tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642076166796902853.post2675310875249909926..comments2024-02-05T01:49:05.302-05:00Comments on Creative Bloomings' Flashy Fiction Friday: Language BarrierWalt Wojtanikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723314300320671675noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642076166796902853.post-5697566126476971692012-10-12T01:05:54.693-04:002012-10-12T01:05:54.693-04:00LANGUAGE BARRIER By MARJORY M THOMPSON
When I... LANGUAGE BARRIER By MARJORY M THOMPSON <br /><br />When I woke up, I felt like I had not slept at all. I was stiff and sore and could tell that I was not reclining in a bed. I did not want to open my eyes to see where I was. It felt like every bone in my body had something to complain about. The feeling that ‘whatever I was in’ was moving was not encouraging either. The steady motion could easily lead to a rebelling stomach.<br /><br />Rubbing my neck, face and head did not stop the motion nor encourage me to open eyes. However, as the unexpected notes from a flute floated toward me my eyes fly open.<br /><br />I was in a reclined chair, on a boat, on a wide river. There was a young girl sitting on a matt near by. She was playing the flute, seemingly unaware of me. When I sat up, she jumped up, stopped playing her music, smiled and spoke with a soft, beautiful voice. When I looked at her questioningly she spoke again, but I could not understand her words. <br /><br />“Hello” <br />She gave me a smile and spoke again in strange sounding words.<br />“Where am I?” <br />She gave me a puzzled look.<br /><br />I pointed to the flute, smiles and said, “Your playing is very pretty.”<br />She held out the flute and said one word.<br />I pointed at it and said “Flute”.<br />Cocking her head, she repeated what she said before.<br />When I attempted the sound, she smiled, corrected me then grinned as I said the word again.<br /><br />By pointing and playing with sounds, she came close to saying my name and I called her “Sa-say-a” which seemed to please her. <br /><br />I began to move my hands to help me help express myself and she attentively watched each movement. I deliberately mimed with my hand that I wanted a drink. After a short questioning look, she walked to a water jug, poured me a drink and brought it to me.<br /><br />I asked her if anyone else was around, but she could not understand or answer.<br /><br />From there we carefully voiced, mimed and pointed to communicate. Finally I pointed to me and held up I finger. She did the same, by pointing to herself. I then pointed to her and me and held up two fingers. Again, she followed suit. <br /><br />Now I held up three fingers. I pointed to the first finger then pointed to me. I pointed to the second finger and pointed to her. We repeated those motions and we smiled our connection.<br /><br />Finally, I looked questioningly at the third finger, pointed to it, made a big show of looking for the person that finger represented and then shrugged my shoulders as I looked at her. Sa-say-a’s delighted laugh, like her flute, was wonderful to hear. Her small hands copied the motions I had give. She looked intently around the boat, shrugged her shoulders as I had shrugged mine as she pointed to her third finger.<br /><br />At my look of disappointment, she stood looking at me then turned to disappear behind some boxes. A moment later, she reappeared with an old woman in tow. “Sa-say-a” pointed to the woman, and then laughingly pointed to her third finger, saying "May-ua"<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com