"Brother." Nena called softly while looking at him but he wouldn't look at her.
"Sister." She whispered to herself, her heart beating so fast.
"Ximnam let me go!" She yelled. She tried going to her sister but Ximnam grabbed her, preventing her from leaving.
"Please." She pleaded and to people who may have heard, they'd think she's pleading for her brother to let her go, but she's pleading for whatever she's thinking not to be true and then although she thought her mind was the one playing tricks on her, she heard her name.
And the voice belongs to her sister.
She held her breath hoping to hear the voice again.
"Nena. Sister please come."
"Oh my!" Nena breathed in relief. 'You.' She hit her brother on the chest and then ran and entered her room.
"Sister!" She gasped, panicking all over again but she told herself to stay calm.
"It's normal Nena, she's giving birth to Muna. It's alright, breathe properly. The blood doesn't mean anything ..she's alive." She mused as she walked over to where her sister was lying, her face as pale as paper. She takes her hand in hers and begins to smile.
"I've got a gist for you sister, do you know that brother played a very silly prank on me today ..I mean just a while ago but don't worry about it, after Muna is born, the three of us will figure a real mean prank to reciprocate." She said and then began to smile widely because her sister was smiling.
"Why is Muna not here yet?" She asked while looking at her sister and when her sister kept quiet she looked up at the doctor. All those while refusing to look at the lot of blood her eyes saw when she was coming in.
"Did you already gossip to her how hard it is to live on earth?" She asked while looking at the doctor and then she bent her head to her sister's stomach. "Come on out now Muna. Do you know that Aunty Nena has written a lot of things she's going to do with you until you get married.
She will also shade you away from the hard sun and fetch all the waters for you.
She'll also teach you how to hunt and hide you on a big mango tree whenever father wants you to go to the farm.
She has a lot more but because she doesn't want you to sleep and so she's going to stop now but she promises to show you the list when you come out."
"Muna. Come on out now OK..?" She called softly, opened her mouth to call her name again but stopped because her chest began to hurt her.
She grabbed her chest in pain and turned to the doctor. "Save Muna please." She pleaded softly.
The midwife looked at her sadly and then at the blood. "The child was long gone." She said and then got up and began to arrange her things.
Nena turned to look at her sister when she noticed something strange with her body. "Sister open your eyes!." She yelled but nothing, she turned her head to the midwife who's now looking at her.
"Your sister is.."
Nena didn't let the doctor finish, she covered her ears and began to run.
As she runs, she has no destination in mind but she's running and she's still running.
Du-Due saw the young girl run out of the house and he run after her but she's running too fast and he couldn't catch her.
He stopped running and began to pants heavily when he saw Nena's friend from the stream calling her name.
To them Nena heard them and stopped but the young girl actually didn't, just as she ran out without any destination, she stopped because her body stopped and then she turned and began to look at her friends.
Efe put down her water pot and began to walk to where Nena is standing. "I thought Ximnam said your sister is putting to bed, why are you here?
"Did she already put to bed?" She paused in confusion." but even if that's the case, why are you here and your eyes, your face, your body.."
She says curiously as she moves closer to Nena. Now standing near Nena. She raised her hand to touch her but the young girl fainted.