The Ear, the Eye and the Arm (4 page)

"One plate broken. Not too bad," said Kuda.

"I'll tell Mother it was too hot. It slipped out of my hands." Rita lay in a puddle of milk, which the automatic mop tried to reach.

"You'll have to change your clothes," Tendai said.

"Who cares? That's what washing machines are for."

"Wasting food is bad. Think of all the poor people in Harare."

"Oh, I give up!" cried Rita. "We never have any fun, and you have to sit there like an old vulture and preach. Go croak somewhere else!"

"Croak! Croak!" said Kuda.

"Tendai's right," the Mellower said mournfully. "I'm supposed to set an example. Your father will throw me into the street when he finds out. I'll starve! Oh, woe is me!"

"There now, you made him cry." Rita brought the Praise Singer a paper towel to blow his nose on. "Don't worry. We'll protect you. I'll program the pantry to say we ate those ghastly parsnips. The house robots won't tell on you. They don't know how."

The Mellower sniffed his thanks and immediately cheered up. They all went to change clothes, except Tendai, who didn't need to. Later, they played Monopoly, climbed trees, swam in the pool and took turns tormenting the automatic Doberman.

"I'm so
bored,"
said Rita, lying in the shade of the wall. Tendai, Kuda and the Mellower lounged nearby. The afternoon heat was great, and the air vibrated around the electrified razor wire overhead. "Did you ask Father about the Scout trip?"

"No," said Tendai.

"Told you so," Kuda said.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be so sarcastic if you had to do it yourself," cried Tendai, suddenly angry. "Maybe you don't know what it's like being yelled at every time you open your mouth. He's nice to you — you're just a baby! Wait'll
you
have to stick your neck out!"

"I am not a baby!" yelled Kuda.

"You are so! You still take
naps!"

"I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!" Kuda landed on Tendai and pounded him with his little fists.

"Oh, stop it," said Rita wearily. Tendai held Kuda at arm's length — it wasn't difficult — and let him swing his fists uselessly until he burst into tears of frustration.

"I understand," said the Mellower quietly.

"What?" Tendai turned his attention to the Praise Singer. Kuda sat on the ground with tears streaking his dusty face.

"I know what it's like to be yelled at every time I open my mouth. It's horrible."

Tendai felt uncomfortable. Adults weren't supposed to tell you their problems.

"What is this trip you keep talking about?" asked the Mellower.

"I need an explorer's badge to become an Eagle Scout," Tendai explained. "Some people walk through a game park -— that's best, but Father would never agree to it. I can get one by traveling across the city, though."

"So can I," said Rita.

"And they said I could come," Kuda put in quickly.

"Wait, wait. Does this mean you'd walk across Harare? That's over fifty miles." The Mellower sat up and brushed grass clippings from his hair. They settled on his shirt again and were forgotten.

"We can take buses. We go to the terminal at Mbare Musika, catch a shuttle to the Mile-High Macllwaine Hotel and go on to Beatrice at the far end of the city. Then we come back," explained Tendai.

"We've been saving our allowances for months," Rita said.

"Tendai has a pocketknife to kill enemies," said Kuda.

"Be quiet!" Rita smacked him.

"Let me think." The children watched anxiously as the Mellower idly chewed a grass stem and stared into the distance. "You'd leave in the morning and be back before dinner?"

"Yes, yes!" said Rita.

"You wouldn't talk to strangers or go on side trips?"

"Of course not," Tendai said.

"Well ..." The man lay back with his head pillowed on a heap of cut grass. The automatic lawn mower whirred unhappily from where Rita had tied it to a tree. "I happen to know both your parents are leaving early tomorrow and won't be back till dark."

"Really?" said Rita.

"But we have to have permission," Tendai put in. "I'm not going behind Father's back."

Rita started to argue, but the Mellower held up his hand. "If I ask him, he'll give permission."

"I don't understand," said Tendai, who had never seen the Praise Singer do anything except cower in front of Father.

"If I did it during Praise," the man added.

Then Tendai understood. He remembered the sleepy, foolish feeling he had had after Praise. The Mellower intended to hypnotize Father! "That's dishonest."

"No, it isn't!" cried Rita. "He'll give his permission. Who cares how it's done? Oh, don't you see this is the only way we'll ever get out? Do you want to grow a
beard
before you learn how to ride a bus?"

"Please! Please!" Kuda said, looking up at his big brother.

It was Tendai's turn to stare into the distance and think. What would it be like to go outside the way everyone else did and fly — all alone, without bodyguards or the police or Father — to a magical place none of them had seen before? As he thought, the warm, excited feeling he had had that morning returned. His ancestors waited in the shadows of the walled garden. One of them raised the hollowed horn of a kudu bull to his lips and blew, to give courage to the hunters.

"Wake up. You're
dwaaling
again," said Rita.

Tendai shook himself. "Let's do it," he said.

The rest of the day passed rapidly. Rita wanted to program the computer to say they'd already done the homework, and Tendai firmly told her no. Grumbling, she applied herself to memorizing the anatomy of a frog. Kuda practiced his writing. Tendai studied algebra, a subject he found soothing. You always knew when you had the right answer in math.

Tendai, Rita and Kuda were as perfect as they could manage the next morning. Rita even held in her stomach for the time it took Father to inspect them. Breakfast passed without mishaps.

"I'm afraid you're on your own today," Mother said as the dishes were cleared away. "I've promised to entertain a delegation from China. Your father has a meeting with the President, and we'll have dinner with her tonight. I'm sorry you can't come."

"That's all right," Rita said cheerfully.

"Let's see. I programmed the pantry — the floor was sticky next to the door. Do you know anything about that?"

"The automatic mop must be running out of soap. I'll check it." Rita gave Mother a wide-eyed, innocent look.

"Well, I don't have time to check it myself. Should we skip the Mellower this morning, Amadeus?"

Father
 
glanced
 
at
 
the
 
ancestor
 
clock. Tendai, Rita and Kuda sat with their hands clasped tightly below the tablecloth. "We have forty-five minutes," he rumbled. He nodded at the butler robot, who wheeled down the hall to find the Praise Singer.

Isn't that typical? thought Tendai. The one morning when it matters, he's late as usual. The ancestor clock chimed the quarter hour. After a time — it was probably only five minutes — the Mellower appeared at the door, bowing, apologizing and calling himself a bad boy.

If he forgot the time, he probably forgot about the permission, too, Tendai thought. And indeed, the first part of the Praise was no different from the way it was any other morning. It changed, however, after Father and Mother had fallen under its spell. Tendai felt guilty. We wouldn't have to do this if they weren't so hard to reason with, he thought.

Gradually, subtly, the Mellower drew Father's attention to his duty to pass courage on to his children. And how better than an exercise in self-reliance? Father nodded with his eyes half-closed. Tendai watched the Praise Singer produce a letter giving them permission to go on the Scout trip. Father signed it. The Mellower obtained two Pass Cards for the gate, one for the departure
and another for when they returned. He even talked Father out of money for bus fare. All this happened without a break in rhythm. The poetry flowed on; the Praise threw its shining coils around both parents. Tendai was amazed.

Finally, it wound down and seemed to fade away into that magic realm from which it came. Mother stretched her arms and said, "Mmm."

The ancestor clock chimed the hour.

"Maiwee!
We're late!" cried Father. The stretch limo hummed on the antigrav pad. How long had it been ready? Tendai wondered. Father and Mother both ran out the door, with Mother pausing an instant to give them a quick smile. The limo took off at once. The house was theirs — and the Pass Cards, permission slip and money lay on the table! The Mellower sat in Father's chair, with his feet on the tablecloth. Tendai was vaguely shocked.

"No push-ups for you!" shouted Kuda, dancing around.

"I'm glad you're on
our
side," Rita said, folding her napkin and placing it neatly on the table. "Well, don't sit there
dwaaling,
Tendai. Let's make a break for it."

"Do you want me to pin the money inside your pocket?" said the Mellower.

"No!" Tendai said.

 
"Silly me! Of course you're too old for that. All of you are too old, even Kuda."

Tendai looked at his little brother, who was dressed in his best shorts and shirt. He had had a steak knife stuck in his belt until Rita took it away.

"I don't think Kuda should come," Tendai said slowly.

"You promised!" shouted Kuda.

"I know, but parts of the city aren't safe."

"A Scout keeps his word! You promised."

"You can't go on a Scout trip if you haven't joined," Tendai said.

"I'll be a Cub next year. I'm just as brave as you. Tell him, Mellower."

"You're a little lion!" The Mellower picked up Kuda and swung him around. Kuda roared fiercely. Around and around they went, with Rita shrieking encouragement. The Praise Singer collapsed on the rug with Kuda and Rita on top.

"More! More!" yelled the little boy. Tendai felt his heart sink. It was hopeless to expect the Mellower to back him up. He always said what people wanted to hear.

"You'll have to do everything I say," Tendai told his brother.

"Yes,
sir!"
said Kuda, in perfect imitation of one of Father's soldiers. The Mellower puffed with exhaustion as he picked himself up from the rug.

"All present and accounted for,
sir!"
Rita shouted, standing at attention. "Kit bag inspected! Map, compass, rations all in order!
Fall in, troops!"
She marched around the room, swinging her arms.

Tendai knew the situation had gotten out of control. "All right," he sighed. "The route's marked on the map. We'll go to Mbare Musika first. Rita, keep an eye on Kuda. I think he should stay home, but it's only for a few hours." He shouldered his backpack.

Sunlight filled the orderly garden with its trimmed walks and hedges. Tendai found himself looking at each detail as they left. I hope Father doesn't remember what he did during Praise, he thought. The Mellower says he won't — but who knows?

The Praise Singer slid the Pass Card into the gate slot. He pressed the hold button on the weapons detector, so Tendai could take his Scout knife out with him. It was a wonderful knife with a gold-washed blade and red dragons curled around the handle. Father had brought it to him from China. "You're going to have a wonderful time!" called the Mellower.

Tendai looked back at him, framed in the gate. For one second he wanted to run back to the safety of the walled garden, but then the Praise Singer closed the opening. They were alone. The wind ruffled the shadow of trees on the sidewalk.

"We're on our own," said Tendai as he led Rita and Kuda up the steps to the bus stop.

Four