The Queens Vengance

Chapter 12. My Mother's song

I was cradling the Mama Aisha's baby who would not stop crying for some reason, Mama Aisha had not come back since morning I did not know what to do with the baby. I asked the women in the tent if they had seen her no one had seen her. Getting tired of the crying baby I had tried patting her, singing to her and cradling her but she would not stop her crying I took her to my corner along with Aisha and asked the woman beside if she could help me with the baby she looked at me like I had just asked her to kill someone" tufiakwa, I can not help the child of the witch do you want my family to be visited with misfortune" she said and I wanted to point out that she was already living in misfortune but held my tongue. None of the women in the tent would help me. Finally, one of the women told me to check her diapers and change her and then feed her I appreciated her and checked the baby's diaper it was soiled memories came back to me of how mama would change Mariam's diapers while complaining about how expensive they were.

Luckily there were some diapers in Mama Aisha's bag and I took one and went to the toilet area to watch the baby and came back inside to changer her diapers. She was still sobbing I fed her the remaining pap I had gotten from Mariam this morning and she still wouldn't stop crying. So I did what mama would usually do to Mariam when she was crying placing her on my back and putting a wrapper securely tieing the front ends I backed her and went outside singing softly to her in Hausa which translates  " who dares to make my Gimbiya cry, what dares to make her cry, the apple of my eyes sleep now so you wake up stronger, may you have dreams of beauty may your dreams be visited with peace, Oh Gimbiya who dares you sleep now, sleep now..." I sang my heart out " you sing so beautifully my dear" a voice from behind me says and I turn to meet one of the women from my tent she had no children she lost them all during the crisis ." thank you" I said in a whisper so as not to wake the baby," who taught you?" she asked curiosity showing in her beautiful brown eyes. " it was my mother's song" I answer turning back to look at the stars. The women left me alone and I continued my star gazing checking for symbols or signs in them that could mean anything to me. I could not sleep on my bed as it was too small for Aisha, the baby and I to sleep on we slept on Mama Aisha's bed instead that night I dreamt of mama she was smiling at me Mariam on her back and she sang the song I had sung for the baby earlier.