Unhinged Love

Two villages lay side by side. One was Karen, and the other was Karani. A road separated the two villages. It wound down the valley like a snake. The road was only 3 miles before connecting to other roads. Standing by the roadside, one could not see the full extent of the road. Only half a mile was visible from any point. Buildings and trees blocked the full view. From the north, where the road started, was the beginning of a ridge. The road went down to a valley and rose again on the southern side. The valley cut across the road. Most children heard stories about their great-grandfathers fetching water from a stream in the valley. That was before water piping was done to their homes. The river's name was Dédié, meaning it dedicated its life to the village. The stream never ran dry. It possessed a strong will to live through the seasons. Still, it supplied water to the two villages and others beyond. A large water treatment plant was on one side of the river. And on the other side, there was a recreation facility. People always thronged the facility, especially on weekends. It had games, a swimming pool, fast food, and a section for adults to drink beer. One could find older men sipping beer as they tell stories about the two villages on most evenings. It related well to the history of the villages. Various tales flew around. Most notable was how Karen became rich while Karani was impoverished. The senior villagers could not tire of describing it. They argued a prophet arose long ago, and he was called Jonathan. During that period, Karani was more affluent than Karen. Jonathan went around preaching, from marketplaces to houses, and he always told about the future of Karen. He said the creator had sent him to pronounce blessings to Karen even though he came from Karani. A time was coming when the village would have green vegetation symbolizing wealth. Karani got vexed, burnt his home, and murdered his wife and children in the process. In return, he got angry and prophesied that God would curse Karani forever. They would never know peace, and their fortunes would continue to dip. He also said no vegetation would ever grow in that place. Meanwhile, Karen took Jonathan. They gave him a home, another wife, and land to till. He became happy again. But Jonathan did not stop blessing Karen until he died at an old age. Another myth was why the river Dédié never dried, even during summer. The river used to dry up during summer and regain its life in the fall. However, when Le Dieu, meaning God, came to earth, he washed his face from the stream and pronounced, "You won't grow bigger but will never lack water. People will loathe you, but you will be their life." It takes two to tango. The villages looked at each other like antagonists. They looked like lions, ready to pounce on each other and fight to death. That could be a fight to behold. One would not imagine they originated from the same man. They were brothers. The great Moonlight was a wanderer; he came from the plains far off. When he reached the area, he idolized the terrain. The ridge up north, a sloppy area, and the valley were pleasing. He went back for his wife and settled there. Moonlight gave birth to 8 daughters. He continued to pray for a son before he could stop giving birth. At last, his wife was pregnant; this time, she bore him twin boys and named them Karani and Karen. Karani got the richer side of the land because he was the eldest. Their terrain slanted like a scalene triangle, with their surfaces resembling the hypotenuse side. This shape made them look like they would form a square if joined. Terrain-wise, they were similar, but Karen considered Karani cursed. They would not even greet them in public lest they be cursed, too. On the other hand, Karani envied them; their brothers ignored their plight. But what could they do? While Karen was leafy, Karani was a dry land. One would easily imagine that Karani had not seen a single drop of rain for a century. It was sandy, although finer than regular sand. The area could not support farming in any way except in areas near the river. Large acres lay idle for years. The villagers were generally fishers. Dédié had a lot of fish. They would sell the fish and its products to people from other parts of the country. Karani depended solely on the fish. However, Karen villagers were also large-scale farmers. Year in and year out, they produced thousands of rice sacs, massively boosting their economy. In some of Jonathan's prophecies, he spoke of unity. He said a leader would come from Karani, the elder brother, that would unite the two villages. At that time, Karani was wealthier. So they scorned him; they could not imagine sitting at a table with Karen. When his house got burnt, he stopped believing the prophecy would come to pass. He did not publicly recount it but stopped repeating it as he would with other prophecies.