The Choose One

chapter 4: wrong

"Days went by but the ancestors haven't returned any of our daughters... What have we done? What have we done wrong?

What shall we do?

What shall we do to please our progenitors?

What have we done to deserve this from them?

This had never happened in the history of this land. What is it this time? What have we done wrong?

Why three extra vírgins aside from the chosen bride?

One of the elders spoke in despair.

I'm confúsed. I mean I'm confúsed! WHAT!? Why? Why will our ancestors select vírgins who weren't even ceremonially prepared for 'Tamar'kumeh'? Why?

And we all know how essentially sacred our ancestors hold the traditions in high esteem. But why did they bridge the traditions with their own hands? Why?

Something must be wrong somewhere. And it'll be to our detríment if we don't act fast in getting to the core of this whole mystery.

Elder Simbam also expressed his displeasure.

The rest of the elders sat quietly like feeble vegetables. A foreign fear has mutilated their lips. Their ability to speak was vanquished.

The entire land was in despair.

The hearts of the people became feeble. Their hope of seeing the girls ever again became Obliterated.

The elders couldn't productively get to the bottom of the nightmare.

The whole land was littered with tears, tears of our families and our compatriots.

My father couldn't speak at the meeting. The elder who chaired the meeting asked him if he had something to say. But he shook his head from left to right and tears were let down from his eyes as he turned on the waterworks.

The memory brought back my thoughts to his heart, how I refused to accept the whole idea of being the chosen bride. How I asked questions but no one answered or explained to me. He remembered how I wasn't happy about the intentions of the ancestors.

My dad regretted ever consenting to the tradition that has finally exposed my life to the dàngér of the unknown.

Those memories made my dad let down the rain from his eyes. He Cried freely like a baby, he was crying for his baby.

I'm the only biological daughter of my parents, although I had other relatives I called my siblings, who were at some point living with us. You wouldn't know if you were not told, because we all lived in harmony as one big family. However, their presence in the family wouldn't replace my absence. Which was why my parents were bitterly concerned about me.

Three weeks after the incident, our memories were gradually becoming nothing but history, we were becoming a thing of the past.

The villagers have gradually become acclimatized to the whole thing. Life goes on. They got used to our absence and they were getting along gradually.

They allowed whatever had happened to us to the ancestors to deal with it, they only hope nothing of such will ever happen again.

( that's life, whoever you are when you're gone, the people will moan for you for a while, and after that, you become nothing but history that's buried in memory)

*********

After a lot of experience in the ancestral plain, one night the woman that had appeared to me in my dream appeared in our colony where me and the other ladies were accommodated. She was accompanied by a team of others, who referred to themselves as our ancestors. The woman seems to be very influential in the ancestral realm. She looked to the three (3) other ladies and informed them to get ready to return to the human realm.

"Get ready ladies, your assessment here is over. Now it's time for work. We're sending you back all three of you except this one."

She said pointing to me.

"She'll stay here until she has learned to align. Until she allows her heart and soul to cooperate with the laws and instructions of this realm she'll never be qualified to carry out the task that's before her and we will never empower a mortal that'll not fulfill the ordinance of his/her ancestors." She said sounding disappointed in me.

I couldn't say a word. What will I say? I was just listening to her to conclude her assertion. After all, it appears she can not order my termination, because it's obvious she has more interest in me than the rest of the other ladies. But she didn't know how to force me into cooperating with her.

The only thing on my mind was, I hope they get tired of me and send me back as well.

She looked at me as though she was hearing my thoughts. She didn't say anything...

She turned to the others and said

"You are going back this tonight...

At the dawn of the morning when the portals are open you shall be hauled. You shall be accompanied by your guiding agents. When you arrive you must do as you were instructed."

She said and she vanished away.