Salty and Cara – Silent Waters 6

Love and crime in a world of fruits and vegetables – A tasty fable. Second story, sixth episode: Excellent showmanship can be a good way to get out of danger. But you better hurry, before the curtain falls.

Narrowing it Down

You could tell that Hanano loved every second of this. The times might be dangerous, the circumstances desperate, but the banana loved a grand entrance.

“I came to bring you some refreshments, of course. Why else would I travel across the mountains and meet you in the most dangerous place to be right now … .”

Salty still did not move, so his lover’s boss pulled him aside and quickly led him down a narrow path into a tunnel.

“I can’t go,” Salty protested, “I still need …”.

“Don’t worry, I already took care of that. I’ve got some papers in the back pocket of my coat. The others I hid somewhere, only I will find them again. I know these mountains better than those sidekicks.”

“But…”

“No more ‘BUT’s’ Quentin, we have to get you out of here quickly or I will have to explain something to Cara that she will never forgive me for. I will explain everything when we get to my house.”

Salty followed Hanano into the mountain. They went deeper and deeper until the last light from the outside had faded. They could still hear the faint rumble of their followers, who had undoubtly seen them enter the tunnel and were trying to catch up. Easier said than done, for now the inside of the stone corridor had turned pitch black. Both of them wore belts with green glowing stones attached to the front so that they could see where they were going, but from behind, no one would be able to make out a distinct shadow to follow. It was clear that Hanano was trying to put as much distance between them and the crooks as possible. More than once, Salty marveled at the ease with which the middle-aged banana rounded obstacles or kept a firm step down a slippery and treacherous slide.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to an exhausted Salty, they reached the end of their shady passage. The light seemed unnaturally bright after the time in the dark, but it felt like life. Near the exit a floater was waiting. In it sat another banana. He was a little shorter and lighter than Hanano and went by the name of Joe. As they rode through the breathtaking scenery, Salty had time to reflect on the recent events. What puzzled him most was Hanano’s sudden appearance. How did he know where to find Salty and how could he be so well prepared? He watched Hanano and tried to puzzle everything together. The banana caught his serious look and smiled: “Don’t worry. Everything is okay now.”

“Is Cara safe?”

“For the time being, yes, I had that taken care of, but we need to get to my house so I can handle some other things.” Somehow Hanano had an air of suspense and business about him now that Salty had never noticed before.

“Who are you?”

“I’ll explain everything when we get there.” The driver had addressed him and they exchanged some brief information.

Then they arrived at Hanano’s house, and Salty found that it was indeed a large mansion. Bigger than any house he had ever seen. As they entered the place, a small banana came racing towards them and made a big jump to hug Hanano.

“There you are, Hanano, Mom told me you would be back soon, but it has been a long time,” she scolded.

“How is my little golden fruit?” Hanano replied, swinging her around.

She laughed and ran off.

“That was a lot of gold,” Salty mentioned.

” Yep, she is in the golden phase right now.”

“Yes, I remember what that is like. My sister had the same urge a long time ago. You needed some serious visual protection to enter her room.”

“Yeah, rainbow caterpillars with a horn, gold and all glitter. I bet you were into ancient monster bugs back then. The great and terrible black hornet and the shielded ant with legs like trees.” It sounded like a tease, but there was a subtle sadness in it.

“So I was told,” the younger fruit responded, “but…” he tried to be as discreet as possible about the obvious, “she cannot be your daughter, can she?”

“She is my great-granddaughter. …no, to be exact, she is my great-granddaughter’s youngest daughter. But she calls me ‘Hanano’, which means ‘great-grandfather’, so I feel entitled to the same short version.”

“How can you be so old? And why are you so rich? This is your house, isn’t it?”

“Well, this is the Fitzalani Mansion. My family has been in the service of their Majesties, the King and Queen of Big Valley, for generations. …and I am old enough to have a great-great-granddaughter. That about settles the question. If you were to ask me how this is possible, I would have to quote a classic: I’m afraid that is classified.”

“You’re a spy.”

“No. I was, however, a secret agent of Her Majesty the Queen, a very long time ago. But I am afraid you must excuse me now. I need to talk to some people to prevent further complications.” And he disappeared into one of the long corridors that led away from the entrance room.

Salty suddenly realized how tired he was and how long it had been since he had eaten. Then he saw a tray with a delicious looking liquid next to a chair. He took it and relaxed in the comfortable furniture, where he immediately began a regeneration phase.

“Is Cara safe?”

“For the time being, yes, I had that taken care of, but we need to get to my house so I can handle some other things.”

Side Notes:

• A short lecture in Banani, the dialect spoken by the very old and honorable banana families of the Big Valley:
  • The word for mother is ‘An’, a father is called ‘Nan’. After they become grandparents, when their offspring have offspring of their own, an ‘A’ and an ‘O’ are added to the expression. So a grandmother is called ‘Ana’ and a grandfather is called ‘Nano’. In the happy event that they are still around when their grandchildren have descendants, they become ‘Hana’ and ‘Hanano’.
  • Banana’ is the dialect term for the tree that produces the offspring. This particular fruit community has accepted the fact that they are misnamed ‘banana’ because it was the first word an advanced banana said and wrote down. But the real name of this fruit is… Well, it’s actually a secret. Only the ‘Bananas’ know it, and they use it as a special code among themselves in times of danger. So I can’t tell you (of course I know, I’m the author).

This is the second adventure of Salty & Cara – a juicy love affair entangled in the complex web of crime and corruption that covers the vast mountain and valley landscape of the ‘Fruitable’ civilization.

Missed the last episode? (Salty & Cara – Silent Waters, Episode 5) Here it is [ I< ]
And what happens next … ? Find out on June 28 (Salty & Cara – Silent Waters. Episode 7)
You have no clue, what is going on at all? Here is how it all started: [‘Salty and Cara. The Crime Story‘]

Needless to say, the stories about Salty and Cara are pure figments of my imagination. No resemblance to any person or place – present or past – is intended. But I am sure you have already figured that out 😉