Chapter three
He is smiling at me. I am staring blankly at him, but my thoughts and ears are on the sound of a baby who is singing a sweet melodious song. Things seem to be completely different on the ground.
I can hear the trounces, but I cannot hear the words. I drop my hands which have been gauchely covering my mouth and walk towards the sound. I am aware of Mabel calling after me, but I do not look back.
What is my life turning into? Is someone trying to make my life a living hell? Why the heck would I hear a sweet sound more so that of a baby singing so sweetly?
As I keep vanishing deeper into the wood, the sound keeps disappearing. I know this is crazy, but the alien too has disappeared. Maybe he just walked away.
Then Mabel catches up with me and she stops me by moving ahead of me and standing on my way. She is looking at me like I just became a lunatic. ''Are you okay?'' her worried face is not cloaked.
''Um, yes, but can't you hear that?'' I ask pointing at the direction of the baby who has since gone quiet. The sound comes up again, but Mabel shakes her head.
''I cannot hear anything. What do you mean you have heard something?'' she asks seemingly apprehensive about what I just said. I turn away from her.
If she cannot hear anything, the sound is loud and clear so, this only means that I am either hallucinating or something is utterly wrong with my big head. I shake my head at no one and nothing in particular.
''Hey, you what did you hear?''
''It is not what I heard it is what I can still hear. A baby is teeming a melodious song and I would like to find out what is going on.''
''But how do you want to achieve that?''
I turn to her direction yet again. ''By walking to the direction, how else can I find out this?'' I say trying to walk past her but her, this is Mabel we are talking about. She stops me and eyes me with her big blue eyes. Making me cower.
''You are not finding out anything! Copy?''
''You are not my mother to tell me that! You stay away or I will smash your head!'' she blinks biting her lower lips and I can clearly tell that she is burning with anger.
''Do not dare me, Irina!''
''Did you join my mum's team? That sounds like it.''
''I do not care what you think! Get going! I am not going to lose a friend who is a sister I never had just because of some silly voice. What if the devil is trying to lure you into going after it and boom! You will fall into the hands of bloodthirsty vampires and then what? What exactly will I tell the elders?''
When she says that, I remember that she doesn't have siblings and unlike me, Mabel wasn't born alone, she had siblings, but they died of some disease that couldn't be cured by the herbal doctors. The hospital is far so her two siblings died while the community was trying to figure out how to take them to the hospital which no one had believed in anyway.
They were twins, and that happened not long ago. I smile at her then I turn on my heels to walk back.
I look at the direction of the alien but yeah, your guess is right, the alien is gone just as I thought a few minutes ago, and I cannot see him. My focus as I head back to take my black jerrican is to get home and find out what mum knows about this river.
The whodunit here needs to be untangled before I go crazy. I have no idea how to sort this out, but I know someone who can. Mum. She could not be telling me about not coming to the river because it is evil when all I can hear here is a sweet voice and see a handsome young alien.
Mabel is quit, displeased with me but at this rate, I will not engage her. I need explanations and I know mum has that. ''Hey, do not run away from me. I do not chomp fellow human beings.'' She says calmly.
''Actually, I am so sorry that I dragged you with me. Please forgive me.'' I tell her genuinely. If the forest is evil as mum claims, then I do not want to risk my friend's life.
''Hey, you do not have to worry, let us go back home. I think you need some rest.'' I turn to look at her. Does she think I need some rest?
''Do I look tired? Plus, where do you think I should go get some rest? Your house? so that your mum starts saying I am a lazy ass? No thank you.'' I lift my head again and I see the alien. This time, he smiles faintly then waves at me and I watch in awe as he disappears into the forest. This is crazy, I guess the next action I should take is to follow the path until I know where to find him.
Crazy right? I thought so too.
Not that I really want to, no I just need to know what is with him. If he is stalking me then I should know, and if there is something he is looking for, I should know that too. Besides, I am this simple village girl, but I am very ambitious and brave. I will find this out and as soon as I can. Right now, mum will hear from me.
''Let us get going,'' I say walking to get my jerrican and placing it on my head. I am so mad right now. I need to cool my temper and if mum does not tell me anything then she will see the recalcitrant me.
Mzee Meza's house is quiet, and Lena has cleaned it. Water is sprinkled all over the floor and I understand why she did that. The floor was too dusty. Mzee Meza and his wife are glad that we showed up today, they are quite excited and tell us that they are blessed to have us in the village.
''May blessings and luck follow you always. May whatever you do and wherever you go be all that will bring you blessings in your life.''
''Amen.'' We all shout in unison. Apart from never having seen mum's relatives, I know there is this old woman whom mum says is my grandma. Instead of going to bombard mum with these questions lingering in my head, I will go and speak to that old woman. She could know what is happening. We all leave to go to another elder's home, and I want my grandma to be the next. I will clean the house and speak to her as the rest go to get water for her. We get somewhere along the road and sit. The field is green, and the serenity is calming. I smile at Lena who looks like she is studying me.
''I told you, you are either keeping secrets or keeping secrets. Which one is true?'' she asks jokingly and we both smile at her.
''Actually, I was telling Irina here that mum is still forcing me to marry someone who I don't even know. This is the most complicated time of my life and I need our support guys.'' Mabel decides to come to my rescue. Her expression is blank, but she wipes that away super-fast. She makes sure that she stands up before she decides to speak.
''We are a team, right?'' we both nod at her. ''We have always said that we stand with each other, right?'' she asks yet again.
''Yeah, what exactly are you driving at?'' I ask looking a little bit too serious. I know her and I hope her mom does not hear of this.
''We are going out of this village!'' she says on a serious note.
''Say that again!'' Mabel is quick to tell her as I am stranded on what to say exactly. I have no idea what she is trying to do but hey, it is good to listen to someone.
''I have an idea which only needs the two of you to be executed. If all goes well then, we will be safe for a few months before we come back here.'' You should see the way we both are looking at her.
In the past twenty plus years, I have never seen this girl so serious and speaking as she has been planning something like forever.
''We're listening,'' I tell her calmly.
''Thing is my mum found out that I am having a relationship with Donald and she has said she will disown me if I do not stop. I love him, or rather I think I do so, I do not want to break up with him.''
''So?''
She rolls her eyes noticeably before she speaks again. ''So, I am planning that we leave this village, go to the adjoining village, look for work in the farms, and get paid. Save up some money and once we have saved enough, we can go to the city and get real jobs. Don't you guys want to go to the city?''
I have no idea how to respond to her. See, things can be so ironic. She has her mum pushing her away from men, while Mabel's mum cannot wait for her to get married to a total stranger. I do not know what my mum wants, all I know is that she is just not willing to let me go anywhere.
That will depend, though. I will not have her keep secrets from me, otherwise, I will forget that she is my mother.
''Guys, that is a nebulous plan. What do you mean go to the adjacent village? I know they have farms and their land is more fertile compared to ours, I also know that the Empress who is said to be the most immoral, wicked, and corrupt in history lives there. Do you want us to go to that village, like seriously?'' Mabel asks calmly.
''Mabel, I am trying to find a way out for us. Imagine if we just stayed here. Haven't we done enough for this village? We need to explore. Plus, look we were born here, raised up here, and studied here, this village is used to us. Let us find something more interesting to do.''
''Listen, come to think of it, I guess you are right. I mean we have been here for this long we should start thinking about other things.''
I do not know why or how but tears are already shining in my eyes. ''You two will go away without me?'' I ask meekly.
''Why is that?''
''Because it seems you have already made decisions. I do not think I can leave my mum and the old mama who is supposedly my grandma all alone. I love those two and I know they need me.'' ''And what do you mean theoretically your granny?'' Mabel asks curiously.
''Because she told me she is a distant granny but that is not necessary. I love those two women they are my life. Again, I do not think I will accompany you.'' I tell them honestly.
''You are not remaining here! Remember we are a team, we move together, walk, work, eat, and sit together. The pact between the three of us is never being broken. If you will not go, I will not too and that means Lena won't come too. Is that what you want?'' Mabel asks on a very serious note.
''Hey, I am so sorry. You cannot mess your plans for me. I can always follow you later but for now, my two women need me. Don't you think so?''
''It is not as if we were cut from a tree. Our two women need us too, but we are doing this for the good of us all.'' Lena says and somehow, I agree with them but first I need to talk to granny, I will know what to do thereafter.
''Okay, my girls,'' I say making them smile. ''let us go see grandma then we can decide thereafter. Again, I know you two and once you make a decision, nothing will stop you so yes, we need to plan outside this village. Okay?'' we end up hugging ourselves.
We walk slowly towards grandma's house chatting about nothing and everything. In my mind, I cannot stop thinking about why I heard a small baby's voice in that river.
That river is becoming so unfathomable that I wonder who is going to unravel the mystery. God knows I love this village and the people in it so much that I could not live without them.
Either way, it is sometimes good to let go, walk out, and face the consequences later. I guess the best thing to do at the moment is to get going and the rest, I have no idea what to do about it all.
''You are so, quiet, Irina. Are you okay?''
''I have never been better, Mabel,'' I tell her half calmly.
My grandma's compound is cool. I know on many occasions mum has been begging her to come and live with us, but she keeps postponing that.
The door is locked from inside and that is so unlike her. I know it cannot be hard so, I push it with all my might, but it does not budge.
I move back, and with all the strength I can gather run with speed towards the door. I kick it so hard that it ends up falling and what I see leaves my mouth agape and my eyes wide open and my heart throbbing like never before.
I am shocked, standing put, and unable to do or say anything.