- Ethan Roderick

I slowly open my eyes. Again I think to myself not to let this opportunity slip through this time. I slowly get up and sit on the cot and wait for the stranger to approach me with that soup which I have come to dread now. I am reluctant to eat the soup. But due to the language barrier I have been unable to communicate my thoughts or likes to the stranger.

After cooking, I see him come towards where I am sitting. I see a yellow coloured soup with a little tinge of red this time. It smells different and I am hoping it's good to taste as well. But as I had seen him putting the grey powder again, I plan to hold on till end. I need to communicate with him today. He pulls the tiny stool towards the cot and places the soup bowl on it. He as a habit now , pulls the three legged chair and sits on it. He gestures me to eat. I show my palm to him asking him to wait. I try making sign language trying to tell him that I need to talk.

He blankly stares at me. I feel frustrated and the frustration shows up in my face. I just blurt out " why have you kept me here ? " . He finally seems to get a hint. I see him reaching out to his pocket and pull out the device which I had seen earlier. He slightly taps the button on it . A faint green glow stars emitting from it slowly engulfing the entire device. The glow grows stronger by seconds and at one point stops growing any brighter. At this point he blabbers something to it and a voice is heard from it.

It looks like I must have been transported to a different country on earth where I don't understand the language. But having seen the weird trees outside and the technology used to switch on the simple light which I have never seen or heard in my entire life on earth , I have started doubting everything around.

Then I am snapped back to the present from my train of thoughts while I suddenly here a female voice saying "Hello good noon , I am Bozu , your translator" . I realise that it was the device and a faint smile appears on my face. I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest and that I will be able to communicate from now on. I feel delighted and I look at the stranger who seems to have been staring at me lovingly all this while , without I realising.

I quickly turn back my attention to the device and say " Hi I am Rachael, and I am glad that I will be finally be able to communicate"

(Authors note: You will see more dialogues starting from this point onwards . I will like to get feedback from the readers if they like this format)

Bozu: "Hi Rachael, I am glad too."

Rachael: "Bozu please may I have an introduction of this stranger who has been taking care of me." I didn't want to show up my frustration of being confined here and wanted to hide my urgency to out to look for my brother. I had to gain the stranger's trust. My first hurdle of communication was resolved.

Bozu: "Hi I am called Ethan Roderick" The device had changed to a male tone which was husky. I was surprised.

Rachael : " Hello Ethan, glad to know you" . Finally I know the strangers name. Well he seems to have common name, but why did he say he was called Ethan instead of saying , my name is Ethan. May be the device is not advanced to interpret the information accurately.

I then see Ethan saying something to the device and I here the device talking to me again in the same husky male voice.

Bozu: " You must be wondering why you are here! "

Rachael: "Yes, and not just that I have so many other questions to ask. And yes please tell me why am I here? "

Bozu: (Ethan's interpretation ) I found you wounded and lying near the pot where the ferocious beasts come to drink the nectar.

I was stumped and I started feeling dizzy again.

Rachael: "What ??!!" I don't understand.

"Beasts", "pot", "nectar". I knew all theses words but what Ethan told me did not make sense to me.

Bozu : "Yes, i found you wounded and sleeping. And I got you here before any beasts found you"

Rachael : "Thank you" , but I need to go back home now. Please can you make the arrangements"

Bozu: "We will surely get you home but you need to be completely healed before we get you out of this dasos. And for this you will need to be trained to run fast to escape from beasts. And that requires you to eat nutritious trofi specifically meant for making you run. The one I gave been preparing till now is to heal your wounds. In few days after your wounds heal, I'll start making special trofi for running."

I was almost in the verge of breaking down. What are these words? what is he trying to say ? where am I ? I knew this would be a tough journey. I guess I had to learn his language but did I have enough time for that. I had to probably try making sense of what he says without loosing my cool.

Rachael: "Ok, but I have 2 requests. Can you cook more or allow me to cook as I am used to eating 3 meals in a day. Again I tend to fall into deep sleep after eating which makes me feel tired all the time. Also can I borrow that device for a while so I can learn things while I am here "

Bozu: " I believe it was the roots that made you sleepy. I have changed the trofi today. I have prepared a little extra and may be you can have it later. Also I'll prepare a enough trofi for you to have a three time meal going forward . But I am not sure if I can allow you to cook. You seem extremely weak and I am not sure if you can identify the saman to use for cooking.Also what's a device? "

I pointed my finger at the device named "Bozu" he held which was communicating with me all this while on his behalf "

Bozu: "Oh ! This is just a translator and may be not of much use to you. I exactly know what you want and will get it next time I am here. I guess it's samay to eat your trofi and take rest . I have other work to attend. Will need to leave now. See you soon."

Rachael: "Okay. Thank you".

After Ethan left, I slowly had the new yellow soup placed on the soup. It had turned cold, but I did not want to risk heating it or do anything at the moment . I now kind of guessed that I was at a weird place which was completely strange. I felt like my brain had to digest too much of information and my head started hurting.

The soup tasted different and weird this time. It was edible but I did not like the taste. The soup was again making me sleep and I knew exactly this time it was the grey powder and not the roots as Ethan had mentioned. Or was it something else

I just lay on the cot and within seconds I had dozed off.