By the river bank, I saw corpses. The temperature had risen; a sour smell now spread through the town which was just fifty odd houses. I doubted anyone had been left unscathed on either bank; social hierarchy, age, and wealth had not been important to the killers. Further downstream, in the distance, I saw something unusual; there were shadows lurking between the trees. I headed in their direction; the silhouettes took on human shapes; a group of men stepped out from behind the trees waiting patiently for me. They looked like they were waiting to be called. Almost naked and malnourished, their eyes expressed a resignation; not an impatience from having waited in the sun. Nothing suggested they were responsible for the decimation; their appearance, their humbled demeanor, and even their dogs. They retreated as I moved towards them; the gap between us did not change.
“How are your women and children?”
I repeated my question in all the vulgates I spoke; it became clear they did not understand me. Without anyone to translate, I had to use hand gestures similar to those I had used with the aboriginals. I signed for them to come closer, but they only stared at me in wonder and didn’t move; it was very likely they had never met someone addressing them politely. After numerous attempts, a young man ventured towards me; an older man, probably his father, tried to pull him back; instinctively, I moved to bridge the gap for some kind of exchange to ensue. The boy looked emaciated and short; he looked nervous as if afraid I was going to hit him.
“Can you understand me?”
He shook his head in affirmation.
“Do you know what happened?”
I pointed my hand in the direction of the houses, the objects of my question; he understood me but had no words; he turned to his relatives; they echoed an empty gaze.
“What happened? There is nothing to be afraid of.”
Then words, with the strength and speed of a brute river, poured out of his mouth; he waved his hands in all directions; I understood very little of what he was saying; I assumed he was confirming the story the dogs told because the contrast between his lips and teeth distracted me. When he finished his elucidation, a new hue spread across everyone’s face; one of relief and fear. They had specifically been saved; the gods had spared them; did god live in their decrepit state?
I gestured for them to follow me into town; hesitation still haunted them; they exchanged glances to decide if it was safe to follow a stranger. Eventually they did but always ten steps behind me; we reached the street with the bodies of those who insulted and abused them. There were mixed emotions; some fell to the ground wailing; before them lay the townspeople who had spat on them and raped their wives; some of the women lay with their limbs outstretched, shamelessly offering themselves to the sky. We walked trepidatiously among the bodies and body parts, avoiding touching them. It seemed that the dead still oppressed the shadows by my side; would the bodies reanimate to harsher words.
In a house, I saw two bulls near a cart resting on its yoke; I thought the young man had not understood me when I directed his attention towards them but a few moments later he shook his head, indicating his inability to help. I guided him with confidence as if I knew what we needed to do; in my thoughts I almost laughed since it was also my first time yoking bulls. The animals had eaten all the forage and watched us with anticipation; they were famished. While I held the cart up, the youth walked the bulls to position so I could lower the yoke on their necks; the animals resisted; they were always fed before work.
“Be patient. He is going to give you fodder. Sorry.”, I rubbed their foreheads and whispered words of comfort. “Do you know what happened?”
From the street, the others were watching us, waiting for me to give them orders. The boy broke a smile; I wondered if this was the first time he had touched these animals; probably when they were alive. He carefully led the bulls and cart to the street where his elders stood; they exchanged a few words; it was perplexing that I could understand the language of animals, but not the words of the people who were going to help me.
