章節 8: The Death of Ibrahim

When Amaya was eight years old, Ibrahim expanded their house outside the forest. He added two more rooms, one for his bedroom and the second one for his workshop. Amaya was growing and she needed her privacy. He also expanded their kitchen to include a storage room where he stored wines he fermented from bignay fruits (a variant of wild cherry), coconut, and wild grapes. They were contained in vessels made from kapok wood.

When he and Amaya were exploring the southern part of the forest, they discovered that the soil in that part of the forest was suitable for pottery. They dug out a lot of the clay and transported them back to their cabin with the help of the animals that Amaya has tamed. Ibrahim learned late that Amaya was able to communicate with the animals. She can easily tame them and do her bidding. It was a phenomenon that he just attributed to the fact that his daughter was a genius and she grew up with the animals so she learned their language.

When they discovered that they have the raw materials to create jars, the father and daughter spent a lot of time learning how to mold the clay into jars and pots. They learned by trial and error the molding techniques and what was the right temperature to heat the molded clay vessels.

They made a big jar to store water for washing and cooking and a medium-sized jar to store their drinking water. They also made a few pots that they used for cooking and they discovered that food tasted better when cooked in pots and the pots didn't get destroyed by the fire, unlike the bamboo nodes that they used previously.

Ibrahim drew a teapot and a cup and wine glasses. He then let Amaya mold the clay and turn them into her masterpiece. A beautiful teapot with matching two tea cups and two wine glasses. On the following day after Amaya completed the teapot set, Ibrahim brewed tea and added raw honey to the teapot. She and Amaya enjoyed the refreshing taste of tea. It was something he missed back in his previous world.

That evening, he also opened a wine that was aged for two years. Amaya tasted her first wine when she was eight.

"This wine has powdered tiger bones in it. It should be good for our health."

While Ibrahim's days were preoccupied with a lot of things, his nights were filled with melancholy and longing. Even after so many years he still missed Danaya.

He decided to make a portrait of her using charcoal as a medium. The portrait was forty-one centimeters by fifty-one centimeters. Even if it was so long, he still remembered every detail of her features. He framed it with an exquisitely carved wooden frame inlaid with pure gold. After he was done, he hung the portrait on the wall opposite his bed so the first and the last thing he saw every day, was Danaya's smile.

But he was not content with just one painting. He made another painting of Danaya, this time she was floating from the night sky looking down and smiling. He also made a family portrait depicting Amaya as a nine-year-old wearing a beautiful princess gown and a tiara. He colored his artwork using anatto seeds, turmeric and berries. He also made portraits of Amaya on her birthdays. Eventually, the walls of his room and his workshop were filled with his paintings it looked like an artist's gallery.

Amaya, inspired by his father's painting also did a few paintings of her own. She painted her friend Kala, Cirrus and Kong. She also painted a few of her favorite spots in the forest including a beautiful waterfall and the view of the forest observed from the tip of the shore. She inherited her father's artistic skills. She also sculpted her friends using basswood.

In the blink of an eye, twelve years have passed. Amaya has grown into a beautiful but wild teenager. Ibrahim has taught her everything he learned from high school and college and even from military school. He has nothing left to teach her.

Her martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds and Ibrahim was ashamed to admit that his daughter was more agile than him. She learned skills from her pet animals which he was unable to teach her.

His collection of herbs and medicinal plants has also grown. He decided to cultivate medicinal plants in their backyard so he have easy access to them. He discovered a rare medicinal plant by accident. When Kala was severely injured he used that plant to treat her injuries and the healing process was twice as fast as compared to the other medicinal plants. He named the plant Milagrosa and propagated it.

Over the years he filled up three big wooden chests with gems that they found lying in the depths of the caves. The most abundant were gold nuggets, amethyst, emerald ores and rubies. Amaya also stumbled upon a rare black opal and diamonds when she was exploring the crater of an extinct volcano.

"Amaya, these chests contain untold riches if you can bring them out from here into Lireya. But here, they are meaningless and useless. Should you have a chance in the future to bring them out, be very careful. People in the civilized world can be very greedy. They are willing to die or kill just to have their hands on these riches." He told Amaya one day.

"Then in that case Daddy, it is better just to leave them here if they will cause trouble." Amaya said nonchalantly.

"You might have a need for it. To be powerful, you need money and these treasures can bring you money." That was the sad reality of the civilized world that Ibrahim warned his daughter.

…

On the night Amaya turned fourteen, she and her father went to lie on their usual spot and gazed at the stars for a long time.

"My dear daughter, I may not be able to accompany you for long. Don't forget the things you learned in the past years." Ibrahim's voice trailed. He felt that there was something wrong with his heart. In the past few days, he felt a persistent pain in his chest and had difficulty breathing.

"Don't say that Daddy. You will live a long life and we will be together for many more years."

Ibrahim just smiled. He wished that Amaya can leave this island and integrate back into society so she would not be lonely.

"Look at Mommy's star. Isn't it very bright tonight?" He whispered.

"I noticed it too Daddy."

After some time, the father and daughter went back to their house hand and hand. Ibrahim hugged his daughter for a long time and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good night Amaya. I love you." He said lovingly.

"Good night Daddy. I love you too." Amaya replied sweetly.

Ibrahim lay down on his bed. That night, he dreamt that Danaya descended from the skies like an angel and smiled brightly at him. She held his hands and with a sweet voice she said, "Sweetheart, our little girl has grown. Come home now."

The following morning, when Amaya entered her father's room, she found him lying still with his lips curled up in a smile.

Tears fell from her eyes like the torrential rains. Her father Ibrahim has died!"