A Heart In Flames

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Mansa dressed up and so was Oma, and when they had picked up their sacs, they were led by four grey demons into one of the caves. The bone door was locked behind them when they entered.

There were no seats and no bed in the cave. At one corner of the cave was a pot from which smoke kept emanating. The smoke gave out a good smell. The floor was smooth, but the roof was rough and rocky.

“What are we going to do?” Mansa asked. She looked dejected. It seemed she was loosing hope again.

“We have to plan. There must be a way to succeed in this mission. The demons must be defeated, and the evil tree must go down,” Oma replied. He was still hopeful, and it seemed nothing could discourage him.

“Plan again?” Mansa asked without looking at Oma. She was looking around. The cave amazed her. She had not seen a thing of the sort before. “Our water and food are almost finished. We will not succeed with whatever plan we come up with if we don’t first think about what to survive on.”

“That will be part of the plan, my love. Don’t give up. You have always been my strength. I need you to stand firm with me,” Oma said.

The two lovers, standing and looking around in the cave, continued to talk until they grew tired and sat down to eat and drink the little food and water that were left in their sacs.

The day was long, longer than the normal day Oma and Mansa knew. And throughout the day, Oma and Mansa planned what next to do. Mansa often sounded discouraged but Oma continued to encourage her. If they failed in their mission, the world would continue to suffer the calamity the demons caused mankind every thousand years.

After a long wait, night finally arrived. Oma and Mansa had to sleep but before they slept, they felt hungry. Their hunger was not one for food nor water. It was the kind of hunger that a wife and a husband often experience. It had been a long time they had satisfied themselves of that hunger, and so, they felt the need to do so. Mansa undressed and so was Oma, and soon, they kissed, they embraced, and started having a coital act. It was such a happy moment they had. But just when they were about to get to the peak of their excitement, they heard a voice laughing in the cave closer to the bone door.

Oma paused having the coital act with his wife and looked back, and there, closer to the bone door, stood the shiny, beautiful fish. It shined so bright in the dark cave to the extent that it could be seen very clearly.

“Sorry, little humans; I didn’t intend to disturb you,” it said, looking quite sorry.

“Why are you here?” Oma asked and dressed up. As for Mansa, she had already covered herself with her clothes.

“I came to tell you what to say when lord Green tries to persuade you again to sacrifice your reproductive organs.

“Very well, tell us. But before you tell us, may I know who you are, and why you are following us everywhere?” Oma said, and looked carefully at the fish. He wanted to be sure whether the fish was up to some mischief.

The fish stood awhile in thought. And finally, flapping its fins, shaking its tail, and waddling back and forth, it was determined to appear innocent. It thought and thought and when it finally opened its mouth, it spoke with such wisdom that had never been heard.

“Everyone everywhere at a point in time in life needs a helper,” it said, “but many do not get help when they need it most. Sometimes, people cry for help but they don’t get it. Other times, people don’t call for help but they get it abundantly. I just decided to help you little ones because I know you need guidance on this island.”

The words of the shiny fish so much pleased Mansa. “What a wise fish you are,” she said admiringly.

Oma on the other hand stood silent though the fish sounded persuasive. “That only answers one of my questions,” he said. Can you now tell us who you are? We need to know who you are, because nowhere on earth do fish speak like humans.”

The fish laughed. “Why have you forgotten so soon? I once told you that not only do I speak, I can also sing you a song,” the fish said. And without delay, it sung a very sweet song. The song was so sweet and pleasing to the ear.

“You are such a good singer. But, we still want to know who you are,” said Oma.

Again, the fish thought for awhile before it spoke. This time, it did not look cheerful. “What I am about to tell you is a long story, but I will make it short,” it said with expressions of sorrow on its face.

“Many years ago, when the earth was still young; when trees had just started germinating on earth; and when rivers and seas were in their early days, I lived with my wife in a very beautiful garden. I was a human and my wife was a beautiful mermaid. Many a time, my wife swam in a sea that was closer to our garden.

“One day, when my wife went swimming, she met a wicked wizard who wanted to have intimacy with her. My wife refused. And out of anger, the wizard wrestled with her, and when he had overpowered her, he turned her into a sea turtle.

"I was home, in my garden, when I saw a sea turtle coming my way. I didn’t understand why a sea turtle should be in my garden, so, I picked it and went to the sea to drop it in it. But when I got there, I met the wizard. The wizard fought me for bringing the turtle back. The wizard was strong. I cried for help but no help came. Finally, when I was weak and broken, he turned me into a fish, and it was then I got to realise that the turtle was my wife. We loved ourselves so deeply, and we didn’t want to go our separate ways, so, we decided to stay together in the sea. Everyday and every night, we were close, living in the sea as a turtle and a fish. Our love continued to grow, and made the wizard jealous. One night, the wizard unleashed a spell on us, and made us to become the way we are. So, I am not just a fish but also a turtle.

"As if our woes were not enough, the wizard continued to hate us so we escaped from his side of the sea to where he had no dominion. Till today, he continues to hunt us. He has not given up on his desire to see us destroyed completely," the fish ended its story amid tears.

“What a sad story,” Mansa said, wiping her tears.

“What’s your name, and the name of your wife,” Oma asked.

“I am called Everlasting Helper, but my real name will remain hidden from you until you come to know it yourselves. I take delight in helping both good and bad people. Sometimes, I get rewarded for my deeds, and other times, I get paid with evil for the good I do. Glory is the name of my wife. Like a star, deep in the sky, my wife was glorious. I loved her.”

The fish, Oma, and Mansa talked for a long time. The fish then became more closer to Oma and Mansa than ever. And at the time it was leaving Oma and Mansa in the cave, it made it known to them what to do when they are brought before lord Green the following day.