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Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 91: Takano 113
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Cooper 29
Boronir stirred, and Tommy sat up.
“Tommy,” he said weakly. She got up, and walked the few feet to him so that he could see her as he lay there next to the hot fire. His eyes were cloudy, and his breath hard.
“I’m here, Boronir,” she said, but he did not seem to see her. Instead he just said with a calm voice.
“All right.” It was eerie, like he was responding to a question. Then he died. She heard the last breath go out, and his body sagged, and something vital was gone. Now there just lay a body by the fire, and Tommy cried a little bit for a while. Boronir had been one of the Tribe she had loved. He had been on occasion plotting for personal advancement, but he had also been brave, and always ready to lend a hand. You knew that if Boronir was on your right, that he would guard it, come what may. He had been bolder than wise, but he would be missed. Many occasions when he had helped her over the last year flooded her mind, and she cried more.
Finally her calls got someone to come, and the message was carried to the rest of the Tribe. Her replacement soon came, and she fell into a glad sleep, eager to forget the tragic day. In the morning her campfire saw a continuous procession of people, coming in small groups to say goodbye to Boronir. One young girl child had put a pretty stone on top of his chest, and this began a trend. Soon he had dozens of small pebbles of the more decorative kind on his chest or legs.
Varlax came and told her of their plans. They took the body in its deer hide (which she did not want back) to a pit more circular than long. Many remembrances of Boronir were shared--how he had saved this one or that one, for even back in the caves he had been courageous; how he would get cranky and yell at everyone who met him for a few hours until he got over it; how underneath the surliness, he had been devoted to his people, and his duty.
Tommy spoke again of the resurrection of Christ as a promise of future resurrection. The body was lowered, and the dirt put back in with hands. Stones were laid on top, and the pretty pebbles were placed in a way as to spell out ‘Boronir’ on the ground among the stones covering him, as Varlax and Tommy had devised. With many hugs, the people went back to their nests.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #510: Versers Debate. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
