| Simple Gifts, Conclusion Previously: Azimah is a refugee who has run away from a camp but been found by two women who run a home for troubled girls. Chapter Three - The Slice of Life "I have never loved anybody. Yes, my mother and father, and my brother and sister. I think. But it was so long ago." Azimah was quietly recollecting her childhood, and the others listened, marveling at her unlikely arrival at their house. "Two days ago I was dead." She frowned and shook her head. "I give up. Better to die than be raped in that harem. That is what they called it, those men. 'You be my wife, I take good care of you. You beautiful girl, you make many fine babies.' I was twelve." She shook her head in disbelief. Then, slowly "Perhaps I was not meant to die." She looked up at the two women, a tiny smile telling them that hope had been reborn. Eva, the most sentimental child of all, which was truly strange given her background, took her hand and said simply, "I want you to be my sister. I hate being the eldest." "But you'll need to be my sister," Adama butted in, "because she is so bossy." She smiled a little more, but looked at the two women. This was their house, her whole life had been spent learning to not expect too much. It was Disney who spoke. "Azimah, we would like you to stay, but only if you are aware of what you are getting into. There are no men in this house. Mardi and I sleep together, make love together, spend most of our time together. The girls are part of our life. They are sexual beings, unafraid, now, of their feelings. They are developing into whole human beings who know the role of sexuality, care, love, and satisfaction. They came from backgrounds that precluded any of that." Seeing the young woman's puzzled expression, she went on, "That is, they could never have known anything like that. And we cannot ask you to share in that if you are unwilling to learn, be guided, and put aside many of the things you will have learnt that say what we do is wrong. But, if you are, you will go at your own pace. No one will pressure you, make you try things that you are reluctant to do, or are against your instincts. And, if you do," here she gave a big grin, "you will probably have a lot of fun, a lot of study to do, duties, responsibilities, particularly for those three," scowling and pointing to the girls, "who will do as they are told. Or else." The silence that followed was almost 'hear-the-dripping-tap' kind, as everyone waited. Mardi knew there were issues in the girl's mind that had nothing to do with their living arrangements, so she said softly, "We are good at inventing pasts, you know. We all have them, never what they seem to outsiders. Your father may be able to start looking for you. We would not want him to believe you are dead, and we can organise something about that as well, but the authorities? We know a few people, we have some -- er -- resources. And we'd need you to teach us about your country, its people, its ways." She smiled and put her hand on Azimah's. "Somehow, my dear, I feel this has been ordained. Set up by something outside us." The smile that grew on the girl's face was something to behold. She regarded Mardi with wonder, nodded her head, and whispered, "That is something I know. Some things are meant to happen." She looked at the others, one by one, then simply said, "You will have a lot to help me with. But I think you will not be sorry. I will be your friend, all of you." She turned to the women, "You know I cannot pay you, but I will, one day." She put her other hand on top of Mardi's, which was still resting on her other hand. "You, angel. You too," looking at Disney; "twins, Maya, you are the cherubs. Me? I am the fallen one. Which you picked up." She smiled, caught up in her own picture. "Thank you for having me. I will stay and teach the cherubs some manners." There was instant laughter from those tiny angels. That was never going to work. * The girls insisted on showing her around the house. Big, country style farmhouse kitchen, pantry to one side, wood and electric stoves, all the other necessary things. Bathroom through a door at the end of that room, hallway opposite the back door, which opened straight into the kitchen. First door on the right was Maya's, toilet opposite; then the twins room, the grownups room on the same side, while next to Maya's room was a large dining cum family room. At the front a comfortable lounge room, sofas and chairs, music system, books, and a piano. This item took Azimah by surprise. She looked at it, went to it, opened the lid and stood staring. "Piano. I play. OK?" "Sure," said Eva, "Mardi plays sometimes." A few tentative notes were played, then the stool pulled out so she could sit. "This a song from home," she said, and began to play. A simple sounding melody, but when she began to sing it seemed complex, with unusual rhythms and sounds. The mothers came in, astonishment on their faces. A burst of applause as the song ended brought surprise to the performer. "Just a school song, we sing much. Sang much. About the mountains and the goats." "Play some more." Maya was entranced. She smiled, but said, "Please, the toilet? I have not been since -- since I came." Later, as they were all talking about Turkmenistan, Azimah said, "What is that smell? Like something, I do not know -" Maya was the first to answer. "Oh, that's the sea. The wind has gone around, and it's blowing the ozone to us. We can go tomorrow, perhaps. Too cold today." "Oh. A big sea?" "All the way to the Antarctic." Adama was proud of her knowledge. "Is your name really Adama? It's not a girl's name, is it?" There were giggles. "Well, it is now. I didn't have a name when Disney got me, just 'child number one hundred and one', apparently. And my papers said I was a boy, so Disney decided to call me Adam, as I was her first. But I wasn't a boy, was I, Eva?" This brought a laugh, and Eva answered by saying, "Thank heavens. And then I was their second, and they really knew I was a girl so they called me Eva, though I'm a day older than Adama." "No parents?" Azimah was really puzzled. "You had to have parents, didn't you?" "None we knew." "They were admitted to hospital." Disney held up her hand for quiet. "So, to fill you in on our background, I trained as a doctor, a paediatrician, specialising in children's things. One day a social worker brought this child in to our welfare department, as she had been found wandering along a busy road with only a nappy on. I didn't know about this for quite a while, but when I heard that both the police and the social workers could find no trace of her parents, or any relatives, and no one had reported her missing, I read the file and wondered what would become of her -- or him, as the file described the infant. I made some phone calls, and it would seem that infant no. 101 would finish up in a foster home. But I had really wanted a child of my own, without knowing how to go about that, seeing I had no thought of getting involved with a man. So, I used some influence and, well, a friend," glancing at Mardi and smiling, "to set up this place -- it's called a Home-Based primary care centre -- and resigned from the hospital so I could be here full time." "I don't remember anything else," Adama said cheerfully. "Then I got involved," said Mardi. "I'm a primary school teacher, and in those days I was the principal of the school in this area. One day there was a terrible accident when the school bus rolled down an embankment, and fourteen of the children were rushed to the base hospital. That's when I met Disney. The kids were OK, but it was not long before us two were more than OK. We became lovers, I provided this house for the centre, Adama came, then Eva, Maya and now you." They could see Azimah trying to take all this in, which she seemed to do because she turned to Eva and asked, "Were you wandering along the road too?" Disney answered. "No, nothing like that. By the time this place was ready Adama had turned three; I'd managed to take her to my mother's place in the meantime so she could look after her, and I had already resigned, when Eva was admitted to my care. She was in a terrible state. Now, Azimah, this is going to be pretty horrible for you, even though you have seen some really bad things, but be brave. Eva, pull down your jeans." Maya turned her head away. She never wanted to see this again. From the top of her legs to the ankles there were scars. The scars left by burns; not one whole burn, but many small ones that made a pattern like a moonscape. Azimah clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling a moan. Adama put her arm around the shoulders of her twin and pulled her close. Eva said, "Daddy did this. I was naughty and he punished me." There was a silence of horror and sympathy, of disbelief and distress. Presently Disney said, "It took us three months to heal those burns, three years to heal her mind. Those scars remind us all that there is real, unbelievable cruelty in this world, but that there is also wonderfully real recovery." Turning to Azimah, she said softly, "Are you sure you want to stay? Can you live with this?" There was no answer. Eva pulled her jeans up and went to sit next to the new girl. "There's no way I can know what you have suffered, but whatever that was, you will get better here. Please stay with us?" A slow smile appeared on that terribly thin face. She looked at Eva, so damaged but so well, then at Adama, abandoned but found, at Maya, who must have a story, then at the two women who had made all this possible. "Of course. I have nowhere else to go. Nowhere else I would want to go. Never have I seen, no, felt such caring. So much love." She paused, the smile becoming a grin. "So which one of you is father?" Maya began to giggle, the twins snorted in amusement, the women embraced and Mardi said, "Guess." "There is no father?" More grins. "Then who is the old man?" Puzzled frowns. "What old man?" "The one you told that cop about. The one in New York." "My god. I forgot you couldn't know. OK, he's my brother. It's like this." She was back to earth. "Disney is my surname. My given name is Sylvia, 'the old man' is my brother Jim. He is in New York, he does know about all this, and is a real part of the story. You see, it is not possible for two lesbians to get permission to adopt children. Well, it wasn't then. So Jim got some papers together that said he and I were actually husband and wife. He's a lawyer. So we got permission, and Mardi, having teaching degrees, was able to set up this centre." "Why do they call you Disney?" "Well, that started as a mnemonic, something that Adama and Eva would get so used to saying so that there would be no slips of the tongue. I also didn't tell you that I have adopted them, so their surname is Disney too. So is Maya. But you, well, you'd be Maisie Verhoof, because that's Mardi's surname. And your mother is Anna, your father Wilhelm, and you ran away from home because you hate them." A frown of concentration clouded Azimah's face. Then she nodded slowly, looked up and said, "So -- who is the father? In this family. Someone has to act?" Then she burst out laughing. "No, I do not mean that. No father, two mothers, I like that." "I call Disney Dad sometimes," said Maya, "because I think she's like the dad I wanted." "And I wield a terrible hairbrush on naughty bums." Snorts of derision from the twins. "And I teach everyone right here. We are so far out in the country that the primary school is more than one hour's drive away, so we got approval to set up a distance education group." Mardi looked at Azimah. "You will need to join in until your English is really good; it's only a few hours a day, and as well you'll need to know lots of things about here as well as Australia." "She's a really good teacher," the twins said; "I like drawing and tennis, " -- Eva, and "I like maths and biology," from Adama. "Do you teach music?" Azimah asked. Mardi looked at her. "I think you can take those lessons - " Maya butted in, "But there's some things that aren't lessons. They're like -- um, well -- I call them pleasures, 'cause well, that's what they are. They've all taught me." She grinned at the twins. Azimah frowned. "You mean like eating ice cream?" "A bit like that, but warm, not cold." The twins licked their lips suggestively. "So what are these pleasures?" Azimah was thirteen, and most Australian girls that age would have got the innuendo, but it was obvious that her life had been very different, restricted, innocent. Mardi and Disney were watching to see where this would go, as they both knew this topic needed to be discussed early and thoroughly, and they also had some idea of the role of women in that part of the world. Or at least they imagined they did. "We could show you, if you like." Maya at seven had no idea that this might be not just embarrassing but downright traumatic for Azimah, but before anything more could be said Disney broke in. "Azimah, have you started your periods yet?" "What's that?" "Your menstrual cycle--the monthly bleed. Every woman starts at puberty." "Oh. Well, no, it was never spoken about in the camp, my mother went before I was old enough to be told, but I have heard of it." "So have you started?" She shook her head slowly. "I do not think about it. I know it must happen, but it is so unclean, the punishment all women have. I am afraid." The twins frowned. This was news to them. It was, however, Mardi--gentle, utterly caring Mardi--who spoke. "Azimah, that is what men want you to believe--religious men especially. Was there any religion taught in your area?" "No, the Russians stamped it out, I think." "So where did you get this idea?"" "The Mullahs. Afghanistan. We had to attend mosque. The teaching there." "Well, whether you believe in a supreme being or not, Azimah, we are the way we are because that is the way we have evolved. There is no wrong or right about it. We have periods so we can be ready to have children. It's not unclean, it's nature. In fact, it is one of the most wonderful things that happens to a woman. Those poor suckers of men are jealous, so they make it out to be bad. It's a bit of a nuisance, and sometimes painful, but really it's a womanly wonder." Azimah frowned as she took this in, then nodded her head slowly. "And you haven't started yet," Disney added, "possibly because of the conditions under which you were housed in the camp. The mind has a way of controlling things, sometimes. So, when you do start, we'll be here to help and guide you. We'll always be here for you." A silence developed. The girls had learnt that sometimes there needed to be quiet, so that something could be thought about. Joy and exuberance had their place, but everyone had a right to their times of introspection. Presently Azimah reached out her hand and put it on Mardi's. "Thank you." She looked at Disney, then the girls. "Thank you." And she began to cry. Tears of relief, the beginnings of healing, the relief of security. The twins got up and put their arms about her waist and shoulders. Maya, sitting next to her, began to stroke her hair. There was more silence, until, as the tears waned and composure returned, she looked up and smiled. The word 'love' seemed to come from nowhere, to hang in the air and cast a veil of warmth over the company, which lasted until Maya, showing where her mind was, asked, "Can we show you about pleasures?" Chapter Four - Finding the Place "Well, I - " Azimah was quite uncertain. "Lunch time, we're sitting outside today!" Disney was bright and business-like. Food was a far bigger distraction than other pleasures to the seven year old at that time of day, who was the first to jump up and run out the door. Azimah, who had been there less than two days, had not yet been outside, although she had seen it through the windows. Eva, the caring twin, took her by the hand and said, "It's lovely, and today is nice and warm so we'll be able to show you the gardens, maybe we'll get to the beach too. You'll love it!" The food was sandwiches, tea, and fruit. They sat, and with no preamble, took what they fancied and began to eat. Azimah hung back, not yet sure of the protocol, but ravenous -- so only a few seconds passed before she too was grabbing at the delicious looking things on the table. This was food she'd had no idea existed. Nothing like that in her village or in the camps, so this soft bread, full of grains and seeds was irresistible, and reminded her how close she had been to starvation not long before. "Like them?" asked Mardi. She nodded, her mouth being stuffed. Then, after a big swallow, "Yes, thunk you. This is such nice bread, and meat. Not like home, not like camps." "We make bread, and the jams, grow our own fruit, there's a cow in the paddock, there's lots of chickens, and most of our vegetables." Adama was a good gardener, and very proud of her veggies. "We work hard. We lost most things last year in the drought, but this year is good." "I looked after cows," Azimah said, rather proudly, "and helped in the fields. Very cold." They soon finished their meal and lay back in their chairs, enjoying the sudden spring warmth. Maya, fully stuffed with food, was letting her mind roam back to pleasures when Azimah, sitting next to her, leant over and softly said, "Well, tell me about these pleasures, eh?" "Oh, yes! Goody. Well, we have kissed cuddles, hot licks, shivers, and the twins have pounders and groans as well. We usually do it in bed, sometimes on the couch, but it's really good. Sometimes it's two, sometimes the three of us. I can show you, if you like. You have to take off your pants, of course, and I could do it to you, 'cause I like you, and I want to be your special friend. Have you ever had a shiver?" She frowned. "Only when I was cold. But -- you mean down there?" pointing to her crotch. "Sure, that's where the hot licks go." "Oh." She was suddenly unsure about the decision she'd made about staying. 'Down There' was the centre of evil, except for your husband. But -- but these people seemed to be well, healthy, and normal. She looked up to find Mardi, ask her if this was what they thought of as normal. Everything else was so wonderful, but-- But that astute woman had been quietly watching this exchange, and knew what was in this girl's mind. She came and sat down next to her. "Sex between girls, between women, between girls and women is not only normal, but wholesome and uplifting -- provided that it is done in love, caring, consideration, and respect - and not out of lust, cruelty, or for profit. Some women love men in those ways, in love and companionship, but not all. None of us have shown any desire for men, although as they get older these girls may, as you may also. But believe me, I know from experience that a loving girlfriend has much more to offer than a loving man. There's less struggle, less misunderstanding, less stress and discomfort. And lots more happiness, lots more laughs, many more good times." Azimah took her time considering this. She knew nothing about her body, her hormones, or her workings. Those were things never taught; a woman's body was there to bear children, her strength was to care for them and her husband. So, to go with a woman was such a strange idea that it would take some time to get used to it -- or maybe even never. Her concerns were dealt a blow, however, by Maya. Having no inkling of the doubts in her friends mind, she simply put her arms around her, leant over and kissed her. On the mouth. Hard. She had never been kissed like that before. She could not remember ever having being kissed on the mouth, and was all prepared to push this child away, allow her half-remembered upbringing to get on top of her newly found hope -- but in the instant that took she also realized that this girl had also suffered, had survived this strange household and its ways, and that if someone so young could do it, then so could she. Slowly and tentatively she put her arms around the waist of this small, wonderful girl and squeezed. Slowly and cautiously she felt the warmth of intimacy begin to blossom in her heart. And equally slowly she pressed her lips back onto Maya's. Mardi, casually observing this with intense concentration, smiled. If anything could cut through a deeply rooted prejudice, if anything could undo years of oppressive teaching it was the simple, unselfish love of a child. She watched as they broke, Maya grinning, Azimah flushed and panting. The older girl shook her head in wonderment. She looked at her teacher open mouthed, eyes bulging. Seven-year-old teacher wasn't bothered. "Want to try a hot lick now?" As if mesmerized, Azimah nodded. Mardi said, "Let's go inside. It's not the most comfortable out here." Disney and the twins had disappeared a while before, but were the first to be seen as the trio entered the all-purpose kitchen. Maya was used to these scenes, while Mardi, one of the activists in their introduction, quickly looked at the new arrival. It was one thing to talk about 'hot licks', but another for the uninitiated to observe them -- and some of their developments. An air mattress was on the floor in the centre of the room, with Disney spread-eagled on it. Blond haired Eva was sitting on her face, leaning forward so she could lick and slurp at the cunt before her eyes. This belonged to her brown haired nearly-twin Adama who was curled in a ball so she in turn could suck, lick, and play with that same piece of wonderful anatomy that belonged to Disney. "That's the triangle," Maya told her new friend, "we can do a square, though it's more like a rectangle, and a circle. I'm not tall enough to do all that, but you're going to have no trouble." Azimah could only stare. She knew that Muslim men expected many virgins when they got to heaven, so maybe this was what the women got instead. Then her attention was diverted by Mardi, who casually began to shed her clothes, and Maya who was doing the same. She was suddenly at a loss. Join or watch? Sneak out the door and hide? But she had no choice, because she heard something so new and startling that she was transformed. "Ahh.... Eeeee...." Eva was now sitting straight up, head thrown back, eyes closed, panting and moaning. A shiver seemed to go through her whole body. Then a smile, a frown, a twitch, and a long, low sound, half way between a sigh and a moan. Disney followed a moment later, jerking up and down in a spasm of either utter pain or ecstasy -- Azimah had no idea which -- then a moan that grew to a shout before dying away. Adama looked up, saw the others with unseeing eyes, turned herself around and was preparing to displace her twin from Disney's mouth of pleasure when Mardi touched her shoulder and said, "Allow me." Quick as a flash she sat on one of the kitchen chairs, leant back, opened her legs as far as they would go, and closed her eyes. Mardi knelt in front of her and began to lick, to use her tongue as a probe, and to flick and massage an area at the top of the apex with her fingertips. Azimah could not take her eyes away. Someone had said the magic word and a whole wonderful world of sensual odours, sights that made her heart beat so fast she thought it would explode, and sounds so erotic they had to have come from heaven, caught her in their spell and made her hands do things over which she had no control. Her jeans dropped to the floor, her knickers, her top was pulled over her head, shoes and socks following. Then she stood there, ready but unsure of what to do next. She was still so thin that her ribs could easily be counted. Tall, straight, black hair neatly brushed, with a rather flat Slavic face, she had been transformed into a dryad, a water nymph, and one waiting on her pagan goddess. This turned out to be someone who only came up to her armpit, and who simply knelt in front of her and ran her forefinger along the outer lips of her sex until the legs parted, seemingly of their own volition, then worked that finger inside the crease to find the moisture, the inner sanctum, the juice that had begun to seep for the first time from the made-to-order ducts. She knew she was trembling, but was so far away from herself that there was nothing she could do. A small tingle began in her groin and spread upwards as a voice whispered in her ear, "Sit on the table." She did, with her legs opening completely, and immediately the tingle began again, growing and surging up into her mind, her heart, her being. She gasped. Something hot began to follow the tingle up her spine, a pulse like the beat of the village drum, and as that took possession of her mind a new sensation, a kind of creamy layer, was added. She opened her eyes and saw with surprise that Eva was sucking on one of her nipples, teasing the other with her fingers, and using her other hand to make slow circles on her stomach. Then she was floating, wrapped in a cloud, angels singing in the distance, and she heard herself call out, "Aye....." which she kept repeating until there was a jolt and her brain seemed to explode. When she opened her eyes she found herself on the sofa, cradled in Mardi's arms, a twin each side, Maya sitting on Disney's lap on a chair opposite, and five smiling faces. There was not a word. The colours were the same as before, she could hear the birds in the trees chirping away, the smell of freshly baked bread hung in the air, it was warm and pleasant, but everything was different. So new, like being in touch with the whole world. She smiled. Eva leant over and kissed her cheek. Adama stroked her hair. Maya snuggled into Disney's arms and grinned at her. Mardi began to sing, in a beautiful, warm mezzo. "There is a place, a place for us, Azimah lifted her head and kissed her on the lips. "Thunk you, Mama," she said, and smiled. Chapter Five - Simple Gifts "Please, please can I try one more time?" Maya was desperate. Azimah shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I cannot get there. It is my fault, not yours. But I am tired. Let us just cuddle, OK?" It had not taken long for the eldest and youngest girls to start sleeping together. Maya was insistent, because not only did she want to have her own, exclusive friend to be with, but she had become spellbound by the older girl, who was exotic and fascinating. Azimah had been willing to go along with this, because she saw in Maya a child who in her naïve way was able to tell her and show her things without artifice. The seven-year-old, however, was not so adept at giving her those wonderful climaxes that had begun the sexual revolution in her life. Both Mardi and Disney were expert, and although Azimah was still unsure of how to ask for more favours from them, her once a day visit to the land of the exploding mind was enough -- well, almost. The twins were happy to join in the occasional all-in-one tangles that Azimah found exhausting, funny, and very erotic, but really had eyes only for each other. The two women were an unbreakable pair, even as they gave their all to the wellbeing of their children, so it was natural for the oldest and youngest to be together. And it was, thought Azimah, so wonderfully different from anything she had ever dreamt of or seen that she would never be distressed again. "Oh, all right." Maya snuggled up to the older girl and smelt the warm scent of her skin. "I love you," she whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted off. Azimah lay there, still bemused by her new life. She could not believe it was only three weeks since she'd been found, and, she knew, so close to death. Life sure was odd. But, as she too drifted off to sleep, she sensed that something was not right. There was a warmth between her legs, a wetness, a slippery feeling. She put her hand on her crotch and knew. She groaned. Gently removing the arms clinging to her, she slid out of bed into the cold night air and made for the bathroom opposite. She'd had some pain there earlier, but had put it down to something she'd eaten. Now she knew. Maya had not been in a deep sleep and the disturbance had woken her, and she mumbled, "What you doing?" "It's OK, darling, go back to sleep." The bedside light was turned on, and the childish voice gave a yelp. "There's blood on the sheets. What's happened?" "It's my period." Maya leapt out of bed and ran past Azimah, calling as she sped up the passage, "Disney, Disney, Azimah's got her period." Things had returned to normal by morning, and over breakfast Azimah had ventured onto a topic that she had been wondering about. "Do you remember," she asked Maya, "about what happened before you came here?" "I don't remember anything about that. Only about being here." Maya was rather glum. Things had been less than perfect over the past few days, as the twins had been taken on a camp by Mardi and some other teachers, with about forty other 9-11 year olds from the district. While the twins had been very excited, Maya was disconsolate. Sure, she had Azimah and Disney, but she had been with the other two so long that it seemed strange without their noise and spats, apart from which she'd had to teach Azimah all the games they played. Yes, they now shared the same bed, and Azimah had been a really quick learner, and her tongue was at least as long and strong as Mardi's, but Maya knew that their age difference was just too great. Azimah was patient and caring, but just did not have the same sense of fun as the twins, and Maya knew she was not able to do for the new girl that which the new girl did for her, that is, make her cum. Azimah also knew by then that this placid child had some troubling things in her background, for she would sometimes moan and cry in her sleep, at other times need cuddling and rocking. Something bad was buried, and in her teenage search for meaning she had to find out what. When Disney heard the question, and the answer, she said "Maya, we have never told you how you came to be here, because it's not a very nice story. I doubt I can even tell Azimah, and we are not sure if you should hear it. It could upset you." Maya became thoughtful. She knew something must have happened when she was small, because she would not be here otherwise, but she had never stopped to ask herself what that might have been. Now, though, she wondered if she should find out. She was a big girl, seven, so why not? "No, tell me. I'm big enough." Disney smiled thinly. No one was ever old enough for this. "Well, I got a call from a friend, a social worker, to go with her and check out some babies being cared for in an institution run by the state. I knew of it, but had never been there. They were all well fed, clean, no marks or bruises, all with their own bed or cot, play things and with good food. But there was no noise. No baby sounds. I saw you lying in your cot and went to pick you up. You screamed and screamed until I put you down. You rolled yourself up into a ball and rocked back and forth. The others were the same. I was so upset I wanted to leave, but how to do that was beyond me. Because, you see, I had read about this, but never thought to see it." She paused. Azimah's eyes were wide, Maya was frowning, so she went on. "Every living creature needs to bond. That is, all babies need to be picked up, cuddled, talked to, stroked, played with. We cannot develop properly unless this happens, but none of those babies had experienced it. As a result, their minds had not grown the way they should. In the end the place was closed, but not before the babies had started on the long and difficult journey back to proper mental development. In your case this took about three years. And do you know who helped the most?" a shake of the head. "The twins. They sat and played with you for hours. You could not respond for a long time, but their love and care brought you to a complete recovery." "You see, not all the bad things that happen are visible. Eva's legs -- you see them and are horrified. But Adama and Azimah both have scars in their minds, and no one can see them, so they think they are normal and whole. But they are not, and neither are you. You'll always have those scars, and sometimes, when you least expect it, they will begin to hurt. That's why we are here, to help you get past those troubles. And we know the best way to do that is with good friends and total love." Maya looked at Azimah, a new look in her eyes. "We're really about the same, aren't we." And, for all the difference in their ages, background, colouring, and experiences, they were. A week later, on Sunday, they were in the lounge room. They had been going to the beach for a picnic, but a storm had suddenly arrived and put an end to that plan. The twins were past their over-the-top retelling of their camping, but had come back with a sexual hunger that came, they were quick to tell them, from five days of abstinence. "It just wasn't possible," explained Adama. Little kids, straight kids, severe fundamentalist teachers; they weren't even allowed to sleep in the same cabin. "But we're home now, and are we ever going to make up for lost time." And of course, they did. Azimah had begun to put on weight, her ribs were better covered, her face had filled out a little, and her breasts had made a leap outward. She was also developing a beauty that transcended the physical, that showed in the light of her eyes and the tilt of her head. She had begun to teach the other three some of her village songs, although they were so different to 'normal' songs that they had all but given up trying, quarter tones and unstructured rhythms being foreign to western minds. Nonetheless, she'd had lessons in piano and could read most of the sheet music Mardi had, and as the evening shadows crept into the room, Mardi told them, "Azimah has a special song for you. It's an old American Shaker song, and it is so beautiful I want us to use it as our theme song from now on. The words are exactly what has happened to all of us, the gifts it talks about are how we are, and the bending and turning is about how we have had to let go of our old ways in order to find those gifts." Azimah began to play, Mardi to sing. At the end there was not a dry eye in the house. Simple Gifts The End |