THE LOUDEST THINKING..............NANANA BROKE THE SILENCE.
2358 Words
Nanana! Nanana!.....,her mother's voice cut short her beautiful tour to the slumber land. She was dreaming, She was in an extremely tall building made of stone with extrae heavy metallic doors, and she wasn't alone they were quite a number, but to her surprise, she new not even the closest friend,
From a distance she saw her dearest grandma staring at her with amazement, she wore an extra large long sleeved garment that had robs dropping horizontally from the shoulder to the leg angles, she also wore a pyramid shaped cape, she glittererd with beauty, she fought for space to embrace her, the entire hall following her with a jealous stare,she stretched her hands to hug her but her grandmother just called out her name in the most loudest voice,NANANAAAA!!! ,she flew out of her warm bed only to find her mother standing right in front of her bed. "goodmorning mama?!, meaning mother, "goodmorning Nanana!you "slept like a dead donkey, "her mother said sarcastically, they both laughed at the exit,
What surprised her even more, was the presence of her father sitting on a huge bamboo chair the size of a king's coach, he sat leaning on her mother's hut wall, She thought of the worse ,This dark , bellied,hairy, giantic,and red eyed man was nothing to joke with,
She hurried to greet him, she bend her back,bowed her head as a sign of respect, he touched her orange sized head without uttering a word. Nanana then walked away since it was a taboo for a girl to stare at her own father face to face. a stream of thoughts floated her mind, "what could it be?!!...................but the more she thought the more frightened she became.
She made almost two strides turning away from her wild father. But she could not reach the kitchen door before he called out her name Nanana!!.. "stand right there ", " i have seen you've really grown, she looked up straight to his eye her mango like eyes popping out of their sockets now scared like a lonely dove in a desert, endless questions took over her tender mind,...."what about growth????!!!, but she couldn't dare ask him such a silly question or else she'll become a narrative for generations to come.
They stared at each other for a while but a graveyard silence was dominant. "you are a grown up girl now"! He insisted..... by now you should have known your responsibility, your mother should talk to you about life, "right ?" she couldn't capture the real picture of what was being spoken but just nodded reluctantly.....,She stood statue with blinking stars dancing in her brain.
Ng'oto Nanana!! meaning Nanana's mother, "Eeeeeu!!! that simply meant Yeah/Yes, she was cleaning up the guards for keeping cow milk for the family, "....come out here!"mama Nanana dashed out of the hut,tightening a leso around her waist, "stand right there ,"he said with a commanding voice, Mama Nana stood attention facing a different direction from his fierce face," cough..... cough.....cough .....Mhhh! then he cleared his throat, "woman! he called out in a calm but firm voice, "i see your daughter has really grown, by now you should have tought her about her responsibility, values virtues and norms of our traditions, an equivalent of a months time would do," right!, "we are really behind time, " Mama Nanana seemed absent minded, "did you hear me?" "eeh, she just nodded with less attention but couldn't dare disagree with the king of the family or else she could be thrown away for committing an abomination, she stood there for a while, staring at the darkest creature on earth, he was extremely darker that day than the day he carried her across a river together with another man who was her bestman,his red eyes were as red as ripe tomatoes ,and his belly protruded between two shukas alternated around his shoulders, " should I tell him?"!! she shook her head and walked calmly to the kitchen,
Nanana all along was peeping through a circular opening on the hut wall perhaps as a window, a mixture of fear confusion, and uncertainty corrupting her brain. but could not say even a single word. on seing her mother coming, she hurriedly sat down pretending to be cleaning utensils.
He stood up waving his old torned shuka (sheet)around his shoulders and bounced majestically like a just crowned king towards his hut,
mama Nanana stood there watching her husband walk majestically, but prayed silently for no turning back since it would cost her a dilemma, women could not dare look at men directly. she turned to the hut got in and avoided Nanana's endless questions.
Just a few metres away, he saw a man coming, he sat under the mugumo tree with his hands fists held together under his chin, as if in stressful thoughts. The man he saw earlier came nearer and he could identify him, Kishumu,his long time friend, infact they saw each other last when he circumcised his first born son that's fourty or fifty years down the line. "Olele! Olele!, (agreeting meant for older people they exchanged greetings ,they laughed out aloud.Mama Nanana stood outside arms akimbo,trying to figure out who was that,she was interrupted by a thunderous voice, "Woman!!! eeeeu! she replied, as she hurry to the direction of the old men .He ordered her to bring them his guard, a half size of a calabash,but longer than a calabash,she brought it and placed at their convenience. The other old man,Kishumu ,greeted her,"Nakitok supa!, meaning (how are you woman)."she turned away as mens discussions were a minus women affairs, and their decisions were final.
She politely walked back to the without uttering a word, Nanana got out of the hut annoyed that she couldn't connect a sudden change of affairs and not even her dear mother explained to her a glimpse of the sudden events. She drove the calves to the river, a web of thoughts wrapped up her mind, the calves could not drink much since the day was cool and calm, she drove them back home,A heavy voice almost made her faint, "supa siankiki!(how's you pretty one "? she immediately recognized the young man who greated her the other day, they exchanged looks now without fear, "who are you?she asked, "iam leteipan ,and you?, "Iam Nanana, "she answered, wow! what a pretty name just like the owner?......smiles.......
Its true you are still tender. one calve fell accidentally into a narrow crack on the river banks as they were on introductions. they heard a thunderous drop followed by mooooing groans, they both headed to the direction of the groaning, it was their calf, Leteipan told her she had nothing to worry about, since he will help her, he took off a sword and cut the backs of a tall tree ,tied them together, got into the riverbank crack and tied the rope around the calves leg,climbed up and pulled, she tried to help but turned her offer down, he pulled and pulled and pulled,...... he was successful in mission, and Nanana was really happy and appreciated him, he humbly accepted her appreciation and bid her goodbye, he left running,she stood there admirably looking at him until he vanished in the thicket.
She drove the calves home a bit late that day, her mother was uncomfortable with her lateness since her father would be mad at her, she finally arrived, ate her food in a hurry, went behind the hut between the bushy shrubs, took a shower and went to her bed, to rest,Her momma came asking her the reason why she was late today, she just told her that she met Naramat her age mate and they played on the rocky place where they normally play,
Her mother agreed naively and left her to rest,Nanana took her mind to a tour, she was thinking about the day's events but was captured by Leteipan 's generosity and kindness, "he was gentle, tall,chocolate in complexion, white toothed, and extremely handsome. She remembered how they brushed shoulders trying to pull out the young one of a cow. She really admired him.slumber land flung open and she took a ride into. snore......... she found herself in a foreign land with long nosed people, who spoke with their noses, she couldn't understand a single word, but they were clapping for her, she was handed a white scroll that had writings in it that she couldn't read. they clapped and clapped and clapped, a shiny golden hat was placed at her head and it had twinkling lights on it, had a shape of a star, she just watched everything in surprise without uttering any word, her happiness could not be compared with that of a barren queen who's just delivered bouncing tweens.
She kept her eye shirp but could not control tears of joy that competed for speed down her cheeks,
A white skinned woman called out her to address the congregation, she stood up with a peacock pride her heart almost cracking with pressure of nervousness. she was shivering with anxiety, she walked the aisle feeling high like a king in the palace. she was provided with a club shaped item that produced a very loud voice (microphones)she held it, silence ruled for a while,.........Nananaaaaaaaa!! Nananaaaaaa! go......go.......go........goooooooooo! she saw her grandma cheering her up.......Nanana! She woke up only to hear her mother calling her, it was already six in the evening, and they should bring the animals home for milking.
She stood up and walked out of the hut and went to the cattle grazing point. she drove them home and assisted her mother with the milking.When they were thrown, she went to the hut and helped her mother with cooking .they ate and sat down for a story time, her mother her a story of a young girl who was left all alone by her parents in ruin for a child eating monster to eat her, as the monster went through each and every household for a child so that the rest of the family would live in peace, and any family that refused to give a sacrifice, would be swallowed by the monster one by one until the entire family is done. When it was their family's turn she was the scapegoat, the entire family migrated to another place and left her alone, she woke up to a deserted compound with only a small puppy which belonged to her. The little puppy spoke to her for the first time, to hurry because if the monster found her, she could be something of the past, the puppy helped led her on the way, opposite the monster's, the puppy advised her to carry along with her, sand in her sheet,that was wrapped around her shoulders dropping to the ankles as if to follow her from behind, she obeyed, ad and filled her sheets with sand, the puppy further advised her that whenever the monster followed her, she climb up a tall tree, and when it tried to climb up too ,you drop the sand to his eyes, when he ran away to clean his eyes in the river, climb down and walk, do that several times until the monster gives up.
the girl did exactly as advised by her puppy,the monster gave up and left her alone. The puppy then told her, i will give you some powers before I die,because iam about to leave you alone, anything you command will happen, but first i will kill a zebra and make you a very nice gown out of his skin. then anyone who asks you who you are,just tell them you are a female human like zebra,and whatever you ask and denied say anything you would like to happen and it shall therefore happen. she agreed, the puppy told her to bury her when she died or else her spirit would follow her.
She obeyed instructions, and her puppy died, she buried it and continued with her journey. The girl met men who were boiling meat along the way, she borrowed some, they refused to give her, she ordered the cooking pot to run away,the pot flew to the air,they were surprised, and promised to give her, she ordered the pot back, it comfortably sat itself on the fire,they gave her some and she left peacefully.
She met men who were sited under a tree for a men's talk, she ashed who would like to marry me???they all spat on the ground filled with despise, she said i will walk away but the handsome of you all shall follow me,she did, and sure enough He did, a very handsome man followed her magical charms.
He became her husband, he took care of her and she was the most beautiful woman in her village, one day, a competition was done in village to search for the most beautiful woman, all young men pampered their girlfriends with everything they could, from jewellery to frankincense, oils to any makeup, the human female zebra,took time to make up herself, her husband pampered with every expensive thing he could set his eyes on, he ordered her not to step out of the house until he personally tells her, the villagers wanted to kill her, thinking she was not human, and it was a taboo to have such a creature living among humanity.
Men came in turns to order her out which she turned down, when her husband walk in, and requested her out she did it with pride of a lion. When she got out of the hut, the entire village was overwhelmed by her beauty, she was a queen, super beautiful, well groomed and was extra pretty. All the men wanted to fight for her, but she held her husband's hand and walked away from the multitude of people, they lived together in happiness..............
Nanana was already drowsy, she was almost dozing but the story was soo sweet to cut short. Her mother put off the lamb and they slept. the only thing that played there was the breathing in and out.
TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE THREE.................
- Writer
