Andrew had spent most of his time at home after graduating. The weeks had dragged on slowly, and mid-summer was as hot as ever. The village of Kashi baked in the sun's sweltering rays, it's inhabitants moving slowly and tending to the shade whenever possible. The only real respite from the heat was to be found in the river that snaked it's way through town . . . most of Kashi's youth met there each day to cool off, but Andrew avoided them.
Andrew's family lived far from the new center of Kashi. Upstream, the buildings were made of red brick, wood, and stone in the Cimbrian style, but as one headed downstream the architecture quickly changed. The older buildings had roofs made of thatched reeds or clay shingles, with local brick or timber walls lightly plastered. A few of the taller ones had large terraces or rooftop gardens from which green vines snaked down like tentacles. Very few of these buildings had doors -- most of them had a decorated tapestry hanging in the doorway, slit down the center for easy entry.
The tapestry in Andrew's house, however, was plain and threadbare. His family was far even from the old center of town, their house situated at the end of a long path that followed the river downstream. The house itself was small but clean -- it needed a new coat of paint, but the roof was newly thatched and didn't leak.
Every morning Andrew's mother made him take the long walk to the Kashi girls' school with his sister, all the way upriver. The county house was in the center of a large square, with the boys' school, girls' school, militia barracks, post office, and a few other buildings scattered around it. The cluster of square, sharp-cornered Cimbrian buildings looked odd against the surrounding village, but were beginning to blend in as other buildings went up around them to house the staff that worked there. Andrew couldn't understand why people would want to live in Cimbrian style houses -- with their poor ventilation in the summer, they must be roasting.
Andrew's mother, Sarani, had been more persistent about getting him to do work around the house now that he was done with school. Most of the time he could still get out of it, but every once in while she would show a surprising burst of assertiveness and he would find himself working at some task or another. Today was one of those days, which was why he was out in the garden weeding in the middle of the afternoon, bent down in the dirt with sweat running down his back.
I hate working out here. I'm hot and miserable . . . this is stupid. If my sister gets back soon I'm going to make her do this. I can't wait to get out of this dump.
Andrew went to pull out another weed and got only leaves; the root had snapped and remained in the ground. He swore and began digging it out, careful not to disturb any of the growing vegetable plants. Getting a better grip on the stubborn root, he pulled again -- and the weed's root snapped again, buried even further beneath the dirt. Andrew swore again and moved on. He was not good at weeding. His sister could often finish the vegetable patch in half the time that it took him, a fact that she did not hesitate to remind him of quite often.
In fact, there were very few things around the house that Andrew was good at. His mother spent most of each day weaving yarn for the local shepherds or cleaning houses for the Cimbrian families in town. This left Andrew and Sati, his sister, with most of the upkeep of the house, and Andrew tried to avoid this work whenever possible. Usually he could get away with not doing his chores (his mother would do them for him when she got home) and so he'd been spending most of his time alone on an island in the river near the house.
The river was wide and slow enough that he could swim over to the island with ease. He'd explored every nook and cranny of the place while growing up, and as far as Andrew knew no one else ever visited the place. Thick, pricky underbrush came down all the way to the shore, but there were a few holes in the thicket where animals came to drink that Andrew used to get through. Once he got a few yards in, the undergrowth mostly disappeared and the going was much easier. Most of the island was covered in lanky trees that swayed easily in the wind, but in the center there was a large rocky outcropping that was Andrew's base of operations. Clambering up to the top, he could just see through the tips of the trees to the world around him.
To the West stretched the river, his house, and the town of Kashi. He could just see the tip of the county house's dome from his rock. The river ran past him on either side and off to the East, where after days of winding it emptied into the ocean. There was a town named Kumar at the end of the river, or so Andrew had heard. To the North and South stretched bare flatlands, covered in brown grasses and the occaisional dirt road.
Usually Andrew could count on a bit of a breeze to cool him off on the top of his rock. Today, though, he had no such luck weeding in the garden.
Looking up from the patch of carrots he was working on, Andrew noticed someone coming down the path. It was too early for his sister to be home from school, and the person was much too tall. Andrew stopped working and watched them come closer. As they drew closer, he realized it was the postman. His heart jumped into his throat; he'd been waiting as patiently as he could, but for the past several days he'd been nearly feverish with anticipation. Andrew set his spade down and walked back to the house, arriving almost at the same time as the man.
"Andrew?"
"Yeah."
"This is for you." The postman turned and started back up the long path after handing Andrew a thick bundle with the Cimbrian School Authority seal stamped in red wax on the front. His hands trembling slightly, Andrew turned and walked back into the house.
Calm down. Open it up, see what it says . . .
From
The Cimbrian School Authority
on 14th July, 1205 S.E.
Dear Sir,
The Cimbrian Central School is pleased to inform you of your exceptional performance on the standardized exit exam. Your score was within the top one percent of all exams. Students of your caliber make us all proud.
Considering the level of scholarship that you have demonstrated, the Cimbrian School Authority is pleased to offer you addmittance to the Central Academy. It is our belief that with your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge you could achieve great things at the academy. We are also pleased to offer the further incentive of a waiver of the standard tuition fees.
Please find enclosed the proper documentation for your application to the academy and waiver of tuition.
Respectfully,
Edwin Straypelt
Cimbrian Central School Administrator
Andrew couldn't even read the rest of the papers. He was frozen to the spot.
It worked! I got it! I'm getting out of here!
"Jata, did we get mail?"
Andrew's family lived far from the new center of Kashi. Upstream, the buildings were made of red brick, wood, and stone in the Cimbrian style, but as one headed downstream the architecture quickly changed. The older buildings had roofs made of thatched reeds or clay shingles, with local brick or timber walls lightly plastered. A few of the taller ones had large terraces or rooftop gardens from which green vines snaked down like tentacles. Very few of these buildings had doors -- most of them had a decorated tapestry hanging in the doorway, slit down the center for easy entry.
The tapestry in Andrew's house, however, was plain and threadbare. His family was far even from the old center of town, their house situated at the end of a long path that followed the river downstream. The house itself was small but clean -- it needed a new coat of paint, but the roof was newly thatched and didn't leak.
Every morning Andrew's mother made him take the long walk to the Kashi girls' school with his sister, all the way upriver. The county house was in the center of a large square, with the boys' school, girls' school, militia barracks, post office, and a few other buildings scattered around it. The cluster of square, sharp-cornered Cimbrian buildings looked odd against the surrounding village, but were beginning to blend in as other buildings went up around them to house the staff that worked there. Andrew couldn't understand why people would want to live in Cimbrian style houses -- with their poor ventilation in the summer, they must be roasting.
Andrew's mother, Sarani, had been more persistent about getting him to do work around the house now that he was done with school. Most of the time he could still get out of it, but every once in while she would show a surprising burst of assertiveness and he would find himself working at some task or another. Today was one of those days, which was why he was out in the garden weeding in the middle of the afternoon, bent down in the dirt with sweat running down his back.
I hate working out here. I'm hot and miserable . . . this is stupid. If my sister gets back soon I'm going to make her do this. I can't wait to get out of this dump.
Andrew went to pull out another weed and got only leaves; the root had snapped and remained in the ground. He swore and began digging it out, careful not to disturb any of the growing vegetable plants. Getting a better grip on the stubborn root, he pulled again -- and the weed's root snapped again, buried even further beneath the dirt. Andrew swore again and moved on. He was not good at weeding. His sister could often finish the vegetable patch in half the time that it took him, a fact that she did not hesitate to remind him of quite often.
In fact, there were very few things around the house that Andrew was good at. His mother spent most of each day weaving yarn for the local shepherds or cleaning houses for the Cimbrian families in town. This left Andrew and Sati, his sister, with most of the upkeep of the house, and Andrew tried to avoid this work whenever possible. Usually he could get away with not doing his chores (his mother would do them for him when she got home) and so he'd been spending most of his time alone on an island in the river near the house.
The river was wide and slow enough that he could swim over to the island with ease. He'd explored every nook and cranny of the place while growing up, and as far as Andrew knew no one else ever visited the place. Thick, pricky underbrush came down all the way to the shore, but there were a few holes in the thicket where animals came to drink that Andrew used to get through. Once he got a few yards in, the undergrowth mostly disappeared and the going was much easier. Most of the island was covered in lanky trees that swayed easily in the wind, but in the center there was a large rocky outcropping that was Andrew's base of operations. Clambering up to the top, he could just see through the tips of the trees to the world around him.
To the West stretched the river, his house, and the town of Kashi. He could just see the tip of the county house's dome from his rock. The river ran past him on either side and off to the East, where after days of winding it emptied into the ocean. There was a town named Kumar at the end of the river, or so Andrew had heard. To the North and South stretched bare flatlands, covered in brown grasses and the occaisional dirt road.
Usually Andrew could count on a bit of a breeze to cool him off on the top of his rock. Today, though, he had no such luck weeding in the garden.
Looking up from the patch of carrots he was working on, Andrew noticed someone coming down the path. It was too early for his sister to be home from school, and the person was much too tall. Andrew stopped working and watched them come closer. As they drew closer, he realized it was the postman. His heart jumped into his throat; he'd been waiting as patiently as he could, but for the past several days he'd been nearly feverish with anticipation. Andrew set his spade down and walked back to the house, arriving almost at the same time as the man.
"Andrew?"
"Yeah."
"This is for you." The postman turned and started back up the long path after handing Andrew a thick bundle with the Cimbrian School Authority seal stamped in red wax on the front. His hands trembling slightly, Andrew turned and walked back into the house.
Calm down. Open it up, see what it says . . .
From
The Cimbrian School Authority
on 14th July, 1205 S.E.
Dear Sir,
The Cimbrian Central School is pleased to inform you of your exceptional performance on the standardized exit exam. Your score was within the top one percent of all exams. Students of your caliber make us all proud.
Considering the level of scholarship that you have demonstrated, the Cimbrian School Authority is pleased to offer you addmittance to the Central Academy. It is our belief that with your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge you could achieve great things at the academy. We are also pleased to offer the further incentive of a waiver of the standard tuition fees.
Please find enclosed the proper documentation for your application to the academy and waiver of tuition.
Respectfully,
Edwin Straypelt
Cimbrian Central School Administrator
Andrew couldn't even read the rest of the papers. He was frozen to the spot.
It worked! I got it! I'm getting out of here!
"Jata, did we get mail?"
"Mom! We've been over this -- can you please call me Andrew? It's the name the rest of the world uses."
"Here, take a look." Andrew handed her the letter.
"I know, mom, I actually made it!" Andrew had now lapsed into Tel as well.
"Oh, Jata, I know . . . it's just . . . a lot, all at once. I'd been hoping for that letter ever since you took your exit exams . . . and now that it's here, well . . ."
With an effort, Sarani composed herself and stood. "I'm so proud of you, Jata. You worked so hard preparing for that test, I'm so proud!" She wrapped a squirming Andrew in a hug. "Mom!"
When she finally released him, Andrew's mother was already thinking about the neccessary preparations. "You'll need an Academy jacket . . . and textbooks, and we'll have to get you to Cimbria, and they didn't say anything about a housing scholarship . . ." Her eyebrows scrunched together as she began running through the various expenses of sending Andrew to his next level of schooling.
"I know, and I'll need new clothes if I'm going to fit in, they have certain expectations for students at the academy. My shoes are worn out, I need at least three more pairs of that new style of pants, my good shirt is the wrong size . . ."
As Andrew continued to list the various ways in which his wardrobe was insufficient for living in the city, his mother's face fell thinking of the expenses that would shortly be incurred on their strained budget.
"Yes, dear, you're right. I'm sure we can get all those things for you."
"Jata is getting new clothes?"
Andrew's sister Sati had just walked through the doorway.
"Andrew, didn't I tell you to pick up your sister from school today?"
"I'm sorry mom, I forgot, I was too busy weeding like you told me to, remember?"
"Why are we getting Jata new clothes?"
"Because I just won a scholarship to the Cimbrian Academy, midget."
"Huh. I guess they'll take anyone these days."
"Shut up."
"Hush, both of you. Jata, I'll see what I can do about getting you ready for the academy. Can you go finish the weeding?"
"Mom, can't you make Sati do it? I've been doing it all day."
"Sati, go finish the weeding."
Andrew's younger sister threw her books down in a huff. "I guess the golden child can't get his hands dirty now that he's going to the academy." She stormed into the back room to put on her work clothes.
Sarani turned back to Andrew, looking at him with eyes that were beginning to tear up again. "Oh, Jata . . . you're actually leaving, aren't you?" She abruptly embraced him again. Andrew tried to mutter something about his real name, but found himself curiously unable to speak.
Finally he wiggled out of her grasp. "I'm heading out."
"Okay, Jata . . . I'm sorry, I know I'm being foolish, but . . ."
"It's okay mom. I'll be back for dinner, okay?"
Sarani nodded, and turned back to her worktable as Andrew ducked through the doorcloth. He was most of the way around the house on his way to the island when someone caught his arm. Sati had caught up with him, this time wearing her work clothes.
"I know how you did it, Ajatashatru" she hissed into his ear.
"Did what?"
"You know what I mean. And now you have to keep me quiet about it."
Before Andrew could respond, Sati skipped off to the vegetable patch, humming a Cimbrian military march.
Damn. This makes things complicated.
Andrew slouched off to the river, anxious to get to the safety of his island. He needed some time to think.
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