” Today marks two years since the demise of our Chief Redfut kanobi. He was a man of the people and treated us like we were of one flesh and one bone.” ” Today we shall make merry and offer sacrifices to the Gods in honor of our fallen chiefs. May the spirit of the late ones find rest.” Aired Agiyon the head chief of the Red Clan. He was bare from head to toe unless for the skin napkin that hung over his loins to partially hide his small appendage. His red skin shone from the rays of the moon giving it a white highlight that seemed to be mobile with his movement. He wasn’t more than forty but already had the belly of a pregnant woman, due to the excessive sorghum beer that he was fond of ingesting. People wondered how he managed to inculcate A bad habit of Alcoholism together with that of leading his clan. When he was happy, he drank, when he was sad, he drank and when he was both, he still drank. It was what gave him joy more than anything else and since he was royalty, no one could really confront his act. Once when confronted by the old king on why he drank so much even when he was an idol to his people. He simply claimed that a god lived in him and it was the will of the good to drink so heavily.
“As I was saying. Let’s all drink and have merriment for it’s a good night and the days to come are to be good.” Broadcasted Agiyon and began to stagger a steps of drunkenness in the name of dancing.
” How come you don’t see the omen in our paths?” ” Its the Darkest I have ever seen.” Said Luitsi, a young lady eighteen who was a self styled priestesses of the clan. When she was a little girl, she drowned in the waters and was submerged In it for many hours before being pulled out by a fisherman who had seen her hung under the water. She was motionless as her dark curly hair slowly meandered with the currents of the water while her eyes was wide open as if though she was trying to wade death from snatching her soul. The fisherman concluded she was another corpse but decided to salvage her body for a funeral right to be observed. For him, she was very young and the death of little kids were frowned upon since they brought nothing but woes to the family of the child. Had it been an old man or old woman, he was going to let it be, so the fishes could have enough food to multiply more. When out of the water, she was motionless in what he agreed as her death. The ribbon over her neck indicated the Hamlet she was from and he wasted no time to lift her on his shoulder before heading straight to her fathers house.
” Goodness. Another corpse?” Gasped an old lady who sat warming herself by the fire along with her sister who was deaf in both ears and could hardly see a thing.
” Greetings to you my mothers. I found this little girl hung in the middle of the stream. She wouldn’t sink and she wouldn’t rise. She was a fighter.” Said the fisherman as he bowed slightly in greetings but never halted. He was headed straight to the home of the little child which he was able to deduct by a code of animal drawings on her ribbon.
” She’s still a fighter.” Hummed the old woman and spat into the fire from what she presumed as nothing short of witchcraft. Soon there was wailing in the hamlet. One among the little kids they had been searching for had drowned and for all they could conclude, the other one to had suffered the same faith.
” I found her in the cold waters when I checking my nets. She must have been washed by the high currents. Parent’s should warn their children against swimming in the high currents.” “This one had her who whole life ahead of her.” Bemoaned the Fisherman to a gathering of wailing men, women and kids.
” She still has her life ahead of her. The child is not dead.” Declared a rickety old voice that commanded everyone to turn towards it’s direction.
” She was submerged beneath the waters for many hours. I only found when I got into the water. She couldn’t have survived it.” said the fisherman and took a step closer to the drenched corpse of the little girl. She was motionless as her white gown was soiled with green algae to denote her lengthy stay beneath the water.
” Well this one is not dead” ” She has been in the water for a day or two and did not float. What’s her name?” She asked in majesty while walking her bent spine with the help of a stick.
” Luitsi. Her name is luitsi.” Cried the mother of the child. ” Luitsi huh. A name for the gods. Fetch me wasp honey. I believe all kids love it very much.” Said the old lady as she walked her ball legs towards the body of the little child. Everyones eye was hung on her.
Soon a fair quantity of Wasp honey in the surrounding houses were fetched by their owners who had faith in the process. For some of them, it was just a decoy by the old lady to do away with their precious sweeteners. They believed the girl was dead thus not a drop of scarce resources was supposed to be used to be used at the detriment of the living. The eyes of the old woman was caught by a big jar of honey which the owner had brought in a haste. It was that very jar she went for and picked it up with all the strength in her old hands, before walking to the feet of the dead girl. She raised her head in a scary manner and hawked her sight amidst the mourning crowd till her eyes picked up the muscular stature of a handsome young man who no doubts was a gym enthusiast even though he did it wit local tools.
” Come over here and take off the lid.” She said, making it clear to him by pointing her lean finger at him. He rushed to her and quickly undid the lid of the jar.
” Hmm strong!” She chimed and gazed at his bare body in a shameless admiration before smiling and weakly squat down by the child. She dipped her index finger into the jar of honey and scooped a tip full of the thick liquid, brought it close to her dried lips and began to mumble some incantations that were inaudible to the crowd. Soon, she spat on it and gently placed the finger into the mouth of the child till she could feel the coldness of her tongue. “Luitsi. Wake up.” She whispered and took her finger out of the child’s mouth. Heads wagged, gazing at each other in anticipation. Never in their life had they experienced such a thing before and among them were elders as old as the lady trying to perform the miracle. Loyal to the grip of death, She Little Luitsi was motionless and showed no sign of resurrection. It caused the crowd to murmur in disappointment.
” A stubborn one you are eh?” Said the old woman and placed the same finger into the jar of honey. At that point, the owner of the jar knew he was never taking it back again. She recited her incantations once again, spat on her finger and amassed it on the tongue of the little child.
” Luitsi wake up!” She commanded, getting irritated that the child was trying to mock her. The little one was as dead as she was and could do nothing but remain dead. The quietness that had sprouted from hope and the murmurs that had been birthed by fear were now opaque by the wails of mourners, mostly women who now believed the girl was gone with the winds. The old lady hummed an old tone in a bit to curb her rage.
” Look at my fallen breast and look my white hair. Look at my walking stick, it’s older than the tallest trees in the woods.” ” Luitsi don’t make me a laughing stock.” She hushed in a whisper and yet again, placed the tip of her index finger in the jar of honey and placed it in the child’s mouth negating her own rituals of incantations. Words were enough for the wise_ she opined innately, gazing at the dead child who wouldn’t resurrect. She sniffed in defeat and decided to call it a day. As she stood up, the wails became louder as it was joined by men who had shut their hopes so high in search of a miracle that wasn’t forthcoming. She staggered her way up and hung her weight on her walking stick. Causing her breasts to almost touch the ground. She was tired in body and mind. One last gaze at the dead girl and she spat on the floor in disgust before turning away to take her leave. ” You. Get the jar and come with me.” She said to the muscular youth who quickly lifted the jar of wasp honey. No sooner had the old woman left the scene, did a cry of joy fill the environment. The little child had awaken. The old woman didn’t care, her work was done and she was going back to her partially blind sister. She had a gift for both of them. The studded youth and the honey. All to be enjoyed in the privacy of their rooms.
” Well oh well. Luitsi the ghost of the marine. We aren’t talking water resources here. I will ask for your opinion when I want to survive an under water expedition.” Said Agiyon and cackled hardly, causing his followers to laugh at her to. Yes she was smart, but the aftermath of her resurrection had left her retarded in the brain. She spoke out of point and said things that were regarded as strange. She grew up to be a beautiful young woman but her beauty did not fetch her suitors since all the young men saw her as lunatic and a plaything of the evil spirits.
” Something bad is coming and the even the waters you mock so much, would spit you out when the earth would be too bloody to give you solace.” She purred as she walked towards the center of the gathering swaying her plump hips and making visible her firm breast to all that cared to see.
” Give your sacrifices to the old lord. He would save you from the clutch of death. Just like he saved me. Agiyon here is not telling you the truth.” She declared, pointing an accusing finger at her clan leader which only made the gathering laugh so hard. If it was a normal human, she would have been killed for such blasphemy.
” Sacrilege! Oh Sacrilege.” This one does it with ease. What a curse from the gods.” Said the dandy drunkard as he staggered gazing at the breasts of the young lady.
” I speak the truth. He would lead us all to doom. The exiled prince is the chosen one and not you. Someone must call him back.” She said and reached for the keg of alcohol in the hands of the clan leader. She was quick to take it off his hands and quickly gulped a good quantity of it before scampering away with the keg.
” Witch! Only you dare to steal from royalty in the full glory of the moon! Only you God damn it.” He staggered and gnawed his teeth in rage while he watched her bear buttocks thwarting away as she fled.
” He is not on exile. He is at school” Catori whispered and flicked open his lids while still maintaining his meditation stance. He had decided to have one more round of meditation with the spirits and had fell asleep in the process, due to the lengthy days of sleepless nights. When he awoke. He saw both Maximin and Amelia gazing at him in a worrisome manner. Alas the health of their savior was paramount.
” Are you okay Catori? She asked him in tone of concern. ” Yes I am fine.” Are we set to go? He asked as he panted softly. While he gaze around him.
” Yes. We have waited for you all day. Your meditations are really lengthy. I wonder what you see when you close those eyes of yours.” Amelia intoned with a pleasing smile.
” Sorry. Let’s get going.” He said and stood up without wasting any further time. It’s been seven days and seven nights. It was time to tell his people what the gods had revealed to him.