Francesca the Fierce wrote:
The Bamboo master sends 2 journeymen over.
MS, we has much good bamboo high on that ridge (pointing to a ridge
next to the falls) but it is slippery and sometimes we fall. From
there, only a strong swimmer can get away from the waterfall. Can
you help?
Absolutely! My caticopter and I are at your disposal. Shall I carry
you 2 up, or do you wish to bring others as well?
[The journeymen indicate that it will only be them for this trip.
Francesca gets them seated comfortably and strapped in for safety,
then starts the engines. From inside the cabin the engine just sounds
like a larger cat purring. From outside it sounds like a handful of
mountain lions purring.
Francesca gently lifts off and ascends to the indicated ridge and
sets down. She helps the journeymen unstrap, and she joins them
harvesting bamboo. She seeks guidance from the journeymen, seeing
that they are very particular as to which bamboo they are harvesting,
and sensing that they are being careful to leave enough plants to
allow the entire stand of bamboo to continue thriving.
Since the helicopter is designed to carry heavy cargo, the journeymen
are able to collect a very large stack of bamboo, including some
really long, straight pieces.
Francesca secures the harvest to the helicopter, being careful to
secure them with sturdy straps and life rings. She again assists the journeymen to get strapped in safely, then pilots the caticopter back
to the village. She calls one of the journeymen to the cockpit to
show her where the bamboo is kept prior to working. She hovers over
the indicated spot, and uses the cargo winch to carefully lower the
bamboo harvest to the ground. When the workers see that they won't
have to manually carry the hige stack of bamboo from the caticopter
landing area by hand, they are delighted and quickly get the payload unstrapped. Upon receiving a signal from the ground, Francesca
returns to the landing area and sets down.]
The Master Bamboo maker comes out and grins. He is delighted. He bows
then invites Francesca and the pilot to the covered patio and asks one
of the workers there if they could have some tea and a small snack.
Nodding the young kittah sets water in the kettle and then snags an
apprentice to get something he thinks they will find special.
Grinning, the young apprentice runs off with a small knife to the
bamboo shed there the newly cut wood is being set.
He's a bit to short to reach what he needs but explains in ASL-C/D and
they bring down several that have very tender new shoots still on the
top. He snicks those off and goes back to the kitchen and peels them.
Aranging them artfully in a square dish, he places small pickled
fingerling fish about then adds a dipping bowl of sesame oil and
another of soy sauce mixed with patis and minced red and green chilis.
Finding the water ready, he brings out the square dish and the tea
bowls then the water and a tea set of leaves then placed, he says:
"I have hybiscus, black tea, mint tea, and orange peel. Please let me
know what you would like. I am sorry, we are out of green tea, or
rather, it is still drying and not good just yet for drinking".
The Master nods, pleased and suggests to Francesca and the Pilot that
some back tea at the bottom then to chose among the others. Another
apprentice comes up with a tiny bowl of nip. 'Sorry senior apprentice,
took me a little to find it" (she is on her second day on the job and
doesn't know the storage room well yet). He smiles appreciation and
adds it to the choices. They bow and leave to let the others enjoy
their snack.
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