Part 17: Memory of Ratika: The Gillas Award

The Gillas Award

Ratika pushes her way through the scramble, but she's blocked by her siblings who are twice her size and weight. Her younger brother, Holden yells, "out of the way, Tiny!" He sprints past and reaches the finish line first. As is tradition, his name gets etched in stone next to Gillas' statue. Gillas, the great adventurer who saw the edge of Urralia, brought prosperity to the village by discovering sugar-raisin. There is no greater praise than to etch your name next to the statue. Ratika silently longs for the same attention but she's the smallest and meekest among them. How would she ever win with odds like that?

Stick to what you're good at, Ratika reminds herself.

With a wave of her hand, Ratika draws the crowd's attention. She begins to weave an impeccable, astounding tale. Her village is noiseless--their awe palpable. Right before concluding the tale, Ratika points to the stone in her necklace, and with a dramatic flourish says, "...unbeknownst to all, it was the stone from Yarbog's Temple that had contained the secret to the gods' disappearance."

Wonderment ripples through the crowd and they erupt with glee.

Holden can't contain his excitement. "Ratika! Is the story true?"

"It's a story, Holden. What do you think?"

"Oh, please make it true. Could you really bring us back a stone from Yarbog's Temple?"

Ratika grins as every pair of eyes turn to regard her. "I thought you'd never ask, brother."