MY HUSBAND IS A RIVER SPIRIT

EPISODE 6: THE DREAM INSIDE WATER

I wore the necklace to sleep.I should have removed it. My mother told me to throw it away. But I did not. It was too beautiful. And when I touched it, my mark stopped burning.That night, I did not sleep in my room.I slept inside water.In my dream, I opened my eyes and I was not on my bed. I was on a big bed made of what looked like white coral and gold. The bed was floating inside water, but I was breathing fine. There were no walls, only blue water everywhere, with light coming from nowhere, like sunlight inside water.And there were fishes. Big fine fishes swimming around, but they had faces of small girls, serving."Where am I?" I shouted, but my voice came out like bubbles."You are home, my wife."Kael.He was lying beside me on the bed, wearing no shirt. His chest was broad, water dripping from his hair. His blue eyes were soft now, not glowing scary.I tried to move away, but my wrapper was gone. I was wearing white mermaid wrapper that was shining. My hair was long, reaching my waist, with small shells inside it."Kael! What did you do to me? Did you kill me? Did you take me inside river?"He laughed. "No, my stubborn wife. You are still in your father's house. This is dream. But it is also real. This is my palace. Where you will live with me after 5 days."He sat up and touched my hair. His cold hand made me shiver, but not from fear this time."Amara, why are you fighting me? All girls in Rumudara would kill to be where you are. I have gold, I have power, I love you. What does Chike have? What does any boy in this village have? Bicycle?""Chike is human," I said. "You are not. I want a human husband who I can cook for, who will go to farm with me, who will get old with me. You will never get old. You are 300 years old!""And I will make you not get old too," he said. "If you marry me, you will live 300 years too. You will never have wrinkle. You will always be beautiful like today."He moved closer. So close I could feel his cold breath."Amara, can I kiss you? For real this time. Not on forehead. Properly."My heart was beating so loud I could hear it inside water."No," I whispered. But my body did not move away."Your mouth says no, but your mark says yes," he whispered, touching my collarbone. The blue wave mark glowed bright blue, lighting the whole water palace.He leaned in.Just when his lips were about to touch mine, we heard a loud shout in my real world."AMARA! AMARA! WAKE UP! THE PLANT IS ON FIRE!"It was my mother's voice.I woke up with a jolt.I was back in my room. Sweating. My necklace was glowing hot. My wrapper was wet, as if I really slept inside water.Outside, my father and mother were shouting.I ran out.The blue plant Kael gave me, the one that was as tall as me yesterday, was burning. But not with normal fire. Blue fire. And from inside the fire, I saw Kael's face, angry."Dibia Akukwe came," my grandmother said, holding my hand, shaking. "Your father went to call Dibia Akukwe from next village without telling you. The Dibia came and poured something on the plant to kill it."The Dibia was standing there, old man with white hair, holding his staff, shouting incantations."I will kill you, Ezu! You cannot take this girl!"Inside the blue fire, Kael laughed. But it was not sweet laugh. It was thunder."You cannot kill me, old man. I own this land. I owned it before your great grandfather was born. If you burn my plant, I burn your village's water."As he said that, all the wells in our street started drying. People came out shouting, "Our water! Our water is gone!"The Dibia fell down, his staff broke into two.Kael's voice came from everywhere, from every cup of water in Rumudara."4 DAYS LEFT, AMARA. IF ANYONE HURTS WHAT IS MINE AGAIN, I WILL MAKE RUMUDARA DRY FOR 7 YEARS. AND I WILL TAKE YOU ANYWAY."The blue fire stopped. The plant was not burnt. It had grown even taller. Now it had small blue flower.My mother knelt down and held my legs."Amara, please, just marry him. He will kill us all."I touched my necklace. It was still warm.I looked at Old River direction.For the first time, I was not running from Kael. I was worried for him.What have my people done?TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE 7...