ThE WITCH'S RECKONING

Thousands of years ago, when ice still gripped the earth and the ground lay untouched, a small village emerged along the water washed savannahs, called Bald. One would think the villagers must have been born with only but little hair on their scalps, but no, it was different. It was a green land, a land so fertile and blessed with unimaginable treasures that other kingdoms would do anything to have. But, it was never always so. In their early years, it was quite the opposite, hunger and famine ruled the day, hence the name it was given. But all this changed after a few decades passed. It was said that their ancestors had to make certain sacrifices, most of which are unspoken, but are only heard as whispers, just to change the fate of their land. These rumors were never confirmed, instead, were rebuked by the elders of the land. A little girl named Kamala lived with her grandmother in this land. Kamala was a bright young girl, beautiful, and quite assertive. The villagers always said she was the perfect replica of her late mother. She was the apple of her grandmother’s eyes and also the only one she had. She went everywhere with her grandma, to the garden, to the market, to the river, three-square. Kamala had to help her grandma out due to her old age. This made her learn a lot from her grandma. She also got to explore the village occasionally, but this came with its consequence: she had no friends, as she barely associated with her mates. This made her quite sad. She really wanted to change that. She wished she could go out to the village to play with her mates, but her grandma wouldn’t let her, saying, “There is chaos in the wind, so do not go out, do not let it in.” She never really understood that statement, nor did she give much thought to it. What she always pondered upon were the rumors she always heard from the young maidens anytime they would go into the village. She had asked her grandma severally about them, but she only said they were gossips and didn’t mean anything. Kamala wasn’t having it; she wanted to know more, wanted to learn more, and explore, but her grandmother never let her. She always wondered if it would have been different if her mom was still alive. She knew her grandma was protective of her safety, which explained the constant restriction. Still, she’d often wonder, ‘How bad could it really be?’