She smiled so broad and embraced her eldest brother when she finally got to him.
"Congratulations brother, I'll miss you so much" she muttered to him.
She felt the strong muscular arms of her elder brother hugging her tightly, giving her a silent assurance, he was gone but he would still care about her. Lady felt sad, her heart seemed to have become larger in her chest, her ribcage constricting. She wanted to let her fears out through the tears that was pricking her eyes but she knew she was a woman now and a woman doesn't just cry especially over trivial things like her elder brother leaving. Besides, it wasn't as if they would side with her in her sorrow, she lost that right when she jeopardised the life of one of the greatest hunters in the village who also happens to be her father.
Her brother let her go and she scrambled off into her room, her mood too sour for the occasion which seemed to be overly joyous for the village folks. Before she realised, she was humming a smooth melody of a song, she often found herself to be singing in her dreams when she met with that old lady in the dreams. If her memory wasn't failing her then, she was right about sure that she had been dreaming this kind of dream since the day she was allowed to become one of the women in her town. She was always dreaming this same kind of dream everyday. She would always find herself going to the village stream to meet an old lady who will teach her the song she was humming previously. She sighed and plopped down into her bed. It was time to sleep.
The usual inharmonic chirping of numerous birds woke Lady up. She exhaled first thing before she threw both her legs over the bed, the soles of her feet touching the cold hard floor of her room. She rubbed the remaining sleep off her eyes till her eyes were a little bit sore. She draped the first piece of clothing she came across around her body securing it tightly with a thin piece just above her breasts. She begrudgingly left her room and stepped into the compound of her family. The compound was unusually quite, she lifted her eyes into the skies and saw the sun already warming the earth with gentle rays. She frowned a little in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing together, it was just weird. Her mother was one of the earliest birds in the village, she wasn't known as the "morning owl" just for naming sake, it was because she was definitely a morning owl.
Lady dragged her feet to her parent's hut, she stopped just before the door, composed herself and knocked. There was no sound from the other side of the door, so she knocked again, this time very loud that she was sure the neighbors around them could hear the sound of her knock and waited for a little bit.
No one responded to her knocks as she grew a little frustrated and opened the door, peeking through the little gap she made from opening the door.
"Mother?" she called out.
After waiting for a response and getting none, she fully entered the room and was greeted by the normal fussy scent of the room, with no trace of a human being. Her mother's favorite shawl which was always hanging by the window side unless she wants it for a special occasion was no longer there. The sandals of her parents were missing as well. Her mind started playing out scenarios and the endless possibilities of what might have happened but she refused to believe what she was seeing.
Hurriedly, she went out of the dreadful hut to her second brother's hut only to find it locked. Then she knew and she believed, her family had left her behind on one of the most special days of her life. They had escorted her own brother out of the town without her. Her tears slipped out of her eyes and she slumped down to the ground. She wondered why her own family sought her destruction, trying so hard to make her see bitterness.
She wailed and she laid down on the red floor, smearing it on her skin and clothes. Maybe she had to leave, maybe she was no longer of worth. Her mouth opened and broke into a dirge, the dirges of her ancestors. She sang out in sorrow not noticing how the air around her tensed and became cold, how time seemed to stop and how everything became eerily silent.
She failed to realised how a second melodious voice joined in her dirge and how a body floated above her, comforting her. Lady feeling weary and weak all of a sudden felt her eyelids fluttering close and she fell into a deep slumber. When her eyes opened, she was seated on a small white stool, on a compound of a circular cluster of red huts.
The place seemed so familiar yet unfamiliar. She felt warmth and comfort yet she felt the coldness and eery presence lingering above the place. She stood up and heard the soft tinkling of anklets, her ankle felt a little heavy so she glanced down and saw two golden anklets around both her ankles with small bells carved in her family symbol.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she made a once over of her body. Her arms were adorned with the brightest and golden jeweleries, her hair that she always wore in a ponytail was loosely flowing around her like dark inks in a large ray of light. A bright green shawl was wrapped around her shoulders and her clothes were made of pure gold.
Lady became confused and looked around her again. Just then an old lady dressed just like her except her grey hair was parted into two held together at each side of her head with golden clips. The old lady began singing one of Lady's family dirges and before Lady realised she had joined in the song and her feet were already making moves. The old lady stopped in front of her and bowed.
"Welcome, honoured one" the old lady said in a voice so smooth like a smoothly flowing stream.
"Thank you, old one but where am I?" Lady questioned the old woman.
The old woman to Lady's astonishment cackled out a laughter, supporting her abdomen with her hands as she laughed.
"My child, you are in the abode of the talents, the abode of your ancestors"
Lady's eyes widened as she comprehended the declaration. The talents was the nickname given to her ancestors because of their immense knowledge and craft in music and dance. They were believed to be descendants of the goddess Mai, the goddess of the Earth.
"I-i-s it t-t-true?" Lady stuttered out.
The old lady chuckled " Of course my dear, our mother heard your wails so she visited you"
"Our mother?" Lady asked again.
"Yes, Our mother Mai" the old lady replied.
"Mai as in the goddess of the Earth!" Lady exclaimed.
"Yes my child" the old lady said and gestured to the largest hut " come now, we are having a music ceremony for our mother"
Lady nodded and followed the old lady despite her growing nervousness and confusion into the largest hut of the compound, where ladies of all ages were seated in fives with only one sitting on a high golden throne with her golden hair flowing around her. She was a beauty to behold and her face was adorned with a beautiful smile that enticed Lady to pop a smile onto her own face. Lady immediately knew she was goddess Mai.
"Sit, my child" Mai said in voice that was smoother than silk but firm than thunder.
Lady was directed by the old lady to a small white stool just like the one she was sitting on outside resting in front of Mai. The old lady straightened the stool and helped Lady onto it. Lady was now sat directly of the high golden throne of Mai.
"Begin" Mai commanded.
Then the women rose in pairs and lined up, some left the line to sit behind instruments whiles some formed a dance group. The remaining women moved closer to Mai and Lady and started singing and Lady had to admit that they had the most melodious voices that she had ever heard. Not long after the women started singing, those behind the instruments joined in with their instruments and their voices then the dance group joined in with palm fronds in their mouth. Lady watched the unfolding scenes with pure bliss and ecstasy. It was beyond her imagination what she was seeing. The dance and the music were so magically beautiful and well tuned.
Then Lady felt Mai standing up as the ground shook, the women dancing parted a way for her and Mai jumped into their middle, she beckoned Lady to come over and she did just that. Lady and Mai fell into synchronized steps and soon they were consumed by the music and their steps to their tune. Lady could feel her body excited beyond measure, she felt highly exhilarated and she felt no longer like the moody Lady she used to be, she felt whole and fulfilled as she smiled and danced.