A Letter to Duke Bourin 2

Dear Duke Bourin,

I’m sorry for my first letter. At the time of writing it, I was thinking about a lot of things and… I find it hard to hold back sometimes.

I try to remind myself that it’s not just about me, and that you’re not the only person responsible for all of this.

I didn’t mean to say that everything in our culture is better just because of how we are. There’s things we Udari do poorly, too. I’m included in that, too. I was just trying to share what I thought was beautiful.

It’s sometimes hard for me to not feel that way. You see, ever since we’ve shared this island, the large fields and forests that we had for our food and people have been reduced to that mountain and its cliffs.

Even if the mountain is plentiful and the largest work of our people, even if those cliffs face a wide ocean, why do they feel like our prison?

I’m sorry… I’ve done it again.

Have you learned about our food?

We’ve learned how to grow these very sweet and sour berries in our caverns, we call them Doroberries. They go well in some Uman dishes, too, you should try them! We’ve figured out a way to grow them year round inside Aure.

And in the same way, we learned how to grow mushrooms, too! They’re maybe a little chewy for your taste, but I really love their flavor.

For meat, we try to make use of the meat of every animal that lives on the plains next to our mountain responsibly. We have different ways of smoking and salting the meat, so we can use them in many ways and never waste it.

Have you tried a mussa? It’s similar to some of your bread dishes, but its flavor is completely different, and we put some of these ingredients in them.

I have heard of Udari struggling to get by that sell them on your streets. Maybe you can try them sometime, and learn about us, and our culture.

I’m sorry for talking about our culture for so long. What I mean to say is that I’ve seen happy families with different mixes of Udari and Umans. Maybe one day, we can share all of this, together. I really think it is possible. What do you think?

I appreciate you reading this second letter. Thanks!

Lullaby