Avon wasn't really sure what he should say to her so his gaze just kept on wandering around the area admiring the never before see plant life.
The water he was standing in was crystal clear so he could see all the beautiful fishes swimming around his feet.
The animals that were wandering around didn't pay any attention to him as if he didn't exist.
"This place is so beautiful, where are we?"
But the woman didn't respond she just continued to stare at him.
One second
Ten seconds
Thirty seconds
One minute
The place had become a bit awkward because she didn't have the slightest reaction to his question or his gaze.
A short while later the pale woman finally moved she was used her index finger point downward.
When the woman finally moved by reflex he followed her finger and looked down into the water.
"What? I don't see anything"
It was still the same clear water as before nothing had changed.
The instant he took his eyes off the water and looked back over to the woman two caramel hands burst through the surface of the water and grabbed his face and pulling him down into the water.
''Not again!''
Avon didn't hesitate before his face touched me the surface of the water he quickly held his breath and closed his eyes.
The feeling he was waiting for didn't come, his skin didn't feel wet at all this to him was nothing short of a miracle because he didn't know how to swim.
But when he opened his eyes he was stunned speechless, his heart started beating like crazy he wanted to find a way out but every move he made he felt himself sinking further.
He was underwater!
Although it didn't feel or look like it, he knew he was underwater but this water didn't look like the river he was just standing in, it was light blue in color and the fishes looked a lot bigger than what he was used to seeing.
After a while, he stopped struggling because he started to feel comfortable.
His vision was beginning to get a bit blurry and his consciousness was starting to get hazy but none of that matter because it felt incredibly comfortable especially when he looked at the rays of the sunlight breaking the surface of the water it felt very relaxing.
'What's that?...'
A shadow was approaching from a few meters out.
In the blink of an eye, it was in front of his stroking his cheeks.
It was the woman from the desert with the same smile as before, looking at her his consciousness began to clear up.
Her lips began moving but no sound could be heard, when he wanted to tell her that he couldn't hear her she placed her index finger to his lips and shook her head.
Her lips stopped moving but she was still smiling.
After a few seconds, he finally heard a voice that sounded strange yet familiar to him.
'This is my voice?'
--I want to give you a gift will you accept it?
'What are you talking about? Who are you?'
--The world is so big wouldn't you like to see it all? or would you like to stay where you are?
It might sound strange but Avon has never once in his life thought that there was anything beyond his village, no one ever spoke of anything beyond it so he just believed that there was nothing else.
'The world?'
Although 'his voice' hadn't answered his question his interest was piqued he couldn't help but wonder if the world that 'his voice' spoke of was anything like what he saw in the visions.
--It is even more beautiful than what you have seen
It seemed like the woman who was in front of him could read his mind but that didn't seem all that surprising.
If she could use 'his voice' to speak to him then why would it seem strange that she could read his mind?
--Will you accept my gift?
Every time the woman moved her lips it would only be a few seconds later that he'd hear 'his voice'
'What kind of gift?'
--Close your eyes
He was starting to get a very painful headache from all the confusion that's been happening as well as having a conversation with 'himself', despite that, he still closed his eyes.
All sorts of images started flashing across his eyes things he's never seen or imagined would've ever existed.
Plants, people, animal, buildings, things he would've never imagined.
He must've seen millions of different things yet still it felt like it only lasted a second before everything stopped.
'This is the world?'
The woman nodded then her lips moved again.
--Will accept my gift?
Towards the woman, he didn't feel any weariness, in fact, she felt familiar to him but still, he knew he didn't know her and he didn't know what the gift she was offering him was nor if any of this was just his delusions.
'I can't accept something when I don't know what it is'
--It will not hurt you, it has always been a part of you, Mansa
'Mansa?'
The woman didn't say anything she just smiled in response
.......
It was after sunset and Avon still hadn't returned from the forest although there were no dangerous animals that could kill him in the forest his mother began to worry.
"Al-Amir did Avon go to the forest today?"
"Yea aunty, he came in the morning, why?"
"He isn't back home as yet and he never misses lunch"
"Alright I'll go check if he's still working"
When Al-Amir came back to the forest Avon was on the ground sweating like crazy, he looked pale beyond belief.
He ran up to Avon's body but he hesitated a few times before he just picked him up and ran back to his father's house.
The villagers who saw him running with someone in his arms didn't know what's going so they followed behind him.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know Al-Amir is running with someone"
While they followed behind him they were all discussing why he was carrying someone.
Everyone in the village knew who Avon was because he was the only person who came of age yet still hadn't passed Alaric trial but Al-Amir didn't give them the chance to look at who he was carrying he was running too fast.
"Father! Father!"
Before he even entered Al-Amir began calling for his father.
An old man who looked like he'd croak at any moment walked out of the house but that's just how he looked he was as fit as a fiddle.
"What?! What are you screaming at me for?!"
When he saw the body in Al-Amir's hand he immediately ran back inside the house and made up a bed for him to put Avon on.
"What happened?"
"I don't know, we left him in the forest to cut down some trees, a little while ago his mother said that he hadn't returned home as yet so I went back to the forest and found him like this"
While he explained to his father what happened he'd already placed Avon on the bed.
"What happened to my son?! Where's my son!?"
Avon's mother's' voice could be heard coming from the crowd as she forced her way inside.
When she saw Avon lying down on the bed looking so pale she almost collapsed right there but someone from the crowd grabbed on to her to help her steady herself.
"Al-Amir! What's wrong with my son!?"
Al-Amir really didn't know what to say because he himself wasn't really sure what happened he'd even started wonder if it was because he left him to cut down the trees by himself and he overexerted himself.
"Aunty..."
"All of you shut up he's fine"
Before Al-Amir could say anything he was interrupted by the chief who spoke in a nonchalant way like it was something that wasn't important in the least.
When everyone heard this they all stared blankly at the chief then at the pale Avon then back at the chief the process repeats itself another two times before everyone started to worry about the chiefs mental health.
The chief didn't give them a chance to voice their inner thoughts before he raised his hands in the air and shouted in an exaggerated manner.
"Arise!"
Then slammed down his hand in Avon's chest, the slap echoed throughout the whole room leaving everyone stunned.
Avon woke up instantly drawing in a deep cold breath before screaming.
"Ahh!!!!!!!!"
Everyone stared blankly at the scene what was going on?
While they were all stunned something happened that none of them noticed when Avon had just woken up his once dark brown eyes were a golden color glowing like the sun but only for a moment the instant he blinked they returned to normal.
When his mother saw that he woke up she ran up and hugged him while crying tears of joy.
"My son you're okay, you're okay!"
But none of that really registered with him what he really wanted to know was...
WHO THE HELL SLAPPED HIM!!
When he looked around at everyone they were all breathing sighs of relief while the chief had an idiotic grin on his face.
He didn't even bother to ask because he already knew who did it.