Posted on: Sunday July 17 2011 by Xanaphia
Let me take that back. I want to get out of here. Now.
The other day, Kibu, one of the younger Pigmies, came into my tent bearing a shiny pink hat. I was kind of used to gifts by then (as hats go, I must have about eighteen by now), so I accepted it and said thanks. But Kibu shook his head.
“No, Lady. It is the Hat of Giving; you must put it on at once.”
“The Hat of Giving?”
“Yes, Lady. The Queen must wear the Hat of Giving in the ten days leading up to the start of the Nourishment Festival. And the ten days start today, Lady.”
“What happens at the Nourishment Festival?”
“Oh, you must remember, Lady. It is when the Queen renders her sweet juices for all of Pigmykind to partake in.”
So yeah, that’s what all this special treatment has been all about: a glorified milking. I’m not sure what worries me more—how unpleasant the chair will be, or what the Pigmies will do to me once they realize my sweet juices are actually cold sweat. If Grok comes for me now, I swear I will kiss his feet for two whole hours.
On the plus side, this is the nicest hat I’ve ever owned. Bob would be jealous.
