GRAVES of Innocence

chapter Five

After a long explanation full of threats to the people who were said to be involved in witchcraft, the meeting was adjourned. the people dispersed while the village leader asked everyone to cooperate with the healer Mabwanji when he goes to visit them in their homes.

The fear I had was too great because the people were hating us in the village, I knew there must be a fire. Some of the elders who were respected in the village, started preparations to help the healer with everything he needed, medicines were prepared and finally, the time that many were waiting for arrived.

At three o'clock in the night, the work of going around the houses of people who were suspected of being witches began, due to how eager I was to see the work done, I slipped out of the house quietly and went to witness even though father wanted us all to stay inside because that day was bad for our family.

The first person to be followed was a widow who we used to call Mother Chinga, a Mmakonde from the South who was working to cook local alcohol.

For a long time, I heard that the woman was using human organs to cook her alcohol, which is why she had so many customers in the village. Since I was young, I was convinced that the one that we usually see as a big stirrer that she uses to stir her barrels of alcohol was a human hand.

When the people arrived, while the drum was being played and the horns of the animals were being blown, everyone was holding local torches that are made by rolling rags in front of a piece of wood and then dipping them in kerosene, her house was surrounded and then the healer began his work.

He was doing his magic there, once he dug into the corner of the house and took out a big charm. once he dug up the side of the door and took out the skull of a strange animal, that is, it was about to tear the clothes.

The woman was taken out and made to sit on the ground, in front of her house, white powder was applied to her head and her hair started to be shaved while the drums continued to be played. the healer was singing strange songs and threatening the woman that if she repeats to engage in witchcraft again she must die.

After the exercise, which lasted for almost an hour, all the people left and left the woman crying in pain, while continuing to insist that she is not a witch nor does she know magic. The journey to another house began, and I followed them behind.

Strangely, I saw them heading towards our house, my heart beat faster than usual, I didn't know how it would end. When they arrived, they did as they did to the woman, they surrounded our house while lighting it with local torches, a drum was played while the healer sang songs that no one understood.

He was walking around as if he was looking for something outside of our house, suddenly I saw the door open. Father came out fast and passed all the people, he moved to where the healer was standing, they were looking at each other.

"Who gave you the authority to enter people's towns and cheat while pretending to cast spells on people?"

"Who are you to ask me those questions? You are a witch and your fellow villagers are tired of you here in the village. This journey coming here is for you, I must straighten you out."

"You are still too slow for me, you don't have the strength to compete with me. Besides, I'm not an i***t like you, I'm a professional, a genius," said my father in a voice that I heard well, then after that, he turned and went back inside. I saw the healer inhaling and exhaling slowly as if he was preparing to do one big event.

When he went inside and closed the door, while outside the healer kept going around, his assistants were playing the harp and singing songs that they understood themselves.

"We need to arrest him by force and take him out, he is very violent," said the healer in a bad accent, all the people were shaking their heads to show their agreement with what he was saying.

I found myself shaking a lot where I was huddled, I knew my father's forties had arrived. Even though I still didn't have complete answers in my head if my father was a healer or a magician, I still did not agree with the action he wanted to do because it was a high level of humiliation.

When a group of men were preparing to enter by force and break the door, I saw my father coming out with confidence, his chest in front of him and standing again in front of the healer, all the people surrounded him.

"Do you want to use force to arrest me? Are you guys sane? Come on, the one with the ribs should stretch out his hand and touch me," said my father angrily. I was amazed at my father because I did not know where he got such courage. That statement shocked even the people who wanted to arrest him. I saw them all go back but the healer continued to insist that they must arrest him by force.

When all the people tried to do that, we were shocked to see a big hurricane that I didn't even know where it had come from, starting to blow strongly where my father was standing, a lot of dust and all kinds of garbage were being thrown here and there, in the blink of an eye, my father was no longer in that area.

All those people, including the healer himself, remained stunned, each of them dusted themselves off. I had never witnessed a big hurricane happen, and on a night like that, I was left with many unanswered questions.

"He has run away from us! He has run away from us!” said the healer in a loud voice, while he clearly showed that there was a great disturbance in his heart.

"I can't run away from them because none of you can scare me," was the father's voice and then I was surprised to see him appear in the darkness and return to where he was standing before, I saw all the people start to retreat in great fear because they already knew that father can do anything at any time.

"I want this to be a lesson for you and other intelligent people like you," said my father with confidence as he continued to approach the healer, he made a gesture as if he was strangling something with force, in the blink of an eye the healer fell to the ground and began to struggle as if he wanted to die.

Seeing that, all the people who had accompanied the healer, ran away, each towards his way and a short time later, they all disappeared into the darkness, and I had to leave where I was huddled with great fear in my heart.

"Let's carry it on our feet and get this corpse out of here," said my father, meaning to get the healer out.

Shaking, I moved to where the healer was sleeping, still snoring loudly. I grabbed his feet and my father grabbed his head, we started dragging him out of our area, we went to the corner of the bushes and then we went back inside. As soon as we entered, we heard a loud knock on the door.