Chapter 9

This is me, Ashby. I suppose Tiare has told you about how we were found in a barrel!! Anyways as you know we have always remained close and I always thought that she needed me than I needed her, but I realised I relied on her after she told me she was going to try and find her sister. As you know I always been lazy and never really leant the Isolan language. I have my tail, of how my life before Isola.

I was an only child, but not after I was born, I was a twin, but when I was only 4 years old my twin died after he became ill. My mom was upset about this and would always keep me in her sights was very protective about me and I think she was afraid of losing me too. I well leave there as you don’t won’t to know about the rest of my sad life. Having said that, it was not all sad, we had great times together me and my mom. This is one of the reasons I felt a bit envious about Tiare still having nearby relations and wished I had some one like a kid sister or older brother that she always goes on about. However, she has always been a like a sister to me and she kept on telling me that where ever she goes, we always remain together me Pogo and Tiare. Enough about that as I know you’re impatient to know why I and Tiare want are separate ways. Here goes.

While you already know we share the same birthday, and so the three of us celebrated this at the amphitheatre dancing and some of the villagers gave us presents. The one I liked the best was the present that Totolo gave and he said he liked me and he put a little gift wrapped in green leaves and some red ribbons kept the parcel secured. Then he ran off. He was still only 13 but soon be 14 in a few weeks time. I unwrapped the parcel and found it was a small shell and he had put in a flower and I found he wrote a note that said ‘MOMS’ I realised what he given me the shell for, it was to put the picture of my mom and me I always carried round with me and I got the picture of my mom and me and it fitted perfectly inside the shell. I noticed there was a small hole at the top of the shell big enough to fit the ribbon though, so I thread though the ribbon and I then hung it round my neck.

I took to studying medicine and in between that to do some researching, as they did not need builders much. We always worked together Tiare and I. Pogo want on to fishing. At the end of are work day the three of us came together to relaxed and to have our meals together, little did I know my life was about to change.

Totolo was now age 14 and we celebrated his birthday I gave him a small gift the same as every one else, I wanted to give him something better, but maybe I will find something better for his next birthday.

A few weeks later Totolo came over to talk to me. I thought that Totolo was really cute with his black locks and the way his mom had tied red ribbons in his hair. I said to Totolo, I’m sorry I could not find better gift!!’
Totolo said in my language broken English, ‘I like, very much, you like yours?’
I said so he could understand, ‘Yes, I like very much, Thank you,’
He said, ‘You like farm?’
I said, ‘I don’t know! You show me’ as I at the same time indicated the actions with my hands.
‘I show, come’ and Totolo escorted to the orchard and showed me how to pick the fruit from the trees in a way that you do it trying not to accidentally pick the fruit that was not ready to harvest. The fruit was all clustered together and I found it hard to know what was right to pick and what not to pick.
Totolo explained best way he could, ‘I show look.’ He pointed out the partly green-yellow one, ‘this good’ and showed me one all green, ‘Not good’. Meaning to say that only harvest the almost ripe fruit and leave the rest to ripen.
After trying several times figuring what was what and trying not to get it wrong as I did not want to end up harvesting fruit that was not ready to harvest. I finely succeeded in farming. Totolo said, ‘You very good, you like fish.’
I said, ‘No fish yet!!?’
Totolo said, ‘You not like?’
I said trying to explain, ‘Yes I like, but not yet.’
Totolo said, ‘Maybe later.’
I said ‘Yes, maybe later’.

Every day I want farming with Totolo and Totolo was always willing to teach me to farm he showed me how to fish and to harvest the honey, which I found surprisingly easy. Fishing part was the hardest as trying to catch a fish, as they were slippery little beggars. Totolo made it look so easy and I wished I had his skills. Anyways he was already a Master Farmer as I was just became Adept Farmer. I was beginning to feel guilty, not working with Tiare for awhile and I thought I might arrange a get together some day soon. Another thing I was beginning to pick up some words in the Isolan language, as Totolo was very patient and willing to teach me. Knowing me I did not have a lot of patients, but with Totolo, I was willing to learn and maybe I leant a bit of patients at the same time.

To be continued