‘Morry! Are you with us?’ Morry looked up to Brother Taivo standing over him, ‘Oh yes I’m right here’, he gestured to himself. Brother Taivo rolled his eyes, ‘And tell us Morry, what could be more fascinating than the word of Our Lord?’ ‘Well I was just wondering Brother..’ started Morry, ‘what is a eunuch? ‘You’re beginning to test me now boy’ warned Brother Taivo. ‘Oh I would not test you’ exclaimed Morry, ‘It’s just Yip was telling me about..’ Brother Taivo cut in ‘haven’t you learnt not to listen to that half-wit blabbermouth?’. The other children started to snigger. Morry ventured, ‘Brother, are you a eunuch?’ ‘GET OUT OF MY CLASS’ roared Brother Taivo A wide-eyed Morry looked around, baffled. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed back his chair. Morry wondered down the long hallways of the monastery that had been his home since before he could remember. The sun shone brightly through the high windows, Morry marvelled at the dust that danced around him. ‘Good morning Brother, Good morning Brother, Good morning Brother’ he sang as 3 elderly monks passed, each rolling their eyes in succession. Morry shrugged. When he reached the courtyard Morry was glad to see Yip was there. ‘Morry’ Yip called out as he approached, ‘what are you doing out and about at this time of day?’ ‘I got thrown out of Brother Tavio’s class’ Morry said turning his palms to the sky. ‘I don’t know why’. ‘What did you do?’ Yip asked with a grin. ‘Yesterday I overheard you tell your father that the monks were eunuchs and your father had said that they probably weren’t; apart from Brother Taivo.’ Yip burst with laughter. ‘You didn’t ask Brother Taivo about it did you?’ Morry was confused. ‘I was just wondering about it..’ he shrugged. ‘Morry you crack me up’ Yip said wiping his eyes. ‘But really, you want to get out more’ he said and started cackling even harder. ‘I wish’ sighed Morry. Yip stopped laughing. ‘Come on Morry’, he said, ‘only one more year of training to go and you’ll be out of here, off of this island and on your own pilgrimage or whatever it is; you’ll be out in the world, just imagine all the things you’ll see’ Morry’s face lit up at the thought. He wondered if dust danced the same way in the sunlight outside of the monastery.
Yip leaned in, ‘I tell you what’ he said, ‘I’ve got 5 minutes before my father returns from his deliveries, how about I show you something’ ‘Oh yes!’ said Morry, ‘What is it?’ ‘When we rowed across to the island this morning, the sea was a soup of sharks, it’s mating season so weren’t interested in us, but oh you’ve never seen anything like it Morry! If we climb up high enough and we might still be able to see them over the walls. ‘Wow’ said Morry slowly mouthing the word, ‘What’s a shark?’