MY HUSBAND IS A RIVER SPIRIT

EPISODE 7: I WENT TO BEG THE RIVER

Four days left. After what happened last night, nobody slept in my house. Dibia Akukwe was still sitting on the floor in our compound, his staff broken into two. He was shaking his old head and saying, "This is not ordinary mami water. This is Ezu himself. The owner. I have been doing dibia work for forty years. I have never seen a spirit this angry for a woman."My father was pacing up and down, holding his head. All the wells in our street were still dry. People were coming to our gate with buckets, shouting, "Amara's family, what did you do to Old River? Our water has disappeared!"My mother was crying and holding my wrapper. "Amara, please. Just go and beg him. Tell him we are sorry. Tell him we did not know your father would call the Dibia."I touched the gold necklace Kael gave me. It was cold now. Not warm like before. Since the Dibia poured that black powder on his plant, the necklace had gone cold, and my blue mark on my collarbone was not glowing again. It was dark, like it was angry.That scared me more than when it was glowing.I did not want Rumudara to suffer because of me. And I did not want Kael to be angry.So at 11 pm, when everybody in my house finally slept from tiredness, I took my bucket, not to fetch water this time, and I walked to Old River.Alone.The road to Old River at night is very dark. The trees make noise. Crickets shouting. But this time, I was not scared of bush. I was scared of what I would meet at the river.When I reached Old River, everywhere was too quiet again. Like the first night I saw him.The water was black. No fish jumping. No wind."Kael!" I called, my voice shaking. "Ezu! Please, come out! It is me, Amara!"No answer. Only my voice echoing.I knelt down near the water. My wrapper got wet."Kael, please. I know you are angry. My father did not mean to cut your plant. He is just scared. He loves me. Please, forgive him. Bring back water for our village. People are suffering."Still no answer. The river was still like a mirror.I started crying. Real tears."Kael, please. You said you love me. If you love me, you will not punish innocent people. Please."I put my hand inside the cold river water.The moment my hand entered the water, the whole river glowed blue.And a hand grabbed mine. Cold, strong, familiar.He pulled me.I did not fall inside the water, but I was suddenly standing inside the water, as if water was solid floor. And he was in front of me.Kael.But he was different tonight. He was not wearing singlet or chief wrapper. He was wearing his real form. No shirt. His skin shining dark like oil mixed with water. His hair long, reaching his back, dripping water that turned to small fishes. His blue eyes were dark blue, almost black. Like deep river when storm is coming.He was angry. Very angry."You came," he said, voice low, like thunder far away."Kael, please, forgive my people," I begged, holding his cold hands with my two hands. "They don't know you. They think you want to kill me.""They tried to kill my plant," he said. "That plant is you. That plant is our marriage. If they kill it, they kill what belongs to me. Nobody has ever dared to try to kill what belongs to Ezu in three hundred years.""I told them not to touch it," I cried. "Kael, please. I will water it every day. I will take care of it. Just bring back water for Rumudara."He looked at my face, at my tears. His angry eyes became soft small small."You cried for me?" he asked."I... I was worried for you. When Dibia poured something on the plant and fire came, I thought you were hurt."Something broke in his face. The anger left.He pulled me close. So close my chest touched his cold chest. My wrapper became wet, but I did not care."Amara," he whispered, his voice now soft like water flowing over stone. "Do you know that in three hundred years, no woman has ever cried for me? They fear me. They worship me. They run from me. But you... you came to beg for me. Not just for your village. For me."My heart was beating fast against his chest."Of course I will forgive them," he said. "Because you asked."He raised his hand. The river behind us started moving again. Wind started blowing. And from where we were standing, I could hear shouting from Rumudara village far away."Water is back! Water is back! Our wells are full again!"Kael smiled small."See? I have returned it."I smiled through my tears. "Thank you.""But you have to pay me for it," he said, and his eyes were glowing blue again, but not angry blue. Different blue. The blue that made my legs weak."Pay you how?""A kiss."My eyes opened wide. "Kael!""You are my wife, Amara. In my palace, a wife kisses her husband when he does something good.""I have never kissed any man before," I whispered, looking down. My face was hot."I know," he said, touching my chin and raising my face up. "That is why I have waited. Your lips belong to me only. No Chike, no human boy, has ever touched them. That makes me happy."He was so close now. I could see water moving inside his eyes. I could smell river and fresh rain from his body. My blue mark on my collarbone started glowing again, bright blue, lighting our faces in the dark river."Close your eyes, my wife," he whispered.I should have said no. I should have run. My grandmother warned me, "If a river spirit kisses you, you belong to him forever."But I did not run.I closed my eyes.And Kael kissed me.His lips were cold at first, like river water, but then they became warm, and sweet, like fresh water in dry season. My whole body did something I have never felt before. Like electricity and water mixed together. My knees shook. I held his shoulders tight because I thought I would fall.It was not a long kiss. Just small, soft, but it scattered my head.When he left my lips, I could not open my eyes immediately. I was breathing fast."Amara," he whispered, smiling, touching my lips with his thumb. "Now you are truly mine. No pastor, no dibia, can remove my kiss."I opened my eyes, shy. "Kael... what did you do to me?""I marked you properly," he said. "Before I only marked your collarbone. Now I marked your soul."He touched my necklace. The necklace became warm again, glowing blue."Go home now," he said. "In three days, I will come with my people to take you. But tonight, sleep well. And water our plant tomorrow morning. It is our child."Our child. He called the plant our child.I wanted to argue, but my lips were still tingling from his kiss.He led me out of water, back to riverbank. As I was about to go, he held my hand."Amara, one more thing. Don't remove my necklace again. And don't let any man touch you. If Chike touches you again after my kiss, I will not just make his leg swell. I will drown him inside his dream."I nodded, scared and happy at the same time. What is wrong with me?I walked back home. When I reached our compound, the wells were full. The blue plant was healed, taller, with two blue flowers now.My mother was waiting at the door."Amara, where did you go? And why are your lips swollen? And why is your wrapper wet?"I touched my lips and ran inside, heart beating.Three days left to be his wife.And I had just received my first kiss. From a three hundred year old river spirit.TO BE CONTINUED...