Suddenly Serious

The Unreal should remain Unreal

A piercing silence covers the room. Zara dusts herself back on her feet, her skirt made of animal skin is covered in dirt. She slowly faces the crowd, avoiding her Father's glare. Zara has never been so sure of her plan, why can't they just hear her out, ofcourse its because she's a girl.

Suddenly a loud choir of laughter fills the the air. "Your daughter is a real joker!" laughs the senior counsellor while balancing him self back on his seat. " She wants us to trust her with her dreams,!" laughs another of the elders."she can control dreams now, she must be a god haha" another elder burst out laughing.

The Chief violently bangs his sceptre on the ground. "Silence!" he shouts. "Do you wish to face the death sentence young woman!, do you know how many people have been killed in their sleep to avoid the nightmare becoming a reality!" Zara nodes frantically" no. " Over 50 Namania soldiers have been sacrificed in the past, because their dreams birthed the unthinkable"

Bizingo stares at his daughter in disappointment. "Let the Unreal, remain Unreal." Chief continues. The Senior Counselor hits his stick on the ground. " She must be isolated from the Village, she can't share what has been spoken here" Bizingo suddenly falls on his knees and begins to beg. "Master please I will make sure to it, that she does not say a word" Finga laughs " The way you made sure she respects council" Zara

falls on her knees as well.

" I will not speak a word. I promise" Zara pleads. The Senior counsellor raises his hand to gain the attention back to himself. "Accordly to the law she must be imprisoned until after the full moon elapses, that way we can keep an eye on her"

The Chief sadly looks at Bizingo, among everyone in the Room Bizingo is like a brother to him, they have always been close, they grew up together, so their bond stems beyond friendship. The Chief has never questioned Bizingo's loyalty. Now here they are in front of eight other furious men.

"She will stay with the Shaman healer" The Chief announces. How could he place his best friend's daughter in a prision. After Bizingo lost his wife because someone dreamnt her dead, Bizingo has never been the same. The Chief can not break his friend's soul by sending his daughter to prision.

The crowd begins to discuss the ruling, unsatisfied. Finga puffs his pipe, and raises his free hand " I agree, she join the Shaman healer" The Senior counsellor bursts out in fury, " No ! she should be PUNISHED!" Everyone around whispers in the background. Bizingo raises his hand and explains. "my daughter went mad ever since we lost her mother, this is one of her many crazy things she says" Zara looks at her father in disbelief. Zara misses her mother, but she has not run mad, she was only 12 when her mother's best friend accidently fail

asleep and dreamnt her mother dead.

It was heartbreaking for everyone. That's why on the full moon everyone must sit in the centre of the village watching one another, to insure no one drifts of, for even a second. "In that case she should stay with the Shaman Healer, Excort your daughter to him " commands the Chief.

Bizingo gratefuly bows his head to the Chief, and grabs hold of Zara's hand while crawling out the royal hut.

Even though its morning, the shadows of the trees easily darken the village, this make day and night look so similar. Zara kicks the soil below her feet and begins to speak."Father! I'm sorry" Zara exclaims while trying to catch up with his pace" I just had to tell the council about this recurring dream I have been having. I think I can dream it into being under full moo" "Shut up Zara!" Bizingo interrupts her heartfelt speech. "You don't even know where DREAMS COME FROM!, you want to risk your life for something that's not Real!!???" Zara takes a step back as her father stops in his tracks to face her. She has never seen her father like this, it kind of makes her miss her mother more. Ever since the night her mother died, her father chooses to burrie his life in working for the Chief, she hardly sees him.

Feeling the pinch of abandonment Zara submitts.

Bizingo realises he is being harsh on her, she's only trying to help. He softens his voice and grasps the same words the Chief said. "Let the Unreal, remain Unreal"

Approaching the Shaman healers temple Zara holds her tears back. She really pictured this scenario working out differently. How will she save her village, if her own father doesn't believe in her.

Shaman's temple looks bigger than usual, with the hatched grass shading the clay room. They walk up the steps,. A bad odour immediately slaps Zara in the face. It smells like a mixture of urine and rotten corups. Zara coughs to block out the smell.

Bizingo slams open the wooden door. He is greeted with a blow of white dust. The Shaman healer looking scray indeed, a mask resembling a werewolf , and mud painted on the top half his body, feathers from a variety birds swips the flour as he walks towards Zara and blows white dust on her face too

"What brings you here?" he exclaims. Bizingo tries to regain his breathe while waving the white powder as it slowly settles all over him "Wise one, I come in peace, my daughter is to be here till the full moon passes, its an order from the Chief." The Shaman turns and walks towards a bed like structure. "I'm way to busy to have guests, Tonga is barely breathing so my attention is unavailable to anyone else." On the bed lays Tonga. Looking lifeless as could be. Zara quietly steps and walks toward the bed, feasting her eyes on the village hero.

" She is not here to disrupt your duties, she will assist you with anything you need, just don't let her speak to any villager" her father explains while concernedly searching Tonga's face for life.

The Shaman sprinkles water on Tonga then blows the white dust on his face as well. Tonga coughs

as if grasping for air. This startles Zara, she was sure he was dead.

Bizingo also steps back. "Can I speak with him?" Bizingo asks while locking his fingers with Tonga's. Tonga is old now, his sight is barely there. The village worked tirelessly to insure he stays alive. But this was not living. The Shaman walks to the other corner of the room, and bows before a Figure moulded from mud. Chanting some words while repeatedly worshipping the figure.

Zara turns her head back to her father. "How do they keep him from sleeping during the full moon, if he can't even stay up for a short time?" Bizingo looks at her daughter, and notices the deep sadness in her eyes. " The Shaman places him into a deep dreamless sleep, now I think his organs are failing cause of that ritual" Bizingo looks down at Tonga. "My hero, thank you for everything, but you can let go now" he whispers into his ear.

Zara filled with compassion, wraps her arms around her father. Now she is sure her plan has to work.

After an intense emotional moment Bizingo remembers it's time to return to the council meeting. He sighs at Tonga one last time before patting his daughter on the shoulder. Bizingo had raised three boys before Zara was born, so he is so uses to treating her like one of them. His love is stern, quiet and logical, he rarely expresses little to any affection at all, so Zara wrapping her arms around him made him feel alittle tingly inside, which made him uncomfortable. He immediately looks Zara right in the eyes, "Listen Zara, don't try and be a hero, here we are standing beside the beside of one, so erase all your crazy ideas from your head. We will find away" Zara pauses debating whether she should respond. If she speaks she's being disrespectful if she keeps quiet she feels like she's pretending to agree with him.

"But killing the whole village is far worse than my idea, to dream under the full moo" Bizingo interrupts her with a serious glare. "ok, I won't say a word" Zara changes her tone.

Bizingo waves her goodbye before joining the Shaman in worship. They whisper to each other, as if trying to insure Zara doesn't hear a word.

Zara turns her focus back on Tonga. maybe she can get some advice on how he controlled his dream, to save the village. As she witnesses her father and Shaman quietly leave the room to continue the secret discussion. Zara leans toward Tonga's ear. " Hello oh mighty hero of Namania, may I know how you were able to control your dreams to save us" she turns her ear in the direction of his mouth praying she gets a response. No one in the village was allowed to talk to Tonga, except the Chief and his council. so this maybe her only chance.

A few moments pass and still no response. She searches the Hut for the water and powder the Shaman used on them. She only finds the water, by the corner. So she sprinkles some on his face. Just then the Shaman suddenly tears the room and says, " Don't brother, he is brain dead, it's only his heart that keeps his dream alive"

" So is that where dreams come from? the heart?" Zara asks with anticipation.

Shaman searches her face like he see her thoughts. "ah you are curious one?" he concludes.

Zara feeling a bit timid now, glances away. Shaman's mask is not friendly looking in anyway, the villagers say he doesn't relieve his face to protect himself from being dreamnt about ,especially under the fullmoon.

" im just trying to understand somethings about dreams, where they come from, whether our heart controls what we dream about" Zara stammers alittle. The Shaman' walks toward Tonga while speaking" Your heart reveals what you desire the most but also what you fear, if you can free your heart from all fear, you can control your dreams. But fear and desire are unseperable. So for one to be free from fear, they have to be free from desire first." a quiet pause feels the room.