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The Gentleman

By William, 16, Boise, Idaho, USA

He stood upon the little wooden raft, sluggishly floating down the river into the everlasting accumulation of the enigmatic woodland. Without knowing him, one would simply think him a cowardly pacifist at a glance, but in truth he was a powerful man of a once atrocious propensity. On that very day, on that very raft, all of his cruel facilities were nothing to him; he had come to see his old friend, the new lord of that land, for the original lord had died bitterly not two months ago.
All around him, dark slanted eyes inquisitively, and maliciously gazed at his brilliant silken cuffs, his fancy uniform complete with overcoat, and neatly combed hair, and his perfect facial features. Indeed, somebody bearing that appearance in this land was an irregularity, and the people hated outsiders for the most part, especially those who wore such magnificent clothing appropriate (to the Natives at least) for a divine being to be dressed in.
Eventually, the little rafter forced the boat the left, and brought the white gentleman to land, and he smiled at the small hut that he had not been to in so many years; and he felt this indeed a cause célèbre to be seeing his old friend. For some reason, the lord of this land took lodging in this small clay hut, for protection the man supposed, he never discovered the true reason, and this story does not tell why.
Tapping his walking stick on one side of the rectangular (lopsided, mind you) opening, a younger man, only seven and twenty years of age greeted him with a thin black beard, and whose bronze face shone with an almost golden light in the afternoon sun. He wore a robe of pearly white, and a turban of red, and addressed the Gentleman as Tuan and taking him by the hand, lead him into the clay hut, and sat him down in a small seat by a round window as he called it, though the Gentleman in later years (spinning yarns to fellow Sailors) would call it an unattractive hole.
I am glad Tuan, said the Lord, I am glad that you came.
I came as soon as I heard of the tragedy, the Gentleman said with an awkwardly cold tone of voice, as a Schoolmaster to a student in need of chastisement.
My father, the Lord said not noticing, hehe wanted to tell things toto you most of all. the Gentleman sat up at this; the Lord had said this with an offensive tone so he felt.
Is something wrong? the Gentleman inquired, were his final words about me cruel?
No, said the Lord, though his final words about me were cruel, and his final words in life were about you.
How so?
Tuan, I loved my father, and I thought that he loved me, the Lord said, but before he died, I discovered the truth. He hated me, and he loved you.
The Gentleman sat in his place as though considering this statement, at length he managed to say, your father always seemed to love youhe always talked about you, and held you in such high esteem.
In truth, the Lord protested, in truth he did not. I was there the very moment that he died, and I heard his final words. He was lying there, and told me about how great and glorious the new Tuan should be; how peaceful, and yet powerful a Tuan should be. I thought that he was simply giving orders to me, for I was to become Tuan that very night when he died.
You became Tuan, said the Gentleman gently.
Yes, said the Lord, but no in a way, I remember the final words of my father, I shall never forget them. He said to me, My son, I placed you here into this terrible world, and I regret itif only you could be more like and I thought that he would say, more like me but no! he said that things would be better if I only could be more like you, Tuan. That is why I call you the Tuan.
You are not fit to be Tuan the way that he is, my father said to me, he is a brave man, he saved my life many times, and I repaid the favour, but you, my son; no, you would leave me to die, and I know that you wouldyou are a fool, and a fool should not be a Tuan. I do not understand you, father, I protested, I would never leave you behind to die.
There was nothing, Tuan that I could say to alter his thoughts. He died saying that if you had been here, he would have requested for you to kill me, and for you to take his place. He whispered to me that you were like a brother to him, and more of a son than I ever could be.
Nonsense! the Gentleman suddenly ejected, This is foolishness. Clearly you do not understand that from time to time a dying man can go a little he searched all of his phraseology for the right word, and wound up with, mad. Sometimes dying makes men say things that they do not mean. Perhaps his own passing angered him. He never wanted to die of illness, he probably hoped that you would kill him while he was standing up. He wanted to die a soldiers death, I am sure.
My father was many things, the true Tuan said coldly, but he was not mad. This is all that I called you here for. I wanted you to know that he loved you, even more than his own son. Kill him, you say? Yes, I did kill him. He told me that if I truly be man enough to be the Tuan, that I would kill him, and I did soyes, I drove my blade deep into his heart, and with his dying breath he cursed me, and called out your name. Not my name, he called for you.
I am sorry, said the Gentleman hastily, but, I truly can do nothing about this. He is gone, and you must put his cruel words behind you.
This is all that I have called you here for, repeated the true Tuan, now leave this place, before I forget our friendship, and slaughter you as well. Be gone, Tuanor so you should have been. I remember him asking me, Why couldnt it have been you who went away, and not my brother? he thought that I should have died, and not he, and not you. Tuan, realize that I do not want to kill you, but if you do not leave this place, I shall. Be gone, Tuan.be gone!
There was nothing more to be said, and the Gentleman took his leave without another word, and was never seen in that woodland ever again.
(October 2004)

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