The Awakening

The Awakening

Mavuto had barely slept, before the first light pierced through his round bottom thatched house. During the night, he frequently rose up to his window, anxious for the new day to begin. It was to be the fourth day of October, the day on which he had celebrated his birthday since he could remember.

“This going to be the best birthday ever,” He smiled, and unintentionally sunk his heart shaped dimples so deep that he could easily feel them touch his tongue. He was happy because of a promise which his father had made to him when he was just a little a little boy.

“My son, when you grow older and become sixteen years of age. I will show you the world outside this compound and no one will be able to stop us”. Mavuto heard his father’s words in his ears, as vivid as though his father was right next to him while he laid on his reed mat. His father always reminded him about his promise whenever he had the chance. Now Mavuto knew the day had finally come. He had to make it as special as he had always imagined it to be.

Fortunately for Mavuto, the morning weather was just perfect for hunting on that day so he cancelled the possibility that the weather would ruin what he planned. The wind rustled gently against the bamboo weaved walls of Mavuto’s hut, while birds sang sweet melodies from the nearby bushes. Mavuto laid his body on an old reed mat but, his thoughts where lost in reverie. He thought of a time when he could be allowed to move freely in his village. He also imagined the look which Maluwa would have on her face if she saw him walk out of the compound for the very first time in his life. He would finally have a chance make Maluwa the proud lady she deserved to be. In his fantasy, He saw how her dainty nose would obviously sparkle like a twinkling star on her dark melanin skin. He also imagined himself coming home with a game animal on his shoulders, with his father by his side. But, all that was just mere fantasy Mavuto reckoned. He quickly moved out of his day dream after he realized that he had wasted so much time on something which is not even real. He couldn’t blame himself for it, Maluwa was indeed an exceptional girl. So exceptional that she could make anything feel real. Mavuto noticed something unique about her at the first time he saw her. This was when her mother Chikondi was desperate for a place to stay after walking for many days without food. Chikondi narrated a heart catching story of how her arranged husband tormented her for many years until one day, she fled from her village. Maluwa appeared unperturbed by what she had experienced. She joyfully clinched and hid behind Chikondi’s garment while she pleaded with Mavuto’s father, Ganizani to give her a job and a place to stay. Ganizani was touched by their story and remembered that not so long ago he was in a similar situation. So he gave her a job as a compound maid and gave her a hut within the compound to live in. Mavuto and Maluwa played together from that day onward. As they grew older, she learnt more about Mavuto and realized how much he desired to go hunting with his father just like most boys in the village did. The other children mocked him when they walked near the compound but, Maluwa stood by him even though it meant that the children would hate her as much as they hated him. But even through his terrible situation, all that Mavuto wanted was a single opportunity to prove to the entire village that he was capable of doing something good even though he was viewed as a cursed child. He believed that despite the odds against him, he would one day, become a brave hunter just like his father.

 

Mavuto stayed on his reed mat until the gleams of light pierced harder through the thatch on his hut. The thatch needed to be patched before the beginning of the rain season otherwise he wouldn’t be able to find any dry grass to fix it with, if the rains start early. His ears were treated to the sound of a funeral drum which was played by a village messenger who walked very close to their home. At that instance, he remembered that he might be late for his special appointment with his father. He immediately got up from his mat and rushed to the storage hut where his father had kept a bow and some arrow’s, specially made for his maiden hunt. He picked up the bow and gently rubbed his fingers on the intricate text which his father had engraved on it. With his emotions so elated, he pinched himself a little on his left cheek just to make sure that he was not dreaming. He took a deep sigh of relief before he fastened a bag of arrows to his back. He held the bow in his right hand and skimmed to his parent’s hut like he did when he was a young boy. Only that now, he was getting ready to celebrate his sixteenth birthday. He was more excited than he had ever been in his life. Upon his arrival at the hut, he found his father’s adoptive relatives gathered around the hut, with relatives from his mother’s side.

“Could it be that my father told them about our special trip,” Mavuto asked himself. He took a better look at the surrounding and noticed that more people were entering the compound. Almost as though his family was hosting a big event which only he did not know about. As he jostled his way to the entrance of his parent’s hut, his uncle called him out loudly in his usual base voice.

“Mavuto”

He recognized the voice as that of uncle Musongwe and quickly responded,

“Yes uncle”. He then found his way through the crowd of people, to the maize barn where Musongwe was seated with the village elders and senior members of the family.

“How are you? my dear nephew” asked Musongwe.

“I am fine” Mavuto answered. Fear crept in from under his feet. His knees were almost shaking. He had never seen his always jovial uncle, appear as serious as he was. Musongwe cleared his voice and said,

“Your father was murdered last night”.

“What!” Mavuto exclaimed. The silence among the elders became more deafening.

“Yes he was killed last night in his private hut. Your mother found his body in a pool of blood early this morning. She immediately sent a messenger to my home and well, I came as fast as I could”

“But, what are you saying?” said Mavuto. He fidgeted around his position and was be utterly bewildered. “Is this some kind of birthday surprise he planned for me, because I was with my father last night before I went to bed”.

“I wish it were so but, unfortunately my dear brother in law and best friend, Ganizani is no more”.

“My father cannot die just like that. He is the bravest man in the whole of Kateti land and beyond”.

“You can go on with all your fantasy tales about your father but, we who live in the real world know better that, on an unlucky day, even the brave men fall. Isn’t it so my elders?”

“Yes, yes” the elders responded, with little remorse in their voices and demeanor. All their attention was obviously on the many possessions which Ganizani had left behind. Mavuto could no longer stand the satire presence of the elders. He wanted to see his father. He paused for a while and thought about his scheduled hunt with his father. He didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to his father. Much more, to hunt with him.

“How could this be possible?” Mavuto thought to himself. “My father was the only reason why I am still alive. What will happen to me now that he is dead? Can I see his body?” Mavuto asked Musongwe.

“Yes,” Musongwe answered. “But, you have to be extra careful from now onward. We don’t know who killed your father and we don’t know if he plans on killing the rest of his family. Crime has really reached it’s pick in our humble village, you cannot trust anyone anymore, not even your own Shadow ”.

As soon as Mavuto turned his back to walk away from Musongwe and the elders, Musongwe called him once again.

“One more thing my dear nephew. Because you were one of the last people to see your father last on night, you have been named as one of the prime suspects in your fathers tragic murder. You should therefore remain in the confides of the compound until the case is solved. The investigation will begin immediately after the burial ceremony later today”.

“Later today! Why should we be in such a hurry to bury my father?”

“His body has been badly damaged, we can’t risk keeping him for too long or else his body will soon decompose. If the village council won’t find the killer early enough, we will call in the witch hunter”.

The real world

The real world

When Mavuto opened the curtain to his parents hut, he wanted to believe that his father was still alive. That everything he heard and saw earlier was just a big falsehood but, what he saw with his own eyes, became a virtual image in his mind which he knew could not be easily erased. He felt like he opened his eyes to escape from a nightmare only to find that it’s effects were better off when his eyes were closed. He thought he was living in an endless nightmare which was going on and on regardless of the time or place. His father’s body lied on the floor, at the center of the hut with his chest cut so open that anyone could easily see his heart.

Meanwhile, Mavuto’s mother Tiyamike was sobbing beside the body with some women consoling her. When Tiyamike saw Mavuto, she busted into a loud sob which instantly made him believe the harsh reality about his father’s death. With all his optimism stripped away, Mavuto fail to the ground and mourned his father until his voice became taut. His anger grew stronger and soon, all he wanted was to catch the killer and avenge his Father’s death. He left the hut with his eyes short blood and teary. Maluwa was waiting for him outside the hut. When he stepped out, she walked to him and embraced him in her arm’s. Mavuto was so powerless that he could no longer

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 31.12.2020
ISBN: 978-3-7487-7000-8

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Widmung:
This book is dedicated to young authors who are doing their best to make their work known in Zambia. It is also dedicated to the amazing pieces of writing out there that have not yet been published because of various reasons. Most of all, I dedicate this book to my parents, siblings and friends.