red.
Suddenly bright red.
I think I understood.
It was embarrassed.
Ashamed.
Yes.
But not because of the performance it just gave.
No.
Because of enjoying it too much.
Yes.
Nia’s touch.
I think it felt ashamed that it was doing something for itself.
And not for its queen.
It was acting from the self.
And he understood that when in service.
The self must seize to exist.
Only the queen’s will must be.
It was quite profound.
Here everything really only did Nia’s bidding.
She stares at me.
Stops laughing.
Wipes the tears from her face.
Doe eyes.
Exploring my face.
I did not try to look away.
Nia smiles broadly.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She gushes slightly and, as if involuntary, walks closer to me.