Berganashio - Chapter 6

“It’s been three weeks since Chief Hatan’s burial,” Podder stated. He was the second oldest meerbird in the mob and one of the three council members. High up in one of the large trees that grew above the burrow holes, was the counsel nest. The counsel was always comprised of the chief of the mob and the two eldest meerbirds. They sat pensively together. Grinyella, the oldest meerbird of the mob, took a slow puff on her thin wooden pipe.

“Anointing day is tomorrow,” she breathed out a puff of smoke, without looking up. “My heart is full of blessing to bestow on the mob this year. But, like all years, I won’t know the details of the blessings until tomorrow when the Spirit speaks.”

“A big year awaits us all…I believe,” responded Keenwai.

“Your mother and brother would be proud of you as Chief. If only they were in their right minds…” Podder said, in between bites of insects on a small table in the center of the counsel nest.

“Watching them both walk out on your father while he was sick and dying must have been the most terrifying thing.” Grinyella blinked slowly.

Keenwai felt an intense rush of emotions. “It was hard on him. It was hard on me too. I try not to think about it too much.”

Podder gritted his teeth. “I hate sheckle berries! We’ve lost far too many from the mob to those evil berries.”

Grinyella, seemingly unemotional, stated, “To live on, and walk in delusion, is far worse than to lay down and die on a bed of truth.”

“If only there was a way to destroy all the berries…but I know they grow so fast this time of year, right around the day of anointing.” Keenwai’s mind felt like it was going in a million different directions. His heart raced.

Podder quickly responded, “We tried that many years ago, but to no avail…it didn’t work.”

“So, what do we do…just give up on them? …Forget their existence altogether?” Keenwai had spent many sleepless nights picturing his mother and brother wandering around on the far outskirts of the burrow lands. “Could we capture them and then tie them down so they can’t get any more berries?”

“We’ve tried that too with some of the other meerbirds and it got ugly.” Podder responded again dejectedly.

Sadly, Grinyella remembered aloud, “Withdrawing from the berry juice caused them to start self-destructing… so then we let them go back to the berries. What bitter bondage!” She spat with disgust and sadness.

________

The next morning appeared to be glorious. The rising sun pierced boldly through the layers of fog that lingered. The meerbirds formed a line in front of Grinyella who was standing peacefully, holding a bottle of oil in her left hand. She dipped her right paw into the olive oil. Touching the forehead of the first meerbird in front of her, she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and said, “I bless you with…hope.” Each meerbird received a blessing to last them the whole year. They were urged to daily meditate on the blessing and think of ways to use it for the betterment of the mob.

Standing in line to receive his yearly anointing, Keenwai looked behind him to see Kunya.

Kunya’s eyelashes floated up. “Happy anointing day!”

“Happy anointing day,” replied Keenwai, smiling.

She whispered, “This past year’s blessing of love was my favorite blessing yet. I wouldn’t mind getting it again. What do you think yours will be this year?”

“Well…I could use wisdom…since I’m Chief now that would be good.”

“You don’t want to become too wise. You might start sprouting gray hairs,” she teased.

Smiling back at her, “I suppose we can’t have that.”

“Not yet… handsome.”

“Comfort, as an anointing blessing this past year was appreciated…since I’m now alone…without my father I mean. It feels like my mother and brother are dead too…in a way.”

“You have me.”

“I have you,” he smiled, but it was a bit forced since he had a lot on his mind. Unfortunately, he didn't feel like he could truly relax.

Keenwai finally stepped up to Grinyella for his anointing and held his breath as he waiting to hear what she would say. He felt the dab of oil start to drip slowly down his forehead. Grinyella seemed like she was concentrating extra harder than usual. It felt as if she was never going to speak and then finally, she said, “I anoint you with…adoration!”

Keenwai froze for a second and furrowed his furry brow in bewilderment. Surprised and confused, he had not the slightly clue what adoration had to do with anything useful, especially now as a new chief. He stepped aside, and then he felt a bit guilty for not being grateful.

"Thank you," he said. Trying to shake it off, he looked up at Kunya to see her expression which was quite serious.

Kunya was next in line and she was feeling quite nervous, but excited. “I anoint you with…healing!”

Kunya took a deep sigh of relief and smiled confidently. “Healing sounds good. Thank you, Grinyella.” She stepped aside for the next meerbird to step up for their anointing. One by one the meerbirds received their anointing. There was one meerbird sitting next to Grinyella named Hodge. He was busy writing a list of each meerbird's name and the specific anointing that they received. He was a scribe for many different meetings and anointing days. It was also his responsibility to be the keeper of all the records from previous years.

After each anointing for every meerbird was determined, they were all ready for a large feast to enjoy together. The banquet looked splendidly colorful. There were bowls of luscious fruits. Trays of grubs were prepared. There were plates full of insects of various types and different vegetables that they had grown in their gardens. It was, indeed, the most favored day out of the whole year for the meerbird mob. The young meerbirds were dancing around and playing lots of games. Meerbirds loved growing flowers, especially sunflowers. On anointing day, they would have huge mountains of sunflowers that they picked, and the little meerbirds loved to hide in them and pop out and try to scare one another. The older meerbirds laughed and enjoyed watching their excitement.

Read chapter 7 via the link below: