Gavin's Song (Road to Salvation A Last Rider's Trilogy 1)

She must have fallen asleep, because she was barely aware of Manny lifting her out of her hiding space, then helping her walk up the small steps to the deck. There were three small children her age and Lagi, whose eyes widened when he saw her.

“Gyi will punish you for bringing her.”

“Not when he sees what she can do. Are you going to tell?”

Evangeline only half-listened to the brothers argue in their native language, and instead gaped at the beautiful boats that were now much closer. Fixated on them, she went to the side of the boat, but Manny caught her hand before she could climb down.

“Wait.”

Impatient, she tried to tug her hand away, but Manny wouldn’t let go. “We have to leave and get back before Gyi.” Manny picked her up and carried her down the ladder as Lagi and the three other children followed them.

Disappointed, Evangeline noticed they were getting farther away from the boats, not closer as Manny stepped off the dock. She was going to complain to him, but then the people sunbathing on the beach under huge colorful things she had never seen before caught her interest. They didn’t have those on her beach. She wanted one.

Evangeline pointed at one. “Can I have one?”

“No.” Manny moved away from the people sitting on the beach to a path she hadn’t seen before. His feet didn’t sink into the sand.

Going up the path, they passed buildings that were even bigger than the ones on the beach.

“Wanna see!”

“Stop it, Evangeline. We’re not allowed in there.”

Her mouth drooped in disappointment as she tried to think of a way to get Manny to change his mind.

She was about to cry for not being able to go inside the pretty buildings when Manny led her off the path to a magical place she had never seen before. Brightly colored stands were situated along a stretch of road. Groups of men and women were going to the stands and picking what they wanted from them. Each one had something different. Some had bins of fruits, some fresh fish, but the ones that interested her had jewelry hanging along the sides, catching the colorful light as they spun.

“Want one!”

“No.”

The children and Lagi formed a circle around them as Manny set her on her feet, then squatted down beside her.

“We don’t have any money to buy anything,” he explained, lowering his voice.

“Money?”

“The tourists use it to get what they want to buy.”

“Want some.”

“We all do, but we have to get it first.”

“How?” she asked, determined to buy one of the flashy necklaces.

“We try to talk them into giving us some.”

“How?”

“You know how you sing to Gyi and Lagi?”

She nodded eagerly.

“If they like it enough, they’ll give you money. Then we can all buy something.”

Ginny remembered wanting to buy everyone something, too.

Manny turned her to face the crowd of tourists. “Sing the song you sang to Gyi yesterday.”

She eagerly started singing, not paying attention to Manny nodding at Lagi and the other children before they disappeared in the crowd. Wanting to buy the necklaces, she sang the song just like she had the day before.

At first, none of the tourists looked at her, then they gradually drew closer, smiling down at her. She loved singing in front of anyone. That so many wanted to listen to her had her smiling back up at them.

“She’s adorable,” she heard one woman say.

“She’s so talented.”

“I just want to take her home with me,” another cooed.

She gripped Manny’s hand. She didn’t want to go home with the woman.

When her song ended, she placed her hand on her waist and bowed the way Trudy had taught her when she sang for her. The tourists laughed and clapped, which made her want to do it again so they would clap again.

“Sing another one,” Manny hissed between his teeth.

She immediately started again as Manny laid a cloth on the ground in front of her and the tourists dropped coins and colored bits of paper down onto it. She instinctively knew this was the money that Manny had told her about.

When she finished and bowed again, even more money showered down on the cloth.

Manny had her sing three more songs before folding the cloth, then picked it and her up. “We have to go. Gyi will be returning to the boat,” he told her, starting to move away.

“I want my necklace,” she wailed.

Manny turned back to the stall, tilting her to the side so she could see. “Pick one.”

She already knew which one she wanted. With her little hand, she reached for the shiniest one.

Juggling her, Manny opened the cloth and took out one of the bills to pay for it. She wasn’t done, though; she reached out to take three more. Manny gave her an exasperated look but took out three more bills to hand to the person behind the stall.