"I can't wait to travel home. Do you think there'll be huts in the village?" Jake was excited and jumped around in May's room.
"Dad said his village is a bit modernized; I don't think there'll be huts, probably some low-level houses." May responded.
"I bet Dad's house is like a mansion over there." Jake said.
"Yeah, it'd be. Dad's house isn't as tiny as the ones we see on the village life TV shows. I only fear that our cousins might not want us around." May voiced her concerns.
"We'll have to get along with them, so our stay there can be an enjoyable one." Jake said in response, and they went ahead to pack their bags.
Two days later, the family packed up and traveled to their hometown. Their cousins were already at their place waiting on their arrival.
"Welcome home, cousins!!!" The girls exclaimed and hugged May. She was a bit startled with their reaction as she hadn't expected the welcome.
May and Jake got around well with their cousins. They showed them around and took them to their streams and farmlands. The two siblings were fascinated by the awesome sights and wonders of their hometown.
May spotted a huge snail on the ground as they walked back to their house; she noticed that her cousins ignored the animal and went on their way. Well, she wasn't about to let her favorite meat go to waste, so she picked it up and took it home.
As they got home, she brought the snail out and excitedly showed it to her cousins.
"And I've been blessed with nature." May said.
Her cousins exchanged glances.
"You can't eat it." Julia, the eldest, said.
"Why can't she?" Jake asked.
Julia stared briefly at Jake and sighed. She knew that May wouldn't know how to cook the snail, so she decided to keep mute and hope that she'd get bored and throw it out later, but little did she know that that wasn't going to be the case.
After their cousins returned to their various houses, May sat on the balcony with Jake, still holding the snail. She admired it and forgot all about Julia's warning against eating the poor animal.
"Why do you think they don't want us to eat this? And now, you can't even prepare a regular meal. What will you do with this?" Jake asked out of concern.
"Julia was probably trying to scare us. I guess I'll finally make use of the YouTube cooking channel after all." May replied.
It seemed like luck was on her side; as she stepped out of their house again, she saw another huge snail, and she beamed with joy because sharing with her brother wouldn't be hard anymore.
The two learned from a YouTube channel and prepared the snail, then they enjoyed it with a bottle of chilled drink. May was pleased with herself for having gotten something right just by watching a video. They chattered happily and forgot all about Julia's warning.
Some hours later, their parents returned home and saw the snail shell that the two kids had left outside.
"May!!!" Their mother called out.
May and Jake went to see their mother. One look at their mother's face, and they could tell that she was bothered about something.
"What's the matter, Mum?" Jake asked her.
"Does this shell happen to be that of a snail?" She asked them, and Jake replied with a nod.
"Where's the snail?" She asked them again. This time, her voice was a bit strange to them, as if she was holding back a shivering stutter.
"Mom, what's wrong? We already ate it." May responded, and their mother screamed out in fear.
She called for their father, who demanded the pot, and after it was brought to him, he set it on fire. He quickly got into his car and drove off; May and her brother stood in shock.
"What's going on, Mom? Did we do something wrong?" May asked, but her mom kept mute.
Their father was gone for two days, and it wasn't until he came back and said he had taken care of everything that his wife heaved a sigh of relief. May couldn't understand why eating snails would be a problem.
"Dad, we eat snails back at home, so why can't I eat them here?" She asked her father.
"All I will say to you is this: Don't repeat this mistake again. You have no idea what this has caused us." Her father replied.
"But why? Mom wouldn't say anything reasonable. I've asked Julia, and she gave no response, but Dad, I need to know why I can't eat snails here." May complained.
"May, every village has its culture and belief. Let's say that this is ours and we have to follow it. I can't go into details because trust me, you wouldn't want to find out the truth. Some questions are not meant to be unanswered, and I think you should accept it that way." Her father responded.
"I want to go back home. I hate this place; I can't believe I spent all my time dreaming of coming here." May said and walked away.
Her father stared at her as she walked back to her room. He felt sorry for her, but at the same time, he couldn't provide any answer to her questions, because he too did not have an answer to the mystery. All he knew was eating snails was forbidden in his village, and that was all that mattered.
Thanks for reading.
I would have gotten the punishment of my life. My parents pay attention to details to little thing as this. The frustration is understood..
Same with mine... they don't joke with culture
What a suspenseful story @jennyzee1.
I can relate to May's frustration, I love how you allow every detail unfold gradually. Great job.
Thanks for the kind words 😊😊
May and Jake did what ever child would do if placed in that position. It's a glad thing their parents didn't punish them for something as little as this, unlike some parents would. Nice story 👏
It's good they didn't punish them..Thanks for reading 😊
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Bro am so touched by the reading it better to follow tradition of things
Yeah
You're right... Following tradition is much more better
Glad you agreed with me
The dialogue in your story is what kept me glued. I love how it was structured.
Thanks for the kind words 😊