Chapter Ten was just too short, so I'm adding another one today.
Chapter Eleven
Mudiwa, Vincent, and Cherub walked up to where Ria and Naveen had set up for the yoga class. Several of the transient squibs were laying down their yoga mats on the grass while chatting happily with each other and the group of gypsies that Cherub had already met. As they got closer to the group, Cherub nervously reached up and grabbed Mudiwa's hand. Seeing the three men arrive Naveen smiled, "Good morning, Cherub. Are you going to join us? Do you need a mat?"
"I would like to try," Cherub said. "I don't know if I need a mat."
Mudiwa answered for him. "Yes, he does need a mat, do you have an extra one?"
"Yes, I will go and get it. We will start in fifteen minutes, go ahead and get set up. I will be back," Naveen replied cheerfully and walked back to the tents.
Vincent turned to Mudiwa and Cherub. "I need to talk to some people before we start, will you be okay?"
Mudiwa snorted. "Yes, we will be just fine."
Cherub nodded 'yes', but tightened his grip on Mudiwa's hand.
Vincent walked over to some of the people Cherub didn't know, while Mudiwa led him to an empty spot near the front. After putting down his and Vincent's mats, Mudiwa took Cherub over to where some juice and water were set out. "Would you like something to drink? There is orange, apple or tomato juice."
Cherub thought for a moment. "Orange juice, please."
Mudiwa poured himself and Cherub juice then began chatting with some of the other gypsies. Cherub quickly drank down his juice and listened to snatches of the conversations. He wasn't used to being around so many people and he was getting nervous. Setting his now empty glass on the table, Cherub moved closer to Mudiwa who was talking with three people about where they were going to go over the next week. Suddenly two others came up and joined the conversation. Cherub began to panic, his breath coming in short gasps; reaching out he tugged on Mudiwa's shirt. When Mudiwa looked down at him Cherub held up his arms. Smiling Mudiwa picked up the small boy and placed him on his hip. His smile faded when he noticed how fast Cherub was breathing. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." Cherub whispered, his breathing calming down now that he was safe and could see around him. Mudiwa looked puzzled, but said nothing and held the small body closer to him.
It only took a few minutes of being above the crowd for Cherub to calm down. Mudiwa held him tightly and breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the small boy calm down and relax. Cherub snuggled in tighter and began looking around. Ria and Freja were talking with two other women one of whom looked very pregnant, while three small children playing around them slipped in between their legs. Vincent was animatedly talking with three men, their hands flying. Cherub noticed everyone was wearing loose comfortable clothing, and there were purple and blue rectangular mats spread on the ground. Mudiwa, the two women and the man he was talking with all laughed, and Cherub giggled as he bounced against Mudiwa's chest. Looking around again he saw Naveen heading their way with what Cherub guessed was a mat, and not far behind him Soto and Adonis chatted while joining the group. Quietly Cherub watched while adults and the few children there had juice, talked, and got ready for yoga, whatever that was. A few minutes later Naveen and Ria were in place and the gypsies quieted and got into place. Mudiwa walked over to their mats in the front right corner where Naveen had set up a mat for Cherub to use. Vincent met them over there and quirked and eyebrow at Mudiwa wondering why Cherub was being carried. Mudiwa smiled and shook his head, he would explain later. Naveen came over to explain to Cherub what they were doing.
"Cherub, we are going to do a type of exercise called yoga. It involves stretching, balancing and breathing. Both Ria and I will be over to help if you need it, and Mudiwa and Vincent can help you too. Yoga is supposed to be about fun, and personal expression, so don't push yourself, and don't worry about doing things perfectly. It is called practice for a reason." Cherub smiled slightly and nodded, still confused but feeling better.
Ria began the practice with slow stretches, offering detailed yet simple instructions for proper alignment. Cherub listened carefully and moved slowly. At first yoga was confusing, but Cherub quickly got the hang of doing the poses the best his young body could, and really impressing everyone who saw him. Naveen had seen kids do yoga before, and normally their positioning wasn't this good, confusion marred his brow, when suddenly he remembered the conversation last night. As he walked near Cherub he asked, "How is my old sticky mat working out for you? You are doing really well." Cherub smiled while Vincent and Mudiwa's eyes widened in understanding, Cherub was gaining information from objects again.
"I really like the mat, it feels funny," Cherub answered. "I like yoga too, it is fun to make animal shapes!" Naveen smiled, Ria had made sure to call all the yoga poses out in English by their common names, like down dog, lion, and butterfly pose instead of their Sanskrit names.
"I am glad you are having fun. Ria will be pleased that you are enjoying yourself," Naveen replied before moving on. Enthusiastically Cherub continued the yoga class. About an hour later Cherub was rolling up his mat feeling good, and hungry!
"Cherub, how did you like your first yoga class?" Ria asked.
Cherub smiled. "It was really fun! When can I do it again?"
"We do this every morning," Ria answered.
Vincent interrupted, "Cherub, let's go and get cleaned up so we can help with breakfast." Cherub smiled and held the mat out to Ria. "Naveen let me borrow this; where should I put it?"
"I will take it to him; you can borrow it again any time you need to."
"Thank you," Cherub said taking Vincent's offered hand.
The rest of the day passed much as Saturday had. Cherub played happily in the tent while the gypsies performed and ran the fair. After a simple dinner of soup and crusty bread, everyone, except for Cherub and Ria, helped shut the fair down and pack everything away. Once the last of the local vendors left, the squibs began to take down their tents. All of the equipment had been placed into magically enhanced trunks, which not only held far more than they should, but which had permanent feather light charms on them. The tents were also magically enhanced and would fold up instantly when told to do so.
Several of the transient gypsies left after the work was done. The Dragon Heart Gypsies would all meet on Thursday in Ottery St. Catchpole for the Summer Solstice celebration. Vincent smiled and waved at those leaving tonight as they pulled out of the field. After August only three of the transient squibs would still be traveling with them. The three months they planned to stay in India was just too long, so after the busy summer season was over they would be off to find their next adventure. Turning, Vincent walked back to the circle were the others, and their newest gypsy. 'Talk about an adventure.' Vincent thought shaking his head and smirking. Warm voices greeted Vincent as he neared the fire, and the fragrance of ginger biscuits hurried his feet.
"What do we have here?" Vincent asked sitting between Mudiwa and Adonis.
"Cherub and Ria made triple ginger biscuits," Soto replied while passing him a plate full of warm, dark brown biscuits. Vincent took a few biscuits and settled back into the pillows. Taking a bite Vincent sighed in pleasure; these were his favorite. The three types of ginger made them spicy and Ria always cut the candied ginger into good-sized chunks.
"These are wonderful, thank you, Ria and Cherub," Vincent said after finishing his first triple ginger biscuit. Mudiwa smiled and handed Vincent a glass of milk.
"You're welcome, Vincent," Ria said. "Cherub was a big help."
"Have you had ginger biscuits before?" Vincent asked Cherub who was blushing from Ria's compliment in between Mudiwa and Soto.
"No, I didn't even know there was candied ginger! I really like it, but I can only eat small pieces because it makes my mouth hot," Cherub explained.
"That is what I love about them, they are sweet and spicy at the same time. The regular ginger biscuits are nice, but it is the candied ginger which makes these the best. Well, that and the fact that my family makes them for me," Vincent said decisively. Cherub's smile lit his face at being referred to as family. Changing the subject Vincent said, "Tomorrow morning we leave for Sennen. Now we already plan to stop in Exeter on the way to do some shopping, do we need to do anything else?"
"I made a grocery list while the cookies were baking," Ria said. "Nothing is urgent, we can always get supplies in Sennen."
"We will be at the beach, does any one need any swimming costumes, or sunscreen?" Adonis said.
Cherub perked up at this. "We are going to the beach? I have never been to the beach."
Adonis chuckled at the boy's excitement. "Yes, we are going to the beach. We go there every year and camp. The water is cool, but very nice, so we can go swimming and make sand castles and everything."
"I don't know how to swim," Cherub said in a soft voice, eyes downcast.
"I would be happy to teach you how to swim," Naveen replied. "When I was a teenager I worked as a lifeguard and taught swimming classes."
Cherub smiled again, and nodded enthusiastically. The adults went back to planning their trip; soon Cherub's head started to nod and his eyes began to close.
Mudiwa's large hand shook him awake as his deep voice penetrated his sleepy brain. "Oh no you don't. Tonight you need to brush your teeth before falling asleep." Standing up Mudiwa helped Cherub to his feet and took him to brush his teeth. When they got back the fire was doused and the circle tidied up. After a round of hugs Mudiwa took Cherub into the tent and tucked him into bed.
"Would you like a story?" Mudiwa asked the sleepy little boy.
"Oh, yes please." Cherub gasped delightedly.
"What kind of a story?" Mudiwa softly questioned.
"About you as a child," replied Cherub his big green eyes now focused on the ebony-skinned man.
"All right," Mudiwa said. "Just let me get ready for bed first."
Cherub nodded and settled back into the bed while Mudiwa went behind the folding screen to change. A minute later Mudiwa came out in orange cotton sleep pants, and climbed into the bed on Cherub's left.
Clearing his throat Mudiwa began to speak, his voice rich and soft. "When I was a boy I grew up in Zimbabwe, which is a country in Africa. My tribe runs and protects a wild animal preserve. We have huts for visitors to stay in and we track animals for them to see and take pictures of. One day my older brother Garai and I had tracked down a pride of lions, and radioed my uncle Runako who was driving the tour bus that day. Runako pulled the bus under an acacia tree so the visitors could be in the shade while they watched the lions."
Cherub was wide eyed and could clearly see the picture Mudiwa was painting with his story. Mudiwa smiled down at him and continued, "Soon a young lioness had the attention of everyone in the bus. She was chasing a hare. The visitors were captivated as she gracefully pursued the hare." Mudiwa paused for a moment as Vincent, now ready for bed, slid under the sheet; smiling he leaned back and also listened to the story. "No one was paying attention to how close the young lioness was getting until in a burst of desperation the hare ran right under the bus! The lioness, used to seeing our buses thought nothing of it and charged full speed after the hare, she was not going to give up! Under the bus she dove, as the visitors let out a panicked scream and clutched their chests in fright. Garai and I tried to keep our laughter down, but gave up as the visitors began to laugh at their own foolishness. Looking to the other side of the bus they saw the young lioness strutting back towards the pride, the hare hanging from her mouth."
Cherub giggled as Mudiwa finished his story.
"Do you have pictures of the per'serve, and your brother and uncle?" Cherub asked stumbling over the word preserve.
"Yes, I do. I can show them to you tomorrow while we are driving if you like," Mudiwa said trying to remember where he had put his photo album. "Now, however, it is time to go to sleep."
Cherub smiled, and after a moment's thought hugged Mudiwa, then Vincent, and snuggled into the bed.