CHAPTER 9: RAINDROPS
Back in the hut, Andrew saw Adana move all night on her rug as she could not sleep. After many struggles, she went out.
In the starlit meadows, she saw how her tribe's land was being sold as she stood and watched in captivity. The truce was wavering away from its meaning. She had never succumbed to such derogatory eyes. This was going to be a start, free of greed and materialism.
She had to be resilient or else, these hounds will eat their people alive.
A cunning thought flashed into her mind as she saddled up her horse and hooted some tunes into the nightshade. Her guards appeared within some time and they made their way to Mr. Gosling's cottage. After waiting for long, Andrew fell asleep.
He was awakened by a noise outside in the morning. He went outside to find Ada and Regina had arrived. Mr. Gosling's hands had been chained as Grandpa Vince stood there, ashamed.
Screamed Adana, emerging amongst the people, "This land is not to be sold". She kicked him on the chin causing him to fall down. "You were the administrative authority. Now you are in the hands of the defensive authority. I can take out whomsoever I want that deems a scoundrel to me".
"You have belittled us in our ways and customs. You were made the government's representative to aid us in developing it. And now, I am being told that you had kept quite a share of the money for yourself. You have proved it for us that man's greed is certainly inevitable", said Grandpa growing fiercer.
"Take him away", ordered Adana, turning to Regina. She whispered, "That's one down for your promises of peace and hope", and came to the tent.
Ada stood devastated, looking at Regina as they hugged each other sadly. But then, someone from the crowd behind them muttered, "geesh, what a dictator".
A week passed by. Ada passed down a resolution. The money would be given back to the elitists and everyone else. They were more than welcome to stay in the village if they wanted to but they would have to abide by the socialist rules.
That would mean staying amongst the normal people. Eating and dressing the same way as them and living in the same tiny cottages like them.
As a result, many left and some ego-deficient hearts stayed behind too. They stayed as gleeful respectable people of nature.
The class system found no space but Adana's heart did. It had found a place for hatred. She told Andrew to stay away from her as she needed to be more mature and practical in her state of affairs.
On the other hand, Regina stayed vigilant as one of her people had destroyed their reputation and had set them back. Regina went to Grandpa Vince's hut. She needed a guide.
"Everything has gone wrong!", she said. "Something got better", said Grandpa.
She understood. What had happened was a cleanse. More happenings would come, leading to banishing of further more evil, until a time would come that there Utopian world would be a reality. She just wished this was the first and last of the happenings. Sadly, it was the beginning.
Regina stayed firm with her motive. Whenever she was feeling depressed, she would tell herself that something always gets better. She would think of the environment. As if all was bad. But to tell the truth, it was bad.
The environment had actually got worse. There was a time when there were fewer people and lesser fuel was being used. Then they arrived. With the massive entry, it suffered from centuries of abuse. But then she would look at the old Naraba. The ecosystem had rejuvenated now. That was a lesson. Maybe the struggle would be long and harsh, but someday her people too, could start afresh as humans.
It was a cloudy night. The guards lay woke in their hideouts. Suddenly, a mist appeared, arising from beneath. Gradually, it drew denser. It could have been a gimmick but it was arising from all sides of the forest. Within some time, it grew vibrantly exhausting.
Without any time to respond, all the guards fainted silently as two men in cloaks ran within the trees towards the animals.
Charles stood for a moment and aimed at one lonely rhino. The dart stung it as it bellowed high. Jamie came around just in time as the animal lay down paralyzed. With the help of some mechanical arms, the cage swallowed inside the animal and closed the casing.
They had to be on top of their speed now. The distance was quiet large to the main road following the grassland. They must not get caught.
They heard a war horn echo in the forest in a characteristic tune. No one in the village had ever heard it too. But they knew what it meant.
Regina came out of her tent with John. "This is not good", said Ada following. "What is it?", asked Andrew, as Adana rushed angrily out of their tent nearby. "What has happened?", asked Regina, "maybe, I can help".
"You and your people have helped enough", said Adana mounting on her horse. Regina stood in front of her horse with arms apart. "Just tell me, what is it".
Adana threw her dagger at Regina's feet as she blasted off with her horse. "Archers! Assemble your horses", said Adana, "We will shower raindrops tonight", disappearing swiftly into the jungle.
A guard came running to Ada saying, "They have loaded the rhino. They are going to the mainland".
"I will look for a way to stop him", said John running off towards the road where he had parked his car. Regina stayed behind as much devastated as Ada in her hopes of peace.
"Yeah.....we made it!", said Jamie. "Keep your eyes on the road, we are not through yet", said Charles angrily. Jamie pushed hard the accelerator.
Out of nowhere, headlights began to show in their rear window as a free car struggled to make up to them on the road as they moved slowly with a gigantic animal, despite their best efforts.
John pressed hard to accelerate his car and slammed it right into the wrangler's driver seat. It was a dynamic still as John saw thousands of glass churns fill up his view as the crash landed the two vehicles away from the road. Jamie lay his bleeding head on the steering well but Charles had survived.
Cursing loud, he came up to John's car and opened the door. From his hind pocket, Charles held out a gun and angrily sent three shots into John's chest. Charles threw it away and began running on the road.
John felt numb. It was as if there was no pain at all. Just three dumb knocks in his chest and pouring out of them was red blood. This feeling was new. His body felt stabilized as all his parts screamed at once. Colours faded and shone in John's greying eyes. Slowly, stiffness overcame his strength as he tried to reach for the door. The thoughts of Sarah shone in his eyes. She smiled at him and then ran after Sebastian and Alice in a meadow. Grandpa came to him and smiled. Andrew arrived with his mum and looked at Regina standing alone. At the end, Richard Vince descended from above and hugged him tightly. John was gone.
Charles ran limping as he heard hooves in the distant trees. Adana had arrived. "Aim it at him", said Adana fiercely as she reached her hand in a bag and brought out three arrows for her bow. The twenty archers followed her lead. They aimed at Charles and then lifted it to the sky.
Charles ran ahead as he saw darkness overcome his little view. He looked above and saw a swarm of specks growing big. They soon grew into arrows as they began to decorate the land with lightening fast agility. The flow pattern flew towards his stance. Within no time, they pierced into all parts of his body as his arms tore away in the contrasting momentum. But then the rain stopped. Everything went silent. The body of Charles lay drenched in his own blood.
Adana breathed heavily. “Go check the man and the animal”. She came down in glory. The guards ran towards John. The caged beast was retrieved, along with John's dead body.


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