They heard his voice and left the food they were eating and ran for the door to meet their brother, who hugged them together in a group hug and told them how much he missed them all, they said the same about him and went inside.
He thanked the neighbour, Mama Haga, for looking after them and got to the exciting bit of telling them of the king’s offer. Mama Haga congratulated him and told him that she was pleased for him and his siblings but couldn’t help feeling left out, as she doesn’t have any children of her own.
She fought back tears as she watched their excitement and the prospect of her being left behind. She had lived in this village for over 40 years with her husband and watched the Mareto’s children born and bred. She was also there to comfort them when they lost their parents.
Mama Haga remembered the day vividly when the children’s parents were struck by lightning while working in their cornfield on a dark rainy afternoon. The children were at home preparing some food for that evening while waiting for their parents to return.
Mara was especially expectant because her mother had promised to bring her back some wild berries she really loved, which were in season. Tamura came into the door after Mama Haga had called him outside to break the sad news to him in private and watched him as he slumped to the ground in the rain and sobbed his eyes out.
He later came in and sat down to tell his siblings in the presence of Mama Haga, who by then was joined by her husband, Papa Haga, in the Mareto’s home. Mara had asked Tamura why he was crying and why he was sitting in the rain and getting muddy and getting wet and why their parents had not yet returned from the fields.
Mama Haga remembered Tamura’s countenance at the mention of his parents, and how he was lost for words at his little sister’s questions. She also remembered the look on Baka’s face as he looked at his brother and Papa and Mama Haga’s faces for answers but found none.
He was old enough to understand what death meant and turned to Mara and told her that their parents were never coming back. Mara started crying and fell on Mama Haga’s lap and sobbed her little heart out, but Baka didn’t shed one tear, instead he looked angry and bitter.
Mama Haga had tried to hold him but he ran off to his bed and stayed there till morning and he refused to talk for weeks after the funeral of his parents. And now Mama Haga was preparing to say goodbye once again to these lovely poor children, but she was happy that they were going to have a better chance in life at the king’s palace. She only prayed that one day they would come and visit her before she left this world to meet her maker.
Mama Haga believed there was a God above and her husband thought she was having a midlife crisis and needed something to cling onto for her sanity. However, she never prayed to Him, but she was well aware of His existence. Tamura travelled in his thoughts as well to his childhood in this village and how he was going to miss being here.
He vowed to come back with his siblings once every year for the remembrance of their parents. He also hoped that one day he would return to settle here when he would start his own family, so that his father’s legacy could go on.
He planned to talk to Papa Haga to ask his younger brother who was in need of a field to grow crops, if he would be interested in maintaining his parents’ field for as long as he needed it.
He told him that he would need it back when he would return, as it was a family heritage, but he would consider leaving a portion for him to continue farming when he would get back to settle. However, this was for some time in the distant future, bearing in mind that he might decide to travel instead.
They left the Haga’s place to their own place where they lit a fire and discussed what was going to happen in their own privacy. Mara was too overwhelmed to speak and Baka was the first to ask Tamura, “So this king and his people, are they mean and horrible?”
“Of course, not, they are the nicest people you could ever meet, why would you say such a thing?” said Tamura with a concerned look on his face.
“So would we be able to go to school and get some books and stuff then?” added Baka, ignoring the inquisitive expression on his big brother’s face.
“Yeah, you will get everything you need, buddy, just wait and see, you are going to like it there, I promise,” said Tamura, looking pleased with himself.
After a long pause, Mara added, “I know you wouldn’t lie to us, at least Mama Haga won’t be able to cook me up now, hah!” She retorted with a squinted look on her face, to the laughter of her brothers.
Baka piped, “Not if you eat her up first with your vampire teeth.” Mara didn’t like her brother teasing her about the gap in her teeth where she lost the front two milk teeth making her look like a vampire when she smiled.
She fought back and said, “Wait till I get new strong ones, I will look like a real princess then, fit for the king’s palace!”
“Good on you, sis!” exclaimed Tamura, as he admired how witty she had become. He also noticed that she had grown fast, almost overnight in the past few days. He said to them both, “Now you need to keep your clothes together and
