Chapter 13
A Tremor Within.
Deities have a way of telling us we are not in control of anything, neither can we do anything when the people around us decide to rip us to shred, if it is the will of the deities. No one can come between a deity and his plans...Often when things are moving the way we want, we assume it's out of luck or it's just because we were doing what we do best, only when things are going a different direction from our path do we realise who owns what. I cursed Nyambe when I realised, the life he gave me wasn't mine but his, and meant to serve others. Who is meant to serve me then? I asked but there was no reply ...
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I was twelve years when I became a woman. Thabo who was now sixteen and working in the palace kitchen and I, sat on the verenda playing ciato. A game where an agreed number of small rocks are collected. Around them, a circle is drawn on the veranda. A player throws a larger rock in the air, then at the same time remove some of the smaller rocks from the circle using a sweeping motion with their hands.
Kubona came where we where and told Thabo to take over Muyunda's cooking duty.
"Why am I taking over her duty?" Thabo asked Kubona.
"She is not feeling well, that's why"
"She is probably faking it, are you sure she is sick?
"Yes, am sure and don't argue with me, just go." Kubona demanded.
Thabo left me on the verenda and went to the kitchen. When one is going to the maidservants' premises, you had to pass through the part of the kitchen I was at and it didn't take long for Muyunda to pass going to her quarters. I could see she was a little weak and was in pain, she had her hand wrapped around the neck of a fellow maidservant as she was literally dragged. I ran to her and offered my shoulder too. We helped her walk to her room and put her on her reed mat.
I don't know, I really don't know but I must have looked in her eyes and unknowingly wished to take her pain away because no sooner had I looked in her eyes than her menstrual blood slid down my legs, warm and uncomfortable.
I must have passed out again because I was with the "great one" and Kuku beside her. We where not in Kuku's bedroom this time, it was a place I knew too well, my sleeping quarters.
Kuku didn't look the same as before, she looked older than I remembered and just plain dead...her face looked pale, she two like the other woman had nothing atop her waist and now I had four deflated dried mice looking breasts to look at.
I was scared of Kuku at first because I knew that I was in Front of a dead woman.
" Don't be scared Zae" Kuku's voice was calm but cold.
"Am not" I lied.
She smiled at me with a dead quizzical face.
" Ok, if you say so."
" When you were born" she began.
" I was inside the room with your mother. You must have heard stories about your mother not experiencing any pain, that she should have otherwise experienced." she continued
"I felt that pain for her"
I was dumbfounded, how is that even possible?
"I know you must have a lot of questions and I'll explain everything for you to understand. Kuku said Looking at me with the love I always took for granted.
"Zae, we are descendants of Nasilele, who was given the task of healing Nyambe's children "Us". Because the number grew and Nasilele couldn't look after everyone, she gave powers to humans to help her and heal her sick and suffering children."
I was becoming less scared of the dead women and more scared of what they where telling me now.
"Every family chosen, had to keep it in their families for generations to come, hence the reason you are here"
"But I don't want keep it, I didn't ask for it" I said near tears.
"Shut your mouth" the great one warned "What an impudent child".
"She is just scared, great one, she is actually a good child" Kuku pleaded on my behalf.
"Tell her what she needs to hear and not waste time here"
"Yes, great one" Kuku said solemly.
"Zae.... this gift has rules, One needs to follow" Kuku started again.
"When you take on someone's pain, you take away four days from your life and you will be here with us, every time that happens. The more you do it, the less days you sacrifice, so there will become a day when you won't have to see us here, until you surrender your mantel to someone else." She sighed and continued.
" You can kill or punish a person when you look in their eyes,by touching any part of your body you want to inflict pain, but you can only kill people who are threats to your life. I remembered the day Kuku pinched my thigh without touching me... Sneaky old woman.
You can not die from any human being's hands only Nyambe's but there is an exception....When you lay with an antidote and have that person's seed grow into a child, you will die upon giving birth."
" Antidote?"
" Yes, that one person who can love you enough to sacrifice their life for you even after knowing who you are, Is the antidote. They themselves can not die, because even if you are far away from them, they can get healed from any sickness or pain through you, even without you looking in their eyes, it happens involuntarily, unless that death is from Nyambe our god... because they are Antidotes".
" They are affirmed Antidotes, when you both fall in love".
"What about that boy am engaged to, is he an antidote?" I asked scared at my own voice that sounded pitchy.
"No, there is no royal antidote, the great one answered me.
I breathed a sigh of relief but Kuku seemed to have something to say but chose to say nothing in the end.
Don't worry non of us have met an antidote in our lives, but you can live a long time, happily with someone else and have their children.
"Any questions?"the great one asked sheepishly
"Can I not want this?"
"That's not for you to decide little girl".
"Who then? I want to talk to that person".
The great one was dumbfounded, she looked at me, with her mouth open, I was one to speak my mind, Kuku knew that and looked at me with a smile before going back to her straight, dead looking face.
" What a disrespectful child, who do you think you are?"
"Oh , me?... Everyone knows am the only highly respected Princess of Sekeletu kingdom, the only daughter of the mighty King Yang ... No one dares to disrespect me dead or alive, and you will treat me with such respect, I maybe what you say I am, but am still Princess Zae...And you will address me as such".
I don't know how I got the strength but I knew that the old woman's audacity was beginning to gnaw at me.
The great one was speechless, she looked at Kuku who looked at me with new found respect, although I was scared in their presence, I still was not going to let a mere dead oracle bully me, I demanded the respect due to me...and I got it!
"Right now, you healed a girl with menstrual cramps, because everyone has seen you bleed, you will automatically become a woman too."Kuku explained...
"Congratulations Zae."she continued.
I missed Kuku, and seeing her here made me miss her more, you will be taken to a secluded place with other girls and taught how to take care of yourselves and your husbands, you will have to wear three stripes of Dakanya cloth. Two stripes between your legs and one around your waist to hold the two between your legs. You can't lay with a man during these days and you can't eat salted food on your first day either. Initially, I was to be taught all this by my grandmother. Even though she dead, Kuku fulfilled that for me.
