Kadian

The Great Infatuation

The familiar, warm rays of sun struck Mohassen’s eyelids, but he refused to open them.  He already saw her corpse in the moonlight and the dim light of lanterns, so he did not need to see her in broad daylight.  Images of the night before crawled into his mind, and his hands balled into fists as tears escaped his eyes.  Still, he would not open them.  

Mohassen lay there, waiting for someone to discover her, and save them both.  He listened to the clinks of knives as someone boasted about the size of their game- how could anyone think about last night’s hunt after everything?  

The villagers were up earlier than usual.  Mohassen listened to them chatter happily and excitedly, and suddenly understood why Kadian hadn’t like them very much.

A child’s voice rose among them all, “Weren’t you scared?!”

None of the men were scared from last night’s hunt.  Mohassen listened, tense.  He thought he heard it, but it was so faint...besides, it was not possible.  Suddenly, everyone laughed, and another question rose.

“How long did it take to kill it?”  This time it was a man.  Mohassen sat up, eyes still closed, and listened for it.  Was he imagining things?

“That was bold.  I would’ve never.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“All by yourself?”

He had to be imagining this.  

“I still cannot wrap my mind around you doing that.”  He heard his father’s voice.  

Mohassen’s eyes flew open.  The sheets were rumpled- her body was gone.  

“I know you did it, and I’m proud of you child!”

That was all he needed to hear.  Mohassen dashed out of his tent wildly, falling to the ground when he made it out.  He kept trying to run, but his excitement and semi numb legs got the best of him.  He stumbled and jogged as fast as he could, managing to stay upright as he headed to The Log.  When he made it, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.  He fell to his knees.  She held a hand to her cheek as she talked, wincing a little every time she laughed.  

Mohassen thanked Onile before leaping to his feet.  He shoved everyone in his path as he jumped over the logs and zoomed across the circular floor.  By now, he was the center of attention, and everyone gawked at him.  But she simply looked amused.  Her hand went back to her face the moment she started to smile.  

Mohassen fell to his knees once again when he made it to her, and reached out to her slowly.  She gave him a strange look as she grabbed his hand- it was calloused and loving, just as he remembered it.

“Good morning comatose,”  she said gently, causing a few of the men to laugh.  

“I...I thought…” He tried to fight back tears, but his eyes blurred when he looked up at hers.

“Oh no…”  Kadian leaned over, careful of her injuries, and wrapped her arms around Mohassen.  “Why would you think that?  You know I’m kind of squeamish sometimes.”  She was surprised when he didn’t push her arms away, but fell into them.

Although he would’ve prefered that the entire village wasn’t there to witness his emotional display,  Mohassen would have cried in front of them a thousand times if it meant she was able to breathe.  And she certainly was- she was there, breathing, holding him.

“Look at that!”

“Well who would've thought?”

“Good for him!”

“I knew it.”

The villagers had not seen such a level of emotion from Mohassen in years, despite often trying to encourage it.  Now that it was finally there, they welcomed it.

Chief Mohoso wasn’t as understanding.  “The boy is dense- I knew she was alive the minute I saw her.  No one else was worried.”

Mohassen heard his father, Kadian rolled her eyes, and the villagers respectfully protested, but it didn’t bother him.  His father was right- he had been the only one to worry to that extreme.  And though he didn't want to feel that way ever again, he was surprised that he was able to worry that much, to be able to care that much.  He was glad that he had things to worry about, someone to care about, and was a little ashamed that he had tried to pretend otherwise before.  But there was no time for regret.   The past was behind him, and the women he once loved were gone, no matter how hard he wished.  There was no reason to revisit the past, when the present had gifted him with someone so wonderful.  He smiled.

It took Kadian a minute to get Mohassen off of her.  “You’re hurting my leg,” she finally told him.