Ackee

2

Marianne loved children and had always which for one of her own but like everything.

Having a child was something that wasn't meant for her.

Her face went dark. As she started at the rough ground that was muddy for beat rain fall.

Blood.

They drip from her down to her thigh soaking her feet.

A supposed way that becomes of each and every child he held within her womb.

It never see the sunlight, it never cries, it never takes form but just flow out...

Slowly

Slowly

Slowly

But never had it not been painful.

" Lady Nana... Lady Nana?"

" Huh?!" Snapping out her thoughts.

" We almost here. Are you okay?"

" Yes lady Nana, you crying?"

' Haa...'

Marianne touch her face and then stared at the teen that had their wounds clean and bandage.

And was struggling to carry food down the looping wet road. She smiled.

" It's nothing." Staring at her fingers.

" Just some insignificant thought."

The way to the orphanage was slient. Like there were noone around.

Marianne notice this but said nothing. A rat stood and muffled it's nose and then ran off and a cat emerge for nowhere and chase it.

Then the vicious dog and a shilling cry of meow.

There weren't any sounds expect that of the wind and our footsteps. It made the journey long.

They did talking but it was about who beat them.

The teens seem embarrassed but answered it was a little girl that was brought to the orphans 6 weeks ago.

Hearing the ' little girl' Nana laughed it echoed in the empty village and the teens became more embarrassed.

Then it

became brag. This action coo

Marianne unable to resist on meeting the little girl.

Then will heard it. A loud commotion.

It was the orphanage children.

The frighten sight was something that greeted them including every child bleeding.

A little girl was covered in blood and in her hand was a stone that drip of the blood of the boy underneath her.

But she didn't stop and the boy was moving as she .

Smack

Smack

Smack

His blood underneath her was not a lengthen pool.

Then a hand came from nowhere and grip the girl from her hair.

It was slow enough. To see the sticking resemblance of the woman and the child.

The child stared at the face of the woman but the woman stared at the dying boy.

The girl was flunk. Her body hit the ground a couple of times and then her head hit the huge stone.

A sound of skull c***k was enough to wake Marianne for her stupor anger...

To realize what she just did. She clapped her mouth. Her body trembled as the little girl bleed.

Don't know if it was an imagination but the lips of the dying girl curved into a smile.

__________________

Ackee.

In place I grew from is and edible fruit.

Red.

And like a pearl.

So was the girl in my dreams.

Beautiful

Poisonous but edible.

Everyone wanted to take a bite. Their desires crumble their sanity but they forget that one can't eat it when it unripe.

So don't be impatient.

And don't wait for it to overripe because it would kill you.

The flame racked.

The soup boiled. Everyone was slient as they laid on the grass.

Grasshopper leaps. And frog stared .

It spoke with the rhythm of the night.

I gentle rub the face of the child in my arm why muttering a low sorry underneath my breath.

She was so light that my lap felt no soreness. She sighted touching the bandages and gauge in was used to surround the child head.

Marianne looked up and all eyes avoided mine.

Each child here was 10 down wards. The big ones was send to fetch the remaining food stuff she had for them.

" You all did wrong." Her voice wasn't soft when she scolded the children, and that include the almost dying boy.

They found trouble and her mouth found no mercy. She was angry and when she's angry she spoke anything that came her mouth.

" How could you cursed her mother; what may you think you better than her?" The children wanted to say something but keep shut at Marianne glare.

It was frighten.

" Everyone of you were abandoned... Left on different places to dying or be eaten by wild beast... So what makes you think you better...If you think she cursed then everyone of you are cursed."

Marianne ended her speech and many kid had tear in their eyes. They all bowed and their little shoulder trembled.

Marianne wanted to mentally slap her own mouth. She stared at the child in her arms.

Barely breathing and had a lower body temperature. She feared but she has to be strong.

Her eyes glance at every child before her and she let out a weak smile at the low depressing atmosphere.

' She didn't despise them. She was one of them.'

Do how can one despise it own existence.

Inorder to destroy this atmosphere she broke into a fake but bright smile.

" Who wany to heard a story?!"

All the children cheer on and went to fetch themselves soups and bread to enjoy the story more..

It works. Every single time, her little trick always work.

Marianne stared at the children that anticipated on the story she wanted to tell. She opened her lips but something else came out.

" I going to tell you a story of Ackee. A story of a girl who wants to die."

________

Meanwhile, the three teenagers could be spotted coming down for the loopy road under the guild of the lamb lit.

They spoke about the girl.

One of them claimed she was a devil and Nana should have had left her to die.

The other was quite supportive of his sentence. His speech seem to emphasize on her rare hair and black soulless eyes and how those features belong to worshiper of the devil's that Nana would always told them about.

The third said nothing but one could tell he agree with both opinions. Nor seem to notice something watching them.

They discuss for a while then discuss of the slient of the village. It was something unusual.

One claimed that the villagers might have abandoned them as he saw a family of packing their good's.

Despite they said they were all going to the big market. He didn't believe.

The others didn't agree with his words. If the villagers had really abandoned them they would have take Nana with them.

" After all, Nana is the wife of the most richest man in the village."

" And the most foolish."

To this the two laugh but not the third. He excused himself to pee, the other two didn't care and wave him off.

They continue their discussion and took no notice of the black figures in the bushes.

Ave went not far away to pee him. For some reason him seem irritated and guilty.

Him and the two others had always stolen money from Nana despite she was the only one helping them in this godforsaken village.

I got irritated as they bad-mouthed Nana. He was still irritated even when he had pee.

He walked to the direction of the others but all he saw was a bloody mess.

His heart leap to his throat. Ave didn't have time to think when a huge shadows oore behind him.

He felt it. His neck tilt back with extreme fear, his eyes contracted.

Bandits.