The window cleaner

Fidelia Tavernsworth

The mountain winds were much cooler than the one at the plains. Had it been winter there would have been no place for fidelia and her elder sister Anne Marie to climb the mountain due as mount Syracuse as it was called was well known for its violent avalanche which had claimed many lives in the past. During the summer when the mountain was friendly and snow free. Hikers came from all over the world the east of Australia where the mountain was located. Fidelia who was just right years old had travelled down from Belgium along with Anne Marie her elder sister who was sixteen years old. Apart from the towering heights of the mountain. There existed a small tribe of locals that were stagnant at the top of the mountain. Legends had it that they were once a community of Shamans who were notorious for engaging In witchcraft , dark magic and fortune telling , that lived peacefully on the plains with other tribes until they were a accused of causing plagues and farmines to rival tribes. Soon war broke out between the Shamans and other major tribes and when they were outnumbered and overpowered. They fled to the top of the mountains to survive the pogroms. It was almost two late for them as more than half of their populace had lost their lives in the battle. A whole lot more would later die from sickness and the harsh climatic conditions of the mountain. Living behind the fittest who managed to survive by using black magic. Modernity soon came and stigmatization against the Shamans was disbanded with defaulters facing as much as lifetime in prison if found guilty. It wasn't late before people found out that the Shamans were good herbalist who gave medical remedies that could rival the best pharmaceutical companies in the world. People also found out that they were accurate soothsayers among them who were very good predicting the events of the future. Thus those who didn't go for the sake of the mountain. Went for the sake of the Shamans.

" Fidelia common you need to walk faster." Said Anne Marie as she fought her way up the mountain. While Fidelia trailed her with some steps.

" I'm trying my best. You know this terrains are new to me. You have been here before." Said Fidelia as she walked frantically against the pulling gravity of the mild wind.

" Yes you always have an excuse. Im still sure I will beat you to the top of kilimanjaro ,or is that also new to you." Said Anne Marie she made progress on her quest.

" You bet. No one can beat me to the top of kilmanjaro. African mountains are my play ground remember. We have been there thrice and I was at the submit before you." Said Fidelia and chuckled lightly.

" I thought the last one was a draw. We broke even at the submit." Said Anne Marie with a guilty smile on her face.

" Nothing like that occurred which I can recall. My dear you dream too much and you know it. I arrived the submit and had to almost come fetch you at the foot of the mountain." Said Fidelia and giggled while she kept on climbing.

" What ! You really got the nerves. Hehe so I was at the foot of the mountain when you were already at the submits. Or did I get blown to the ground by the winds of destiny and also got blown to the submits again by the same wind." Said Anne Marie and the two girls had a good laugh without halting for once. They were almost at dtb the submits and Fidelia longed to see the Shamans just as she had longed to see the pygmies in Congo. There was a part of her that was highly fascinated by things that things that were intricate with super natural tendencies. Far from that. She was very much attracted to the African culture and the meagre settings of the African villages which gave her a peace that she didn't find anywhere else.

Thirty three minutes more of constant hiking and the two girls were are the submits of the mount Seracuse.

" We made it. And this time around I am the queen of Australia and euerope to. You only win in Africa." Said Anne marie as she jumped up and down in joy with the remainder of her strengths.

" Well congratulations to you . Queen of Australia. Very soon I will ensnare you to everest and win again. Only then shall this debate of who is better be abolished. In my favor of this is." Said Fidelia as she lay on the plains catching her breath and also wondering how her sister had managed to jump around after such tasking journey.

" You wish little. It's you who dream too much. If I couldn't see your eyes open from here . I would have sworn that you were sleep talking." Said Anne Marie who finally bent down to catch her breath.

" Sleep talking . What . You got to be kidding me." Said Fidelia as she laughed out loud.

" Quit acting dead and come and take some shots of me. I bet the adventure magazine would be willing to pay a fortune for this shots from their queen of heights." Said Anne Marie.

" You bet so sis you bet. Give me a moment to catch my breath would you . " Said Fidelia as she caught lay panting for stress.

" Okay you can sleep all you like . I just knew you were asleep" said Anne Marie and faced the camera to her self. "

" I'm not asleep ." Said fidelia and sprang up with a smile.

"Great . Thats the angle I was looking for." Said Anne Marie and handed the camera over to her sister who wasted no time and began taking shots.

Chapter 38. ( A prophesy on Fidelia.)

Picture time was over and it was time to explore the second reason for their coming. Anne Marie had an age long problem with her stomach. Her parents had carried her to the top physicians In the world for treatment. However it only subsided only to return with more ache and cramps. Coming to mount Seracuse gave her hope of finding a lasting medical solution to her stomach problems. Fidelia on the other hand was hail and hearty. Her health was very much perfect. But she had overly active sense of curiosity especially on supernatural issues. Far from her health and any bitter herbs. What she wanted to know was what the future held In store for her.

" How long till we reach the house of the muami the oldest Shaman on this mountain." Fidelia asked a passer by.

" You are almost there. It's just a few minutes more to the left. His services are expensive though. I can take you to a stronger wizard who charges less with a better result. " Said the young man as he tried to win a customer for his self.

" Thank you very much . But we have a special recommendation to meet Muami. Thank you very much sir." Said Anne Marie as she held on to Fiddlias hand as walked on. The two girls were not surprise that the young man had tried to swindle them. Most of them were petty farmers who relied on selling herbs and supernatural services to make money. This had led to a high yet healthy competition amongst the practioners of the dark art with everyone wanting to have the customer to himself.

Two more inquiry for directions and the two girls arrive at the house of Muami which was built with mud and roofed with palm fronds. The were patterns which adorned the walls in a bid to beautify the walls or send a distinct message about the personality of the ownef owner of the house.

" Good afternoon sir. Please we want to see the great Muami. " Said Anne Marie to a young local that was sweeping the compound.

" Is he aware of your coming." Said the young man as he kept on sweeping.

" Not actually. We are here to get some herbal remedy. Is he available please.?" Said Anne Marie who felt slightly irritated by the lack of courtesy from the young man.

" Just a minute then. Let me inform him of your visit." Said the boy and kept on sweeping.

The two girls looked at each other in surprise and focused their looks back on the young man who was still sweeping.

" If you don't mind sir. We haven't got all day. Go get fetch us the old man and don't delay us any further." Said Anne Marie in a outburst of rage.

" Calm down please." Said Fidelia in a whisper.

" The young man was quick to drop his broom and rushed into the hurt to call Muami.

" Well how difficult was that. He had to make me shout on him. Oh my. Mama won't be pleased with my anger management control." Said Anne Marie and made a sad Face.

" Well you are still doing good. You have improved a lot. The young man had no business delaying us. It's just rude." Said Anne Marie with her hands still clutched to her sisters hand.

" Thank you . I know you always got my back. I don't know what I would ever do without you . Mum and dad should have made you earlier." Said Anne Marie and chuckled naughtyly.

" Here we go again. So naughty in thoughts. Please keep me out of such discussion." Said Fidelia and coverdy her ears in shyness.

" Oh Fidelia . You till an eighth year old baby. I know what you need. " Said Anne Marie as she took out her camera from her leather bag.

" What do I need. ? I need I chocolates." Said Fidelia as looked in curiosity to what her sister was trying to take from her bag.

" How pathetic. You don't need chocolates. You need a boyfriend." Said Anne Marie and chuckled in euphoria.

"Ewww .That's so gross. Please stop already before I run away from you." Said Fidelia as she laughed and returned her ears.

" Come. Get a hold of this camera and snap me." Said Anne Marie and dropped the camera into the hands of her sister. Just then an old man clutching tightly to a walking stick appeared from his hurt and the two girls went silent for a while.

" Good afternoon sir. You must be Muami. " Said Anne Marie as she walked towards the man and offered him a handshake.

" And you must be Magarita. " Said Muami , who ignored the girls handshake and headed to take his seat as he walked slowly.

" Her name is not Magarita sir. Her name is Anne Marie." Said Fidelia and chuckled at the old man assume error.

" Margarita. ? How did you know my maiden name. Mom and dad later didn't find the name too alluring and they changed it to Anne Marie. But that's a nice try Muami. You are good at your craft,

"What.Your name is Magarita.?" Said Fidelia as she looked at her sister In shock.

" Yes. My name is Magarita. It's not as if I use it anymore. But it's still my name. When it was changed. You weren't yet birthed." Said Anne Marie to her sister whose mouth was thrown open in awe.

" What.! How come no one ever told me. Not you . Not mom and not dad. I'm so pissed." Said Fidelia as her face fell in disappointment.

" Well that's what you get for being a late comer to the family. Now cheer up." Said Anne Marie and gave a hard s***k on Fidelias back.

" Aush! That hurts you so mean." Said Fidelia as she laughed.

" Well sir . We came to see you. We have heard a lot about you. " Said Anne Marie as she finally gave her full attention to the old man who just sat watching the two girls play with words and limbs.

" Come over here and sit on this mat then." Said Muami.

" Thank you sir. Said Anne Marie and walked to the mat while taking her sisters hand along.

" Since you know alot about me. Tell me what is it in exact that brought me to your place." Said Anne Marie with a witty smile.

" You really have lots of wits. The military would profit with a mind like yours among them. But first you must need to fix your ailing stomach." Said Muami and smiled.

" Bulls eye!." Shouted Anne Marie as she applauded Muami.

" He is good." Said Fidelia with a smile on her face.

" My turn sir. My turn. Tell me what you see in my future.would I be rich . Would I be pretty. Who would I marry. What would I become ? Would I be famous. How many kids would I have... Would I...

" Fidelia!. Why don't you grow wings and fly into the future. You can't know everything in one moment." Said Anne Marie in a stern tone to caution her sister.

" Oh well she can. If she had the stomach for it. " Said Muami with a soft giggle.

" I'm sorry Muami. We won't be knowing more than we should know about the future. If you tell her she would be dead by next week. I won't be able to sleep for the rest of the days cause she is my sister. Do not give us such prophesies please I beg you. My mom warned her against asking such questions.

" But I didn't ask him to tell a prophesy on my death." Said Fidelia with a sloppy tone of sadness.

" Yes not just yet. But I think it was the next question on your lips. Don't ask things about your future unless necessary. Unless you want your life to look short even though you may live for a hundred more years. Enjoy the days as they go. When we did . We die. Is that clear?." Said Anne Marie to her sister.

" Yes Anne Marie. I'm sorry." Said Fidelia and bent her head to the floor.

" Cheer up you bum. Don't be weak." Said Anne Marie s

And landed a blow on her sister back in a bid to cheer her up.

" Aush .. you going to break my back." Said Fidelia and burst into laughter.

" Good. Now let's have the herbs and we would be on our way. You can also give my sister here a herb to make her get a boyfriend. Something like a venus root or an Athena branch anything at all in that store of yours to make my sister attractive to the boys. As for me I already have a handful." Said Anne Marie and giggled while Fidelia covered her face in shyness.

" We tell people about the future to guide them on the right path and not to shorten their days. The future is already written. All we do is read. Fidelia you are already rich , you are already pretty. You would marry a different kind of Royalty and your inlaws would treat you like a goddes. You would become a Medical doctor and your craft shall save many lives. A lot of people would love you and know you. Fidelia you shall have just one child." Said Muami. With an air of ease.

" Wow. So I..."

" Fidelia. Not another word." Said Anne Marie as he cut in on her sister who had began to speak again.

" Where is the herb Muami. We may catch a flight back to Belgium if we get down from the mountain in time." Said Anne Marie.

" Just a minute. Hubalu. Get me the pepperish jade jar and the nine wonder jar." Said Muami in his old and husky voice.

" Yes master. Said a voice from the room and brought fought two jars to the Shamans front.

" Oh it's the rude man again." Said Anne Marie as made a face and a fist at the young man who simply looked away from her. One of the jars had a tea spoon attached to it and Muami got a hold of it and scooped a spoon full of each jar.

" Come closer and open your mouth." Said Muami. As he held the spoon in his hands.

" Aye captain said Anne Marie and shifted closer to the Shaman before amassing the spoon in her mouth and swallowing up the bitter and pepperish paste.

" Damn ! Oh my god it taste so awful. Muami are you sure this is not poison. If I die no one on this mountain would be spared. " Said Anne Marie as she clutched her neck coughing so hard that even Fidelia ran to hold her In fear that she had been really poisoned.

" No. Magarita. This is not poison it's the lifetime remedy to your ailing stomach. And even if you die. No one on this mountain so would be hurt. " Said the Muami without giving much attention to Anne Marie who was coughing frantically with all her strengths. She felt a dire need to throw up and ran off to the edge of the hurt which was covered with grasses and began to throw up. Fidelia reached for a water bottle In her bag and rushed to her sister.

" Oh Goodness Anne Marie what did you have for breakfast. Black Ink or black bat skin pepper soup. Why is your vomit as black as ink. " Said Fidelia upon seeing that her sister was much better after throwing up.

" That is no Ink neither is it black bat skin pepper soup. That's the mortal poison which had plagued your stomach since you were little. Today you have been freed from it." Said Muami without even setting eye on the two girls. Anne Marie got a hold of the water bottle , emptied some of it in her mouth, rinsed her mouth thoroughly before spitting out the water to the floor. She did this several time before returning back to seat before the Shaman.

" Sir. I must confess. I have never felt this at ease with my whole system in my entire life." Said Anne Marie as she tapped her stomach lightly.

" How much do I owe you." She said with a smile and reached for her bag.

" It's free. Our services here are free. " Said Muami with a warm smile.

" What! But some one said your services are the most expensive on the mountain." Said Anne Marie in surprise.

" That's why the precious art is gradually going extinct. We are gifted to help people with our craft not to make money from it." Said Muami as he waved his head slowly.

" Then how do you pay your bills. How do you feed. ?" Said Fidelia in awe.

" The lord who created our heads and fixed a mouth in it would always give us what to place in our mouths." Said Muami and smiled.

" Well then i know how this works. You don't charge for services but you can take gifts right. ? " Said Anne Marie.

" Yes we are always happy when we are giving gifts." Said Muami.

" Great then. Here is a gift of two hundred dollars. I'm very sure you like it Muami." Said Fidelia with a smile as she put two notes of hundred dollar bills in an empty bowl that lay beside the feet of Muami.

" Yes I like it." Said Muami and smiled heartily.

The young man could almost not believe the amount of money the little girls had paid to His master. He had witnessed top politicians And celebrities come to visit his master but never had he seen anyone drop anything more than a hundred Dollars for a service which many have benefited from without dropping a cent.

" Here is for your time. " Said Anne Marie and stretched forward a fifty dollar bill to the young man who was hesitant to collect it.

" Take it in good faith and thank her ." Said Muami to his apprentice who dived the money from Anne Maries hand even before his master had finished talking.

" Thank you very much ma. I'm very grateful." Said the Young Man as he smiled as if though he had won a lotto.

" You are welcome. We would have to be on our way now." Said Anne Marie and signaled Fidelia go get up.

" Thank you very much Muami. We will come to visit you if ever we return to this mountain again." Said Fidelia as she dusted off the earth from her denim jeans trousers.

" That would be great. I hope to see you soon. " Said Muami.

" If I'm here again. It means your medicine did not work for a lifetime as promised." Said Anne Marie as she took shots of the scenery with her camera.

" Not you Magarita. You would not come back here again. But Fidelia may come back somedays. " Said Muami with a smile.

" I see. So little doll still wants to know the exact day of her death. Well my dear that would be over my dead body. And please if ever you sneak up here to know this life saving information. Please keep it to yourself and tell no one in the family. Not let's get going. We have a plane to catch and lots of pictures to sell." Said Anne Marie and walked away from the hut without forgetting to wave at the old Shaman. Fidelia followed suit.

" Don't you think bringing up the notion of selling pics in the front of Muami may have made him angry. " Said Fidelia as the two girls climbed down the mountain.

" Not at all. I didn't take his picture." Said Anne Marie with no sense of remorse in her voice.

" But you snapped his hut." Yes I did and I gave him two hundred dollars." Said Anne Marie"

" Wasn't That for the herbs." Asked Fidelia in surprise.

" Dumbo . The herbs is free . He said so himself. Now are you going to stop disturbing me or would I have to push you down the mountain first." Said Anne Marie and the two girls burst into laughter owing to the gothic sense of humor synonymous with Anne Marie and Anne Marie alone.

" Hey sis why do you love to hurt yourself by knowing things you don't need to be Knowing." Said Anne Marie on a more serious note as they walked down with mountain. 

" I don't know what's so wrong in taking a glance at the future. Just like Miami Said. Such things are made to guide us on the right path. Some ills in the future can be corrected if spotted early.  I really want more babies than just one. You would have let me spoke more to Muami." Said Fidelia and made a grumpy face.

" I doubt if you will even get a single one.  You that is so afraid to have a boyfriend. No boyfriend means no husband and no husband means no babies. " Said Anne Marie and giggled softly. 

" Let the future be the judge then. All I know is that I would have a great life with kids or without kids ." Said Fidelia without a smile on her face.

" Oh dear you are angry with me I see. Perhaps I should share with a story that happened in the family before you were born. But I won't because it's a secret." Said Anne Marie and looked away with a fake frown.

" Oh please tell me. I want to hear. " Said Fidelia as her mood brightened in anticipation of a thriller.

" Is there a need?. It's not as if you would believe me anyway. You always doubt the legitimacy of my story, especially those that happened when I was much younger. Promise not to tell anyone about it ?." Said Anne Marie with a jeering smille.

" Yes I promise. Tell me please. " Said Fidelia as slowed her pace a little.

" Good and fine. When I was little girl about the age of two and three . Me mom and dad went on a holiday trip to Spain. Dad was out drinking with other guys and mom took me on a walk. We came across a gypsy witch who held a crystal glass in her hands and some cards lay well arranged on her table.  

" Hello mam. I can tell the troubles in your beautiful heart. " Said the Gypsy woman to mom but mum ignored her and kept on Walking.

" If you left this moment. Your husband would leave with another woman soon. Your greatest fear shall come to past. " Said the Gypsy woman and so suddenly mom., Made a U turn and went straight to her.

"How do you know that I and my husband are having issues." Said Mom in a whisper. 

" The crystal ball sees it all. Im afraid that if you don't do some major offerings to the spirit. Your husband whose heart is already taken by another woman would leave you for her.

" I will do anything to keep my marriage. Whats the cost of your services." Said mom amidst her desperation.

" I was very young then, but I recall the Gypsy woman sizing all our outfits with her eyes before saying the word. " Just a thousand dollars."

" Okay but would it work?" Said mom without even bergaining. 

" The spirit never fails." Said the woman who smiled and salivated at her good catch.

" To caught a long story short. She gave Mom a bracelet and some fetish looking charms to place under dads bed. About a month after you were born, dad was practicing golf in his room and his last ball had rolled underneath his bed. He bent down to search for it and found a Calabash containing the fetish substance mom had gotten from the Gypsy. Dad accused mom of witchcraft and fled the house in fear for his life. However a divorce soon later followed and mom was a given a good share of dads wealth as compensation for the divorce. She still misses dad. She felt if the woman had just kept her mouth shut. Then her marriage would have still been intact." Said Anne Marie in a sober tone.

" That's sad. So that is the reason mom and dad stay in different houses.?" Said Fidelia and nodded her head gently.

" Yes. Divorced people don't stay in one home, unless what are they divorced for?  "Said Anne Marie as she gently climbed down the mountain.

" I now understand why Mom warned me of asking any fortune teller about my fortune. Oh I am bad daughter. Please don't tell I broke her other please. " Said  Fidelia as she felt bad about her new findings.

" I always got your back sis. But you must know you owe me one.  Some days you will have to cover up for me to ." Said Anne Marie with a smile.

" Aye Captain. I promise to serve you to the best of my ability." Said Fidelia as the two girls climbed down the rocky terrains of the mountain.