FIB-Stay in village
From Create Your Own Story
"Wait!" you cry, praying they understand English. "I'm not here to hurt you. I need help."
The two men continue to keep their weapons trained on you, but they seem to relax slightly. There are a few grumbled questions coming from inside the two huts closest to you and someone sticks his head out to see what's going on. He quickly ducks back inside and is soon joined at the doorway with the rest of his family who are still rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
"What are you doing here?" The guard closest to you asks.
You explain that you were shipwrecked and washed ashore on this island and that you have no memory of who you are or where you were intending to go. By the time you finish your short little tale, most everyone in the village has either come out of their huts or stuck their heads out their doorways. Though most are grumbling in a language that is foreign to you, you do hear some muttering in English.
The tallest and broadest man in the village steps forward and crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at you sternly. You are fairly certain he is the chief of the tribe.
"You are not the first," states the chief, "and you likely will not be the last. We are the Nutsook and we value honesty. I will now test you. If you are telling the truth, we will allow you to stay with us."
Someone pushes you forward into the midst of the circle of tribespeople and you realize there's no going back now. The chief does not explain the test, but motions a tall, muscular woman forward. She examines you from head to toe, checking for weapons. Then, she places her right hand on your forehead and her left hand on your heart and closes her eyes in deep concentration. You feel slightly dizzy for a moment before she moves away from you.
"He is true in heart and mind," she says, moving to stand beside the chief.
"Then he is welcome," the chief states and gives a firm nod without smiling. You breathe a sigh of relief. Excited murmuring broke out as some people translated for their neighbors what had just gone down. A family volunteered to take you in and everyone began to settle back down for the night. You learn from Watoan, a young man about your age, that the tall woman who'd tested him was Chief Hunyat's wife, Laksah. She is widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in the whole tribe. It is evident from Watoan's voice and the wistful look in his eyes that he wished he was older and Laksah was his wife. You are allowed to rest on a pile of palm fronds and ferns in the same corner of the hut as Watoan. You can't imagine that you'll be able to sleep at all because you mind is spinning and trying to answer all the questions still plaguing your mind about your identity. However, your exhausted body commands your anxious mind to sleep and in your sleep you dream...
