Quantum Leap - Vol. 1 The Leap That Starts It All

C012 The Second Night

After the quick shower at the communal bathing area, I was the first to exit since I am still unaccustomed to the freezing groundwater from the depths of the well. Even if the water was meant to be refreshing, but I find it a bit too cold for my liking.

Even though it's quite a welcome for a stifling heat from the afternoon heat, I guessed it would take some time for me to get accustomed to.

As soon as I stepped out from the communal area, I was abruptly stopped by Cheng and he said, "I will bring you to meet the Master in the next few days when we are not picking up the 'treasures'".

I do not have a chance to ask him about who the Master was as I simply nodded my head in reply and quickly headed out of the communal area and made a beeline towards the house.

It was not out of disrespect but it was one of the ways to avoid making an embarrassment of myself by shivering out of my skin!

"Goodness me, the longer I stayed out there in the cold, I would definitely turn into a shrivelled up prune...!"

I thought to myself as I hurriedly made towards the clothesline to settle the wet bathing sarong as well as my earlier sarong that I had worn in exchange with.

After wringing the wet sarong and spreading it on the clothesline, I quickly bundled up my day clothes into the wicker basket on the corner of the living hall right after I had cleansed my feet by dousing them at the foot of the staircase using the water from the earthen jar.

"Abang's home..." I exclaimed aloud as I climbed up the staircase and called out to Ani as I entered into the room.

"I'm at the back here, Abang. Dinner would be served later. I had just finished distributing the ration to the rest of the Sisters and I would like to go for a shower right after this."

she called out from the 'dirty kitchen' as she juggled her chores between making steamed rice and cooking the 'ginataan'.

"Alright, don't be in such a rush. Take your time...I'm going to change first and take a short nap since I am still full from eating too much at lunch earlier.

Furthermore, we won't be going to the beach these three days and decided to hang around with Cheng and his brothers."

I exclaimed loudly as I changed into a fresh pair of clothes and intending to take a jug of chilled water to relax at the entrance of the house.

If there is coffee around, it would be great as well.

"Alright Abang, you just relax a bit fora while since there is nothing else at hand right now. All the task for the day had been completed and I would be distributing the work for tomorrow morning once I had met with the women pounding the grains in the centre of the courtyard."

Ani hollered out from the back of the dirty kitchen as she finished up the remaining of her work before she made her way to the common bathing area for the ladies.

After putting on a fresh pair of clothes, I went to the 'clean kitchen' and picked an earthen jug filled with drinking water and four wooden cups.

I placed them on a flat tray and went to sit at the entrance of the house while waiting for the brothers.

After sighting them exiting from the communal area, I called out over to them. They waved back and made their way towards me.

"So what else do you want to know about?" asked Cheng as he looked around and making sure that Ani does not hear our part of the conversation just yet.

"It's about the Master you were talking about earlier. Is he somewhere in this settlement? Do I need to prepare some special gifts or something when we are there to meet him?"

I queried as I was about to meet someone with such a vast knowledge or else he won't be called Master for anything.

Somehow, this idea came along instinctively since normally when meeting such a learned person, one needs to prepare such gifts.

The gifts could be a simple garland of jasmines, a bunch of flowers such as roses, chrysanthemum, orchids et cetera while some take offerings such as saffron glutinous rice with a boiled egg.

"Just prepare yourself would be more than enough. Since there we won't be going out to sea in the next couple of days, we would be there and have decided to accompany you instead."

"The distance is about two settlements away and it may take up at least half a day travel. Tomorrow morning be sure to be about by the moment the rooster starts to crow," advised Cheng as he poured himself a drink from the jug of chilled water.

I wished I had shown a better host by preparing a jug of hot tea instead but would that spoil the aftertaste of the grog the brothers had earlier on before they jump into the communal bathing area.

I nodded in agreement as we rested and chatted about other important matters, cracking jokes along the way, breaking the solemn moments into raptures of laughter.

Ani heard the chatters and brought a jug of hot coffee instead. "My prayers had come true after all. Coffee would always make anyone's day...!"

All four of us welcomed the hot jug of coffee and poured it out into individual cups as we enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee with helpings of honey for sweetening.

"Would you be staying for dinner, guys?" I asked in a matter-of-fact. "Hmm, it is quite alright..."

"Don't bother about us or anything. Our elder sisters had also prepared dinner and it's unfair for Ani to serve us food that's meant for the rations of two." quipped Ding as he slowly stood up and gestured for the rest to follow him.

The cups of coffee was downed by everyone and from their looks, they seemed to enjoy the brew even though it is nearing dinner time. I wondered if I am able to sleep right after this once I had about 3 cups from today morning. Hahaha.

"Alright, please excuse us. We are taking our leave now. You know its not customary for us to hang about until dinner time. Furthermore, we have our own 'responsibilities' you know."

"Thank you so much for the hot cups of coffee. We will repay back the hospitality once we have made the trade and see what else Boss Fei had in the back of his wagon" Cheng replied while he winked mischievously at me.

I smiled as I stood up and sent them off from the top of the stairs. "Till tomorrow morning before the rooster crows then, alright? "I reminded at the trio as I bade them farewell. In fact, they only lived just a few houses away from us.

"Yeah, do not forget to bring along your Father's Keris along with you before leaving the house," advised Eun as he made his way together with his elder brothers.

"Alright, I would surely remember," I replied as I turned my back and returned inside the house.

I cleared up the jugs and cups and brought it back to the 'clean kitchen' as I laid it on a makeshift table made up of strips of bamboo as its surface. Ani had prepared the dinner and I helped her by bringing it to the living hall.

There were the same two mounds of steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves and a bowl for dipping the hands before eating.

Ani brought in a large bowl of the steaming dish and from the smell of it, I could smell the distinctively rich smell of coconut milk and cooked mussels emanating from it. 

It was a simple one-dish meal and I saw some yard-long beans, a few leaves of cabbages and other types of green.

"Great...! I never thought that I would not see this type of yard long beans anywhere around here.

"It is so easy to cultivate and I did not see any when we made the trade earlier."

"I guess there must be a vegetable patch around here where there would be farmers tending to these fast-growing crops."

I can't help but think about these inwardly and it would be a blessing if this small settlement had a fairly large vegetable garden where it would be able to sustain itself.

After dipping the fingers of the right hand in the bowl containing some water for rinsing, we quickly opened the mounds of rice and I watched how Ani would scoop a bit of gravy into the rice.

This is my first time savouring such a rich creamy coconut gravy dish and its a sheer pleasure when the rich coconut gravy with pounded chilli, garlic, ginger and onions was stuffed in my mouth.

Again, my taste buds welcomed the explosive and exquisite taste from this outback cooking and the taste of the cooked mussels accompanied by the thick gravy along with the mixed vegetables that were half-cooked inside the gravy. It gives off a crunchy taste when we chewed on it. Just the way I loved them...!

"Tomorrow morning, I am going out with the guys to meet the Master," I said between mouthfuls of rice and vegetables that I had stuffed.

"Oh yes... I overheard it just now. Please send my regards to the Master. He is the same Master that Father had trained for spiritual guidance under him."

Ani explained nonchalantly while looking at me while reminiscing the past that 'our' Father had meddled in the spiritual world.

It was as if it was a normal thing for me to do and go meet the Master and since Ani knew what the Master stands for, then basically there was no secret to hide between the two of us.

"In God's will... I will convey your regards to him. "I replied and suddenly I realised that this settlement had no signs of a place for worship as I cranked up a silly smile at Ani.

Looking at Ani scooping the tip of her fingers with food and deftly put it in her mouth made me wonder how was her life before I had entered this world belonging to Bo's.

Even when she was wearing a wraparound 'sarong', her skin was not much affected by the weather and its kind of glow with a slight tan.

"Urgh...! This is not the time to think of such matters, right?!" I swallowed hard at my food as I was observing her and pushed all kind of weird thoughts away to the back of my mind.

As dusk was nearing, dark clouds gathered over in the horizon and soon splinters of lighting was seen in the overcast as booms of thunders soon followed.

The lightning and thunderclaps were almost close to one another indicating that rain would fall pretty soon.

Ani remarked that it was going to rain soon. As I methodically counted the moment the flash of lightning struck before the thunder, it seems that rain was inevitable and the heavy rain clouds would be just a mile or two away.

Gusts of strong wind swept across the courtyard and its surrounding while making small tornadoes on the ground and picked those loose leaves on the ground in a circular motion upwards.

We quickly finished our dinner and I helped to clear the 'dishes' to the 'clean kitchen' while Ani lighted two oil lamps and placed it in corners of the house that wasn't affected by the wind.

Quickly she lowered the louvres of the windows and shut them inwards as she secured the bottom part of the window to the frame of the house.

She peered outside and saw that the women had all returned back to their homes, carrying the long pounding sticks with them and at the same time cleared all the grains from the mortar that they were pounding to remove the husks.

There was only the sarong that was used as a bathing wraparound so Ani decided to leave the cloth outside. Soon after, the house plunged in semi-darkness while trickles of rain as big as pebbles soon fell to earth.

As there was nothing much to do at this moment except watching the rainfall and created puddles of water on the ground.

The women assigned to thumping the grains had long gone back and the mortars on the ground were inverted and placed on a short log to prevent from collecting water.

All signs of activity seemed to have ceased as the rain fell in torrents.

I crept inside the bedroom followed by Ani while we sat and engaged in small talk. Luckily, I thought that it's fortunate I had taken the initiative to inquire about the Shadows thus being acknowledged as the Guardian Spirit and the plans to meet with the Master tomorrow.

I laid down on the tatami mat when suddenly Ani inched her body towards me. Her back was towards me as she took my right arm and threw it over her shoulders.

I can smell her fragrance on her body and hair and can't help the feeling of smelling it. Somehow, it was rather comforting as the howls of winds outside were in stark contrast to the situation inside the bedroom.

It was warm and even though I find that sleeping together in this way was a little inappropriate, but nevertheless, I stretched my arm and pulled her closer to me and we slept while holding her like a bolster.

The night passed...

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