Lady woke up in the late afternoon, she felt heavy for no reason like she had consumed three sheep all by herself. She stretched and yawned and sat up on her bed. She looked out the window of her hut and saw the sun already setting, the last golden streaks of it's rays already dying down.
She frowned in confusion "Why had mother not woken up all this while?" she murmured to herself.
Normally, she was the one who did everything in the household, her mother occasionally popping into the equation to help her with the chores and usually her mother would wake her up if she napped for long during the day and so it was too unusual for her mother to leave to sleep through the day. She stretched again and stood up from her bed, going out of her room.
Right after she was out of the room, she saw her mother with a pot of water in her hands, hurriedly she ran to her and stopped by her,
"Mother, please allow me to carry it for you" she said and stretched her hands to take the pot from her mother but her mother gave her such a deathly glare that she retracted her hands.
"As one chosen to be a possible pillar, you are not supposed to touch or do anything. You are supposed to spend all your time in meditation, cleansing your mind, spirit and body till the ceremony and you going to the stream today was so uncalled for and now this?" her mother spat at her with pure contempt in her eyes as she talked about Lady's trip to the stream.
And as the information sinked in, Lady finally understood her mother's behavior in the morning, she had broken a strong taboo, one she was not supposed to in any way and that also explained why she had left alone.
"I'm sorry mother for my ignorance" Lady bowed her head and apologised.
"Your apologies won't change what has already taken place, get back to your hut and meditate till I come for you. Hurry!"
Lady nodded and went back to her hut and sighed, she was already getting tired of her village and her life. There hasn't been a single time where something new hasn't happened either in the village or her life. It was as if she was doomed to get into trouble every day. First it was her father, then her parents drove her brother way because he supported her and now she had broken a very strong taboo.
She sighed again and sat on her bed, crossing her legs over each other and exhaling. She closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths, closing her mind to all around her. But nonetheless she couldn't help but wonder about some things, she wondered how her life was going to change after the ceremony, she wondered about the identities of the young women who were also chosen.
Finally, she was able to stop her train of thoughts and her wonderings. Her mind became as blank as white silk as she meditated. But Lady failed to realise that she was gradually slipping into a slumber.
Her eyes opened narrowly as hands shook her vigorously then the voice of her mother came out "Get up, the time draws near."
Lady immediately shot up from the bed, her legs feeling frozen and heavy from the lack of blood that failed to flow through them. She untangled her legs and stood up on wobbly feet. She took a step or two to make her blood flow to her legs before she turned to her mother.
"Follow me" her mother whispered.
Lady nodded and followed her mother out of her hut. Her mother then started towards the stream as Lady followed her wordlessly. They walked for a few minutes and then saw eight other people waiting by the wayside. Lady and her mother approached them, stopping a few metres away from them as they bowed to them.
"Arise and let's begin" Her mother said with authority to the eight figures, Lady had still not seen their faces.
"Yes, head pillar and please everything has been made according to your command" a voice came out from the group.
Lady's eyes widened, her mother used to be a head pillar, head pillars were chosen once in a while to lead the four pillars. They came second to a Makri, and they were held in high respect. In the history of their village, there had been only six pillars and two Makris, then that would mean that her mother was the sixth head pillar, the great guide to a Makri.
"Good" her mother praised and lifted her hands "shall we begin?"
The group then turned and started towards the stream followed by an astonished and perplexed Lady. Her mother had so many secrets that she had hidden from them, was her other family members even aware of their mother's status in the village?
Then finally after a long and agonisingly slow walk, at least that's what Lady thought, they arrived at the stream.
"Amira, it's time" an elderly lady said to Lady's mother and Lady recognized the voice to be the one that spoke earlier.
Lady's mother, Amira now went ahead of the group and stepped into the stream. She moved farther into it so the water level was around her waist. She detangled her hair which had been in a ponytail updo. Her hair cascaded down to her waist as they became lose, then suddenly the air became tense.
"The time arises where you would be cleansed, with the water of our land, the water crafted from tears of our mother when she fought for our land. A water purified to purify our lost and tainted souls so we become clean and worthy of becoming pillars for this land" Amira turned to them with her eyes glowing a perfect shade of white, her voice booming with authority and tranquility. She sounded like mighty thunders and roaring waves, her body seemed to be transformed as she looked from one face to the other and finally settling on Lady's "Now if you're ready to become new pillars, come join me and let me guide you on this holy journey" she opened her arms wide, stretching it forth towards Lady and the other four girls who had been pushed forward by the soon to be ex pillars of the village.
The five of them slowly inched closer to the stream and finally stepping into it and approached Amira. They stood in front of Amira with their hands behind their back, all the hairs on their body standing and their mind on edge as they witnessed the powerful aura surrounding Amira. It was as if the goddess herself had descended on them.
Amira took hold of the first girl's hand and said "Now hold each others hand and let's begin. But before that listen to me very carefully, right after you hold hands, you should mention your name and your family's and then dip yourself into the stream. I'll hold you all up with my power after you have been thoroughly cleansed, understood?"
The five girls nodded and held each other's hands and formed a circle around Amira after she had instructed them to do so. Next they introduced themselves,
"Kailo from the family of Seral"
"Star from the family of Ldict"
"Ders from the family of Geree"
"Teneia from the family of Feul"
"Lady from the family of Gazi"
Then they dipped their bodies into the stream, the water washing over them. They gasped as the water illuminated and instead of them not being able to breathe underwater, it became as simple as draping a cloth around their bodies for them to do so. Suddenly, their bodies pulsed and the water entered them through their noses and mouth and then it came back out. Their hair became longer with Lady's becoming the longest as it flowed past the curves of her bottom but the others' just stopped a little over their waist.
Amira stood over the glowing water looking at the changes the pulsing bodies of the five young women were going through, they were going to come out brimming with power and knowledge, one so powerful that they might even fear themselves. It reminded her so much of when she had the honor of becoming the head pillar. Then the bodies of the young women stopped pulsing, their clothes sticking to their bodies like second skin. She nodded her head and smiled, the cleansing ceremony was over.
Amira lifted her hands and called forth her power, lifting the bodies of the young women from the stream, levitating their bodies over the water body. She stepped out of the stream with the levitating bodies behind her, she dropped them gently along the bank and sat crossed legged over them waiting for them to wake up.
Then as if on cue, the five young women gasped together, wheezing to catch their breath as they coughed out water.
"Welcome back" Amira smiled to them "Welcome back" she repeated.
They looked around them with wide eyes as their bodies felt new, their body seemed full, they felt whole and satisfied.
"What happened?" Star asked.
"My ladies, I believe you have been cleansed and your bodies are adjusting to your new found powers" Amira explained " Now rise and let's go to the other side of the stream to finish it up" Amira continued, already on her feet to cross the stream.