Love Beyond scars

The Mango Tree's Curse

The village stretched quietly under a vast sky, and Mirha’s footsteps echoed softly on the dusty path leading to her grandmother’s small hut. The air smelled different here earthy and alive a stark contrast to the heavy, musty halls of her old home in Kano.

Hajiya Hadiza greeted her with a warm smile, her arms wrapping around Mirha in a fierce, protective hug.

“You are home now,” she whispered.

Days passed, slow and steady. Mirha rose early with the rooster’s crow, fetching water from the well, grinding millet, and helping her grandmother prepare simple meals over the open fire.

There was no electricity, no running water, and no school like the one Mirha had left behind. But beneath the mango tree in the courtyard, she found a quiet sanctuary a place to dream.

The Mango Tree’s Stories

Her grandmother told stories beneath the mango tree. Stories of their ancestors, of Fulani warriors, and wise women who defied kings.

“See this tree?” Hajiya Hadiza said one afternoon, her fingers tracing the rough bark. “It has stood here for generations, sheltering us from the harsh sun and storms. Like this tree, you must stand strong, Mirha, no matter what winds blow.”

Mirha listened, her heart heavy but hopeful.

Yet, peace was fragile.

Village Gossip and Hardship

The village was small, and news traveled fast sometimes too fast.

Mirha was the city girl, the orphan with no one. Some villagers whispered about her stepmother’s cruelty. Others doubted she would last the dry season.

At the market, a woman spat, “She’ll never be like us. She’s soft.”

School was miles away, and there was no money for tuition. Mirha’s dreams felt distant.

Still, she clung to her grandmother’s stories and the mango tree’s steady presence.

The Last Goodbye

Eight months later, the village woke to a heavy silence. Hajiya Hadiza had passed quietly in the night.

Mirha sat beneath the mango tree, clutching her grandmother’s worn shawl, tears streaming down her face.

She buried her last guardian beneath the shade of the tree, feeling the weight of loneliness crush her again.

With no home in the village and no family in Kano, Mirha prepared to return to the city to face a new chapter filled with uncertainty and, perhaps, hope.