Sinaï

Chapter 01 – Old Mansa Sinaï There is a spirit, on the far East side of the village. Said to grand wishes to those who bring him what he desires. I have long dreamt to leave this dreadful village where half of the population is old, and the other half is dying. I desire to travel around the world and see all the wonders the world has to offer. I want to see the people whose skin is a white as snow and those whose skin is comparable to sand. I want to meet the people that look like me and yet don’t. I want to touch that so cold sow; colder than any wintering I have lived through. I want to see the mountains, the desert, the vast forest and the savannah. Just as I heard from the few travelers than came through the village. I desire to see anything other than this dying forest, surrounding the miserable village that I live in. To be the eye that have seen it all just like old Mansa. He was a king that gave up his throne to travel around the world and once he has seen it all and written about it, he had decided, for some reason I still do not understand to finish the rest of his life in this very village. Fortunately, for me, old Mansa made my life better, by teaching me about the possible world outside the invisible walls imprisoning me in this very self-sufficient village. My village is a very small one. About 100 people live here. To survive, we work in the field. We hunt, we fish and we take from the dry forest surrounding us. As a woman, I have learned to work in the field, to hunt, to fish, to climb the tree and harvest its fruits. I have learned what herbs and plants are for food, those who are for medicine and those who are fill of toxin. I have mastered the skilled needed to defend myself from predators, animals and humans. I fear nothing but the fate of dying in this village and never seeing the outside world. I have long dreamt of getting up one day, packing my bag and leaving without looking back. But I have duty here, to my family. I am the eldest child of my almost inexistent father. My mother died a few years back, and my step mother only has young children. I take care of my family, I work to bring food in the house. My step mother takes care of the chores with my little sister and brothers and my father disappear all day and only appear when the time is a eating. I am the man of the house.         Today, after coming back from the weekly hunt with my fellow villagers, I have decided to go see old Mansa. I haven’t seen him in a few days as I have been very busy with all of my work. On my way there, holding his supper, my path crossed once again the one of Aldo. “Peace be upon you, my love,” he said, “Peace be upon you” I sight “I am not your love Aldo. I will never accept your demand.” Without waiting for his reaction, I walked away. As a few others have done, Aldo came asking for my hand in marriage. But I refused. I do not seek marriage, at least not now. I want to see the world outside of this prison before ever thinking about marriage. If I accept to marry anyone in this village, I will forever be imprisoning here and this fate I do not desire. Once I arrive in Old Mansa's hunt, I remove my shoes before knocking on the door and stepping in. “Peace be upon you,” I said, “Peace be upon you, child” replied old Mansa I put the supper next to him, and he thanked me. Old Mansa is very respected and loved in this village. Ever since his arrival life in this miserable village has, improved. He teaches to the children to read and write and tells them about the outside world. We were all taught many skills that we use every day by old Mansa. This not so old man, who was about 50 wintering came a few months after my mother died. He became like the father I needed after my mother had passed away. He gave me hope that one day, I too would be happy and make my dreams come true. Every day, someone brings food to old Mansa. Not only him, but all the elders that have no family, receives three meals a day from the others household. The women discuss among themselves to decide those who would bring food every day to the elders. Despite the fact that I hate this village, the people living in it are very kind. No one is never left aside. When a woman gets sick and can’t take care of her household, the other woman helps her cook, clean and take care of her household. When an elder can’t take care of themselves, they are taken in care of. When there is a celebration, we all participate. We share everything equitably.  “Have you been applying the mixture that I gave you?” he asked without taking his eyes of the diary he was holding “Yes, old Mansa” “And the pain, is it gone?” he continued I made a circular motion with my shoulder than I replied “Yes, it is” Two weeks ago, while on a hunt with the others villagers, I was knocked down a boar. My shoulder was dislocated but thankfully I wasn’t harmed other than that. And it was all worth it, as his meat was delicious. I came to old Mansa after the hunt and he put my shoulder back in place. At that time, I don’t know what hurt me the most: the pain in my shoulder or getting scold by him. He finally closed his journal and looked at me with a smirk “You still respond to me like the child I met 14 wintering ago” I smile as I remembered the day I met old Mansa. I was during my seventh wintering that my mother had passed way. A month later, my father drastically changed, he was no longer the loving father that I grew up with. He left early in the morning and came back late at night; vagabonding all day long. I was alone in my misery; the villagers were more of a family than my own father. Even though they took care of me, I still remember how much pity I saw in their eyes. I lost my mother and my father became a drunk old man. I had decided I would no longer stay in this miserable village. I went into our hut and look a few stuff of mine, I also search for my mother’s necklace. She promised I could wear it when I was old enough, but I didn’t want to leave without it. It was the on memory I had of her. I left the village without even turning back and walked into the forest that had just began dying at the time. After walking for a few kilometers I had encounter a wild animal and yes you guess it: it was boar. They don’t seem to like me very much. There I was a defenseless child in front of a massive boar. At the time I didn’t know how to fight or how to even defend myself from this beast. I knew my time had come, I was scared but also I was happy. At least I was going to join my mother wherever she was. The beast ran toward me and I was frozen, scared for my life. That is when it happened, I man in a horse dressed in blue appeared out of nowhere. With one single strike of his sword he cut the beast head, it flew and landed a few miles away. The body was in front of me, bleeding to my feet. I was still shaken up by what just happen. I didn’t move or speak, I was trapped inside my body until the man in blue finally spoke to me. “What is a child doing alone in this dangerous forest” “I was running away” I whispered “Speak up, child” he ordered “I was running away!” I screamed My eyes were watery and my lips shaking. I was still scared and also angry at myself. I was supposed to be grave, I promise my mother I was going to be grave. But I wasn’t grave, I was a coward! “Where are you running towards?” he asked still standing on his high horse. I didn’t have an answer for that. I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that I didn’t want to stay in my village. I didn’t want to see the pity in their eyes, didn’t want to see my father. “It’s not kind of you to leave your parents, is it?” “My mother passed away and my father…he is not my father anymore!” I reply still trying to hold my tears “The forest is a dangerous place for a child, come let me take you to your village” he said, he held his hand waiting for me to take it “I don’t want to go home!” “Would you rather say here? it’s almost dawn and I hear there are dangerous being at night. They are shadows with red eyes and…fangs!” I ran towards him and grabbed his hand, I was scared enough. I did not want to see anything else. He asked me to guide him to my village and as we rode there he also talked. “What is your name?” he asked “Sinaï” I simply replied “If you want to leave this village, you have to learn a few skills” he said “Really?” I said, I had a large smile in my face. For the first time in a month, I was smiling “Yes, and in the meantime, I will tell you about the outside world” he continued “Who are you anyways?” I asked curious “Me?” He said “I am the man who has seen it all”