”“Call him here, please. I need to speak to him and you, together.”She went back inside and returned shortly with her husband. John announced, �...�You, the parents of Ayodele, have entrusted her in my hands. I will be taking her out of the country, so, due to her age, I require a letter signed by you both, saying that she is with me, with your approval and blessing.”The mother said, “I cannot read or write, but my husband is able to do so, I think.” He concurred, “Yes, I can, but not well.”“Very. Bente had heard the voice before and, looking up, he recognised the Baron."I am Bente the Collier, Lord, and I bring charcoal for your forge." I have heard of you, Bente the Collier," the Baron spoke, and was there a hint of a laugh in his voice? "My armorer swears by the quality of your coal, yet my chief hunter insists he'll catch you one day with a dead deer over your shoulder. What be the truth, Bente?"Bente thought quickly. The Baron was in good mood; perhaps a little jesting was in. There was no way his flashlight would penetrate that far.It seemed to be circling, there was no way the pilot could see anything in this storm, and so they must be trying to locate a landing site with their scanners. He watched the ship sway as it hovered, moving off a short distance from the base before attempting to set down. He could make out its silhouette now, a large, dark blob with an angular hull and stunted wings. It lowered itself tentatively, then a strong gust of wind took it and. It turned out that I didn’t have a choice as literally within minutes the heavens opened and I found myself drenched! What a fool I felt. I really should have checked the weather forecast before setting out! I headed in a hurry towards a large tree to sit against to get at least some shelter. Because I was so focussed on getting to the tree, I wasn’t paying proper attention to where I was putting my feet, tripped and fell, wrenching my left ankle. I cried out in pain, but dragged myself to sit.