THE MAN

As Mindaza's father approached the motionless body, two little crabs crawled quickly in a sideways motion. Mindaza's attention slid downward, her lips pursed as she noticed the scar on his face. The image was both spooky and moving, serving as a silent reminder of life's harsh facts and the fragility of human existence.

"Father, we can take him to the house,"

"He's all naked," Mindaza pointed out. Her father gave a small smile.

"So that's why you have to wear your clothes," he reminded his daughter.

"Now, take his left arms" Lito ordered.

"He's heavy," Mindaza said.

"We'll manage, now, lift!" her father said.

Mindaza stole a quick glance at the man being carried, her cheeks flushing with color before she averted her gaze. The man's feet left a mark in the sand as they dragged him along, making the shingle rattle as they made their way home. Meanwhile, Sulaya observed her husband and daughter's efforts from the house.

"Who do you think he is, father?' she asked, when at last they lurched across the cottage threshold.

"He is a man," her father said, "and I think he is a warrior."

Mindaza glanced down at his body.

"He is well-muscled, but not muscle-bound like a stonemason or a farmer. He is lean and smooth and supple."

When she looked again, Mindaza thought she saw a gleam of interest in her eyes.

"That scar is too straight to be an accident. That is a sword slash, sure as death."

"How do you know that, father? Have you seen a sword slash before?" 

"Well, it was a long time ago.. I will try my best to help this man." Lito answered.

Mindaza assisted her father in carefully positioning the man's arms against his own, providing support as they settled him onto the bed. The man lay motionless, his face turned upwards, unaware of his surroundings. His body bore the marks of saltwater, with grains of sand clinging to different areas, a testament to the ordeal he had endured.

"Mindaza," her mother called out.

"Yes, Mother." Mindaza did not leave the room.

"Get yourself out of the room first, your father and I will go check for him," Sulaya said.

"But I want to watch and see who he is..." Mindaza's insisted abruptly as her mother swung a well-practiced hand.

"Ah, yeah alright, I'm going, Mother, I'm going!"

When the castaway finally regained consciousness, he found that a total of forty-eight hours had slipped by unnoticed. As the islanders went about their daily routines, many of them couldn't help but notice the mysterious stranger who had been uncovered by Mindaza's vigilant watch over the past couple of days. Curiosity piqued, they began to discuss the peculiar situation that had unfolded in Mindaza's vicinity, making her humble abode the center of attention and speculation among the community.

After the guy awoke, Mindaza's home took on a prominent role in the neighborhood.

Granny Juana sat on the three-legged stool next to the fire and said to Mindaza, "We haven't seen anything like this since the old days." Not since your mother was a young adult, not much older than you are at the moment.

"What happened then?" Mindaza folded her skirt and balanced on the edge of the wooden bench that was already occupied by two men.

"Mother never told me anything about the old days."

"Best wait and ask her then." Granny Juana nodded her head, so her grey hair bounced.

"It's not my place to tell you anything that your mother doesn't want to share." She lowered her voice.

"I heard you found him first."

'Yes, Granny Juana," Mindaza agreed in a hushed whisper. Granny Juana appointed a quick glance to the outside. Her mother is on her way.

"How did you see it? Who is that man?"

Mindaza was pursued by their cackling as she hurried to the adjacent room of their house, where a group of people were gathering around the stranger and speculating about his lineage.

Pedro waggled his gray beard, "Definitely a warrior." He prodded the man's tummy with a short finger, saying, "Look at the muscles on him, all toned to perfection."

"I was looking at them," Mala, his wife, said with a smile and a sidelong look at Alto, her friend. They exchanged glances and laughed together at some secret memory.

"Maybe twenty-six years ago," Alto said while still laughing.

"More like thirty," Mala remarked, to everyone's amusement.

Mindaza's keen ears were the first to catch the groan, a sound that seemed to echo through the room. With a sense of urgency, she turned to the adults engrossed in their conversation and exclaimed, "Listen!" However, being a 16-year-old girl, her words were dismissed without a second thought. Ignored but undeterred, Mindaza's attention was drawn back to the source of the groan as the man let out another pained sound, his discomfort palpable in the air.

"Listen!" Mindaza spoke her words with more volume. "He is awakening!"

Mindaza grabbed her mother's arm and pulled. The castaway groaned again and jerked upright in the bed. He looked around at the assembled, staring people.

"Where am I?" the strange man asked.

"Where is this place?" His voice was hoarse.

Mindaza's mother applauded as each adult began to mumble a response. Her father stood aside and let his wife decide what to do.

"Silence!," she ordered.

"I will be the one to speak; this is my home," she added.

Even the stranger has been silenced with many questions. But the man gave a straight glance at a woman who was standing behind him, and he ask, "So you are the queen here?"

"No, I am not a queen. I am only the woman of the house." Mindaza's mother knelt beside the bed.

"This is my daughter, she found you on the beach two days ago. We do not know who you are or how you came to be here in the island."

He looked at the girl standing next to the woman. Mindaza smiled at him, then bowed her head.

"I am Khallel." The gentleman responded with a cough, feeling the tickle in his throat. As he attempted to stand up, a sharp pain shot through his body, causing him to grimace, and he nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Well met, woman of the house. Please bring me the head of this place."

"There is no head on this place. We do not need such leadership, we live here quietly and equally." Mindaza's mother told him direct to the point.

"What is your name, domestic woman?" Khallel said as he rose from his seat. In the midst of the chaos, his pale black eyes darted from person to person.

"I am Mindaza," she stated.

Khallel realized after hearing her name that it was not a name for a lady or a farmer. Khallel slid out of bed, trembling, and clutching the wall for support.

Sulaya gently reprimanded him, adding, "It is the name she has, and you bring shame to my house by standing naked in front of my guests."

Mindaza glanced around the room, she couldn't help but notice that she wasn't the only woman captivated by Khallel's presence. A sudden warmth spread across her cheeks, betraying her embarrassment as she quickly averted her gaze. Meanwhile, Khallel, seemingly unaffected by the attention he was receiving, stood tall and locked eyes with Mindaza, completely disregarding any instructions that were being given.

"That name is familiar to me; I recognize it," Khallel replied, breathing deeply.

"Are you a member of this family? Which came first, the warrior or the high-ranking officials?" Khallel's voice could now be plainly heard.