Illusions Of Love

It was a pleasure bathing in the waters below. The spring produced hot water and the waterfalls served as a soothing shower and spa for him. Back in those days, bathing came naturally without a sponge or soap. A loner, free and wild, building his rafts to travel far into the sea to catch fish for his daily meal. It was pleasant being alone. The sun gave this man time to hide under the trees in the mountains, scaling its heights whenever he could, plucking fruits from trees to eat and tearing down leaves to cover his nakedness from his waist to his thigh. Whoever taught him how to do that did a good job? However, it came to him naturally.   So he was unrefined, untutored, lonely, and raw. That was a long, long time ago, in a land far away, undiscovered, and filled with milk and honey. Neverland was a very fertile but wildland with one Bushman content to be living there alone. Apart from the rivers which flowed directly into the sea, there was also a forest, an undulating, winding one with plateaus and heights no one would dare climb. Until an outsider came close, it was impossible to believe that there was life on that vast area of land. Kuuku, the name of this loner, could be easily classified as a Bushman. He wore leaves from his waist to his thighs and that was all. When it was cold, he just added some more leaves, hoping to survive the harsh weather condition. There was nothing like a blanket or warm clothing to ease the effects of the weather. It is a wonder how he was able to survive through all weather conditions. Although illiterate and somehow ignorant, he was daring and industrious, plying the outskirts, discovering treasures and secrets all by himself. There were no schools or hospitals yet, just mountains, rivers, animals and wildlife. It was only on the beach that one could find sand. Apart from that, it was all grass and bushes. Truly, the land was serene and kind to him. It was all green and could pass for the name: ‘Greenland’.    Great were his expectations, long-term were his plans and dreams although he was not certain of their sustainability. Back in those days, hunting was the order of the day. No one else could share in his joy when he caught his game. It was ‘me, myself and I’. The rivers that surrounded the forest also provided him with fish for his meals, smoked or raw, which he was ever content with.    Kuuku knew no fear; the wildlife was dear to his heart. Not even a python could scare him; neither a lion nor a bear. His playmates they were, yet, cautious with the dangerous ones. Why lose his life to a wild animal? As time went by, he studied his environment carefully and gradually came to understand that evolution was taking its rightful place. Leaves fell when they became brown, animals died for lack of food, and some killed others to survive. He needed to survive too. Why wouldn’t he? Would he also die like the animals or fall like the leaves? That answer may come in its own time. After several years of questioning himself and his environment and wondering who created all these, his answers came speedily in the twinkle of an eye. His sanctuary caught the eye of visitors from afar who sought interest in it. Kuuku felt like they were intruding though. Their comments infuriated him. He would have none of those. What was wrong with his way of life? Knowing that it was difficult to change a man’s worldview, they were cautious and gentle, yet some were crude and unkind with their comments. Though he did not understand what they said, those who sneered did not hide their true feelings from him. It was human nature at work. Every man is different in his approach to the issues of life. Since they found him half-n***d, they peered at him strangely. Kuuku was cold and unfriendly, showing them how much he disliked their intrusion. Some of them proved to him that he was wrong, that he needed people around him to help improve himself and his environment. They certainly knew better than he did. That one was for sure. One fact was for sure; they were afraid of him. Why? Because he was content with his own life and wouldn’t give a hoot about their opinion.    White skin coloured men would come offering him proper clothing and boxes of food and drinks, yet it was his natural habitat that he loved most and what it produced gave him more pleasure. Receiving gifts from them made him feel like a beggar. It made him feel helpless. Kuuku frowned upon their acts, yet never shouldn’t be. The visitors would survey the land, kill some game, ride the waters and be chased away by wildlife. Always watching and keeping his comments to himself, he knew his companions could take good care of themselves and defend their territory very well. Howbeit, contrary to his expectations, the visitors were not deterred from coming in their numbers because it seemed they loved to do so. The thought of it made them glad. The weather was their friend and the beautiful scenery captivated them. Many who came returned to their countries with the good news of great prospects, for, like Napoleon Bonaparte, they would also conquer Kuuku’s world in no time.   Kuuku loved to bask in the sun all by himself, yet, soon, his quiet moments became the noisiest of all; his rejuvenating naps ceased and pleasure eloped. It was an exploration galore for these light-skinned men and they loved it to the max. Soon, they told him he was living in a very lucrative area and even negotiated a sum to offer him. They called his precious abode a mountain. Never had he heard of such. Now, the discoverer had become the discovered. Two by two and in teams, his habitat was filled with white-skinned men very much unlike him. He sized them up straight and put up a fight so they would not take his beautiful land away from him.    ‘Do not fear!’ they said. “We have not come to hurt you. We have only come to help.” Even their language was strange and incomprehensible yet, little by little, with a lot of patience and effort, sign language and drawings were the tools of communication. It took them years to be able to establish a near-perfect communication between them and get him to warm up to them. Of course, they were very experienced in that art. The great Kuuku now began to show them around and had the reward of rations, sometimes vehemently rejected.  “I would rather prefer to eat what grows here,” he would say with the help of his sign language; yet, adamantly, they would drop a few where he would find them, unable to return the gifts. Wasn't that the greatest temptation of all? Even greater than that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yet they knew what they were doing and loved to do so.     Many came and went, and concerned guests did not fail to notice how Kuuku struggled without a woman by his side. Although this brave man never complained, his tasks would be far easier with a woman by his side. They had the foresight and would employ that skill anywhere they went. Who brought the idea of companionship anyway? The creator himself! He gave Adam a companion. They were right to discover this discrepancy.    How were they going to fix this problem without he misunderstanding it as interference with his private life? A family named ‘the Browns’ watched Kuuku and studied him carefully, trying to determine what he needed and who will fit him perfectly. The job was going to be tough though, but for the sake of continuity of fellowship, it was worth trying. Back in Rome, single women were invited for an interview and told the intricacies of the situation. Many of them opted out considering the responsibilities and the sacrifice they had to make to stay with a man of such a lowly estate. After all had opted out, one remained. “I think I was made for this purpose,” she said. “I love adventure and would live anywhere on earth to fulfil my heart’s desire. What do I lose?”   She came in as a visitor, asked many questions, offered her services, gave suggestions and by the time they realised, she had won his heart without a fight. “I will be leaving for Rome soon,” she said to him one day. Kuuku’s demeanour changed all of a sudden and it seemed he was about to shed tears. “Oh no! I will come back. I have to go back after my holidays. Perhaps, they may allow me to stay here for longer next time.” Kuuku shook his head. “Not go! Not go!” They understood what he was saying, but it was only a trick.    Now, they were certain Kuuku could not do without her. The organizers of the dating programme said to her privately: “You have won the prize money. We will be leaving you here with him. There are other side attractions though which will come later.” “Am I not going to get married to him?” “It will be too early to determine that now. If he likes you, then you’re sure it is going to lead to marriage.” “We are going to seek permission from your family. They will come here with us and we will perform the marriage ceremony right here, that is, if everything goes on as planned.” “Have you explained that to Kuuku?” “We will. It may be better if he doesn’t know about this for now.” “I’m worried about him thinking I’m going to break his heart. I will never do so.” “Does he know about heartbreak at all? He did not even know what love was at first. You are going to introduce him to it if you haven’t done so already.” That light-skinned, Italian girl was Selina. With Kuuku’s permission, the organizers of the dating programme took her back to Rome to seek permission from her parents and bring them back to Neverland together with her so the marriage ceremony would take place. It took a lot of convincing to bring her family on board. They believed the dating programme would end in Italy. Neverland was too remote to follow her. Selina finally came to stay in Neverland, to love and cherish the land as hers’. Yet, it was not going to be easy for her. How could a woman from a far land come to dwell with a Bushman? No one apart from herself could comprehend her actions. Yet, determined to stay, she lived her own life and enjoyed the habitation as raw and green as it was. Selina grew to love Kuuku and her joy radiated through the whole habitat, lightening up the world around her. Even the wild animals lost their wild nature under the influence of her presence. Soon, Selina convinced Kuuku to change into some of their warm clothing available. Certainly, it was cold on the mountain, yet Selina had seen colder days and was therefore not perturbed. “Are you not wearing some?” he asked. “I’m alright,” she replied. “I brought them for you.” “Thanking you.” Selina smiled. Kuuku would get better with time. By her influence, and after several days of discussion with Kuuku, the mountain was re-named “Crayon Mountains’ a place coloured with love and dedicated to Selina, the woman who had changed his life and was just about to turn things around. A white woman had found a black man to love; never heard or seen before. Selina changed her name to Exornam, meaning, he was given to me. That gift was Kuuku. Exornam learnt the language of the Bushmen whilst Kuuku also learnt the English language. Soon, both were communicating fluently and controlled their habitat with much expertise.