Chapter 2
Henry, who would not reveal his identity to anyone in Cork, and Daniel went out walking one day during a break in the farming season. They enjoyed the pleasant meadows and forests of the area, where there were insects to kill, imaginary monsters to slay, creeks to ford as if they were brave generals leading troops into battle, and the open sky for their fantasies to run free. After an afternoon of imaginary battles, they were tired, so before going home they decided to rest and talk.
�What is your name?� Daniel asked Henry.
�I cannot tell,� Henry said.
�Why not?� Daniel asked.
�It is not safe for me, and would not be safe for you to know,� Henry replied.
�Why is that?� Daniel asked. �You are too young to be a fugative.�
�No, I am not,� Henry said. �My family is involved in this rebellion that has been going on.�
�Oh, I see,� Daniel said. �That is why you showed up in this town, right?�
�Yes, as it was not safe to remain where we were, where we would have been hunted down by the troops much easier,� Henry said. �If I told you who I was you would be responsible for keeping that a secret to keep me safe. It is better this way.�
�I hope I may keep in touch with you,� Daniel said. �You have been a good friend, and the only person who hasn�t made fun of me around here near my age.�
�You are smarter than most of the hicks around here,� Henry said. �Though I cannot give you my address, as that would let you know who I am. If we are meant to be close friends, we will meet each other eventually.�
�Yes, that is true. Bravia is large, and I may never leave this small town, though I want to be an engineer someday,� Daniel said.
�Why?� Henry asked. �That sounds like a lot of hard work from what I have heard.�
�I am not adverse to hard work,� Daniel said. �The only way I will be able to make anything of myself is through hard work. I love to plan and design, to turn the chaos and randomness of nature into patterned order.�
�Well, that sounds good,� Henry said. �My future is set, and it is one I will not have to work all that hard for. All I have to do is keep from screwing up and I am set.�
�That�s not fair, but that is life. Some are lucky enough to be born into success, others are born with a fair shot at success, and some are born with no chance at success without hard work and the generosity of others. I really hate having to depend on the generosity of others, too, but so is the life,� Daniel said.
Before Henry could respond, a man, dark skinned, a mountain dweller of Purian descent, came over the hill and towards the boys. He looked scared at having seen them, and tried to speak in his shock.
�Saben que son soldados cerca de aqu�?� the man asked frantically.
�What is he saying?� Henry said. �I do not understand him.�
�He is asking, �Do we know that there are soldiers nearby?� Daniel said.
�Why do you know what he�s saying?� Henry said.
�Se�or,� Daniel said. �Eres un bracero?�
�S�,� the man answered.
�Oh, he is one of the farm workers?� Henry said.
�Yes, one of the foreigners. They are generally nice enough people, though I do not understand why they count beads and cross themselves so much. Looks like vile popery to me,� Daniel said. �Still, they are usually nice enough.�
�I see,� Henry said, troubled.
�Qual tipo de soldados son cerca de aqu�, se�or?� Daniel asked.
�Son en uniformes y est�n destruido los edificios y jardines de mis empleos, los Bravias,� the man answered.
�What did he say?� Henry asked.
�He said that the soldiers are in uniforms and that they are destroying the buildings and gardens, probably burning the fields too, of the Bravia family, who employ him, he says,� Daniel replied.
�Se�or, si es posible, ven conmigo para decir este mensaje a toda la gente de este pueblo,� Daniel replied. �If it is possible, mister, come with me to tell this message to the entire town.�
�S�,� the man responded. �Ser�a bien. No s� donde est�n mis empleos.�
�Entonces, vamanos ahora. No est� tiempo para conversar m�s,� Daniel said. ��Yes, that would be good. I do not know where my employers are,� he said. And I replied, �Then let�s go. There is no time to converse any longer.�
�I see, you speak this language well,� Henry said.
�Yes, but slowly. I am no native speaker,� Daniel said.
As they began walking towards the town, the man asked. �Eres braviano?�
�S�, soy braviano, de este pueblo,� Daniel replied. �I am a Bravian of this town.�
�Como te llamas?� the man asked.
�Me llamo Daniel, y usted?� Daniel replied. �I am called Daniel, and you, sir?�
�Me llamo Mario,� the man said. �Y tu compa�ero?�
�No s� el nombre de mi amigo. �l no quiere decir su nombre a m�,� Daniel replied. �I do not know my friend�s name. He does not want to tell his name to me.�
�Ah,� Mario answered. �Yo veo.�
�Yes, I see,� Daniel translated. �Aqu� est� el pueblo de Cork. Here is the town of Cork.�
�Mister Smith,� Daniel said to one of the fam
�Yes, Daniel,� Mr. Smith replied. �What are you doing with that greaser?�
�The man is a farmworker at the Bravia estate, and he says there are lot of troops around, burning the crops and buildings. They could be headed this way soon. We should be ready for them,� Daniel said.
�Damn those Albrights and Bravias, getting the Empire riled up like boys splashing water on a hornet�s nest. Alright, I�ll tell the rest of the men so we can prepare to defend our homes. Does this wetback speak Bravian?� Mr. Smith said.
�No,� Henry said. �I couldn�t understand a word he said.�
�Then how do know what he is saying then?� Mr. Smith said.
�I can speak his language,� Daniel said.
�Damn illegal immigrants, coming in and taking away our jobs,� Mr. Smith said. �If we don�t watch it, we will have to learn the language of the greasers like this boy here.�
�Que dices?� the man said to Daniel.
��l tiene un problema con tu gente, porque �l cree que tu gente toma el trabajo de los bravianos y porque hay demasiado de tu gente aqu� que como t� que no puede hablar la lengua de los bravianos,� Daniel said. �He has a problem with your people, because he believes that your people takes jobs away from the Bravians and because there are too many of your people around here that cannot speak Bravians. Mister Smith, is that a fair translation of your words?�
�Yes, it is,� Mr. Smith said, spitting. �You�re a bright kid. I hope this farmhand knows he�s not welcome around here.�
�He probably already knows he�s not welcome around here,� Daniel said. �Besides, he is doing us a favor, warning us about the troops. He didn�t have to leave the estate he works on to let us know that the troops were coming in anger. We could at least be nice to him.�
�Alright, I�ll go tell the rest of the men. You guys go and hide at home and let this spic get back to where he belongs,� Mr. Smith said, leaving and muttering.
�Gracias para tu asistancia,� Daniel said to Mario. �Ahora puedes volver a tu casa.�
�De nada, hombrecito,� Mario replied, turning back towards his home.
�What did you say to him, and what did he say back,� Henry said impatiently.
�I thanked him for his assistance, and said he could return home,� Daniel said. �And he replied, �It was nothing, little man.��
�I have never seen the hatred that people have for migrant workers before,� Henry said. �That farmer was very upset at the man who helped us.�
�Yes, sometimes people hate foreigners. I cannot understand why people fear the other, for no reason better than the fact they are dark skinned and speak a different language. It�s not like they come and take our jobs. The work they do is what we Bravians refuse to do. These poor rural peoples come swimming over the river to seek a better life, which is what we all want. I don�t see why some poor folk have to hold their heads above the rest. I guess we all have to feel we are better than someone else,� Daniel said.
There was a pause. �It is war now, here,� Daniel then said.
�What do you mean?� Henry said.
�The troops were snooping around here for weeks looking for rebels, but now they are making war on the Bravian people. This could get ugly,� Daniel said.
�Yes, it could,� Henry said, turning gray.
�You look sick there. Let�s get some iced tea or root beer and relax. It�s been a long day of running, and we probably won�t sleep much tonight,� Daniel said.
�Alright,� Henry said as they went to leave. Talking to himself, he said. �I hope you�re alright, father.�
�You say anything?� Daniel asked.
�No, just talking to myself,� Henry said.
�Alright. I hope nothing�s wrong,� Daniel said.
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