"Aaaaaaand our champion last year was now overtaken by entry number sixty-six. Will we have a new champion this year?"
The voice of the announcer was drowned out by the audience's cheers. In a nearby tower on the stadium, a young lady was peering from an open window, also watching the race but her face was showing she was not very much interested in it. She turned her gaze slightly to look at a more far away direction, as if seeing her previous life, imagining what that little boy will feel if he was watching this.
However, the boy was still in the small village.
___
The branches and leaves of the tallest tree near the village were shaking. From the top of the tree, a three-year old boy could be seen sitting astride a steady branch, feet swinging while balancing himself using his small left hand to hold onto that branch then holding a juicy, red fruit he got from the same tree in the other.
He was barefooted to get a better hold on the tree trunks while climbing, but the scratches on the soles of his feet because of the rough surface were barely noticable now.
He finished the last bite of the fruit, marring the sides of his mouth with a dribbling red juice. Smiling cheekily at the view, he wiped his mouth and the stain spread to his chubby cheeks.
The noises below didn't affect his countenance. He kept looking at the wide expanse of the forest outside their village to the smoking volcano and tall mountains far away. A vast space for a small guy like him to explore. The wind gently ruffled his black hair.
'Someday I also want to fly this high over all this like in my dreams,' His childish thought broke when he heard his name being called.
"Ling!"
"Ling, get down here now. Mother will be calling us for dinner soon."
Our little boy's smile spread wider, "Come get me if you can." He taunted his sisters since he knew they will have difficulty climbing this high. Nobody can outmatch him in tree climbing.
"You monkey! We can't find some mushrooms now so we can leave and look next time."
With a tinkling laugh, Ling rolled on the branch with his legs still around it, supporting him. Upside down, he waved at his sisters below and continued laughing.
That was when a furry animal crawled on his legs and surprised him, making him let go of his hold on the branch. The animal jump to get the piece of fruit in his hands and scurried away. As for the boy, he fell from his previous position in the tree.
"Ling!" the three sisters scolded, not worried since that kid was used to it and could still be playing a prank on them. Things were like this since he grew up being taken care of by his twin sisters.
Deciding to stop his fun for now, the little boy managed to catch hold of another branch and pulled himself upright. As he was about to go down, he noticed a hole in the tree trunk near the branch he was sitting up at.
"Atap, Alim and Mina, I found some mushrooms!"
___
For the past two years, not much changed in the small village of the Mal'it clan. That afteroon, right after school finished, the children were either playing on the school grounds or somewhere near, like the forest. Some of the older children were also helping their parents.
As for the chief's family, with their eldest daughter still in the city, the ones helping were the twins, Dawa and Talto.
Mahina was already finished preparing the dinner with the help of the two, "Talto, call your sisters and brother. You, Dawa, help me prepare the table."
"Yes, mother."
Talto went outside to look for the kids, still feeling slightly dejected that he can't join their fun. When she turned to look at the forest, she saw four figures running, with the smallest one trying to keep up with his stubby legs.
As they got near the house, one of their pigs got out from the pen, wanting to join the excitement. It saw the little boy who always exudes a mild 'mist' and turned to pounce on him.
Our little boy, seeing this, tried to run faster, laughing. But as he was near the house, the pig managed to hit him, sending him to the nearby pen. The pig then joined him by rolling on the mud and splashing the boy with more mud.
Talto joined in the laughter but still reprimanded her other sisters, "Why didn't you carry Ling while going home? You know something could happen even here at home." She said while still snorting.
"It's not our fault. He doesn't want to be carried." The others reasoned, giggling while holding their belly. "He said he's not a baby anymore." They just joined the laughter, not helping their fallen comrade.
When Mahina and Dawa heard the commotion outside, they went out in time to see Ling sprawling on the mud together with the pig.
Mahina sighed, "Okay, kids, come here. Atap, close the gate so the pig wouldn't go out again. And Ling, wash up first out at the back before entering the house."
Feeling indifferent as he was used to this, with it happening almost everyday that you would think he wouldn't want to go out, Ling stood up.
He felt something in the mud and when he raised the thing up, he smiled at his mother and exclaimed, "Mother, I found the ring father gave you."
While the sisters started laughing again, also used to this, Mahina went to her son and received the jewelry.
"You really are my lucky son," she smiled at him, wanting to kiss and hug him, "but you still have to wash up."
After everything was done, the father of the house also arived and they proceeded to eat their dinner, the children telling their adventures that day.
It was a normal day for all.
"Oh, I forgot. Wife, will you be the one to accompany Ling to start school tomorrow?" Bobo reminded when it was just the husband and wife in their room.
"Yes, you should just worry about your hunt tomorrow and I'll send all the kids to school."
"Hmm.. I actually want to bring Ling to the hunt. Just near their usual area they played at. Some of the men were bringing their sons for practice."
Hearing this, Mahina frowned at her husband, "Those other kids were older than Ling. Our son has not even gone and practiced at school yet."
"Oh, okay," the man replied, looking at his wife's still frowning face while scatching his head. To stop the talk so it won't lead to an argument, he pulled his wife to bed.