The Abundance Feast 2

When Aru caught Manday, she was placing the last ceremonial ornaments on the nun's table. They would start the night with prayer of course. And some historical tales. After that, they will eat. Manday said,

"Hey dear, how are you doing?"

"Hey. I was just walking around."

"What's Tolo requesting this time?" she asked, raising a brow.

"She is requesting something that she can never have, as always." Aru said as rolling her eyes and shook her head towards the green-eyed boy still standing at the same spot.

Manday chuckled. "It's pretty normal, you know. We were like them when we were growing up. All these being untouchable things sometimes make our lives harder. But, you will get used to it afterwards."

"Haven't you wanted to get married like the rest of the nuns?"

"No I didn't. It has a lot of side effects, you know. Like to taking care of a family and I am a shaman helping people. And I am generally risking my life. I don't want to leave anyone behind if I somehow cannot be here anymore."

"Don't say that!" Aru snapped. "You are a little bit late for that. If something happens to you, you will have me left behind and I really never ever forgive you for that." she said. She meant it. Manday was her only family and her only friend now.

Her soft green gaze locked to hers and she extended her hand as if wanting to caress Aru's cheek, then she pulled it back because of the paintings but Aru knew she would have cupped her cheek as she was always doing at nights for comforting her.

"I am not leaving you Aru. And you are a shaman too. In the very near future, you are likely to face these dangers on your own. When that time comes, you will understand me better. But don't worry. We are being trained well. Nothing will happen to me. And not to you. I won't let that happen. " She said. Her voice deepened and Aru saw a suppressed fear in her eyes. Aru knew that she needed to change the topic.

"So, what is the story of today? Creation again?" she chuckled.

"I know creation is boring for you after ten years of intense education on it. But, it's something important to be reminded of our society, in enough frequency, to let them understand our roots."

"I know, I know..." Aru said as sighing.

"Go on and pick a place on the table now. The newly gathered children are here. We will start in ten minutes." She reminded Aru. In every summer solstice nuns were going out to seven districts and gathering the children who had no family or their families were not able to feed them. Except the years virgins accepted.

Aru nodded playfully and turned to the tables. The tables were set parallel to each other between the eucalyptus trees where it has the most opening in the woods. The nun's table was put across in a right angle to those tables facing all of them. Aru picked a table at the very end of the opening and very close to the woods. She wasn't so eager to listen to the nuns and also, not so eager to drink herself up. She knew that tonight they will be sent to the outer woods for the first time. Away from their walls' safety. And she knew she must be prepared.

Most of her childhood memories were long gone. But she was perfectly remembering the days that she was hunting with her father. She was not able to remember his face anymore. Just his name and his hands while preparing the traps or shooting an arrow precisely to the eye of a rabbit. And his words, not his sound, but the words itself. "Always be on alert in the woods. Never let your guard down even for a second." So tonight, she will be in the woods, and she will be ready for it.

The candles and torches have been lit. It showed the crowd that the ceremony was to start now. Seventeen high priestesses placed themselves on the main table. Temene was in the middle of them. Her white hair extending to her waist was let down today instead of her usual crown braid. Her silver caftan was mirroring the flames of torches placed at the two sides of nun table and black beads braided into her hair or on her caftan was shining with a malicious glint. She extended her arms to the crowd as if hugging them. Everybody stood up.

"Good evening the children of Ulghan. Thank you all for joining us for this joyous event. Please take your seats."

Everybody sat down with the order. Except the nearly 50 children standing behind the nun’s table between the guards. The scratching chairs and soft murmurs filled the air again. Temene was on feet, watching the crowd taking their positions. Once everyone seated and silence fell on the crowd, Temene started talking.

"First, let’s welcome our newcomers. We have gathered 47 children from seven districts this year. They all will be a part of our community and they will be taught and serve our mighty god Ulghan as much we did.”

Everyone clapped and children guided by nuns to an empty table saved for them with the signal of Temene.She was still on feet while children were placed at the table. Once every one of them seated as well and silence fell on the crowd one more time, she started talking again,

“Today is our Abundance Feast. It's one of our most sacred and most important celebrations. We celebrate this day merrily every year, but I won't be mistaken if I'd say I am much more thrilled this year, since finally today, our virgins will find their soul guides."

Everyone clapped joyously, including Aru. Temene was smiling now to the crowd with a plastic grin. "After tonight our virgins became soul followers. They will have their colors, their soul animals and their personal gifts granted by souls to serve them for underground journeys. Not much after this night, they will start their real journey on being a Shaman. And a priestess of Ulghan." Crowd was still silent. Aru was listening intently and trying not to miss a single word. Her heart was beating monstrously and her blood was drumming in her ears. She was so excited and so impatient.

"But of course, it is not a duty for cowards. Tonight will be a rough night for them. They will be sent to the sacred forest, and need to stay in the forest until they find their soul guide." Whole crowd went dead silent. As if they were holding their breaths. The idea that the seven girls were staying in the forest for the night, was not a joke. Everyone, especially virgins, were understanding that this task might be a dangerous one. Temene turned her face to the virgins, made eye contact one by one with each and every virgin sitting mixed in the crowd, finally her eyes found Aru's and stayed there. And she started talking again as looking in her eyes.

"Be careful, my precious virgins. Tonight will not be an easy night. You will face the shadows of the sacred forest and face your own nightmares. Be on the lookout. don't jeopardize your safety. And return to us as one piece and as a real nun of our temple. May Ulghan bless you"

She finalized her words then finally changed the direction of her eyes. She sat down, and started chanting an old song, the creation song, as the opening of the ceremony.

After that, everything went in a heartbeat. The ceremony, prayers, the performance of the other children, and feast. All of them went in a blink, and Aru found herself on her feet again. Now, Manday was calling every virgin to gather and line up to leave the temple. Aru looked down to her trembling hands and the table before her. The residues of the meal on her plate, the fork and knife were staying there to prove that she spent all the time. But still it was hard to convince her body that time was up and she needed to go to the forest to face her destiny. She paid a last quick glance to the table, and she snatched the knife without thinking too much. Like this little semblance of defence would help her to feel safer. It didn't. But she didn't leave the knife anyway. She hid the knife to the belt of her skirt and went to the line.

The seven virgins lined up in front of Manday. Manday didn't talk or give a speech. She just looked at them with worried eyes and gestured to Lieutenant Balbay to take over. He was standing next to his fourteen man. He came to a halt in front of the girls and started talking.

"Alright girls! I am responsible to take you to the forest tonight. The road is dark and it can be dangerous if you fall behind or not pay too much attention where you are stepping. So always stay between the soldiers while we go there, and never break the line until we get there. Understood?"

Girls gave an approving grunt, everyone was so nervous even for giving a direct answer. But apparently it was enough for Lieutenant Balbay. He was a middle-aged man, with a kind face and soft eyes contradicting his deep, commanding tone.

"Good!" he said. "Now follow me, it's time to leave."

After that, they started following Balbay. The soldiers took places next to the virgins and all of them started walking out of the grounds of the Temple. To the blackness of the night. To find out the soul guides of the virgins, and maybe find out the nightmares the forest hides...