Neighbor Resurrected by Cordy Fitzgerald

Author:Cordy Fitzgerald [Fitzgerald, Cordy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480877788
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Published: 2019-06-17T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

JANUARY 2007

YUNNAN PROVINCE

XIAO AWOKE TO the noise of family chatter in a language that sounded similar to Cantonese. However, he could not make sense of it and kept his eyelids closed. A warm crackling fireplace was on his right side; the other side of his cheek felt like ice. A long swishing skirt brushed against his forehead from time to time. The sound of liquids being poured came from further away. He sensed a great deal of moisture in the air. And with that moisture came an intoxicating smell of ginger, fermented plums, and fatty lamb, making his eyelids finally pop open.

He lay atop a fur blanket and was covered by yet another. Precocious toddlers crawled around his head and infants were propped against his legs. He closed his eyes again. The humiliation was too great. He had obviously been relegated to a corner of the room with all the less important things.

A woman with an exceptionally long face wore a red peasant blouse and leaned over him. Her skirt brushed his face. She spoke to others he couldn’t see from his vantage point. Two big teenaged boys pulled a few of the children away and squatted on either side of him to lift up his back and slide him against a footstool. They weren’t gentle, only strong.

His head throbbed and flopped over his chest. To help him see the full length of the room, one of the boys propped his head back, resting it upright against a folded blanket. Focusing was difficult, but eventually he saw one man, Meng, who no longer wore his furs. The rest were mostly women and children. Only three other men sat on the floor with what he assumed were their families. He didn’t see Karen. All the women were dressed similarly and had jet-black hair surrounding their faces.

“Where, where is …” Xiao unknowingly sputtered aloud.

“Ah,” said Meng. “I think he will stay awake longer this time.” He walked toward Xiao, carrying a steaming bowl. “Take this.” He handed it to one of the two young boys, who put it up to Xiao’s lips to drink.

Xiao was ravenous. The soup had small bits of lamb, goat, herbs, rice, and spices. It was better than anything he’d eaten in weeks.

“The rest of us are full. If you can stand later, you’ll feast upon a plate of assorted meat, ripe fruit, and cheese you’ll never forget.” Meng then hurried back to the women he’d been seated with.

Xiao’s eyes grew accustomed to the sparse light. Between sips of soup, he noticed a quiet woman at Meng’s side. That woman wore what the other women wore. But there was something different about her hair. It was lighter. Maybe it was Karen. The woman’s skin was also whiter than the others, like Karen’s. If it was Karen, why wasn’t she beside him, feeding him?

He felt dizzy as he let his eyes carefully search the room. The voices inside his head mumbled.

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