Abandonné reaches up and picks several strange-looking fruits hanging from a palm tree. These past few days since she was found and brought back to Shareen’s place to heal. Has been strange to her. Most of the people she has run into have been ordinary human beings, but there have been very few that were humanoid animals.
The doctor that was looking after her was a humanoid dog and there was another like her that was male and worked on the airship. He looked like a humanoid golden retriever.
“Don’t pick that one, Abandonné. It’s not ripe yet.” Tabitha saw Abandonné about to pick a huckletarine that wasn’t ripe.
Abandonné looks at it and notices its color didn’t match the other ones. She found out that Doctor Shareen used it to make a special juice that helps to restore her energy. Her body had been so malnourished that she would have died within a few weeks.
The juice Doctor Shareen made from the fruit she was picking, helped restored everything she was missing and was restoring her energy. She was recovering stronger and faster than she has ever had.
“Sorry, I’m still getting used to some of these strange fruits and vegetables here.”
“No problem. It takes newcomers a while to adjust to how things are around here.” Tabitha has meet a lot of newcomers when she went to
different villages and towns with crew members from her father’s ship.
“Tabitha, how often do newcomers like me show up here?” Abandonné was curious about how often people showed up here.
“Sometimes three or four times a month or sometimes not for months. It all depends on the weather and energy buildup from the crystal mines and how it affects the weather that day.” Tabitha has seen months go by before a bad storm brought new people to their shores.
“Does anyone know how these storms work or why they bring people here?” Abandonné was curious.
“Nope, no one knows or cares. The only ones who would care are the elders on Mount Saint Peti. They like to buy slaves and forced them to do all sorts of nasty and demeaning things.” Tabitha knew a few people who had escaped from the elders.
“They sound like some of the rulers or upper class from my times.”
“They say the Elders were the ones that created everything. That without them, our world wouldn’t exist.” Tabitha knew her father and several other people didn’t believe that myth.
“Is it true?” Abandonné watches as Tabitha uses a pair of stilts to reach the fruit on the higher branches.
“Not according to my father. He says that they are a bunch of lazy ass nobles that take advantage of people. That they feel entitled to everything and that people should give them everything they ask for or demand.” Tabitha knew her father didn’t think very highly of the elders or the world government leaders either.
“They sound like a bunch of selfish and stuck-up group of people.”
“They are. Unfortunately, when they want something or someone, they send either their army or marines to take it.” Rui overheard Tabitha and Abandonné talking on his way to check on them.
He knew Tabitha was supposed to pick four bushels or so of the huckletarines and bring them back to be sold tomorrow at the market. He saw
Tabitha wearing the pair of stilts that Markus made for her and the new woman using a step ladder to reach some of the fruits on the higher limbs.
“Rui, did Dad send you to check up on us?” Tabitha turned around to look at one of her father’s crewmates.
“No, I decided to do it myself. I know how you like to slack off, young lady.” Rui looks at Tabitha with a smirk on his face.
Tabitha shakes her head back and forth in disbelief. She walks over to where Rui was standing.
“We are almost done, filling the fourth basket.” Tabitha dumps the load she was carrying into the fourth basket.
Abandonné dumps the load she had into the basket. She didn’t mind helping Tabitha out. She hasn’t had a chance to meet Tabitha’s father yet.
He had left with several of his men to purchase the crystal he needed for his ship.
She was glad that the weather where they were working was nice. Doctor Shareen had given her clothes that were comfortable to wear in this
type of weather. At first, she thought they were kind of immodest because of how short they were. Because they showed a lot of skin. However, she noticed the style of clothes the women and men wore around here were like that.
It also made moving around a whole lot easier. She learned that the women didn’t wear corsets anymore unless they wanted to. She was shocked to learn that women wore something called a bra instead. It allowed a woman to move around a lot easier, than the old-style corsets she use to wear.
“Well, since you ladies have been working so hard, why don’t you come back with me and enjoy some lunch.” Rui figured Abandonné might be hungry. She was still too underweight for someone of her build.
“Sounds good, what are we having?” Tabitha loved when Rui cooked. Between him and Jacob they never have bad meals.
“Fresh gumbo.” Rui has been working all morning on it.
Abandonné looks at Rui with a puzzled look on her face. She had no idea what gumbo was. Everything she has eaten since she arrived where she was, has been weird to her. Sure, they had fruits and vegetables that she could identify. However, some of the food she has been eating lately were things she never has heard of or tasted before.
Tabitha noticed the puzzled look on Abandonné’s face. She knew Abandonné was finding everything strange and unusual. She learned that
Abandonné came from a very poor and abusive family. That she always had to work for everything she could get.
“You’ll love it, Abandonné. It has chicken and sausage, and I bet Rui put shrimp in his.” Tabitha looked over toward Rui to confirm if she was right.
“Yep, fresh shrimp that came off the boat this morning.” Rui had been down at the docks in town when the fishermen came in and bought a large amount of shrimp.
Rui helps Tabitha and Abandonné load the baskets onto the cart. He takes the handle of the cart and pulls it. The girls have worked hard this morning and could use a break.
