Sisyphyra

What I saw 02

When I finally got home, I carefully locked my door and window, then I lit up on a candle. I removed the necklace from my satchel and examined it. I wore it again and there was no change, nothing. I decided to unclasp it and then placed it on my bed stand.The morning after, I decided to go to the store and get some fl our to make some bread. I had no money butold Joe was a kind man who let me pay when I have the money. I had worn the cloth from the night before.

As I moved towards the door, I remembered the necklace. Lacing it on my neck, I grabbed the basket and locked the door. The street was heavily crowded with people, and even some kids were running around. I noticed constant stares people threw at me but I had assumed they still haven't forgotten about my brother.

Seeing old Joe, I said "I need a bowl of flour,"

"Of course," he said rubbing his white pencil mustache.

"Why is the street crowded Joe, it isn't the market day, is it?"

"No, it isn't. Some new tourists had arrived and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of them"

"Truly, where did they say they are from" she collected the bundled parcel and placed it in her basket.

"Egypt, Don't worry about payment Decca, it's on the house"

Taken aback, this was the first time Old Joe told me not to pay. From then on, there were subsequent times. I wanted to go and have a glimpse of the tourists too but I was hungry and I haven't eaten since the day before.

I decided to go home instead.

As I attempted to cross the busy street, a carriage came charging towards me and my reflex was detached from my control. I just stood there transfixed awaiting my doom. Many people had died from such a collision but lucky for me I was hurled and thrown away from harm. The person who had helped sustained some injury.

Helping him up, I knew he was one of those tourists. He quickly introduced himself as Leon. I offered him a treatment of which he imposed. Taking him home, he wanted to take my load but I insisted he doesn't.

I dressed up his wounds and fed him bread for dinner. Since then, he had called on me, he would take me out and even offered marriage to me. I had no one in Madagascar to hold on to, I craved for the Nile. We married, I packed my bags and left with Leon. I could remember the excitement on his face when I said yes to him about visiting his home. I could also remember the hurt and the shock it brought to him when he realized that I had never loved him. He was just a means to an end. His heart started to fluctuate, today he is okay, tomorrow he wasn't. Did I tell you that his family never liked me? They hated me with their gut. I was surprised he didn't throw me out to the street, he said that he did love me. My heart was dead to love but alive to vengeance. Even my cold womb refused to hold a child. I was a little bothered but as soon as I laid eyes on Shaba. That feeling evaporated like vapor. I knew the end of his days was close. I got close to him of course, I was surprised he didn't recognize me. He was so easily fooled by my charm, I led him to his death having poisoned his drink. I felt no remorse towards him. What I felt was great peals of satisfaction like I finally led my brother to rest. I rushed home singing in the street dancing on my foot only to receive any other bad news of my dead husband. I had finally paid the vendetta but there was no one to share my free spirit with. Leon was dead.

I went into my room and rent my clothes. My hands held the necklace on my neck and I threw it against the wall. Unknown to me, my brother-in-law saw my outburst. I could not sleep that night. It was as if Leon's spirit took on the silence like a cloak and mocked me with it. Before going to bed that night, I replaced the necklace on my neck then calamity started. The next morning, I was arrested, they said someone saw me poison Shaba. Of course, I told them he deserved it. Just then, his parents pounced on me, and in anger I cursed them.

Who would have thought that fire would indeed break out in their home and both of them will be dead?

I will say, they had it coming. Many people who heard me curse them pressured the constables to put me in exile rather than lynch me as they do to witches as they all called me. And they did put me in exile they made sure I rot in there for a long time. It was in a forest close to the woodlands of Nigeria, a tropical rain forest, it was known as the forest of the seven demons. Anyone who tried to save me ended up dead even before they made it to where I was. My anger over the years fueled my hate towards these people and in retaliation, I tried to kill anyone who came close to me.

The wretched old man didn't tell me the real consequence which implied that once someone sees me with the necklace I was already dead. A living dead whose only survival was to feed on the blood of man.

***

The first ray of sunlight had already found its way through one of the holes in the dried thatched raffia roof as it did regularly resting on the faint scar on his left nostrils down to his cheeks. I could see the waking sky as often as I did every morning but I chose not to stand up because sleep was still very much close to my eyes.

The morning red-haired aves crowed twice in a row and my Mother hastily departed from the cooking yard to wake us up for our daily chores before my Father could leave for the forest to hunt some meats for us. It was always a normal day - it starts with chores and ends with moonlight stories. In between the day, we often get snacks, apart from the usual roasted yellow corn and a slice of spiced boiled meat we eat.