Master Ka Finds a Companion

Our first glimpse into the world of Master Ka, the start of the story: ‘Master Ka Finds a Companion’. The world of Master Ka, at once familiar and foreign, is a shimmering fantasy that transports the reader to a place of wonder, appreciation, and joyful exploration of the human.

RIGHTS AVAILABLE

Master Ka clapped shut the bag in which he had neatly layered his utensils and looked up. The small creature sitting on his kitchen sideboard was bent over a bowl, wrinkled fingers sifting ceaselessly through its contents. The old man smiled, for the transformation the animal had undergone in the past few weeks gladdened the heart. Could anyone have read the Master’s thoughts they would surely have smiled, for the transformation applied equally to both of them.

The Master was on the return leg of a journey and over weeks of absence his impedimenta had grown ever larger. He hadn’t held back at the markets, and the merchants were practised salesmen with a good nose not just for aromatic spices, but also for the enthusiasm of a stranger more than willing to plunge himself into the culinary adventure of a foreign land. Bag after bag piled up and landed on the gaunt man’s shoulders. The straps soon began cutting into his skin, leaving painful weals. Master Ka felt himself a fool. Had he let greed get the better of him? “They’re only a few choice delicacies,” he reassured himself. With a decisive heave, he attempted to bring the tower on his back into a stable position. Yet the piles of purchases lurched dangerously out of balance. There was no avoiding rearranging the load. Furrowing his brow, he looked around for somewhere away from the busy crossing, shielded from prying eyes. A group of small cedars by a buttressed wall offered shade and privacy. He hobbled on, for by now one of the jute sacks was hitting him in the back of the knee with every step. A different sack loosened itself from the bundle and refused to stay on his back, preferring to nestle on top of the Master’s sweat-soaked chest. The old man swore to himself that this would be his last journey. No going back.

He sank exhausted beneath one of the cedars. The weight pulled him backwards, leaving him feeling like a tortoise that had landed on its shell. Goodness gracious, had he taken leave of his senses? He really was of an age now one might expect to be ladened at most with dignity and gravitas. One put on a serious face, clasped one’s hands behind one’s back, and allowed oneself to be treated with all respect due. Exhausted, Master Ka remained in this less than dignified position and looked to the heavens. The branches of the cedar above him offered shade, and even in this ludicrous posture he couldn’t help but enjoy the tree’s spicy scent. His weight pressed down on the packages, whose scents escaped and mixed with those of the tree to form an entirely new aroma. Master Ka could already see himself in the kitchen.

Then he snorted, squinted, and screwed up his eyes. Something rustled down on him and forced him to cough. He freed himself laboriously from the tangle of bags and wiped his face. It seemed to be no more than bits of bark, but where had they come from? He stood up, moved closer to the tree and bent aside a branch with both hands. Two big brown eyes were looking at him. Master Ka jumped back in shock. What had he seen? Had he seen something? He needed a moment to make certain of his thoughts. This time he bent the branch slowly to one side. There they were again. The beauty of the big brown eyes stood the rest in painful contrast. Half-starved and covered in sores sat, deep in the depths of the tree, huddled against the trunk, an animal. A little monkey.

Their eyes met. Master Ka met the look firmly and stayed calm, although he suppressed a horrified gasp only with difficulty. He didn’t want to scare the creature. It hadn’t hidden itself so deep in the tree for no reason. For a long moment Master Ka maintained the same stillness, but eventually he slowly reached out his arm. The animal made no move to flee, and the old man felt encouraged enough to carefully pick it up. He sat himself on one of his bags, and the animal on his thigh. Then he reached for his flask of water, poured a little in his hand, and held it to the creature’s mouth. It was a difficult business, for so limp was the animal that more than once it threated to escape his grasp entirely. So they sat for a long while, Master Ka patiently pouring little sips of water for the monkey. Then, with one hand, he undid his kerchief, dampened it, and laid it around the small creature’s neck. The monkey opened its mouth, and a deep sigh escaped...

Report abuse