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Hi, my name is Charles. I was born mute, into a family of four. I grew up knowing that we usually went on vacation once in a year. I always loved it. Apart from my brother Derrick playing pranks on me whenever we were on a trip, Ma & Pa never failed to shower me with gifts which they called souvenirs, to fondly remember the places travelled to. Because of my adventurous nature even though mute, I was never let out of sight.
I anticipated the end of school session because this time, Pa promised that our destination was a surprise and gave no hints, not even to Ma. I looked forward to the fun of seeing the real form of things that only appeared in pictures shown in school or on the pages of textbooks and magazines.
The day for the trip soon arrived. The start of surprises was when Pa arrived with a minivan that was enough for us and our luggage to fit into. He said this was a road trip and the usual custom of flight was unnecessary. I was glad that this time, I would feel the ambience of nature. It took a whole day, before we arrived at a town which Pa announced as our holiday destination and I was shocked. This was far from my imagination. It looked very unfamiliar, with the people in sight dressed very different from us. The women had their hair in one plait, with a piece of cloth around their chest region and wrapped their waist with another piece not reaching the knees while the men wore a strap of leather across their chest and a pair of shorts resting above the knees. Their manner of greeting as we drove through, was either a slight bow or a crisp salute. Ma must have noticed my look of disappointment, as she warned me sternly not to wander for any reason. We booked two rooms in an inn- Derrick and I were to share one while my parents had the other. As night fell, a soft rhythm of country music filled the air, coming from the inn's basement, amidst laughter and loud voices speaking a common language, which within earshot was not easy to comprehend. It soon lulled me to sleep.
By the next morning, Pa took us on a walk around town. He had a way of communicating with these people with hands and that made it possible for us to get directions. We found our way to the market which was a beautiful sight. Different artifacts, colourful materials like the one they wore, paintings and other items were hung in open display. I held on to Pa, as we walked ahead of Ma and Derrick busy sightseeing. While Pa was adoring a neatly carved mantelpiece and mumbling some words to the store owner in their language, my eyes caught the sight of an array of still-life drawings not too far from where we stood. Not intending to interrupt Pa's conversation, I took a few steps to check the drawings. The inscriptions on them must have been written in their language, as I could not read them, no matter how visible. From a distance, a store owner beckoned on me and I obeyed without objection. He led me into his store, filled with colorful artworks. This was indeed a captivating sight and it eventually dawned on me that I could not understand whatever he was telling his other customers while pointing at various items, neither would he be able to understand why I preferred to smile than to utter a word. I went from shelf to shelf, just to feed my eyes with the beauty of art before taking my leave. Stepping out, I advanced a gathering cheering a man performing magic. Coins were tossed into his hat and a loud applause followed each trick. We were still enjoying the magician when the weather suddenly changed. Droplets of rain made the market even busier, as each person scurried to cart their goods to safety. I sought shelter, pending the downpour and wrapped myself in a hug in order to shrug off the cold. The rain must have lasted an hour because by the time the clouds cleared, the traders were packing for home. I followed a group of people moving in my direction to where Pa must be waiting for me, as I thought, only to end up in a bend. Stores were locking up and everyone was moving in a hurry to beat a second downpour of the rain, so there was no way I could ask for help.
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