Sons of the gods #11

Continued from #10

By Ashley

Kano the first clutched at his chest as he tried to free himself from the pain he felt right in the bottom of his heart. He felt an  itch but somehow, he could not reach the ache even when he was in dire need to soothe it. The cling clang of the gourd as it went round and round mercilessly did not help his situation.

Kano the second looked in shock as it landed, doing its final round. There was milk everywhere on the floor. The three Kanos looked at the milk as it’s edges began to fade, the greedy floor consuming it. 

Kano the third gasped in surprise. He could not help but hold his gourd tight, close to his chest. He knew his brother’s pain.

“No no no no no no!” Kano the first whispered in desperation, letting his fear loose at the thought of his father’s murderous glare upon finding him with an empty gourd. He was the eldest for goodness sake. He had to be the responsible one. 

He rushed towards the spilt milk and tried to collect it with his hands,  frantically waving it towards the jagged mouth of the gourd. His effort, however, seemed to be making matters worse because the white color was slowly turning to a muddy brown. He knew this was to be of no help at all.

A sudden  temptation to ask his youngest brother for his share of the milk consumed him. But when he turned and locked eyes with Kano the third, seeing  him holding  onto his gourd like it was his last strand of hope, he knew he would not be able to make the youngest Kano part from a share of his milk. 

“Help me Kano.” Kano the first pleaded as he turned to Kano the second. 

“Which Kano?” he scoffed. 

The eldest now really saw the need for all of them to have different names. He now understood it so clearly.

“Please,” he cried out, holding his gourd out to his brother. He was now beyond desperation. 

“Tell Kano, he is the one with the full gourd.”Kano the second grumbled, pointing at the youngest. “Mine is only half full. If I decide to pour some of my milk into yours, I will be left with nothing,” he added.

The eldest Kano then turned to face his youngest brother. He was torn between desperation and his pride. How could he beg his youngest brother for help? How could he bend this low for him? But this was surely a crucial moment, was it not? He had to evade his father’s anger. He had to find a way.

“But Kano, you  can not take away from me what you have already given!” the youngest Kano yelled, looking at his eldest brother, with tears already forming at the corners of his eyes.

“I am not taking it back, I am simply asking for some of it.” Kano the first, argued.

“It is all the same thing, you are asking for it.” The youngest Kano whined.  He held on to the gourd even tighter than before, as if  he was being robbed of his most precious property.

 Daybreak was already here and in a few minutes he was sure  their father would burst through the door to check on the results of the challenge.

The eldest Kano turned his back on both his brothers in disappointment.  They really couldn’t help him and any time now, judgement would be passed by their father. He did not seem or feel as courageous as he had earlier in the night when he filled his youngest brother’s gourd with half of his milk. And who was he to talk about courage now? He lacked a whole lot of it at that particular moment.  

A storm raged through his mind as boundless thoughts took center stage. He had to find a way out. Then finally, it hit him. A solution, it was not to beg for a share of milk from any of his brothers, it was not to cower because of his father’s anger. But,it was courage. He hadn’t seen this before but that was the only way out. He needed courage to face his father, with or without the milk. 

To be continued next week on Wednesday