THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

The announcer shouted one more time “let us all be quiet and imbibe the words of wisdom from our Regal Empress.” He was standing close to the throne holding a staff with the face of a lion carved from pure gold on the end that faced the sky. The empress took her time to study as many faces as she could. It was like she was sharing something special with her eyes to the gathering.

“It always gives me great joy to grace this court with my presence. For some time now our great empire has been going through a few difficulties. Someone or some group of people have decided to act in ways that goes against the very beliefs of our land. Today, I am happy to say that this individual or individuals have been apprehended. They will now stand trial and if found guilty, will face the wrath of the gods themselves” were her wise words. Her people clapped and shouted with joy after hearing this.

Back in the forest and back to her past, Ashanti was beginning to calm down but she was still terrified. More arrows were fired at them. One of the three large men turned to the girls and with a stern look shouted “Run!”  Ashanti was so afraid her body did not move, but, brave Aisha got up, grabbed her by the hand and run dragging her along. Initially, they ran forward and branched into the forest. Like Kiwakaazi, they too were given a few slaps by the branches and munched on a few bugs. But life is too precious to stop running.

After they ran, their assailants came out of hiding. The bodyguards of the fat woman were outnumbered at least five to one. They were cut many times and killed. They were simple thieves. One of them asked their leader, a bearded man, “what about the children? Should we go after them?” The leader thought for a while and said “no, leave them. I don’t think they can survive the forest.” They carried their loot and disappeared into the bushes.

 After a long period of what seemed to be a night exercise, they stopped to rest under a big tree. They had put quite some distance between them and… and the rest. They were very tired but also so frightened that they could not initially sleep. They did sleep though. After all, it had been a long day and their bodies were exhausted from all the walking and later the running. So deep was their sleep that they had forgotten everything else; wild animals, poisonous reptiles, insects and the men who were after them. They slept until it was about a couple of hours to noon the next day.

When Ashanti woke up, Aisha was still asleep. She felt grateful to have met someone like Aisha. How could she repay her? First she scavenged for food and water. She gathered some fruits and collected water in a coconut shell. She came back to the spot where Aisha was supposedly enjoying peaceful sleep. Being a grateful friend, Ashanti considered sharing everything with her “new sister”. In fact, she contemplated giving Aisha more. “She deserved it,” thought Ashanti. She called out to her friend many times but she would not respond. She became frightened. She moved closer to Aisha and while rocking her like she had done for Ashanti earlier, kept on shouting “wake up! Wake up!” but her friend would neither respond nor wake up. She shouted loudly, she cried and even poured some water on her but Aisha did not response. She lay there motionless. She laid there unresponsive.

What killed her was unknown. Maybe her heart just gave up. Maybe, she was bitten by a poisonous reptile or stung by a poisonous insect in her sleep. We can think of all the possible causes of her death and yet nothing will bring her back or erase the pain Ashanti felt. That is death. It takes without warning and leaves us sad and confused. It leaves us with many questions and not a single answer. Aisha was dead and Ashanti could do nothing to bring her back. She felt great despair. She cried so hard that she ran out of tears. Her eyes became very red. She was young and did not know what to do with a corpse so she just left Aisha’s body and started walking – in no particular direction, just walking. She is all alone again. Even I feel sad for her. Poor thing!

The gods have abandoned her again. They have taken everything from her and continue to take. What should she do now? Where can she go? Why don’t they just kill her? She was ready to embrace death. Why does death take the people around her and yet rejects her? Is she not good enough to die?

She had not eaten anything for quite a while and her body was very weak. She tried to stay up on her feet but she could not. Eventually, she just collapsed. She lay on the ground struggling to keep her eyes open. She was slowly losing consciousness when she saw something. A very black and big cat was approaching her. No! She could have sworn she saw a woman dressed in black first. She blinked once and in her place stood a black cat. For a second there she was scared. But what is the worst thing that could happen. “Isn’t this what she had been praying for? Finally death has come. Finally, her prayers have been answered. She resigned herself to her ill fate.

The will of the gods is unknown to men. But whoever resigns himself to their will is protected by it. When the black cat got near, instead of killing her, it dropped a fruit it carried in its mouth. It crouched by her side and wagged its tail playfully. It was clear to her; the cat did not come to kill her but to rescue her. Her body was weak so she crawled on her stomach, picked up the fruit and bit it.

Hmm! It was not like any fruit she had ever tasted; the texture, the taste and the very way the fruit caressed her tongue. It was beyond delicious. If only my English was any good, then perhaps I will know the best adjective to use. Not only was the fruit sweet, it restored her lost energy instantly. She slowly got up. She suddenly felt stronger and healthier than she had in like forever. The big black cat got up and walked for a while and stopped when Ashanti did not follow. So like a good girl, she followed its lead.

After some time of walking, she heard sounds; human sounds. It sounded like some children were playing nearby. She saw clear light ahead and ran past the cat towards it. She was so excited that for a second there, she forgot about her guide. She turned and the cat had disappeared. She focused and ran towards the light ahead. She whispered to herself “thank you”. She ran until she came out of the forest unscathed. What greeted her eyes pleased her very soul.

She looked around and saw some girls skipping ropes; some boys were kicking a spherical object made from rugs. She saw a woman carrying fish and singing to attract the village folk to buy from her. Another woman was busy tasting her soup in a corner kitchen and the smile on her face told Ashanti that the soup must be something special. She looked up and saw the clear sky. No more tall trees but the sky and light that brightens the earth from the sun. She took in a deep breath.

A nineteen year old girl exhaled. She was about five feet tall. Her hair had been braided and held at her back with a multicolored ribbon. She was looking up at the sky; the beautiful morning sky. She held a long broom and wore very simple clothing; a long cloth tied around her neck and extending down to her ankle. You guessed right. It was the older version of Ashanti. She was nineteen years old and lived in the only temple dedicated to the worship of the gods in Nitsuman (Imperial City) of Jumapafie (Southern Empire).

When one reaches a certain age, one must decide what to do with his/her life. It is one of the difficult decisions to make in life yet it was the simplest decision Ashanti had to make. Her purpose in life was simple; to serve the gods with her body, mind and soul. She learned that only one temple existed in Jumapafie from a true worshipper of the gods. That temple was in Nitsuman, the city of Jumapafie. She arrived in Jumapafie and related her story to the chief priest, Odomfo. Sadly, the temple in Jumapafie train only priests but her story was so touching that, the chief priest made an exception; Ashanti could stay but she could never become a priestess in that temple and she agreed.

That morning, she was cleaning the temple. It was time to sweep the stairs. She stood at the very top performing her breathing exercises and admiring the sky. It was a beautiful morning. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. She heard footsteps and noticed a man climbing the long stairs towards her. He was very serious; so serious it scared Ashanti. When he got close to her, he greeted and said “I have a message for the chief priest, Odomfo, from the Emperor. Where is he?”

Ashanti took him to see the chief priest and returned to her chores. Moments after the messenger had left; Odomfo came out of the temple with an expression of gloom. Ashanti was sweeping. She stopped, moved closer to the chief priest and asked if something was wrong. Chief priest Odomfo sighed and told her that the Jaazi (Emperor) of Jumapafie, Jaazi Sasu Basabasa III (Sasu the wicked) plans on visiting the temple three days from today. Ashanti was amazed. She dropped the broom and asked “why does he want to come here after all these years?” in a very surprised voice. “I don’t know” answered dejected Odomfo.

Jaazi Sasu Basabasa was the Emperor of the Southern Empire. He became Emperor at age fourteen. Why, you ask? When the Emperor was fourteen, his parents were assassinated during a ceremony to inaugurate the newly built temple in Nitsuman. Like Martin Luther King, Emperor Sasu’s parents had a dream. Man was busy, too busy that they sometimes forget Rakiambe (The Creator). His parents built a temple at the heart of the market hoping their people will take some time off their busy schedules to offer prayers to the gods. Then, on the day the temple was to be first opened, his parents were murdered after they were shot in the back with poisoned arrows by unknown assassins.

The title Jaazi (Emperor) was forced on Sasu. He had to grow up fast. He did not enjoy his childhood and he missed his parents. He blamed the gods. They loved the gods. They built a temple in their honor. So, why did they not protect them? At age twenty, he ordered for all temples to be destroyed in Jumapafie but spared just one – the very temple where his parents were killed. For some reason he could not bring himself to destroy that temple.

It had been ten years since his parents’ assassination and he had never set foot at the temple. Do you now understand why his sudden plan to visit the temple troubled Odomfo, Ashanti and all the priests who lived in that temple?

Time passed and the day finally came for the Emperor’s visit. He was cold and distant and walked through the temple with indifference. He questioned himself “why did I come here? I hate this place with every part of my being. The gods don’t exist. Humans in their desire to believe in something higher than themselves have created statues and carved wood in their own image and bow before them. How silly of them!”

His tour was finally over and he was just about to exit. You can imagine how relieved the chief priest and the other priests might have felt. On his way out, the Jaazi (Emperor) stopped. He stood still and asked “what is that?” The three priests who were escorting him out did not understand and asked “what do you mean, your majesty?” He said “that sound… that sound”. He turned and entered the temple again.

He followed the sound. It was no ordinary sound. It was singing. A melodious voice was producing melodious music. Like a deer, he moved towards the source of this enchanting music. He finally found the source of the music; a beautiful girl was praying to the gods. She knelt before a clay statue sitting on a throne, Rakiambe (Creator). Lined up on Rakiambe’s left and right were small sized dolls carved from wood. She sung her prayers. And it went like this:

Rakiambe, creator of the universe shower Grace upon your servants!

We are weak and sinful. Forgive us and shower Grace upon us!

You are our bread and our water. Shower Grace upon us!

May we serve you and love you and all your creation. Shower Grace upon us!

Jaazi Sasu rested his left shoulder on one side of the entrance. He crossed his left leg over the right and folded his arms admiring both what he saw and what he heard.

Emperor Sasu was a known womanizer and alcoholic. He loved his booze as much as he loved his women. He was neither engaged nor married despite the countless attempts by the elders to settle the Emperor down. They invited princesses and searched for the most beautiful women in Jumapafie and the emperor refused to marry any of them.

You know how the ladies love certain characteristics in a man like money, looks, power and confidence. Well, Emperor Sasu had them all. When the singing stopped, he just took a step into the shrine. Ashanti noticed him and turned his way. With a cool smile, Jaazi Sasu said “why don’t you come with me and make such beautiful sounds in my bed.”

Damn! He’s good. I wish I possessed this kind of confidence.