Beginning Beyond The Horizon

Hajime and Yul had been making hairpins all night, and it was past three in the morning when Yul decided to go to bed because U-ri and Michio would most likely wake up in a few hours to make breakfast.

As the morning sunlight filtered through some broken bricks, Hajime placed the last hairpin with the nineteen others he and Yul had made during the night. He yawned, stretched out his arms, and looked back at the four people sleeping in the corner of the room.

Hajime walked over to his blanket, lay down between Yul and U-ri, closed his eyes, and dozed off.

Abrafo sat up and stretched out his arms, only to find Hajime still asleep in his spot. He thought he was the first to wake up, but he found that Yul, U-ri and Michio had already gone out. He walked to the fire pit and found twenty hairpins placed beside the fire pit. Abrafo picked up a hairpin and admired the stunning work of art.

Abrafo sighed and said, "Good job, Hajime." He suddenly realized that Hajime looked different.  Turning around, he saw that Hajime's hair had grown back to its original shape since last night. He chuckled.

Abrafo walked out to find Yul, U-ri, and Michio heading towards the house with vegetables and four fish.

U-ri said, "Bring us some firewood. After we eat, you, Yul and I will go to the market to sell hairpins made by Hajime."

Abrafo frowned, "Why me?"

Yul said, "Don't you want to eat something delicious?"

Abrafo, "Ah-uh..."

Yul said, "Then you have to sell some hairpins to get the good stuff."

After breakfast, the three Tanzanies walked on the street of the market, which was as lively as ever. The three Tanzanies set up a stall next to a middle-aged woman selling cosmetics.

Yul brought three pieces of scallion pancakes and handed them to U-ri. "Where is Abrafo?" He asked.

U-ri took the scallion pancake and said, "There was a competition over there. He went to watch it." He took out a pancake and started eating. "Now that you're here...I want to go to the bookstore..."

Yul smiled and nodded to U-ri. He watched as U-ri quickly dashed down another street and disappeared into the crowd. He sat down and continued eating the pancakes he had bought. During the meal, Yule did not think too much because he knew U-ri and Abrafo well enough to understand their thinking. He also knew why U-ri and Abrafo came with him in the first place. He continued to eat pancakes when a soft white hand picked up one of the hairpins on the table. He looked up.

The beautiful young woman looked down at Yul, and he saw her eyes twinkling as she looked directly at him. He put down the pancake and slowly stood up.

The young woman was approximately five feet three inches tall, and from the way she was dressed, Yul knew she might have come from a family with higher statue.

The young woman looked at Yul, then picked out two hairpins. Her eyes were still locked with Yul's. The two looked at each other without noticing the people around them. He heard his heartbeat beating in his chest, and she heard her heartbeat beating in her chest.

Bi asked, "My Lady, do you want this hairpin?" She did not hear any response, and she looked at the young woman standing beside her. "My lady...my lady..." Then she looked at Yul, who was staring at her master. "Hey!" She banged on the table.

The sound of Bi tapping on the table startled both Yul and the young woman. The young woman grabbed Bi's hand and wrote a word on Bi's palm.

Bi looked at Yul and was about to open his mouth when Yul said, "Two silver leaves for each."

The young woman looked at Yul with a smile and motioned to Bi to pay for the three hairpins. Bi quickly paid and the two women walked away.

Yul stood and watched the young woman walk away with her maid, and just before she disappeared into the crowd, she turned back to Yul.

"So, this is what it feels like to meet someone who understands your thoughts without having to express them." The young woman thought to herself. She smiled and nodded to Yul.

Yul smiled and nodded to the young woman standing a few feet away from him. He felt his heartbeat quicken. "So, this is what it feels like to meet someone who understands your thoughts without having to express them", Yul thought to himself. He smiled at the young woman, who nodded back. Yul stared at the young woman whose name he did not know; disappeared into the crowd.

The middle-aged woman looked at Yul and said with a smile, "Young man, you are not the first to smile at Lady Lai." The woman sighed and shook her head. "Although Lady Lai has such beautiful features, it's a pity that she doesn't speak."

Abrafo stood in the distance. Abrafo saw people lining up. He caught the attention of one of the men in line and asked, "Brother, why are you waiting in line?"

The man said, "You don't know?"

Abrafo smiled shyly and said, "Well, I'm not from here."

The man said, "Today is Mr. He's birthday. Every year on Mr. He's birthday, the He Mansion will give away free food."

Abrafo asked, "What kind of free food?"

The man said, "Well, the annual gifts are rice, a piece of chicken, and a roasted yam."

Abrafo said, "Well, I think that tastes better than pancakes."

Abrafo quickly stood behind the man, and after standing in the sun for a long time, he walked to the front of the line. When it was almost his turn to get his share of food, the person behind him pushed forward and he bumped into the person standing in front of him.

It is because he is hungry, or it is because of his personality that he refuses to be bullied by anyone. He turned his head madly, "Hey!"

A taller man stood behind Abrafo with his arms crossed. "What!" The man responded in a harsh voice.

Seeing the size of the man standing behind Abrafo, Abrafo suddenly chuckled and said politely, "Otherwise you hit us too hard, and we might hit the dining table in front." Abrafo stepped aside. "You first, brother."

"Hmph..." The man spat on the ground. "Know your place."

Abrafo gritted his teeth and whispered, "If I didn't end up selling hairpins on the street, I wouldn't tolerate you, dumbass."

"Next one," Old Li shouted.

Abrafo rushed forward and saw steaming rice, chicken slices and roasted yams. He looked at  Old Li and asked, "Dear elder, can you give me a little more? I have four family members at home."

Old Li said, "I'm sorry, young man, you have to be here to receive the meal."

Abrafo said, "But my family are disabled. They cannot even stand up."

Old Li fetched Abrafo two cups of rice, two pieces of chicken, and two rolls of yams. "It's the best I can do. If you want more, you must go back to the end of the line to claim your family's share," old Li said.

"Oh, the young hero who saved us from destruction is now so poor that he has to line up with these beggars to receive food," Kexin said, pushing old Li aside. "How pitiful?" She mocked Abrafo.

"Ke...Ke...Kexin..." Abrafo bit his lower lip. "How the hell did you get here?"

"This is my home, why can't I be here," Kexin said, looking at the food in Abrafo's hand. She wanted to continue teasing Abrafo, by looking at old Li angrily. "Hey...hey... old Li. One share for each person. Why does this beggar have more than one share?"

Abrafo gritted his teeth and murmured, "Kexin, you evil..."

Old Li said, "My Lady, he said he has disable family members. I dare not give him more than two shares."

Abrafo looked at Kexin madly and gritted his teeth, "Beggar? Who begged you?"

Kexin said, "Are you the one who queues up to get food with these beggars that my family provides every year? So, if you are not a beggar, then what are you?"

Abrafo sighed and said, "I thought I would never see you again, but I was wrong." He looked at Kexin. "Are you done laughing at me? Or if you want to continue laughing at me then I'll start eating."

Kexin asked, "Where are Yul and the others?"

Abrafo picked up a piece of chicken and started eating. "They're good," he said. "But if you really want to help us or meet Yul, go to the market and buy all the hairpins he's selling."

Kexin was stunned, "What? Is Yul selling hairpins on the street? How could this happen?"

Abrafo continued to eat and said, "Well... we lost our money bag when we rescued you back in Magior City. Now we have no money, so we have to sell Hajime's hair."

Kexin asked, "Then where are you staying if you don't have money?"

Abrafo said, "We stay..." He looked at Kexin and thought, 'Do you really think I'm going to tell you where we are? Hump... I'm not that crazy to let you destroy our quiet home'. "We stay in a mortuary temple outside the city."

Kexin's jaw dropped, "The Haven temple?"

Abrafo nodded and began to grab many pieces of chicken and yams and pile them into a pile. "Old Li give me three bags," he said. "Yes, we have no food, and we are very hungry, especially Yul. He has not eaten for several days... If you care about him, please send some food to the morgue." He took the bags from old Li's hand and stuffed the chickens and yams into the bags as much as he could. He grabbed another bag and quickly filled it with rice. "We're okay, but you know Yul, he suffered the most of all of them. No money, no food, no medicine for his injuries. He is the one who is truly pitiful."

Kexin said, "I didn't know he would suffer so much. If I knew he was coming to Menyi, I could have let him go with us." She turned to Old Li. "Old Li, tell the maids to cook twenty dishes, I will go to Haven Temple. Oh, and bring Doctor Long with us."

Old Li said politely, "Yes, my Lady, I will make arrangements for you right away."

Abrafo slowly backed away and shouted loudly. "Hey everyone, Lady Kexin said that if you can make her smile, she will give each of you a silver leaf."

The people waiting in line for food rushed forward and surrounded Kexin. Kexin tried to look for Abrafo in the crowd, but she could not see him. She looked across the crowd and saw Abrafo running away. She tried to chase Abrafo but was blocked by the beggars.

"Abrafo! You Bastard! Abrafo!" Kexin screamed as people gathered around her. "Let me go! Do not touch me!"