Stranded - Chapter 4

As I was wearing the jinbei Sasha handed me, Billy walked up to us with a hoe on his arms. As I looked at him quizzically, he smiled and tossed me the hoe. I fumbled and dropped it onto the ground. A light giggle rang out from Sasha’s side. When I turned to look at her, she looked away while covering her mouth.

“Everyone has a role here, kiddo. Pick the hoe up.”

Billy’s booming voice pulled back my attention. I scrambled to pick the hoe up, I can feel Billy’s heavy footsteps crunching the ground towards a certain direction. As I stumbled after him, a question started popping up in my mind.

“Wait, if this is another world, how come are we walking and lifting things normally like in Earth? Surely gravity would behave differently, right?”

“Beats me, kid. I am a friggin’ farmer, not yer looney tooney scientists.”

I shuddered as I looked down onto the hoe in my hands. I could feel what was coming next would be very unpleasant. If only I could gain super strength due to the gravity behaving differently and from the fact that I am literally an alien here. Like in some science fiction movies, where the main characters become ridiculously strong when they are transported to another planet or world.

My fears were confirmed as Billy soon led me to one of the plots of land the people here were working on. Everyone of them stopped in their track and looked at us as we were approaching. They all bowed down slightly and resumed their work. I raised my eyebrows at Billy.

“They are bowing at Sasha, kiddo. Not me and most certainly not you.”

I looked back at Sasha. She had worn on her normal silent, dignified look again.

“Is she supposed to be someone very-”

Billy’s huge palm patted on my back, his other arm extended towards an empty spot with no one working on it. The ground seems rough and unrefined.

“The work is simple, kid. As I told ya just a minute ago, everyone here has a role. And us men gotta do the farm work and go huntin’. Now get ter work here, and I will show ye the ropes.”

Billy took the hoe from me and started positioning himself in the empty plot. His huge arms swung down along with the hoe, and up again, plowing the land beneath neatly. After a few swings, he turned to look at me and beckoned me over. As I approached him, I noticed he was barely breaking a sweat. How strong is this man?

And then began my hellish first attempt at farm work. The hoe seemed only a little bit hefty when I held it normally in my hands, but as I had to swing it over my head, it started to weight like a ton. Only after around five swings, my arms started to buckle. My waists started to hurt too. I was barely breathing.

“C’mon, kiddo! Put those arms up, butts out and start ter wack the shit out of the dirt! Also move up to cover the un-plowed parts!”

“B-billy, I am dying. Literally-“

“Five more times, c’mon!”

I bit my lips and swung the hoe again, my feet dragging along with the progress. As the torturous count to five approached, I could hear the laughter of the kids nearby. After the fifth (by then is tenth) swing, I turned to Billy and saw that he was grinning ear to ear along with the children.

“Good job kiddo! Take a lil’ break and five more times!”

“… What?”

“Five more times! Yer got hearing problems?”

After the short break, I gingerly swung the hoe again. One. Two. Three-

My arms gave out and I couldn’t feel the grip on the tool anymore. My knees buckled and the handle of the hoe dropped onto my head with a “clonk”. Amidst the stinging pain, I can hear the laughter of the kids again, this time accompanied by Billy’s booming one.

“C’mon, kiddo! Surely ye ain’t that weak!”

The kids started to chant something with the alias they gave me, Arushka. Perhaps an equivalent of “Heave, ho!”

“Stand up, kiddo! Look, the kids are cheering for ye!”

The kids have indeed stopped laughing and were waving and chanting the mantra with the strange name they gave me. Sasha was also clapping along with the rhythm of the chant. Some of the villagers and other workers have also gathered around, all smiling and clapping, some chanting along with the children.

I stumbled up and picked up the hoe. Two more times. I raised the hoe up again.

It felt like a hundred ton.

One!

I took another step to swing down the last blow.

My hands were blisteringly hot. I could feel some of the skins peeling off.

I tried to raise the hoe again. I could feel my arms trembling and shaking.

And two.

I could no longer feel my arms. As my legs finally gave up on me, all what I could feel was the dull “Thump” of the hoe hitting the ground, and the loud erupting cheer of the people watching me.

A moment later, I could feel my hair being ruffled by a bunch of tiny hands, and my ears bombarded with the giggles of the children. Amidst the chaos, I could see Sasha giggling and the villagers cheering and laughing. Billy was clapping and laughing out loud too.

Gathering the little strength I have left, I tried to call out to Billy and Sasha for help. Billy just laughed and shook his head, while Sasha giggled and said something out loud, presumably calling the children.