Amira with hurried steps walked over to the family compound of Takoa. She bent over, placing her palms on her knees and panting heavily. She wiped the heavy torrents of sweat on her face with the back of her hand and took in a deep breath.
"Takoa, Takoa!" she called out gasping for breath.
Takoa who was in her hut, preparing herself for the day after taking a bath heard the urgent calling of her name and so with only a small cloth draped around her petite figure, she stepped out and placed her hands on her waist looking around.
"Who called me?" she asked out loud and looked around again.
Then with slow steps she saw Amira emerging from the far corner of her compound, she smiled and shook her head. Takoa went to her kitchen hut and took two small stools playing it in front of her hut.
"Amira, sometimes I do wonder if you really forget that we are no longer in our youthful days" Takoa teased " Please do take a seat"
Amira sat on one of the stools and looked to up to Takoa "Get me a bowl of water to quench my thirst"
Takoa immediately bounded on to her kitchen and fetched a bowl of water for Amira who greedily emptied the contents of the bowl.
"Now, tell me, what brings you here in such haste?" Takoa sat down on one of the stools and turned to Amira.
"Hmm" Amira began with a sigh "There is something I need to tell you"
"What?" Takoa grew confused.
"Do you remember the prophecy about the Makri?"
"Yes, but I thought it was just a fools legend. Besides it has been so long since we had a true prophecy in our village" Takoa replied already dismissing the idea.
Amira looked up to the skies and exhaled "That's where you are all wrong Takoa, the prophecy is in every manner true"
"What!" Takoa shrieked almost falling off her stool.
"Yes, my sister and it so happens to be in efficacy as we speak" Amira replied.
"What in the goddess' name!" Takoa gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth with wide eyes.
"You know I used to also believe that the prophecy was just some piece of folly so I dismissed it but when I was chosen as the head pillar during my generation, I had talked with our mother regarding the matter" Amira paused and gestured for another bowl of water.
When Takoa brought the bowl, Amira took a few gentle sips and continued " Our mother Mai told me that it was indeed true and she had made the first Makri prophecy about the future of the third Makri and whatever was said was true. I had become shocked beyond belief and then when our mother chose our young pillars including Lady, I had become scared but I grew more frustrated after the incident of my husband. I knew deep down that something was amiss, I just didn't know I was really correct"
Takoa dumbfounded, looked at her friend and sister in worry, being the Makri's family was a curse and a blessing at the same time. It was inevitable to evade the prophecy but what had happened was destiny's path, a path hard to close.
"Sister, I don't know how to comfort you and I don't know how to help you, this is just beyond me" Takoa sighed in defeat.
"Yes, I know that is why I have a plan" Amira turned to Takoa with an evil smirk " a plan bound to succeed"
Takoa looked at Amira with uncertainty, was she really going to go against the goddess, and spoil the path of destiny?
"Come closer Takoa and lend me your ears, I'm going to need your help"
Takoa shifted her stool closer to Amira, craning her head and giving her ear to Amira's mouth as she whispered the details of her plan into her ear.
Right after Amira was done, a young woman ran into the compound falling beside their feet
"Amira," she gasped fo breath " Your son...your son.."
Amira's heart shot up and she stood up from her stool with a vigorous energy, realeasing a dark aura. She looked at the young woman and boomed "What has happened to my son!"
The young lady took a deep breath and swallowed a nervous lump in her throat " Your son broke his back after climbing mango tree" she replied without missing a beat.
The moment the words registered in Amira's brain, she dropped into the ground, the world started spinning. She could feel movement in her sight and she could hear the faint voices of the young woman and Takoa. She could feel hands on her body shaking her but the intensity with which her body dismissed the force of the shaking was so great that it seemed as a breeze was rather shaking her.
Lady after having a lovely and long conversation with Mai was sitting on the floor of her hut weaving a small but colorful bracelet from strands of wool and her old waist beads. She smiled satisfied with the work her hands were busily doing. Suddenly she felt a strange sensation in her being, a feeling of doom. And then she remembered what Mai told her before she left;
"Whenever you feel a strange sensation like something is doomed, then it means an immediate omen is at hand, you'll have to meditate and find the source and then counter it"
Lady in a hurry threw the almost finished bracelet and crossed her legs, she took a long deep breath and placed her palms on her knees. She cleared her mind and concentrated. Just then she saw a faint blue glow in the form of a thread leading to a narrow gate. Lady willed her spiritual essence to follow the thread of blue light till she got to the narrow gate. She entered the gate and right in front of her was a wide field of mangoes and three young men were in the fields laughing.
Just then in a slow motion she saw a man falling down from the highest mango tree, Lady shocked raised her hand and her power formed a cushion behind the man's back. But just before the man's body reached the ground, she saw the face of the man and it was then that she realised that it was her own second brother.
Lady afraid, willed more of her power and formed a protection layer around her brother but just then a tall lanky old woman appeared. She wore a dark laced long dress with a long brown stake in her hand. She looked beautiful but ominous, her presence was dark yet beautiful.
"You can't interfere in this business, it is none of your own" the lanky old woman said with an angered voice that shook the space Lady was in.
"Excuse me but it's clearly my brother who happens to be in a dire situation and it is in every way my business" Lady countered back her hands already glistening with her power.
The lanky old woman laughed and her head almost falling back " You don't know what's happening right?"
Lady became confused but nevertheless raised her hand to save her brother but then Mai appeared,
"Lady stop right there!" she ordered.
"Mai?" Lady frowned " Why are you preventing me?"
"Lady" Mai rubbed her temples " You don't understand this. This is meant to be,you have to let your brother fall. You can prevent him to an extent but you can prevent this fall"
"No, I won't" Lady snapped.
"Lady, I'll explain everything later but remove the protection shield but you can still make the cushion" Mai tried reasoning.
Lady turned to Mai with a deadly glare, her eyes turning into deep shade of red to emphasize her anger. Mai just looked at Lady and sighed.
"Sorry" Mai said and before Lady could utter a word, Mai blew a gentle amount of breeze onto Lady.
Lady felt her eyes close and darkness consumed her, her spirit returned into her body and she fell on the ground with a heavy thud. Right after Lady spirit's returned to her body, the protective layer around her second brother disappeared along with cushion. Mai made the cushion appeared back and she snapped her fingers for the time to move like it normally does.
Mai watched as Lady's brother fell to the ground, his back broke and then Mai disappeared and found herself in Lady's room in her human form. She lifted Lady up onto her bed and sat by her.
"Amira, please get a hold of of yourself and let's go see your son" Amira could hear Takoa saying to her.
She had sat on the ground, numb for a couple of minutes, not able to respond to anything but the mention of her son to her ears again made her get a hold of her senses. She had to go see her son's condition, her poor son might be waiting for his mother to assure him that all will be right.
"Yes Takoa, I need to get a hold of myself, my son is waiting for me. Now help me up" Amira said and held up her hands for Takoa to take and help her up.
Takoa took Amira's outstretched hand and helped her up. Takoa helped Amira to dust off the dirt on her clothes.
"Thank you for your kind help" Takoa smiled and thanked the young lady who brought them the news " Please lead the way to where he is"
The young lady nodded and said "Then, please follow me"
And with that the three of them left Takoa's family compound to the scene of Amira's son's mishap in a hurry.