THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

Breakfast was delicious. Unlike the night before, there was no entertainment and it was enjoyed in absolute silence. The gods wanted to put on a brave face but they were clearly in mourning for the loss of their brother, Daale (dream god). Of course he was not dead — just a stone mummy. The guests decided to go to their various rooms after breakfast, freshen up a little; try on the new clothes their host have generously provided, and go out to see the beautiful town inside what should be a dark forest. After about half an hour, Kiwakaazi opened his door only to receive the best kiss of his life from Deila. She surprised him, threw her arms around his neck and attacked his lips with hers; with a little bit of tongue action. Kiwakaazi pulled back and asked, “What was that for?”

He instantly noticed something was wrong. Standing at the entrance of the room next door was another Deila. He turned, looked at this second Deila and returned his attention back to the one he just kissed. He had kissed the wrong girl. He had kissed Suome. Deila ran and just as she was about to descend the stairs, he caught her left arm. He said, “I am sorry. I didn’t know.” “But you should have known,” said Deila, while she tried to hold back a few tears. “You should have known,” she repeated. She freed her arm but did not move. Instead, she placed her hand over her chest and would have tumbled down the stairs if not for Kiwakaazi’s timely intervention. He shouted, “What is it? What is wrong with you?”

Her eyes were opened and she appeared to be in pain. She opened her mouth but could not speak. Kiwkaazi lifted Deila and carried her in his arms to her room. He cried out for help but no one came. He did not know what to do. He looked distraught when suddenly he felt like the door opened behind him and a cold breeze blew past his body. But when he turned, the door was locked shut. He returned his attention to Deila and then it started.

Instead of Deila, he saw his mother, Naa Lamle, lying in bed. He looked around him and realized he was not in Deila’s room but in a hospital in Nyansapofie (capital city of Western Empire). Her eyes were opened and she looked fine but she somehow did not see him. He took a few steps and stood close to her bed. He was about to touch her face when his father Obenfo Molade stormed in. He pulled a chair and sat by her bedside.  He took his wife’s hand and asked, “How are you feeling?” “I am fine,” answered Naa Lamle. Obenfo Molade held on tightly to her arm as if to say, ‘I am not letting go of you.’ He stared into her eyes for a while. She asked, “What?” He got up and suddenly looked angry. He said, “We have to talk to him. This can’t continue to happen.”

“Its fine,” answered Naa Lamle. “It is not fine! This must stop!” shouted Obenfo Molade. “You are here because of him. You suffered a heart attack and almost died because someone threatened to kill your son!” added Obenfo Molade.

Kiwakaazi realized his parents were talking about him. When he turned seventeen, his mother visited the hospital frequently. She developed a heart condition but he did not know how or why. Learning for the first time that it was his fault made him feel worse — it made him feel guiltier. How many people around him will he continue to hurt? He had lowered his head in shame when his surroundings changed.

Deila found herself in Kaki’s cottage. After learning to control Kaki’s powers, she learned to enter the cottage and talk to Kaki whenever she wanted. However, she was forced to enter the cottage this time and for some reason could not return to her body. She asked Kaki, “How did I get here and why can’t I return?”

Kiwakaazi was back by Deila’s side. She was lying in bed but looked dead. He shook her, slapped her and rocked her and she will not wake up. He checked for a pulse and held his index finger across her nostrils. She was not breathing and had no pulse. Tears run down his cheeks. She was dead. While crying he noticed a wound on her chest. It looked like a sword wound. And not just any sword, but his kafunde. He felt a presence on his right and turned. It was Deila. She was bleeding from her chest and crying. She asked, “Why… why did you kill me?” Kiwakaazi was stunned. He looked at her bed and saw Deila lying on it. He turned to his right and saw her bleeding, crying and asking why he killed her. “I did not kill you!” shouted Kiwakaazi. He saw the dead Deila pointing at something behind him. He turned.

Kaki told Deila that she was dying. “How is that possible?” asked Deila. “Your body is too weak and Shutu has suppressed my powers. He is using Kiwakaazi’s fear of losing you. I cannot revive you like I used to do in the past.” Deila was restless. She paced around Kaki’s cottage for a while and asked, “How did I get here anyway?”

Kiwakaazi saw a rahasi (guardian of hell) driving the kafunde (demon mummifier) through Deila’s chest. He faced this rahasi’s back and did not see his face. He turned the rahasi and jumped back in fear. It was him or a double… He was not sure. He walked towards Kiwakaazi who moved back afraid of his dark side. He stopped and laughed like a true villain. Kiwakaazi shouted “No! That was not what happened! It can’t be!” “You killed me! Why?” cried Deila. Kiwakaazi was confused. He did not know what to believe and what not to believe anymore. He held his head and yelled, “What is happening to me!?”

“You got here after seeing Suome kissing Kiwakaazi. You were overwhelmed with so much sadness and anger that your weak heart almost gave up on you,” answered Kaki. Deila remembered. “It was not his fault. She looked just like me. I should not have given in to jealousy so easily,” said Deila. Kaki was staring at Deila’s feet. Deila asked, “What is it?” and looked down to examine her own feet.

Kiwakaazi heard voices. He closed his eyes and started whispering, “No, no… please stop. I can’t take anymore.” The voices got louder and he recognized them. They were the voices of some of his friends in Nyansapofie. Six of his very close friends have gathered to discuss ‘Kiwakaazi’; two females and four males. One male friend spoke first. He asked, “What are we going to do about Kiwakaazi’s situation?” “We have to find a way to help him,” answered another male. But one female friend opposed this suggestion. “Are you crazy?” Kiwakaazi has killed many people including his own father. I suggest we deny him completely. I admit he was not a bad friend but we cannot be associated with him anymore. We all failed to see the real Kiwakaazi. He is a sociopath and a murderer,” were her words. Kiwakaazi watched his other friends nod and accept the proposal; the proposal to deny ever knowing Kiwakaazi.

His mind now took him to Tumushie to his first fight and first loss. He was lying on grass while the other children laughed at him. They laughed then and they laugh now. He was now hearing many voices all at once in his head and the images were appearing and disappearing quickly. He saw himself laughing like a monster. Deila was crying and asking, “Why did you kill me?” His father was angrily shouting, “He must know the truth!” Then his friend saying, “He is a sociopath and a murderer.” And the kids at Tumushie laughing at him. These words, sounds and images resonated in his mind and his heart. He blocked his ears with his palms and closed his eyes but the sounds became louder and he continued to see the images. He was losing his mind and suddenly collapsed.

Elsewhere Shutu (god of fear) was quietly seated with his eyes closed and taking in slow deep breaths. Mayale asked, “How is it going?” “It is working; the results are beyond my expectation. His fears are killing him.” Abra, Suome and Mayale were happy. He is going to pay for what he did to Daale.

Deila noticed her feet had disappeared and slowly her legs too disappeared. It was rising towards her thighs. “What is happening?” asked Deila in a worried voice. Suome said, “After what happened the last time, they are not coming for you anymore. Your soul is separating from your body and entering the pool of tears on its own.” “No… I don’t want to die — not now,” said Deila while crying. Kaki said, “I am sorry, but it won’t be long.” She continued to disappear until only her face remained and even that was on the verge of completely disappearing.

A boy screamed, “Help…!” His mother appeared instantly like she was hiding behind the door waiting for him to scream for help so that she could swoop in and save him. She quickly sat down on the edge of her son’s bed and asked, “What is it, my son?” He looked into his mother’s eyes and appeared to be calming down when he said, “There is a monster hiding under my bed.” His mother smiled. He noticed her smile and shouted, “I am not lying! I saw it!” His mother said, “I know you did.” She got up and pushed a switch on the wall inside his room. The lights were turned on and brightened the boy’s room. The loving mother went on her knees and looked under her son’s bed. There was no monster hiding under the bed. She asked her son to join him for the search but he was too scared. She looked at him with love and asked, “Don’t you trust me?” The boy did trust his mother.

He climbed out of bed joined his mother. He moved his head in different directions and noticed no monster under his bed. While still searching, he said, “But I saw it. It was a shadow with a long nose and pointy ears. It wore a scary grin.” The mother carried her son and dropped him on his bed. Then she started to make monster sounds. The boy who was afraid of a monster laughed. His mother tucked him in and said, “Remember this, my son. What you saw was not real. It was just an imagination. If the monster should return, close your eyes and tell yourself that it is just an imagination.”

It did not work instantly. It took probably a whole year to work but it did eventually. The words, “Just an imagination,” became the boy’s mantra. He repeated them whenever he felt frightened. He repeated them on the day he took his first examination as a boy, and, when he wrote the entrance exams to Wolotso (school of medicine) he never forgot these words. He silently repeated these words in his head on that day he first met Deila. You know the boy I am talking about — Kiwakaazi!

He is facing the alpha of all fears this time. He was going mad and his body was shivering with fear. He collapsed and was dying when suddenly he remembered these words; “It is just an imagination.” He repeated it again and again but his fears persisted. He did not relent and repeated some more. The more he repeated the words, “It is just an imagination,” the stronger the images and the voices got. Surely this was a truly fascinating mental battle; one that Kiwakaazi was not ready to lose. He continued to repeat the words until the image showing him killing Deila and laughing like a villain disappeared.

Deila’s face also disappeared. Kaki stood in her cottage staring at the spot where Deila stood not long ago. She was surprised. She believed Deila’s strong love for Kiwakaazi will trump all the challenges that she will have to face. But her love was not enough and now she’s dead.

Shutu was really enjoying himself. Abra was looking on with great jealousy. Suome said, “Your energy level has shot up. It is as if you are one with father (Ishfa) himself.” Shutu just sat there feeling really high. Mayale smiled and knew that at last they could fulfill the promise they made to their father. If this boy of prophecy falls, they would have won. She could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Kaki said, “Goodbye brave girl in love. You did your best.” She turned waiting for her spirit to be whisked away when her cottage suddenly brightened. She turned and looked shocked. Initially, she saw like a billion particles of light dancing around her room. They gathered together and appeared at the same spot where Deila stood before vanishing. Slowly they gathered together until the particles assumed the shape of a human being. The particles of light started to merge revealing Deila from head to toe. She was back. “How?” wondered Kaki.

Shutu suddenly collapsed to the ground. His siblings feared that perhaps he is overdosing by sucking too much energy from Kiwakaazi. Mayale thought, ‘I should have stopped him.’ Abra was happy. His brother was becoming too powerful, but he masked his happiness. Suome was the one who pulled up his trousers and noticed that he too had started turning into a mummy. Something cloth-like had wrapped around and bound his legs. “No! How did this happen?!” exclaimed shocked Suome.

Shutu was now screaming in pain. The image showing Kiwakaazi’s mother in a hospital and his father yelling that, “He must know the truth,” also disappeared. The damn brats of Tumushie laughing at Kiwakaazi disappeared. Now, Kiwakaazi felt it — his energy was returning. He shouted the words with all of his heart and mind, “It is just an imagination!” and the image showing his friends agreeing to denounce him and calling him a sociopath and murderer disappeared. Kiwakaazi was free of fear.

Deila explained, “I was so close to entering the cave of tears when a voice commanded me to look back. I did and saw light that blinded me. I still saw his face. She smiled when she imagined the face she saw. It was obviously Kiwakaazi’s face. Next thing I knew I was here like I never left.”

Kiwakaazi suddenly got up and gasped for air. It was as if he was being suffocated or drowned. He took in deep breaths rapidly. He looked tired and a few drops of sweat run down his face. After a while, his breathing normalized. He remembered Deila and got closer. He immediately noticed she was breathing. He waited for a while but she did not open her eyes. He placed his head on her bed and slept.

Shutu’s body turning into stone suddenly stopped. His legs had turned into a statue but the remainder of his body remained intact. The gods have never seen that happen before. Abra asked, “What just happened?” Shutu answered, “I guess I still have some time left.” He screamed in pain. Suome; beautiful and calm Suome became angry and said, “I have had enough of this. I am going to take him down. Abra, you are coming with me.” Suome and Abra opened the door and exited their secret room where they meet.

Kiwakaazi felt something moving through his afro hair. It woke him up. He lifted his head and looked relieved. Deila said, “Your hair looks great.” He smiled and said, “Thank you.” He was prepared to apologize when Deila interrupted. She said, “Kay, there is nothing you can do for me to hate or not forgive you because I love you.” Kiwakaazi’s eyes welled up and he wanted to cry. But instead of crying he said, “I am sorry Deila. I really am, because I love you too and I never want to hurt you.” He leaned in and kissed her and she kissed him back. He pulled back, sat by her bed and took her hand. He asked, “Tell me how it felt like to have almost died.” She smiled and started narrating her near-death experience.