Chapter 2*It is Phallia speaking here about her own life*
On may 15, a day when everything was in full blossom, I turned 2 years-old. After a month, my mother introduced a little boy my age named Pefrie. His name was so funny I could not keep my laughter in and then I stopped when I realized I was laughing and said "I sorry for laughing. I like your name. I think it funny." And I smiled and his face turned red and he ran away. I asked mother why he ran away with a red face "Mama why he run with red face. He sick? He mad at me?" my mother laughed and said
"No, my dear, it is because you look like an angel when you smile." I did not understand what mother was saying but I smiled and told mother
"Ok. Mama, when lunch? Me hungry." She smiled too and said
"Now, my angel, but you have to find your brother, Vernicus, first."
"Mama, Where ish Brother?"
"He is playing with his friends in the other house."
"Okay mama. Be back." so I went to our neighbour's house and knocked on the door and when someone answered I said
"Is brother there?" while I looked up at the tall mama. This was the first time I saw her because usually Papa Higgins would answer. The mama replied
"OH! Yes! Why not come in first, your brother's friend and my son, Johny, wants to meet you."
"Ok thank you tall mama." I said with an excited smile. Then she laughed. And told me
"Call me Gabriella."
"Gabwiella? Yes mama Gabwiella." Then she laughed again and said
"This way little miss." Then she opened the door and I saw my brother and 4 other boys in their underwear and a hat that looks like a boat that is upside down and they were also wearing a cape and holding a sword. The moment I saw this I laughed so hard that I kept rolling on the floor and by chest hurt I even had tears in my eyes. When I was trying to stop I told brother
"Brother, M-mama call you. We eat soon." I took a pause and continued "Brother and friends look funny!" Then I continued laughing. And then Gabriella mama told me
"Ok dear. Stop laughing now. You are hurting their feelings." I stopped laughing and sat up and when I was about to wipe my tears with my dress she said
"No, don't wipe it with your dress stand up first so we can clean your dress. Ok now it's clean, here wipe your face too." She gave me a clean cloth and I wiped my face with it. When I was clean again I said
"Thank you! Mama Gabwiella." I smiled again and I looked at the boys and said
"Sorry I hurt feelings." Then I smiled but they all ran away like Pefrie and one of them hid under the bed. So I frowned and told brother
"Brother let go. I very hungry." I said madly and all he said was
"Do not smile when apologizing. That very mean." He looked mad. So I said
"Okay brother. Let go! I want eat!" So I took brother's clothes and grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the house and when we were out the door I first came in, I faced Mama Gabriella and said
"Mama Gabwiella. Thank you for take care my brother."
"It's ok dear and take care of your brother ok?"
"Okay" I smiled and I left while dragging my brother to our house. When we got to our house I told mama
"Mama I find brother! Can eat now?" Then mama came out of the kitchen and said
"Sur- goodness gracious! What is your brother wearing?"
"Mama me wearing superhero clothes." My brother said and then I also added
"And his friends wear same." I was holding in my laugh but I laughed a little and stopped. Mama said
"Okay we will eat as soon as you change your clothes." Mama told brother. So brother went to our room and changed. Then Papa came back and when I saw papa I ran into him and hugged him as hard as I could then papa said
"Whoa! I almost fell this time. You have gotten real strong huh? Where is Vernicus?" I answered happily
"He in room change clothes."
"Really? Why?"
"Because he thought he was some kind of hero and is only wearing his underwear and a cape." Then father laughed and moved closer to mama and their lips touched and I said
"Ewwww. Mama and papa lips touch." I said while closing my eyes. They laughed and said
"This is not Ewww. This is how I show your mother I love her." Then brother came out and said
"Okay Mama I done changing."And when he finished he saw papa and said
"Ah! Papa is here!" He ran up to papa and jumped and hugged papa. I pouted and said
"Papa is mine." I said this I was pulling him off papa. Then mama said
"No! Phallia get off! Stop that and Vernicus get off already!" and when I stopped and brother got down mama told us "He belongs to all of us ok! We are family so he doesn't belong to anyone but the 3 of us."
"Yes mama!" we both said at the same time. Then papa knelt down and told us
"What your mother is saying is true. I don't belong to anyone but this family ok." Then we both kissed papa on the cheek. Then I ran to mama and said
"Sorry mama." Then brother hugged mama too and said the same thing. Then we all sat down and ate together as we were eating papa said
"After lunch I will go to council meeting again ok and this time mama will come so you will be with Gabriella ok?"
"Ok papa" we said at the same time. You see in our village the adults have a council meeting everyday about how the village is doing and other stuff but I don't know what the other thing is but usually only the oldest man in each family goes and the women cannot. Today is different. Mama has to go too. I was so curious I asked
"Is mama only woman go to meeting?" They looked surprised and told me
"No, not only mama, some other women are going too." Then I asked
"But not mama Gabwiella?" Then papa answered
"Because Gabriella is special." Then I smiled because I gained new knowledge. Papa seemed surprised that I would smile about something like that. Then mama asked me
"Why are you smiling angel?"
"Because I learn new about life" I said with excitement and papa said
"Don't worry you have all the time in the world to learn all the things you want." Then brother came in and said "Me too! Me too! I be a great hero just like king!" Then we all laughed together and continued eating.
When lunch was over mama and papa took us to Gabriella and we said our goodbyes. When I looked into the room I saw a lot of boys and girls running around with others or playing by themselves but once I walked in everybody stopped playing and I asked
"What wrong? You stop play. It my fault?" I said while I was about to cry and then Gabriella came in and said
"Okay everyone continue what you were doing." Once they continued she bent down and told me "Phallia, don't worry it is not your fault they were just curious about you." She said as she looked straight into my eyes and hugged me when she was done. Then when she finished hugging me she stood up again and said "Why not try to make some friends?"
"Okay! Mama Gabwiella." I smiled with teary eyes. So I looked around the room and saw Pefrie. I was so happy he was there. So I approached him and asked
"Hi Pepwie! Me happy see you again!" I said happily. Then he turned away and said
"Hello Phallia. Me too. Sorry I run from you. I very shy." He said softly and yet I could hear it clearly. Then I asked
"Want play with me?" As I said this I went closer to his face and saw it was very red. And quickly asked
"You okay? You have fever?"
"No no. I just very shy. Please no look." He replied. So then I asked
"Why you shy?"
"Because pretty."
"Who pretty?"
"You." As he said that he turned even redder, so I said
"Thank you!" At that moment I took his hand and said "Let play! Help me make friend!" I said with a smile and all he did was nod but slowly he became less and less shy and started to talk to me while looking at me. When he could finally talk to me while looking straight at me he said
"Hey! Wanna make friend?"
"Yup! Me want make lot of friend!" When I finished what I said he grabbed my hand and went on the table and told everyone
"Everyone! Meet Phallia." And after that one sentence, I started to make a lot of new friends from other families. I met 2 girls who are twins one had the name of Lila and the other had the name of Lilia. They were both very pretty. When I was playing with them I asked "Did you mama and papa go to meeting?"
They looked at each other and Lila told me "Yes, They said to be nice to you because you are very shy."
Though they are twins I can tell them apart because Lila was very talkative and Lilia was not. Lilia is very kind and gentle but Lila was a playful girl who always got dirty. Lila was thin and Lilia was a bit fatter than Lila but they get along so well that nothing can separate them. After they said shy I said to them "I not shy I don't know how speak with other like you." I said while I was about to cry then they told me
"It's okay. But at least you have Pefrie, Lilia and me." Lila told me and then Lilia continued her sentence and said "We will always be there for you now." Then Lila suddenly shouted and said "Come on! Let's play with the boys!" I laughed and said
"Okay!"
Lila took Lilia's and my hand and then ran toward the boys who were playing with Pefrie and my brother. When we got there I saw the boy who hid under the bed and the 3 others at Gabriella mama's house with my brother before lunch. Then Lila said to the boy who hid under the bed
"Hey Johny! Meet Phallia! She is very fun to play with right Pefrie?"
Then Johny and Pefrie stood up. Pefrie said to Johny "Actually, She very fun to play with cause she very energy."
Then Johny looked at me and told Lila and Pefrie "I will judge that. Lets see what you can do. Lets play adventure!"
Everyone looked at me like I couldn't do it so I said "I girl, yes but I can do boy stuff too! I accept challenge!"
I did not know how to play this game so I asked Johny "First. How to play?"
He looked at me and said "You see the tables, chairs and beds?"
I looked around and replied "Yes"
He told me "You and I will start from the top of the dining table then we have to climb down from there. When you climbed down run to the bed, jump 5 times and then run back to the dining table and get back up."
I told him "That all?" I looked again at the table and said "Okay how win?"
He told me " Whoever gets to the table first wins. So are you fine with this?"
I looked at him and smiled and told him "Okay"
So we climbed on the table and when Pefrie said go I immediately ran to the edge jumped on the chair and jumped down. Then I ran to the bed got on it then jumped five times and then I climbed back down and ran to the dining table as fast as I could I climbed up the chair and then I climbed up to the dining table and said "Yeah! Done!" Then my brother, Pefrie, Johny, Lila, Lilia and the three other boys looked at me with surprise and I asked them
"So who win?"
They looked at me and then Johny who was still at the bed told me "Get down first before Gabriella come in."
I climbed down and then asked "What wrong?"
"What wrong?" Vernicus told me "You ran very fast! And beat Johny! How?"
I looked puzzled and told them "I ran fast I can. I win?"
Johny came in and told me "You won. Pefrie was right. You are very energetic."
I smiled and then shouted "I win!" over and over again while jumping then Pefrie, Lila, Lilia, Vernicus and the three others hugged me and said "That was amazing!"
Then I stopped and said "Lila, Thank you!" while bowing my head then I lookd at Pefrie adn the everyone else and said "I wov you all!"
Then Johny came in and told me " Okay now I will introduce you to the other boys." He pointed at a boy who was very chubby and told me "This is Gibore we call him biggy." Then he pointed at a very thin and pretty boy "This is Tommy." Then he pointed at a very normal looking boy who did not say anything at all "This is Timar." He then faced me and said "You are part of our group now so you can come and play with us in my house anytime."
I smiled and told him "Thank you but I only play with Lila and Lilia only. Sorry. Nice meet you." I smile again and then I stopped smiling and looked at Tommy and the other boys and they were all red again and asked Lilia and Lila "Why when I smile they very red?"
They looked at each other and Lilia told me "Because you are prettier when you smile like that."
I looked at them and told them "I not get it." I was very very puzzled. Then the twins looked at each other then Lila told me "It's ok you will get it sooner or later."