A GAME OF STRATEGY

I stood off to the side and watched the two men play. It was a table game I had not seen before, but it looked interesting. The object was to move all your pieces across the board and back before your opponent. I asked them for the name of the game and was told it's called 'plank'. This was the third game I had watched, and I was getting a good feel for the game. When the third game ended, the men looked towards me, nodded once, and then left the hut. Strange behavior, but I'm still getting used to the Sand Maru villagers. My name is Bothari, and much of what the villagers do is strange to me. I turned to leave and nearly crashed into Mano standing behind me. The elder was unusually quiet and kept sneaking up on me. It was unnerving; nobody snuck up on me.

"Warm sand my friend; would you like to play?" Mano asked. He sat down without waiting for an answer and began to set up the board. I sat down actress from him without a word and set up my pieces. Mano indicated that I should go first, so I did. We took turns, back and forth, neither speaking at first.

"Your protection of Gerard is honorable," the elder said. I looked up at him in surprise. I had been watching out for Gerard since we arrived, but it quickly became obvious it wasn't needed. The islanders were friendly. I thought I had hidden my intentions better than that. Apparently not.

"Honorable but not necessary," I said, and bowed my head to the elder.

"Truth; you are not needed today, but you are needed tomorrows," Mano said.

"What is going to happen tomorrow?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

"Not tomorrow; tomorrows," Mano replied.

"I don't understand,"

"Someday Gerard will run towards his future. A man who runs that fast and never looks at his feet is bound to stumble and fall. This can be deadly unless you have a protector, or guardian," the elder said. We both went quiet for a few minutes.

"I feel I owe a life debt," I said, looking up, "you know these words?"

"I do, here we say doka, a thing owed," Mano said, nodding. We continued playing in silence.

Mano beat me four straight, but I learned something with each game. At the end, he stood and gave me one of those island handshakes that everyone here used. His smile seemed happier than it was before, like he was sharing good news.

"Your path is well chosen my new friend. It will bring you joy and glory as you walk the length of it. When you reach the end, you will know in your heart that you made the right choice," he said.

"You think this?" I asked.

"I know this," he answered, "I see far my new friend; far."

The last word he spoke deep and full of weight. Mano smiled, bowed, and walked away.