One with the Birds

"Delilah?"

"Yes, Robby?"

"Did you....'forget'.....that the map, needed to be....'portable'"

I give Delilah a stern look and heave a huge sigh, as she chuckles in sarcasm and worry. "Uh, so, uhm, err, ahh, like, uhmmm, LOOK! I CAN FIX THIS! JUST HOLD ON!"

And there she staggered off to somewhere unknown, claiming she can 'fix it', I wait agog at the temple until she returned. After some time passed, roughly about a hour, she stumbles back in sprinting on her stubby legs, and stands before me holding some rather peculiar doobry, I ask, "What's this." to what she replies with condescendingly, "Oh Robby, Robby, seems like that memory that thy is lacking has affected your mental state 'drastically' and one means 'very drastically'. This is a common staple in the entertainment world, it has nostalgic factor, it cures boredom, it invigorates thy's creativity. It is the majestic, the marvelous, the crème de la crème of all toys: the 'Knaw and Draw'!"

From a closer glance, average human knowledge could easily discern, that it looked to be a clay slab and some cutlery made from some hard metallic material.

"A what?!"

"A knaw and draw, do I need to make it more obvious on what it is, I mean....it's right in front of you."

Before I could blabber out some other nonsensical question, Delilah starts straight off with a demonstration on the clay slab, she picks up the cutlery and holds it clumsly in her petite hands and starts scratching the surface of the slab, the sharp edge of the metal cutlery smoothly cuts into it and creates a depth of a mere millimeter, that forms a lower pathway on the slab where either side beside that pathway is higher than that of the latter, it was the same as the portable teacher famous in my time, made of graphite, stuck into a hollow tube of wood, 'a pencil' used to write on 'paper'. Now a metal fork streeled on clay bricks. The world has truly become bizarre, some developments so nonplus, and some regressions so disappointing, and I'm the root of the cause....

"Delilah, I need you to be very serious in these times, I want you to let me know 'What you're doing? What you have in mind? What's going on through your head everytime? We are in this together right, so please....." When I saw Delilah having no effect from my words and still convoluted in her demonstration on the clay brick, I step back and just wait.

"DONE! Here ya' go! One knows thy will flatter me, thy will be shocked, IT IS ONLY EVIDENT, ONE IS UTMOST WORTHY OF PRAISE, TO THINK OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, OH! DELILAH YOU'RE PUTTING ON AIRS.....well, give your thoughts."

I grab the clay tablet from her hands and observe it thoroughly, "You....you irresponsible, unorganized, stuck-up, arrogant, imprudent dunce. WHAT IS THIS? It's just scribbles....lines....do you know how precious time is....this is ridiculous, we could have done something worthwile this whole time, are you seriously joking me, Delilah, I knew it was a wrong choice bringing a child with me....."

And right there, I blundered heavily, after a brief awkward silence, an unwanted expression appeared on Delilah's face, her lips skewed downwards, her eyes became watery and she started trembling, then out came a loud and painful cry.

"BWAH! AHA! WAAAAHAHHHAHAHH! WAAAAHHHAAAA!"

"Hey, stop, no need to cry, hey, look look, I'll, here, let's draw another map on the knaw and draw, this time we'll both do it.....hey....please....Delilah...."

No matter what I did, she would keep weeping, I could hear nothing behind her cries, they were loud enough to cancel the sound of the tremors around the temple, I try to go outside to get some help from the people to make her stop, but it seemed that the 'help' had some other plans. Right outside the temple at a distance I espied a swarm of people, running so hastily that they shook the ground, they were getting closer and closer, it was a whole army, they were chanting something but I couldn't get a hold of what it was until, in the blink of an eye, they were at arm's distance...

"CHARGE!!!! CHARGE!!!! CHARGE!!!! YOU DARE MAKE THE MUSUME OF THE CHELONISIAN TRIBE SHED TEARS, YOU DESERVE THE BEHEADING! DROKIME! DROKIME!"

"Oh dear lord....."

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"They really beat you to a pulp didn't they, well, it is your fault for making me cry, atleast we got what we wanted, A Map! See Robert, sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to have success. Oh and also, you owe me again!"

'A little' she says, I ended up with a fractured collar, a fractured arm, bloody nose, broken teeth sprained ankle, a concussion, I can barely stand or speak. At the time when Delilah finally stopped sobbing and saw me getting absolutely banjaxed by these tyrants, she 'again' saved me and was able to convey our whole purpose of coming to this place to them, which should have been done the instant we set foot on this place, and apparently, they have had miniature copies of the old large historic map drawn on paper in their local market for centuries now, in addition to that, Chelonisia is actually one of the sole producers of maps in the whole world. We made the right decision to come here but executed it horribly, because of a certain someone.

"What now?" aksed Delilah, "We figure out where to head next, and settle their for awhile, then repeat, I want to research and observe for my objective and simultaneously you will get your world tour, sounds about right to me."

"To where though?"

"I don't know yet, I think it's best to first determine a way on how we will manage our mobility than deciding things we are unable to do."

A means of transport was what we needed, having no coin posed a problem as we won't be able to book a cab or a train, those things cost alot either way; there is in fact one other feasible way we can manage this, which is using the flying machine that we came here in, the problem is, none of us know how to pilot it, the one who does 'Jay', is under the command of Delilah's father who is no doubt aware of her movements through Jay, and as a parent, he would definitely not want her daughter raoming the world with a complete stranger, another 'deadlock'. I ask Delilah if there is any way where she could convince Jay into piloting it for us, I expected her to say something like lying or bribing, but her response was even more concerning.....

"Let's kidnap him!"

It wasn't a bad suggestion though, I modified the idea into something a bit more implementable, instead of kidnapping him and taking him everywhere with us against of his own will, we can instead imprison him here in Chelonisia under the watch of the tribesmen. I consulted with Delilah and she approved without hesitation. The execution would be quite simple, Delilah would let the tribesmen in on the plan, we bring out Jay to them, and leave him in their care......'forever'.......

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"Everybody in position?"

The stage was set, now all that needed to be done was calling Jay. "Delilah, we're counting on you..."

"HEY JAY! COME! QUICK! FATHER HAS CALLED FOR YOU!"

"RIGHT ON MY WAY MISS!"

And it worked, he was rushing here, stumbling along the way, I ask Delilah "How did you know that was going to work?"

"He's very serious about my father, to the point where even if you mention him, he'll lose all other thoughts and just focus on following the order. Loyal instinct, I guess."

Jay arrives panting vigorously and stands there in the midst of a regular crowd, chatting and relaxing, with no sign of Delilah's father there, and there he realizes by sighing and wiping the sweat off of his forehead, then the leader of the tribesmen commands, "FORCES, CAPTURE, HOLD HIM TIGHT, DON'T LET HIM MOVE, KURUMBE! KURUMBE!"

Without wasting a second the forces charge at him as he is baffled at the situatuion, I holler to Delilah, "RUN, TO THE FLYING MACHINE"

I pick up Delilah and carry her in my arms to the flying machine as the tribesmen subdue Jay, "GET BACK HERE MISS DELILAH! YOUR FATHER WON'T BE VERY PLEASED AB-MHMHMMMHMMM"

As Jay was tied up and shut for good, we quickly reached the aircraft and get ready for departure.

"Wear that seatbelt tight, you got that?"

Delilah was strapped ready at the rear and I was in-charge of piloting, "Okay....How do you fly this thing?" 

Delilah wails toward me "JUST PRESS SOME BUTTONS HURRY UP!" which I do, and before I knew, the wind abruptly increases in volume and the blades above start spinning, eventually we leave ground and lift up, my heart started beating heavily and I got an uneasy feeling, my panic increased even more, while Delilah back there was screaming in excitement. Right now all I could do was figure out as I flew.

"ALRIGHT! YOU READY, I THINK I GOT THE JIST OF THIS, LET'S HEAD.....*huff-huff*...TO THE BRISTLING COUNTRY OF....AMERICA!"

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