Yuray explained several things while hiding some of them, but what caught Helmo's attention was their talk about the revolutionaries. He was deeply fascinated by them and by the freedom they enjoyed, that very freedom he had long desired; because the forest had served as a cage for him and for the people of the village.
Enthusiasm ignited on Helmo's face, then he asked:
— Are you revolutionaries?
Yousafer answered him after straightening his sitting position:
— Yes, this is our first journey.
Helmo said without realizing:
— Can you take me with you?
Yousafer responded immediately:
— No.
— Why? He asked once more.
Yousafer answered:
— Our path is very difficult, you will not be able to endure it.
— Just take me with you, I will endure anything!
Yousafer raised his eyebrows in astonishment:
— How can you be patient with something you know nothing about?
Helmo persisted and did not surrender.
Yuray whispered in a faint voice after he had been silent:
— Why not be a revolutionary yourself? We might meet one day in this vast world, but you must be strong. As you see, this world is merciless, and it only tolerates the strong.. the weak are never remembered.
Yuray's words did not please Helmo; his features changed and he felt a visible disappointment.
Outside the house, the sun had neared its setting for a while, and darkness had fallen. The village was lit by strange torches fixed above every house door. The lighting was not good, but the road could still be seen.
At that moment, the village filled with life; everyone returned from work. A man in his late thirties advanced towards the garden of Helmo's house. He resembled him to a great extent, wearing white clothes from his feet to his neck, and carrying a leather bag on his back. His clothes were very dirty and covered with purple dust.
Exhaustion dwelled in his shoulders, as if years of labor had weighed down his bones.
Suddenly the man's expression changed when he noticed a man unconscious tied to the lemon tree.
— What is happening here? And who did this?
The man wondered in fear when he remembered something, and the first thing he uttered was the name of the young man in the house:
— Helmo!
His fingers trembled involuntarily; that sight had brought back a memory he never wished to remember. His steps quickened and he pushed the house door with force.
"Bang"
He noticed three figures sitting around the wooden table. The three looked at him, so Helmo suddenly stood up smiling:
— Welcome home, Father!
The two were surprised after hearing Helmo speak, then they looked at the man for a long time, then they stood and offered their greetings:
— Hello, Uncle.
The father asked in confusion, sweat descending from his forehead while his eyes were fixed on Helmo:
— Who are these?
Helmo answered quickly when he noticed the change in the expressions of his trembling father:
— I met them lost in the forest when I was chasing a rabbit.
— And what about the man outside? Who did that?
Helmo was about to answer, but Yousafer interrupted him saying calmly:
— I am the one who did that, did I do something wrong?
— Where did you come from? The father asked as he advanced towards them.
— We are heading to the Kingdom of Randor, and we took a shortcut when we got lost in this forest, so we met your son who brought us here, Yuray answered.
The father wanted to scold his son for bringing these two boys; because if the factory supervisors noticed them, they would throw them into prison and force them to work, but he retreated when he remembered the man tied outside the house.
He thought in wonder: "How did they do that?" This was a question he wanted to ask, but Helmo said:
— Father, take off your clothes and wash up first, for dinner is close to being ready.
The man looked at the joyful face of his son, whom he had not seen in this state for a while; his expressions were saturated with curiosity. And after he smelled the scent of food coming from the kitchen, his son said to him:
— Father, go first, I will tell you everything while we eat.
The father nodded his head in agreement, but his eyes remained on Yousafer and Yuray. Despite the coolness of his nerves, he was not comfortable at all, and that was due to things he had lived long ago.
He removed his backpack and gave it to Helmo. The latter opened it and found some ready food inside: half a roasted chicken, some potatoes and carrots, two small bottles of red and green sauce, and three medium pieces of bread.
Helmo went towards the kitchen with the bag, and placed the food in decorated wooden plates. Then he grabbed a large spoon and stirred the pot over the fire. Some vegetables rose, so he lifted the rabbit to check its ripeness. It was tender, indicating complete ripeness. He raised a little of the broth and took a small sip.
— "It lacks a little salt," he spoke to himself. He grabbed a leather bag containing some salt and put a little of it into the pot.
It was only minutes until he finished cooking, and began placing the dishes over the wooden table.
— Shall we help you? Yousafer asked.
— No need for that, Helmo replied smiling.
The table was filled with food and cups of lemon juice that was harvested from in front of the house. The whole rabbit was placed in the middle, and around it were sweet potatoes, carrots, and some fried apples with honey. As for the half chicken, it was divided into four parts, and the red and green sauces were placed beside it. Also, the bread was divided into four parts, and wooden knives and forks were placed in front of each plate.
The father finished bathing and changed his clothes, then sat with them at the table and they began eating.
— Come on, Bismillah (In the name of God).
Bismillah.. Yousafer sipped from the lemon juice, so a strong acidity rose to his throat, and he trembled a little. Helmo saw that and began laughing at him.
Yousafer did not care, while he noticed Yuray cutting a piece of the rabbit leg. Yousafer cut a small piece with his hand and put it in his mouth, so a wonderful taste entered that melted like a piece of butter and slipped into his throat.
— "Mmmm," he muttered enjoying it.
And while eating, Helmo began telling since his meeting with Yousafer and Yuray; he did not leave out anything, even the story of the chain, and Yousafer did not mind that. Whenever Helmo spoke, the father's features changed, and he felt a deep fear while looking towards Yousafer.
— Are you a Possessed?
The father uttered in confusion something that Helmo had not mentioned yet.
The expression of Yousafer and Yuray also changed, and Helmo's pupils dilated:
— Do you know the Possessed, Father?
The man lowered his head while looking at the plate in front of him as if he was remembering something:
— I have only heard about them, nothing more, he said while raising his head.
Yousafer and Yuray felt something strange, but they did not speak.
— But Father, I don't think you mentioned this to me before.
— It would not benefit you with anything if I told you.
The man cleared his throat then completed his speech while looking at Yousafer:
— Boy, you have done something wrong by capturing that man, you do not know how savage they are.
Yousafer's face showed indifferent features:
— We will take care of our affairs, do not worry.
The father stared for a long time at Yousafer, then muttered to himself:
— "This young man... it is as if I have seen him before."
He tried to remember, but he could not.
Helmo continued his talk without stopping, and most of what he talked about was the revolutionaries, for he admired them a lot. The father smiled as he saw his son enjoying the talk; he had long seen him sad most of the time.
They finished the food, and nothing remained on the table but bones, some vegetables, and remains of sauces. Yousafer sighed a little then tapped on his inflated stomach:
— Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God).
— Did you like the food? Helmo asked smiling.
Yousafer belched and whispered in a loud voice:
— It was wonderful, you are good at preparing food, kid.
Yuray coughed a little and put his hand in front of his mouth, then looked at Helmo's father and asked him:
— Can you tell us about the factories and who runs them?
The man thought in silence while staring at Yuray, then sighed and said:
— Helmo told you that we work in the factories and told you the story from the beginning.
Yuray nodded his head:
— Yes, but what we do not know is what is actually being made there?
The man clasped his hands on his chest, and said wondering:
— Where do I start?
He raised his head and looked at them:
— The workplace contains two medium-sized factories, and the workers are divided into two teams: a team working outside the factories, and another inside them.
As for what is being made inside the factories, they are purple stones that are extracted from a cave. They are washed, dried, and ground... every worker has his role: there are those who excavate for them, those who wash them, and those who dry them. And in the end, they are moved to a large room, and there... we do not know what happens. People in strange clothes enter it and come out of it constantly.
Yuray thought a little about the stone, but remained silent.
— And what about those responsible for the two factories? Yousafer asked.
— We know nothing, we only work and do not speak.
— Is the whole village working? Because when we entered it, it was empty.
— No, everyone works except for one individual from every house who remains in the village, and that was based on a prior agreement.
Helmo intervened saying:
— I and other people of my age do not just sit and watch the village people suffer, but we go out every day under the pretext of hunting in search of a way out of the village, and we are making progress.
— But aren't you noticed?
Helmo smiled cunningly:
— No, we know the locations of every supervisor, I can pass beside him without him noticing me.
— And the main road? Yuray asked.
— The main road is well guarded, no one will be able to escape from it, he answered in disappointment.
—
Outside the house, the wind was whistling between t
he trees, and black clouds were approaching the distant mountain peaks, and in the shadows of the forest, eyes appeared glistening watching the place...
End of Chapter