It was hard to tell if he was hanging by a thread and turned on its head or the world as if it was a dream where his eyes were covered in a veil of darkness and cold or he was awake but his eyes were too heavy to open and his body too tired to comply with his mind to move. Suddenly he heard a voice and fell into dry earth with the taste of dust in his mouth and as he got up the floor beneath him crunched. He felt a presence unceremoniously yank the veil of his face and the picture was now clear surrounded by tall trees that sparsely let in sunlight and an unfamiliar person in a slightly lighter complexion. The person looked around his age and had his hair in long dreadlocks and was talking to him in a language he had never heard and as though he understood his confusion stopped speaking and before he could react slapped his ears making him double over covering his ears and in a fit of rage swung a fist and missed
"What is wrong with you?" He blurted out
"Can you hear me now?"
He froze
"I take that as a yes" and he reached out for a handshake
"Names Verett yours?"
"Enan," he said shaking hands and pulling him in, his other hand in a fist and was slung over Everett's shoulder
"You're aggressive keep it up," Verett said gleefully
Who is he? And how did he bring me to the forest? Thinking as he stood up anger expressed vividly
"Cool it I didn't come to exchange fists I came to talk," Everett said calmly
"Talk? Talk?" Enan yelled
"You brought me here against my will, tied me upside down and slapped my ears does that sound like you want to talk?" Enan said in anger
Verett chuckled nervously and took in a deep breath
"It is a fact you have every right to be mad, as well as the fact I, no, we need you but I guess that doesn't justify my actions the road to your village is just straight ahead now go there's no point in forcing you I'll be on my way then" with that he started in the opposite direction and stopped
"Once you see it call me I'll be there in a heartbeat" and he continued walking
Enan took a moment to play everything that happened so far in his head and shrugged it off turning to the path home he felt something cold beneath his feet and picked up a small pendant with a golden cross and turned to give it to Verett but he was out of sight and wore it because he had no interest looking for him and he started down the path
Where is he from? What did he want from me? And who is the 'we' he was talking about? The more he tried shrugging it off the more questions came up. Finally hissing he increased his pace as if to say he had walked away from his thoughts.
What the...
He stopped looking over a clear earthy path, expressionless at the sight of something or someone cloaked with a python extension at his back firmly wrapped around one of the village girls into the other side of the forest
Oh that's Chioma ... she's meant to get married next week
He smiled and walked on
"Can't believe I used to tell her I love her all the time when I was a kid how time flies?" he said laughing at himself
Impossible he proclaimed to himself
Impossible no one... NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE ME even if I said it there's no way to fight that... that... thing... that... monster! She may already be dead and if she isn't she's going to be, going after her would-be suicide, a taboo! I want to be buried with honour, not in futility I'm sorry Chioma shame I can't tell your parents till it's too late he gritted his teeth and walked on into the village and entered his hut and picked up his machete, bow and quiver of arrows slinging them over his shoulder and a small knife which he kept at his side and walked back out and took a deep breath
"Ife!" His uncle called out
"Yes?" He replied happily
"I thought you preferred the name Enan?" His uncle asked
"I do but there's something in a traditional name that just sits better the white men from long ago are gone now in their tribes and we're here with our tribes and our names," he said dreamingly
"What's gotten into you that you speak like an old man?" His uncle laughed
"Nothing just appreciating life"
"Well I see you want to go hunting"
"Yes I plan on catching big game today one you've never seen before"
"Well go into my hut and carry your father's old hunting rifle"
"Thank you" and he calmly went in and slung it over his shoulder and walked away but stopped
"Uncle?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think I can be like my parents? Be brave like them?" he asked sombrely
"Being brave is all about handling fear my son, we all have fear what makes us brave is our ability to take on our fears without a doubt"
"Thank you I'll make sure I come back with the game "and he walked away back to the forest path
Ah, indeed, I don't want to die
He turned from the path to the forest
Especially for a reason such as a 'maybe' possibility
His throat dried up
Impossible is what my body tells me and yet...
He walked into the forest
For some reason, I feel as though if I don't...
He stopped and loaded the rifle with gunpowder and a bullet
I'll never forgive myself for not saving her for not, at least giving her a proper send-off...
He held the bow ready to fire off at any moment
I won't be able to face them in the great beyond and I would have died a coward...
He stopped upon hearing footsteps ahead of him hiding behind a tree
A taboo, a disgrace and a failure that's why I'll have to hunt this game...
He peered at the creature ahead watching it steadily loosen its grip and slithered slowly to his right
It's noticed me?
He drew the bow
Good that makes this a whole lot easier
He ran to the left and shot at its back to which it got its target
It didn't move?! Then.....
Ssssssssss
he turned bow held inbetween palms, falling back to the floor as the python leapt forward and snapped his bow with a bite. It opened its jaws once more and sunk its teeth into his shoulder biting down hard he covered the floor and got a hold of an arrow and drove it into its eye but to no avail and drove it into its neck this time it let go of its grip and hissing and so did the rest of the creature.
Blood dripping from the bite writhing in pain he glanced over at Chioma who twitched ever so slightly
She's alive! She's alive!
He kept saying fully resonating in his mind and he half crawled ran towards her and collapsed by her side shaking her violently but with no success of waking her up. He swung an arm around her and swung her arm around him and dragged her hurriedly through the forest to a distance before collapsing once more, heart in his mouth, breathless.
She's alive, she's alive...
Sssssss....ssssssss...sssssss.....sssssss
4?4?but there is only one where did the rest come from????
Looking around desperate, mind racing he saw the snakes at a few trees back from him heads poised and all ready to strike.
It could be they're caging me in but why don't they come closer? It would leave me trapped. He felt the pendant tangled and decided to untangle it and noticed the snakes reared their heads back at the sight of it. That was it the pendant! If the pendant makes them like this then this is the chance I've been looking for it's time to hunt game!
The creature approached the tree and found Chioma with the pendant in hand but his opponent was nowhere in sight and looked up and saw his opponent in the tree. The python slithered around the tree, it's a final mistake as it heard a deafening sound and wriggled in despair of losing his body and its final moments saw his opponent on the ground shirtless swinging down with his blade to take its head. The other snakes writhed in pain before dying. Enan had won tired and breathless he half dragged, half carried Chioma out of the forest
I did it.... barely... but I did it did you see that... Verett? .... did you see that dad?... I
He collapsed on the path
I... won!
His vision was blurring
Let me just take a rest a short rest I've earned it haven't I? his world turned black.