Akhill

Chapter Two: Farcry

"How long people." A voice roared through the heavens and lighted up the land populated by less than two thousand inhabitants and a thousand building.

"How long folkz." The voice roared fierce; unhindered by the thinness of pitch, shaking the very crevice of the earth slithering unto the foundations of the town located separate from the county's core.

"How lo—"

"Thetis! Shh" Another voice cautioned.

"Hey Mrz Johan, wanna join ma crusade." Thetis, a black young woman with caramel skin tone, rich black hair shining regardless of ointment.

"Crusade, are you mad!" Mrs Johan threw up her hand in frustration.

"Mrs Johan, Your voice have become louder than mine." Thetis replied, a voice alluring and a posture of beauty beyond the walls of this small town.

"You little small woman, what would you do with that stature?" Mrs Johan, steam through ears, asked.

"Small, Little, What is that beside the power of many. I may be unread and i might have being a slave but what is that when I have a dream." Thetis, a woman with a small stature, sometimes accused of being younger than she claims.

"What is a dream in this distort, broken town." Mrs Johan muttered as she walked away shaking her head.

"Distort, wrecked, broken, alla them are bet jock beside dream, 'cos dream is from within and must not die less y'all regret!" Thetis looked around pointing, demonstrating, going down and raising, expressing her endless dose of enthusiasm.

"Come now, you weak, fearful people. 'Cos ma dream is—"

A fountain of water came pouring towards her with such force that Thetis frozen mute for a while under the high heat of the day when it hit her.

"Get a job woman, leave us be" The one who pour the water from the building more than a storey height.

"Ah Mrs Nicole, She is of Child." Another chasten.

"Yea, so why does she keep shouting everyday for revolution? Does she what us killed!" She replied, also raising her voice in anger.

"True Mrs Nicole, but still ignoring her should be enough than what you did." Thetis stood there as they communed back and forth neither apologising nor repenting, just a discuss of indifference and irate fear.

The frozen Thetis moved her hand towards her stomach and let it stayed there awhile as the wors that came sound like "Bear my Child."

"How long Mrz Nicole, shall you let fear dictate you." Thetis unfrozen, swayed in Mrs Nicole's direction one hand pointing the other on her more rounded than seven month's stomach ago.

"How long, Would you let your children and Children Children's live in fear of the scoundrels of this blessed town."

"As long as they live another day, I would bow for anything." Mrs Nicole,a grandmother five. "And those scoundrel control this district by law." Mrs continued lecturing Thetis on how foolish and profitless her endeavour would be, while Thestis, a woman known to have her heart creative with words and a ear deeply opened to listen and always waited till who spoke to her, completely ended their speech.

"You are young and ignorance Thetis, you dont understand what this path you have chosen would cost you, I know I have lives thrice you age." Mrs Continued passionately, strictly and almost weepingly that she once attempted to jumo down the window towards Thetis as a way to show her, her words were from the heart.

"Don't wait your life so soon in life." Mrs Nicole, a woman whose age was in her late sixties but still the main breadwinner of her family, ended and turned in anger when she noticed her words didn't deliver the intended result when Thetis asked.

"But Mrz Nicole, Watz lives without dem dream." Thetis, one hand still on her stomach, expecting a reply strong enough to sway her.

"You be dead fool!" Mrs Nicole shouted so angered, she uncontrollably threw the bucket which held the water she poured earlier at Thetis, who calmly caught and dropped it.

"Amma chose death than not living ma dream, Mrz Nicole. Anytime, Anyday, Any breaking of dawn and arrival of dusk, Mrz Nicole." Mrz Nicole, more angered than usual, screamed at the neighbour watching the two. "Nick, She is unreasonable!

"Aye Mrs Nicole, I did tell you to ignore her, I was like that once hey."

"But Mr Nickerson you know—" Mr Nickerson, shot his window, not interested in her reply.

Funny though that Nicole and Nickerson are neighbours living building faced one another. It all sounded like a coincidence until an historic book was opened revealing why Nicole and Nickerson were compelled to live facing each other after friends, a son and a daughter became feasts for the apex predators of the district.

Thetis stood a while staring at the shot window of Mr Nickerson and the missing presence of Mrs Nicole at thought she saw the term 'living dead or dead dream' on the windows.

"What I would do to see you live unbothered." Thetis robbed her stomach, causing the plain, casual, uninterest gown designed for the average inhabitants of the district. After Which she swayed back to the direction she faced before the grand entrance of Mrs Nicole.

"You there, I see you. How Long?" She pointed and the long list of people watching her as though a street performer. Like a people of united heart, turned a blind eyes to her and continued their daily life course.

"Hey, Hey Thetis," a voice escaping the mouth of one with thin cords called.

Thetis looked towards the voice direction and saw a little child approaching her with a smile that put the high heat of the district's sun to shame. The closer the child got the clearer the brightness of the smile and the brighter the smile the more tha sun felt unhappy because he was no longer the brightest there is. The child rushed to hug Thetis who carried her.

"Amma loose ma eye one day, before thise smile, sweet."

"Eli, stop giving Thetis a jumping hug, can't you see her weird stomach." A man's voice walked into the midst.

"Boo on ya, Chiron. Don't mind ya fath

er dear." She pushed her tongue out with a smile that would send most man over moon, slightly revealing the perfectness of her dentition afterwards kissing the girls head with her plush lip, the child giggled

"Thetis," Eli called with concern in her eye.

"Whats wrong sweet.?"

"Why is your stomach like this, are you sick?"

"Nah amma with—"

"Eli, come on I told you she swallowed mama whale of the deep sea. Why won't you believe me." Chiron now stands close to the two. Thetis punched him on his side heavily. "Hey, stop ridiculing me."

"But is it true, Thetis, a mama whale." Eli, who was still carried by Thetis, poked her stomach.

"Nah sweet, Don't mind ya father. It is a Child like you not a mama whale."

"Child like me, but I am not a Child Thetis"

"And why is that sweet?" Thetis set the Child down.

"Papa said so, He said I am a grown woman." Thetis looked at Chiron who moved away from Thetis' arm to reach for a punch.

"Sweet, Don't mind ya father, enjoy being a child and don't rush because of your lazy Papa, Elizabeth." Thetis gently strubbed Elizabeth's hair.

"Okay Thetis." Thetis stood straight while holding Elizabeth who was already acting older than her age in attentiveness.

"Where ya going again." Thetis, known to have a piercing eye for detail, noticed the pouch on his side.

"To Styx for business but first, to drop Eli with her mother in the North County." Thetis looked concerned for she knows what business he does.

"You know my family has to eat." Chiron knew too well that look said. "I would quit soon anyways."

"You say that alot." Thetis, not buying his word.

"Fine but any progress with your revolution here." Chiron asked with a tease.

"Ha, funny Chirry. But soon I can tell, I feel it in my gut." She held her stomach. Chiron bent his upper body to look at the gut.

"I thought it was a child, why do you feel a revolution in ther—" Thetis hit his head, smiling. The two laughed and discussed for a while then Chiron set to leave.

"You know the north county is safe, right , Thetis." Chiron said with a concerned voice.

"Ya know me Chirry, I wanna be free not safe." Thetis spread her hands as one attempting to fly.

"Still you are pregnant now, you have to be extra-careful."

"Aye Aye Chiron." She replied with fire-like charisma that Chiron saw a woman whose heart is set and nothing can change or persuade otherwise.

"Good then Friend, till we see again." Thetis kissed Elizabeth's head.

"Send ma regards to ya mama. Sweet."

"Okay, Bye Thetis."

The days sun by some unknown anger shone even heater after the child whose smile swallowed the sun had left with her father due north, shouted I am the brightest there is but sons of men ran for the shade for sun would make aches out of them.

"How lon—" Thetis, returning to a cry to the dwellers of the district, sighted the rising of smoke, left the papers with her bearing pictures of the tyrants she spoke of.

"Oh my God. Not again." The faster she ran as the rounded stomach, she noticed the windows were being shot as mothers screamed the names of their children indoor for fear she knew too well.

"Why?" She muttered as she ran like a pregnant athlete towards the rising smoke.

"How long would ya let thiz scoundrel of brother mutilate yall." Her eyes becomes bloodshot in anger as flashes of the past came to her about the evil acts of this brothers."How long shall yall allow the free reign of this scoundrels." The rang again through her head and sometimes escaped her mouth.

The horror of what she saw fanned the flames of her anger hot but that anger she converted to a quick thought on how to stop the fire from spreading beyond control and doing more harm than burning the brothel to an unrecognised form.

Thetis looked around and saw a three feet long metal, which ran to pick up and used to break the woodlike link that came out the wall of the brothel and touched the next building which also connected to the next.

She kept stroking alone, regardless of the number of time fell unconscious for lack of breathable air.

"She mad." One of the women who was weeping for loss for dwelling was in the brothel but stopped looking at the pregnant woman try to save an helpless situation.

"Help save the town from burning." The inhabitants of the brothel who saw her act as commendable, join and stop the widespread of the fire.

"What a woman." Some men said but did join the fire fighting crusade.

Hours later when the obvious worse had been averted, Thetis attempted to own the situation.

"Ya know this is evil right."

"Yea, pure coldblooded evil." Three of the people that aided her in the fire fighting quest replied.

"Ya know its them good for things right." Thetis continued.

"Of a truth it is those demons." A woman in the said with pain than charisma.

"Ya know the must be stopped right."

"Yeasss." Most of the people around Thetis, picturing the direction of her words.

"Join me and let's stop them."

"I knew was the one, the woman always saying 'How?' The unprofited craze crusader." One of them said.

"Yea, the woman with a death wish who goes around seeking who would follow her against those demons called brothers.

" woman, go get a life." One shout as the call of her name to mind, birthed an unfriendly action as the people walked away from her leaving her alone before the brothel that has become an historic monument.

"Maybe they are under a spell." She thought as she noticed a boy with a strange writing on his left-hand running.

"Thetis, what are you doing here?" A voice from behind her taking her face off the boy's left-hand.

"Any progress on ya side, Luke, Lucille." Thetis ignored the question by asking another.

"Same, same, Hey." Luke answered.

"Not everything though Luke has a scar to proof the difference of the time." Lucille touched the mark on Luke's forehead

"Hey, Lucille its still hurt." Moving his head away from her hand. "So what to do, Thetis, where is your paper parks." Beating away the hand of the persistent Lucille.

"What do? The same and ma paper park fell awhile back but really i dont need it here no one checks them." Thetis paused. "At all!" She threw up her hands in frustration, her eyes wideneds and stomach bouncing.

"Riigghhhtttt." Luke steps back a bit, arms in a 'take it easy' posture. "Don't stress the little guy—"

"Or gal!" Lucille added.

"Thank you Lucille, or Gal in there, Thetis." Luke pointed a the rounded protruded belly.

"I'll try but ma baby is a warrior, Ah free it."

"Oookay, we are headed to the next stop. The dream calls." Lucille said as she hugs Thetis then pulls Luke's ear.

"See you later today, Thetis, hey"

"Kay, kay. For that dream, we wont rest."

"Not till it come to gleam and esteem."

"In the heart of all, who dare to see."

"That, that end our children theme."

"Of how great the parent scheme."

"For this day I have a dream."

"Like Martin said, I wont stop till I see revealed."

"Let not your heart be fluttered, Luke, Lucille. Later"

The song of the goal, recited again and again delivered to Thetis fresh courage in pursuit and fresh pursuit in singularity as she waved the two bye and washed her feet and cleansed her face then stared a while at are reflection.

"Not yet time, the day is still fresh." She touched are button nose and the side of her uniquely clear marble gray coloured eyes. Thetis looked up the sky and noticed the strength of the sun was withdrawn, for evening was closer than before.

A hand came swinging towards Thetis, which such force, the sound that the wind could interpret was a deafening slap. The hand came riding on a four legged creature aim and the wet face of Thetis, the closer it got the heavier it was, the heavier it was the higher the tendency to lose balance if received. The balance that kept a man on is feet.

The hand inches away and the unprotected cleared for impact and then like the colision of lightning all that was heards miles away as the birds flew from there rest was a "bang!"

"Help!"

'We told her she was treading on the wrong turf' was the murmur that rose from the heart of the inhabitants of the land as they imagined Thetis on the floor almost unconscious because of the impact of the slap's connection to her face but reality tells a different story.

The hand approached in its force, inches away from Thetis face, like one who has seen to many battle and has an heightened sensitivity, bend to evade impact, caught the man riding the horse by the hand, pulling him down the horse's back and just before he made contact with the earth, Thetis without much thought built up a wind force behind her hands landing a slap series on the man with a rounded features face.

"Help!" The man shout on impact to the ground as his face kept receiving downloads of slaps from the hands of the pregnant woman he sort to assault. The rain of slaps continued until a continued until the voice of the rounded featured man said with a tone close to unconsciousness. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to."

Thetis like one escaping a trace stayed her hand and instantly sort to treat the man.

"Im zorry, i don mean to." She pulled him towards a shaded area. "Im sorry, Mizter."

Why was she apologizing? The rounded man was in the wrong, why bother? He was observely wrong to attempt attacking a pregnant weak woman, or so the saying going until the light beamed and the books of history open to reveal the trauma that flashed before the eyes of Thetis as the man's hand approached. A trauma she had to slap to death. The truama is the story for another swipe.

"Are, Are ya okay Mizter." Thetis asking the Rounded featured man. "Why was I hitting you in tha face?" She said quizzical to the man she laid on straw found close to the water across the brothel. "Mizter chubby." She poked him, who was finding it hard to differentiate day from night fir his ears still echoed and his face swollen.

"I am sorrys, really really sorrys." The man said with an accent that betrayed him.

"Ya not from here. Mizter Chubby."

"No, No, Madeleine."

"Madeleine, no Mizter, ma name Thetis not Madeline." The chubby man as though hypnotised moved his head and looked towrds the woman than spoked with him, sled as one pricked by a pin upwards and sideways in fear.

"Forgive me Madam, please it is not my fault. I was threatened by people who told me to hit you in the face less i wont be allowed to leave unharmed." The accent of the man became heavier the he spoke but Thetis instead placed her hand on her face muttering apologies.

"When amma be free fram ya, past pain." She muttered, rose up and faced the man bowed to the ground still scared thinking 'this place is filled with monsters.'

"Please Mr Chubby, Forgive me for hitting ya to hard, sometimes my past makes me do unforgiving thingsz." Thetis disappointed in herself for ince again letting are past memory get the better part of her, walked away, leaving the man.

The past and the present overlapped, adding to the pain she already felt through the day.

"No No, I wont let it." She slapped her face and shook her head, then she pick up are voice distracted for a while and shouted.

"How long folks, How long!"

"Y'all wanna continue being fearful of scoundrels who cam from nowhere and took over your freedom."

"How long!" She voice, raised her hands then dropped it again. "How shall you let ya home be burnt for no reason but distaste of scoundrel.

"How long are ya gonna be hit in the face, spatted on or ridiculed because ya displease a bunch of drunkard, How long."

"How long." She bowed her sorrowful as she reflected on the number of harms this scoundrels had caused the land.

As she walked, the wind that carried the sun flowed by, unto no end was the voice that walked by her. 'She is this', 'she is that', 'she has lost it', 'she troubles her own soul'. 'We tried it, we failed what does she think she can do'. 'My pity is to the child'.

The voice rained blowing in every direction hitting this woman whose only desire was a dream of a free county for her child and child's children. Oh that the inhabitants would see a heart full of goodwill and faith towards the people, if only they can see it but their eye has been blinded by pain, there ear deafed by sorrow and there limbs crippled by lost. So was the story of Mrs Nicole and Mr Nickerson who once were the frontline of revolution till the refined fang and reablated claws of the scoundrel brothers devoured a son and daughter-in-law, a Brother-in-arm and Sister, leaving no bone to be mourned.

'Thetis you put your life in danger.' Became the hymn of the inhabitants whi still saw her as human and not a lost course.

"Oh, amma gonna wish I con let go of this haunting dream." Thetis thought as she raised her voice lounder "Death is to small a price for a dream."

"Amma wish I con let go bout I con't ma past is to gruesome for ma child to continue. Amma want freedom for ma child."

Thetis remained undeterred and kept on with her crusade towards the change through her allotment till she felt the child in her stomach say 'mama amma hunger.' She packed her baggages and journey home through the heart of the East county.

"Two loaves, grilled fish and paste."

"That would be thrity nickel."

"And da boy how much worth did he steal.'

"Today, five nickel."

"Please restock the tent you made for him to steal from bet don't forget to accuse him of stealing even if i always pay for the things he steals."

"What is that boy to hey."

"I don know bet I see a boy with a story worth ear and do you know what da wordz on his left hand says."

"No, no Thetis, for a small he is quick on his feet. Not once have I caught him. If not the fact that you pay for what he steals, I might have released the dogs on him."

"Hey, Mr Nigel, he is but a hungered boy. It is survival."

"I too need to survive by selling and making profit. No harm done."

Thetis unsure how to reply to Mr Nigel's words, smile and continued her journey through the marketplace of the district buying stuffs of food and gifts while she asked the same question again and again. 'How much worth did he steal','Any answers about the words on his left hand.' So much the more some thought she had an affinity to the boy with golden hair strands and strange word marking round his left arm. She had always been struck by the innocence of the young and everytime they approached her, flashes of het stolen childhood and deprived youthfulness brought with it tears and a strong dose of commitment towards her dream.

"Ma life, amma trade a million times over for y'all." She handed bread to some and other things to others as they had told her during her morning visit.

"Te-te-thetis," One of the young children called. "Ho-How war-war-was your day."

"Not so great but I wont give up." Thetis strub the young boy whose smile revealing the missing front incisor.

"Oh ma God! Where have they gone." Thetis teased the little boy tickling his belly.

"You are back." A lady walked out, the base of her cloth wet and the she sweating and finger whitened from washing.

"Is Luke here also." Thetis asked. "I thought—"

"Nay, Luke ran an errand for me and may return late. And yea, we changed course for a storm approacheth."

"A stor—" A strong cold wind blow in and Thetis rushed to lock the entrance.

"Would Luke be fine? He distastes cold air." Thetis walked back and sat exhausted for awhile.

"Yea, but my days are almost upon me and he loves his wife so he would be fine." The woman Thetis spoke with, smiled at the look on her face. "You know he would jump down a mountain for me." Thetis wondered if all men can be as Luke but was hindered by the cry from the street.

"To thy homes, they approach." The cry was one the district knew to well and feared to hear, for it announced the proximity of the scoundrels either in one or numbers was to them.

"Lucille we are—" Thetis looked and saw the eye of a woman fear strucked, for the sake of her beloved. Thetis stood up and walked out.

"Where are you heading? Didn't you hear." Lucille immobilised except in sound, for she fear the worse would befall both her husband and a close friend the great dreamer.

"I head to Church, Lucille and I promise luke would—" As Thetis yet spake, the door banged and Luke came in. Unable to control her joy rush towards him and hugged him, forgetting the children around and Thetis she spoke with.

"Easy hey, Thetis already showed me the places of escape."

"I know but what if you—" The door closed as Thetis was missing indoor.

"What did you say to her, Lucy." Luke questioned knowing Thetis only leaves in such a manner when her dream was in danger of doubt.

"I was afraid that you will—"

"Lucille, why? We agree this dream is worth our lifes."

"I know but we haven't even star—" Luke in an attempt to riase his voice saw the youngs ones around looking at the drama they presented paused and lifted one of the children.

"If they are not worth it. I am better not alive." Luke, tears in his eyes as his thoughts strayed into his past and hovered around the battle that cost him almost his sanity and the bravery of one weak figured woman that brought him a life worth living for.

"Lucille,I understand you care for my life but Thetis' battle is for a future." Lucille not finding the right word sat down exhaustion bathed by the length of which Luke was willing to choose Thetis' dream over her and was sure she could never be be first in his heart.

"I have known Thetis all my life and my life, I owe to her even when she reminded me that I was now a married man and that my wife should not feel uneasy because of her." Luke dropped the child, cleaned his mouth, touched the head of the six others and knelt before Lucille.

"My love would always be yours but Thetis' dream has forced itself into the position that I can not replace ever since we escape the slavery home of Rufus the trader of Livestock." He pulled her hand and placed his head them kissing them.

"My love please understand I will choose you till the day I see my end but Thetis' dream I will run towards even in my death." He rose up pulled her up with a smile but she didn't reciprocate it. "Please my love, don't let me choose."

Lucille pulled away from Luke and went deeper into the house where she washed.

"Children," She called. "Come freshen up, the bath is ready." The children oblivious to what was going on ran towards the bath.

Lucille came out to luke, looked her husband in the eye, stretched her hand as he dropped what she had told him to buy on it.

"She does not stay here anymore because we are married." Lucille asked.

"Yea, my sweet. She felt it wrong to intrude our privacy even if she own the house."

"She trusted us with this children also." She asked again.

"Yea, she believed we are more able than she can."

Lucille return inside to see the children who were almost done change into there night ware, came out and set the table for supper. Lucille arranged the table, Luke assisting.

"I wont force your hand Luke but give more room in your heart for me." Lucille said as Luke approached her with a hug and she let a stream of tears flow.

"I will try." The statement of Luke made the reality stick that no matter what she does Thetis has more room than she would ever have in the heart of Luke her husband. Lucille was certain, even if Thetis push him away he will still give his life for her without thought but for her he may draw back to think.

She heard his heart beat towards a dream that didn't originate from him, a dream more suicidal than merrimental, more death than life but her consolation was the word Thetis cried out even when she snores in exhaustion.

"My child, your freedom is worth my dying."

Thetis sort a victory few were willing to enter its battle, a win no one desire to conquer but her state would not deter her from grabbing that future she saw in her dreams.

Thetis alone, thoughts juggling around her mind, and a lifeform her womb walked towards the district Church a short distance from the home of Luke and Lucille. The closer she got to the Church the louder the rumble and the louder the rumble the more She could differentiate horse from man.

"Hey, watchout!"