1 Too young?

Chapter 1 – Too young?

It is the year 2003 and an epic upset in the fate of many peoples all around the world will be touched by a boy of 11 years, currently facing a summer of most important choices. It is June, the high summer heat, long days and random heavy showers are faithful in this island formerly called Xaymaca, the 'land of wood and water'. At a rural village within a central hilly constituency of the Caribbean pearl, it is early dawn, the winds have weakened and now slowly stir, soothingly among the bamboo leaves and mango or apple trees so numerous they are ignored by the young and old. The sunrise has come early, a long day promised, on a steep hill surrounded by the evergreen tropical flora, the calm morning winds bathe the babyish face of a stout boy with a tam hat awkwardly covering his ears and brows. He checks his work gloves that are too big for his hands, he is unaccustomed to them yet non-hesitant in challenging the reason he is now alone before a plot of overgrown acre of land, before the haze and dew has evaporated from the ferns. At his right lying on a rock, he picks up a cutlass with a 45 cm long darkened blade, wooden handle and a rubber grip. With basic proficiency at best he shifts his feet to stabilize his centre of gravity and with his right arm extended and wrist locked in parallel with the cutlass handle, he raises his cutlass slightly higher than his shoulder then swings from his shoulder joint, allowing some degree of rotation in his elbow joint and none from his wrist, a beautiful chop on a huge Waterman tree was thus performed before smiling eyes and gleaming milk-white teeth.

His name is Marius Allen, an awkward child from an agricultural village born with curious flair for the use of hand held blades especially when given a long blade. Dressed in thick jeans and long sleeves, wearing a hard boot, Marius practices swinging the cutlass with the mark of someone overly interested in the easy mastery of chopping. "I came here to look at the wild uncultivated land of my family, Uncle Jahred offered to help me slash and burn these bushes but I will be able to clear all of this by myself, I'm not weak, will be 12 years old this winter...I wonder what the first step is….

Boy!!!, I'll plant this entire hills with plantain suckers hehehe Just watch for it!...I'll start cutting the grass around the borders."Feeling grand about a fruitful harvest already, Marius dived straight into work, not even barely missing the hype or swelling expectations of children his age during the start of summer.

One week later…Marius has a foolish grimace on his face, he refused aid from his elders not out of greed or disrespect but from an immutable desire to overcome himself and a strong mind for problem solution that he was assuredly born with, this was boosted in school and other areas of his young life. He found himself at the stage of regret that he assumes naturally accompanies the start of every great undertaking, going by the healthy reading he usually feeds himself on for fun. Taking in a deep, deep breath, Marius decides to overlook his plan once more. Looking at the football field size plot of uncultivated land, he believes he should go and get his Uncle's help this very evening if he wants to be done before July.

"Ah, I think Uncle will believe I did a god job so far. Ah, I recall there is a small underground stream at a hidden side of this hill, let me check on that stream, since it rained last night, maybe it looks different now."Climbing quickly to the west of the hill he looks for the sign of water coming up from below the earth, he found the stream but it is now vigorous and powerful, he watches the water that is surprisingly still clear and notices something strange. There is a small sound coming from this stream. Not any common sound seemingly, "Most curious, I can't let something so unusual without an indepth observation and study" he thought. Interested and cautious, he went closer to investigate and make discoveries. While penetrating the matter with a few presumptions, he began digging away at the soil under the stream with his cutlass, he almost lost grip of his tool when he realized that there is a brick at he floor of the stream, it was a sqaure brick, each length as much as a finger. Strangely the brick was bright silver and blue and was slightly shimmering as if it was vibrating.

"What in the known world…I am not well read enough apparently, I don't know whether this thing is safe, its too beautiful, haa fine, I'll bring this curio back home. In grabbing the brick with his both hands, he believed he was rather quick about it, however if someone were to be an observer, Marius could have learnt that he was touching the brick for at least 10 seconds while his body began shimmering as if vibrating at a weird tempo. But Marius never experienced anything strange rather than noticing that the brick was less mysterious and duller than he initially thought. Rapping the brick into a crocus bag, he took off to seek his uncle back at home.