The

Adventures
Of
Maimuna

Ugbor Emmanuel .C
@ugboremmanuel18@gmail.com
@eugbor776@gmail.com
09035207278

Chapter 1: The Beginning

I was going home that day. It had been a while since I
left Mogambe, my grandma's village. Summer was over
and I had to go home to prepare for school. Grandma
packed a ton of dried meat and handed me some money,
of course I wasn't going to tell my mother, who would've
immediately taken it and given it back to me as
allowance for school. It was very windy that day, fine
dust particles from the dessert, danced in the dry breeze.
Sand lizards dug up holes to cool themselves. It was late
in the morning but the sun already scorched. Little
children ran in a distance, all wearing headdresses. My
mother, wore a purple coloured scarf to shield herself
from the hot dessert sun. I tugged at my face cap.
"Mama, I'll come visit you next week", she told grandma.
"Aisha, Make sure to bring maimuna along", grandma
said, forgetting I had school...in another state.
"And greet your husband for me", grandma added, not
meaning it.
"I will", mother answered flatly.
Grandma and Ba were not on speaking terms. My Ba was
quite young when he left my mother, still pregnant with
me at the time, to go and live his life to the fullest and
not let a woman hold him back. My mother stayed with
grandma and cried half the time. When I was about 6
years old, he came back to beg my mother for
forgiveness. Grandma wouldn't allow it. She forbade my
mother from ever accepting a man who abandoned her
at a time of need. My mother, who was soft at heart,
didn't take much time before she received my father.
Since then, he has always tried to make up for lost time.
Grandma, who still thinks he's a dessert donkey, doesn't
like him.
I waved grandma goodbye as I got into the car. We had a
long way to go before we got to the airport. I got into the
green Volvo, and waited for my mother. She was talking
to grandma and nodding. They were both nodding. I saw
the similarities between mother and daughter. They
were both tall, had beautiful fair skin and brown eyes.
Grandma was a bit taller than my mother, although she
bent slightly forward due to old age. "She must have
been a good runner", I thought. They were both very
beautiful women who had toothy smiles. My mother
started walking to the car while waving at my grandma.
She stood there, waving back. Mother started the car,
which made the dust rise up again. I had to cover my
nose to prevent myself from getting my allergies. It is
quite ironic I know, because we all come from the
dessert and I'm allergic to dust. The journey begun and
my sight of grandma was blurred by the dust raised by
our car and the harmattan breeze. Soon after, I lost sight
of her. We drove down the school road and I thought the
name was funny because there was literally no school
building in that village. My mother later told me it was a
failed government project. Our windscreen was quickly
covered in dust and my mother had to put on the wipers
throughout the journey. Little children chased our car,
which was already moving quite fast. They all wore sand
coloured clothes, they didn't wear any footwear, so their
legs, from their feet to their knees were covered in dust.
Their dark, sweat covered skin glistened in the sun. They
were told off by a really loud voice. As soon as I looked to
see where the voice came from, these very piercing
green eyes looked back at me. It was a man on a donkey.
He wore a. and a blue. He had very dark
skin and a straight nose. His lips were not full and he
wore these very large rings on his nose and ears. He also
wore these golden bangles on his right wrist and right
foot. I would say he was rather tall. He was very
handsome. But those eyes didn't quite sit well with me. I
felt like he knew everything about everything. He looked
at me and then looked away while trotting along on the
donkey. The children were gone and soon after, the man.
"Thst man is part of the 'tja clan", my mother said,
looking at me. She noticed him too.
"They are treated as lords here, believed to be the only
link between God and man. They are very beautiful", she
added.
"So they have like superpowers", I half asked half said.
"No no", my mother smiled, "well, I wouldn't know".
We drove along the sand covered roads, passed by
beautiful clay houses and very large trees. There were
many people selling farm produce by the side of the
road. Then we passed the Maja forest. Which was odd to
me because how would a flourishing forest be in the
middle of the dessert?
"Ma, isn't it odd that this forest is here?", I asked.
"I asked my mother the same thing too when I was
younger. She told me it was where God met Mogambe.
That's why it's very sacred", she answered.
Mogambe. The man the village was named after. He was
believed to have possessed magical powers and helped
protect the village from any attacks. He was 100 years
old when he died in war. I didn't really believe in any of
that. I rested my elbow on the car window and ate some
meat grandma gave me. I handed some to my mother.
All of a sudden I started to fall asleep. Then I woke up.....

Chapter 2: The Calling

I remember it being very blurry at first. I almost couldn't
see. When I finally gained my sight, I was shocked at
what I saw. I wasn't in the car anymore. My mother
wasn't sitting beside me driving. I was in this very dark
place. It smelled humid. Suddenly, the whole place was
lit by a bunch of fire torches on the walls. It was a very
large room with no windows. There were different
ancient looking writings on some pillars. There was also
an alter a few feet from where I was. I was sat on the
floor. It was hard and cold. I was very afraid because I
just couldn't wrap my mind on what was going on and
because my mother wasn't here. I tried getting up but I
couldn't. Tears welled up in my eyes and I managed to
keep myself from crying because I didn't want what was
in there with me to notice me if it hadn't already. I could
move my arms and my legs, but I just couldn't get up.
Then I noticed I wasn't even in my clothes anymore. I was
dressed in a blue plain gown and my long braids done.
My shoes were gone. Then I heard footsteps
approaching. It came closer and closer. The only thing I
could do was to fold myself into a little ball, close my
eyes and wait for whoever was coming.
"Maimuna", a voice called.
I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. I looked up and saw
the green eyed man I had seen on the road earlier. But
this time he had a wooden staff with him.
"Where am I? Please let me go. I want to meet my
mother!", I cried.
"Don't worry. I called you here because I wanted to ask
you for something", he said calmly while my mind ran
like a raging sea.
"I can't help you! Let me go!", I screamed.
"Maimuna!", He raised his voice a bit. I kept quiet.
"I need your help", he said returning back to his calm
self.
"But...but I can't...I can't help you", I stammered as I
sobbed into the sleeves of the gown.
"You can. I need you to retrieve the orb of stars for me",
he said.
I felt like I was in those cartoons where I would have to
pass through all the terrains when he said that.
"I don't know what that is and even if I did, I wouldn't
even help you", I said boldly.
"Why?"
"You can't go around kidnapping people anyhow you
like"
"But I didn't kidnap you...I called you here"
"You called me here?" I asked rather confused.
"You see, I have the powers to link people's souls to mine
and as I saw you today, I knew you were going to be the
one to do it", he said.
'So he does have powers', I thought to myself. It wasn't
the time for these thoughts. I had to leave that place.
"See...I'm sorry. I can't help you. I please return me back
to my mother, she'll be very worried"
"No she won't", he said confidently, his green eyes
glowing ghoulishly with the light of the fire .
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't know you're gone. I had you replaced with
another. It's called Ou. It's a mimicking spirit"
I almost lost it. This was the first time I heard someone
kidnapped another person and kept a spirit in the
person's place.
"Why would you do something like that?! What if it
harms my mother? Take me back now!" , I started
yelling.
"Maimuna, your mother is safe. It's a rather harmless
spirit. I would return you after you've helped me", he
said.
"This isn't fair". I had started crying again. "What of
everybody at home? My ba? My grandma?...my mother?
They'll be hugging a spirit, not knowing I'm not
there...I'm not the one", I said between sobs.
He bent down and patted my head. I removed his hand.
It was very soft and warm.
"I'm really sorry. I couldn't have gone to your mother to
ask for permission for her daughter to save a whole race.
No mother would ever allow that", he said. "I'm very
sorry I had to do it like this but it needed to be done"
He said a whole race. I was going to save a whole race.
The lives of so many people in my hands. I couldn't do it.
I knew I couldn't.
"I seriously can't help you... please let me go!", I yelled.
"Okay...I'm sorry...I will", he said with a hint of sadness in
his voice. He walked away and I started feeling dizzy. The
room began to spin and my sight became blurry again.
"Are you okay?",my mother asked.
"Hmm?" I asked groggily.
"You fell asleep after eating the meat then woke up and
we talked. Then you dozed mid sentence. So are you
fine?", She asked, putting the back of her palm on my
forehead and Cheeks.
"I'm fine".
It was a dream. I wanted it to be. I looked outside the
window. We were still in the village. It was getting dark
with rain clouds. People ran with their goods while
children played, chasing nylon bags flying in the air,
Ignoring their mothers' shouting. The wind blew dust and
debris towards our car. My mother wound up the
windows and turned on the AC.
"How long will it take for us to leave the village", I asked
"Why the question? I thought you always loved sight
seeing?"
I ignored the question. My mind went back to that man
in that room. I adjusted my shoes.
"Ma...if you were asked to do something would you do
it?", I asked her.
"Well, It depends. If it's something good, that I have the
ability to handle, then yes. If it's bad then no. Why all
these questions?", She looked at me smiling.
"Nothing", I smiled back.
My mind went back to the green eyed man. Lightning
flashed and the trees swayed.
"So if I feel it's a good thing...I should help?", I asked my
mother, still staring outside through the window.
"Yes", she answered.
I sighed. I adjusted my shoes again. They weren't quite
my size. I thought about what he said. Saving a race is a
good thing right? I wanted to help. I was not really
scared, just not quite sure. I looked at my mother, the
rain drops already tapping on the windows. She had full
cheeks, I thought. I smiled at her again. I turned back to
the window on my side and removed the hair dangling in
front of my eyes. I remember closing my eyes and
thinking about him.
"I'll...I'll help you", I said under my breath.
"What's going on maimuna? You're acting rather
strangely", my mother said worried.
"Nothing", I answered.
"When we leave the village I'll take you to the first
hospital I....
Her voice trailed away. The rain stopped immediately.
I looked around. Everything started to fade. The trees,
the rain, the car...my mother. Like dust in the breeze. I
found myself in that room again. This time I was standing
and wearing my normal clothes. I walked around the
room. I touched the walls. They were clean. I walked
towards the alter. There was a statue there. I hadn't
noticed it the first time. It was of a man. He had very
distinct features. Same as the green eyed man. Straight
nose, thin lips with a slight build. He held a sword and a
ball. The statue was adorned with flowers and an offering
with a chicken and yams lay at its feet.
That's Mogambe. The man from the numerous stories",
someone spoke behind me.
I turned already knowing who it was.
"My name is Amir. I'm a priest of this temple.", He
introduced himself
"Well, you already know my name", I said.
"Maimuna", he smiled and walked towards me.
He stood in front of me. He was really tall. I was 17 and
not as tall as my mother and grandmother. He looked
down at me. I've never really liked tall guys. He looked
my age or a few years older but he had this authority
about him.
"See the ball he's holding", he pointed to the object the
statue was holding." That's the orb of stars. It helped him
protect and conquer all his enemies. It was a gift from
God to him. His whole lineage was blessed. But he was
told, the day it left his hands, would be the day he died",
he said, still looking at the statue. "He lost the orb in
battle and died from a simple cut to his hand", he
finished.
So the story was indeed true.
"So you want me to find the orb for you?", I asked.
"I want you to help me. We'll find it together", he said as
his green eyes twinkled brilliantly.
"But I don't know anything about what we're doing. I
don't even know why I agreed"
"You will", he assured me.
"The orb was taken by a very wicked prince in a far away
land. Nobody has known his whereabouts in so many
years but we have a little information. If it's finally used
for evil, this village, everything in it and everyone from it
will be wiped away from the surface of the earth", he
said.
"That would be very bad"
"Our seers are all seeing the same thing... something bad
will happen if we don't hurry", he warned

I could see the fear in his eyes. Everyone will be gone.

The village wouldn't exist anymore.
"I'll help", I said.
"I know. That's why you came back", he smiled.
I had just become friends with my kidnapper.
Chapter 3 : The Start Of
The Journey
 After some time, my stomach began to grumble in
hunger. Then Amir asked me if I was hungry. Like he
already knew. Almost immediately, I was taken to a
place. It was very large, cream coloured hall, one of the
biggest halls I'd seen.The floor and ceiling were tiled with
a frosted mirror-like material,which gave the room even
more magnificence since the light from the torches on
the walls reflected softly on them. There were windows
on each side of the room. The sun shone in through them
and I could see a garden from one of them. I wondered
where that place was in the village. There were two very
large statues on each sides of the walls, one of magambe
and another of a woman. Mogambe still held the orb like
the last statue. The woman, who hands went forward
from her, like she was giving something. I was later told
she was the person he met in that forest. Mogambe
didn't meet god, he met this woman.
In the middle of the room was this very large table. It
was covered in a white silky tablecloth and about 5
golden rimmed, white plates and cutleries on each side.
In the middle of the table was a beautiful glass vase filled
with the most wonderful smelling flowers. Suddenly, very
beautiful green eyed girls rushed from two other
entrances carrying a whole feast, some carrying bottles
of wine and others, food. They held food I'd seen before,
and others I'd never. They were placed on the table. As
soon as that was done, they left the same way they
came.
"Take a seat", Amir said, pointing to a golden
legged chair.
I sat down shyly, on the edge of the seat.
"Won't you eat? There's a whole lot of food in front of
you", he said as he sat down on the opposite side of the
table.
"I know. I just don't know why you prepared this much
food", I answered looking at him. He smiled. I looked
away.
"That's how it's done here. Especially when we have a
special guest", a voice said.
I turned towards the voice and saw a woman. She was
fair in complexion and had a straight nose like the rest.
She was accompanied by some of the girls I had seen
earlier. She wore a green gown and a gold coloured hijab.
"Good day mother", Amir stood and greeted.
"Em...good afternoon ma", I stood and greeted too,
copying him. She smiled at the two of us and I saw she
had a golden tooth. She went to the seat at the head of
the table. Her seat was drawn out by one of the girls. The
girl looked sad. Amir's mother took her seat and all the
girls left.
"My daughter, you are welcome", she started.
"Th-thank you ma", I answered.
She giggled. "Don't do that, I won't bite. Thank you for
accepting to go with my son to find the orb of the stars.
May you be blessed my child", she said.
" It's no problem ma", I answered. Of course there was a
problem! I had no idea what I was there to do. I could
have been used as a sacrifice or something!
I was poured some juice. It sparkled in the glass and
smelled very sweet. It was apple flavoured. I was asked
what food I wanted and it was dished out to me. I
couldn't risk getting a tummy ache.
"My son told me how he asked you", she said. "I scolded
him. You don't do that to someone". Same thing I told
him. I smiled as she reprimanded him.
"I'm very sorry my dear. He's only a little man and the
only priest in the temple. He's still new to these kind of
things.Over the years, the number of people called by
God to be priests and other arms of the temple has
dropped", she said in a sad note.
"I understand", I said coolly.
I looked at Amir who hadn't even touched his food yet.
He looked sad. I'm not really good at dealing with
emotions, mine and talk less of other people, so I didn't
say anything to him.
Lunch was over and the plates were taken away.
"When will you be going?" Amir's mother asked, quite
sadly.
"Tomorrow", he answered.
"Um...sorry...but where are we going to?", I asked.
"A far away place", he answered.
A far away place...like Lagos?...or Port Harcourt? I didn't
know. We stood up after his mother had taken her leave.
She whispered a 'thank you' as she passed by. Amir and I
got up and followed one of the doors leading to the
garden. It was a very beautiful garden, filled with the
rarest succulents you'd ever imagine. We strolled for a
bit and went back to the other hall. I began to miss my
mother and also thought about the mimicking spirit
predicting my every move.
Evening came and we had dinner. Amir's mother wasn't
present at the time and I was told she had a meeting
with some elders.
"Are you sure you want to do this?", Amir asked me all of
a sudden.
"Well...if it means saving everyone and my family
included, then yes", I answered, thinking about my
mother.
"So...you aren't even a bit scared?"
"Um...I guess. Since I don't know what we'll be doing on
this journey"
"Don't worry. We'll protect each other when the time
comes"
I wanted to ask him about the instance where we
protected each other. In a battle? I wasn't sure and I
didn't ask. I toured the large building with him, saw all
the rooms, stores, gardens, you name it. I was beginning
to feel tired and asked if I could get some rest. Amir
smiled and asked me to follow him. I was shown to a
large bedroom that had a large chest at the side of the
queen sized bed. The curtains partially covered the glass
windows which allowed a bit of the moonlight into the
room.
"This is where you'll sleep for the night. There's a bath
already drawn out for you in the other room and a
selection of dresses for you to pick from.Tomorrow
morning we'll embark on the journey", Amir said and
finally closed the door. I walked around the room,
inspecting every corner, every picture and touching every
gown hem . I got into the bathroom and took a dip. The
warm water felt amazing on my bare skin. After the bath,
I put on one of the numerous gowns I saw in the
cupboard. They were all so pretty so I picked the one that
seemed like a night dress. I turned off the lights and lay
down on the bed. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I
saw the rays of the moon coming from the window. As I
laid there, I stared into the darkness. 'Im not home' is the
thought that raided my mind. I thought of my parents,
my Grandma and my home. I remember staying like that
for a while before drifting off to sleep already in the early
hours of morning. I dreamt of so many things that night.
But the one that stuck with me was the one where I was
in a strange place. I was in a room surrounded by dark
shadows. They had no form, but I knew they were there.
Then I saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing from a very dark
corner of the room. The glowing eyes were about 8 ft
tall. When it moved, the shadows did too. Suddenly, the
shadows grabbed my feet. They slowly moved up my
body as I struggled to release myself. I was rendered
immobile my this strong force. I was filled with fear and
dread. I thought it was the end, I was going to die. The
glowing eyes bent down and moved toward me. A
distinct humanoid figure, also shadow like emerged from
the corner. It came closer and bent down to my ear. It let
out a dry groan. Its breath smelled like death. The smell
you'd perceive in a morgue. ' I'm watching you.. you're
never alone here...I'm always here...in the shadows...
watching... waiting...'. I woke up in a cold sweat. The
moonlight was gone. I checked to see if I was alone in the
room. A shadow passed by the door. My heart jumped.
Then a knock followed. That made it even worse. I
walked gingerly towards the door. I asked who it was and
Amir answered. I let out a sigh of relief. I opened the
door and let him in. He switched on the lights and looked
at me in shock.
"What is it?", I asked him confused.
"Something came into your room", he answered,
scanning through the room. I told him about the dream.
He quickly went and got his staff. He said some
incantations and all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind
appeared into the room. The windows were closed and
we backed the doors, so there was no place for the wind
to have come from. It threw the windows open and it
was gone. I heard a screech, like that of a bird at a
distance but I'm not sure.
"We need to leave... now", he said in a tone of urgency.
I rushed into the bathroom and took my bath. The sleep I
felt from sleeping late and waking up from the bad
dream was destroyed by what had happened. I was wide
eyed. I ran through the room, scanning for any other evil
demon that would want my soul. I took out a grey gown I
saw in the cupboard. I cursed under my breath for them
not having simple clothes like jeans and a shirt. I put on
my own shoes and bolted out of the room. Amir was
already waiting for me outside. He wore a purple
and .
We both went downstairs and were met by 3 priests and
Amir's mother. The priests wore white and were seated
on the floor. We were told to stand in the middle and we
were prayed for. I saw Amir's mother wipe a tear from
her eye. I was given a sword and a backpack, to fend off
any danger. There was no way I could use a sword. I've
never even wielded a stick to anything before. I collected
it half heartedly and thanked them. Amir still carried his
staff and he was blessed. He hugged his mother, who
then later hugged me. I missed my mother the more.
They bade us farewell as we crossed the gate. We were
under the night sky. The rain clouds had partially cleared
and the moonlight shone at the edges of a cloud. Amir
and I walked along a path that was illuminated by
torches, strewn along each side of the road. We got to a
very large tree and he started saying some prayers.
Suddenly, there was this purple glow coming from the
tree. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The roots of
the tree rose and danced under the moonlight. They
wrapped around themselves like twine and shaped into a
wooden door. I couldn't see the inside of the door due to
the blinding purple light emanating from it.
"This is the doorway to the faraway places we are going",
Amir said.
"I thought we were going to like...maybe Lagos or
somewhere else and not a portal", I said, my voice mixed
with excitement and fear.
Amir smiled and held my hand. I closed my eyes as we
both passed through the door.
Chapter 4
The feeling was warm. The feeling of passing through
that portal. It felt like taking a warm shower after
standing in the rain. I opened my eyes and saw myself
falling from a height. There was a forest at the bottom.
My heart skipped a bit and I found it hard to breath due
to all the air rushing through my nostrils. I looked around
for Amir and saw him falling by my left. He shouted in
Hausa and laughed loudly.
"Amir!", I shouted.
"Yes?", He shouted back.
"What are you doing!? We're literally falling from a
height!", I yelled, scared.
"Don't worry...you'll be fine. Just enjoy the ride", he said
still smiling. Evidently, he'd been there before.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. I looked unce. The
height from which we were falling from was a mountain.
It had a waterfall. The sun was rising and the rays were
refracted on the water droplets from the rushing
waterfall, resulting in a beautiful rainbow. Different
coloured birds flew past us. It was indeed a beautiful
sight. We were almost at the foot of the mountain. My
heart began to skip. 'What if went splat on the floor like
watermelons?' was the thought that ran through my
mind. I looked to Amir, he had his hands outstretched in
an ' I believe I can fly' stance.
As we reached the ground, I felt this pull. It wasn't
aggressive. I felt as if I were paper, falling from a high
place. We floated till our feet touched the ground. I was
amazed.
"What...where are we?", I asked.
"Well...this is the second dimension of earth. It's still
earth but not in our dimension", Amir answered.
"So what's the difference?", I asked, still looking around.
"It's almost the same thing. Some things are a little
different. This is where magic thrives. Also there are 10
planets here.", He answered.
"So everyone here has magic?"
"Well no...people are more open to magic here than in
our dimension. This is where sorcerers and witches in
ours come from", he said
It was more beautiful than our dimension. Nature thrived
there more. We walked through the forest, passing by
small villages. I saw people fly and saw spells being
executed. I was beyond amazed. There was a car there. It
was an old timey and nature had already taken it's
course on it. Moss and grass covered it, while little
animals played in it.
"There's technology here? How is this place still so...", I
couldn't find the word.
"I understand. You see, there isn't technology here.
That's why it's not corrupt. It's just the occasional portal
run in", he looked around. "Sometimes, the portal opens
in our dimension where people are. It's not intentional,
but no one knows why it does so. It may have appeared
on the road and taken the car and passenger", he
continued.
"Well, that's not good", I added. I tugged at the buckle of
my sword belt. It was tight. I didn't like the idea of me
fighting warlords or witches. I was just in ss2! I frowned.
"The look on your face is priceless", he laughed.
I didn't pay him any attention and continued exploring
my surroundings. Little balls of light wafted in the air.
"We have to get to the cave of shadows", he said,
walking in front of me.
"What would we do there?", I asked
"You sure ask a lot of questions", he looked back smiling.
I rolled my eyes.
"Well, I have to know don't I? I haven't been here
before", I snapped. He continued smiling.
"You know I told you we only have a little information
about the prince's whereabouts... well that's it"
"Well okay", I said finally. He also didn't know what we
were going to be doing there. I walked silently behind
him, stepping on moss covered ground. His staff made a
muffled 'pat pat' whenever it hit the ground. Rays of
sunlight squeezed out from the canopy of trees around
us. The whole forest seemed to be quiet. Suddenly, Amir
stopped in his tracks.
"Wait maimuna", he said quietly.
"What is it?" , I said in my normal tone not taking a hint.
"There's someone here", he said, looking around and in
the trees above us.
"How do you know?" As soon as I said this, someone
jumped down from the trees. Two other men followed.
The first man that came down had half his faced
scrapped off, so we were looking at a half face half skull
situation. The eye socket was covered with an eye patch.
I nearly ran mad in fear. 'How can he survive this?' I
asked myself.
"Oya, hand over the things wey you carry for hand", he
ordered me. I shook in fear.
"N-n-no-no". It barely left my mouth.
The three of them let out a hearty, cracked-voice laugh.
"See this one o...e be like say dem never slap you
before", one of the goons said.
"We will not be giving you anything. Get out of here
before you regret your decisions", Amir said, not showing
an ounce of fear.
"What will you do ehn?", He skull faced thief said,
walking slowly towards Amir.
I didn't know what to do. My hands shook in fear. I
grabbed the handle of my sword and froze there. One of
the goons walked towards me, holding a knife.
"All this juju no dey affect us o", he said to me.
Amir held his staff tighter as the leader of the thieves
reached him. He was about to strike a blow at Amir,
when a bright light followed by a gust of wind sent the
going flying through the forest. Amir had blasted him
away! I drew out the sword and held it with both hands.
It was heavy at first, but soon became lighter, like it
adjusted to fit my needs. That isn't even the best part. I
suddenly knew how to fight with a sword! I found this
out when I jabbed the goon in my with my elbow and
struck out the knife from his hands, which was followed
by three of his fingers. He screamed in pain. The second
goon ran to help his leader, who had already started
running, abandoning his men. I spun my sword in one
hand, like a brigadier, held it and pointed it towards the
already whimpering thief.
"W-where is the cave of shadows?", I asked, fear mixed
in my voice.
"There's no need for that maimuna. I know where it is",
Amir said walking towards me.
The thief got up and ran away. I soon began to process
what had happened. I fell to the ground kneeling, my
gown puffed up with the sudden motion. I stared blankly
at the ground. I was in shock. Amir came and sat down
beside me.
"It's alright. You did it to protect yourself. Anybody would
have done the same thing", he assured me. I looked at
him with tears in my eyes. I wiped my eyes,stood up and
put the sword back in its sheath. Amir stood up, smiled
and began walking. I followed behind. We hadn't gotten
far when I heard rustling of dried leaves on the floor. I
turned back and I saw the goon going back to pick up his
fingers. Poor guy.
We walked for a while. We passed by people
occasionally, but we didn't talk to any of them. We didn't
want news to spread about what we were doing there.
We stopped under a very large tree to rest for a while.
My stomach grumbled.
"You're hungry", Amir said.
"How do you know I made that sound?", I said,
embarrassed.
He laughed. He laughed a lot and smiled a lot too. I may
have seemed uptight to him then. He started walking
towards a mango tree. He reached up to the nearest
branch with mangoes and plucked some. Luckily, there
was a Brook just a few metres away from the large tree
we sat under. So we went there to wash the mangoes.
The brook babbled while fish swam in it. While Amir
washed the mangoes, I noticed a black bird with a red
patch on it's neck staring at me from the other side of
the water. I tilted my head to the left and it hopped left. I
stood from my squatting position and it came forward.
"Amir, is that bird following me?", I asked him, still
looking at this strange bird.
He looked up and saw the bird too
"I don't know"
I started walking to the other side of the brook, holding
up my gown. The bird took a few steps back, hopping.
Amir called me back, but I continued. I got to it and it
stayed there, staring. Suddenly, it flew towards me. I
ducked in shock as it came and perched on my shoulder.
Amir let out a loud laugh as I did this. I looked back at
him and scowled. I tried shoving the bird away, but it just
flew and came right back. I got tired of it as it flew back
the hundredth time. Amir crossed over to see this
strange bird.
"I really don't know why it's doing this. I've never even
seen a bird like this before", he said after inspection. I
looked at it and it tilted its head. It began singing and
flew around me.
"Seems he likes you", Amir said.
"Yeah, I guess".
We went back to the huge tree and sat under it with our
mangoes. I dropped a mango on the floor and the bird
went over and pecked at it. We finished our little lunch
and continued walking. We got to a path that led to an
abandoned church. The path looked fresh.
"We have to be careful. There may be robbers there", he
cautioned.
We walked quietly to the other side of the path into the
forest again. The bird followed us, hopping from branch
to branch.
We walked a while. It was already evening. That was
when we came across a very long flight of stairs.
"We are here", Amir said.
I looked at it. It must have been a thousand stairs. Amir
went to pick up a bunch of palm leaves and laid them on
the ground. He struck the ground with his staff, allowing
it to stand. The top of the staff was shaped like it was
meant to hold an orb but it was empty. It then started to
glow in this warm blue light. He told me he didn't want to
make fire because there were lots of thugs around there.
We both sat down and ate the remaining mangoes. The
little black bird sat on a tree beside us. We started
talking.
"How old are you?", I asked Amir.
He smiled. "I'm 20 years old".
"So you don't go to school?", I asked him.
"No. I studied in the temple with the scholars", he
answered.
"Wait... chemistry and other subjects?"
"No no. Majorly philosophy and the mysteries of the
world. Then a little bit of maths on the side", he said as
he cleaned his mouth with water.
"Oh. You're not missing anything,really. I don't like
school. Mainly because I'm in a class I don't want to be", I
said.
"Why?"
"I was made to"
"By who?"
"My father", I said looking down.
"You know, this is the first time you've mentioned your
father", he said.
"How do you know? I've never mentioned anything to
you before", I said defensively.
"Well in the temple, you said you missed your
mother...like three times. You never once mentioned
your father"
I looked away from him and stared at the grasshopper
that hopped in front of me.
"I...I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories", he said.
"No no...nothing like that. Well, my father left my mother
and I for 6 years. I'd told myself I've forgiven him but I
just don't see myself having the same relationship my
mother and I have", I said, pouring everything out. I had
never told anybody the way I felt about my relationship
with my father. Not even my own mother knew how I
felt.
" I'm sorry about that. It'll be fine", he said reassuringly.
"I never met your father while I was at your house"
"That's because my father died when I was a little boy"
I didn't know what to say. I'd never been in a situation
like this.
"I-im sorry", I mumbled.
"It's okay", he kept smiling.
We talked about other things that night. I told him about
the dreams I had earlier.
"How did you know something was in my room?", I asked
him.
"I usually sense these things. You see, I have a
connection to this realm and ours, so I know when
something isn't where it's supposed to be", he answered.
"What do you think that thing was?, I asked again.
"It was probably a monitoring spirit that was sent to give
you that message. Someone knows we are here", he said,
frowning at the thought.
That sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't imagine the
magnitude of what we were dealing with. Amir calmed
me down and said it wouldnt hurt me. 'but what if the
person sends one that would?', I asked myself.
We both lay down to sleep. The light from the staff
dimmed till it went off. The forest was alive around us. It
was an orchestra of night animals. I lay on my back and
gazed at the sky. There were so many stars that night.
They filled every corner of the sky. I began to feel sleepy.
I looked towards the tree the bird sat and saw a soft red
glow. It was the red spot on the birds neck glowing.
"It must be a magic bird", I said out loud. I didn't get a
reply. Amir was fast asleep.

Chapter 5
I was awakened by the chirping of the little magic bird. It
sat on my chest and pecked at a dry leaf that had fallen
on me. I sat up and looked at where Amir had slept the
night before. He was no longer there. I looked around for
him and saw him standing in front of the flight of stairs. I
stood up, carried my bag and sword and went to meet
him. The bird hopped behind me.
"Good morning", I greeted him, scratching my eye.
"Good morning. I'm just thinking about what I saw on
those signs", he said, pointing at a bunch of wooden sign
boards. Some of them read 'do not venture','Not for
those with weak minds', you've been Warned' and so
forth. I found that very discouraging. We hadn't even
begun our journey and we were already being told not
to. I sat down at the foot of the stairs.
"What do we do now?", I asked.
"We'd have to do it", he answered.
"Do you have any idea what we will encounter there?"
"I don't know, but we have to try anyway".
I sighed and stood up. I adjusted my sword's belt buckle
and faced the stairs like Amir. I felt hungry so I checked
my bag for the remaining mangoes. We started walking
up the stairs. We climbed the staircase for awhile and we
didn't see anything scary or dangerous. Suddenly, we
started seeing a lot of people. It was as if they were in a
market. So many traders and buyers. People sold gold,
others sold foodstuff while some sold property
documents. We passed by so many people. I saw a
woman selling some sugar coated nuts. Those were my
favourite snacks. I walked to her and asked her for some.
"Good morning ma. Please can I get some nuts?", I asked
the woman.
"Of course my daughter. They are very very cheap. They
are all the same price", she said as she smiled and
pointed out the different sizes of containers in which she
sold them. I was amazed. How would she make any profit
if she sold them like that? I pointed at the largest
container. She smiled again and scooped the nuts in the
container and poured it into a red nylon bag. As if that
wasn't enough, she scooped another one and another
and poured them into the already full nylon bag.
"Ma, that's too much", I complained.
"No no my daughter. Na so we dey do am", she said with
the widest smile I had ever seen. It almost felt unnatural.
I collected the bag of nuts and went up a few steps. I
remembered what those signs said and quickly went
back to meet the woman. I saw her staring at me, still
maintaining the very wide smile.
"Um...sorry ma...I won't be buying these anymore", I told
her, handing the bag of nuts back. Then it occurred to
me. I hadn't even paid her money and she happily gave
me the nuts. That was definitely a trap. I looked around
and saw so many people buying different things from
these traders who carried the same unnatural smile.
"No o. Carry am go", she said, giving the nuts back to me.
I looked at her and proceeded to drop the nuts back in
her tray. Her smile turned into a frown in an instant. She
glared at me as I walked away. It felt like they all stared
at me. I remembered Amir. I had forgotten about him
and what we were doing. It was like I was hypnotized. I
looked around in search of him. I saw him looking at
glowing orbs a fat man wearing a huge red hat was
selling. He weighed the two he was holding, like to see
which one carried more value due to its size. I walked to
him and tugged at his shirt. He didn't look away from the
man. I tugged again and got the same response.
"Amir...what are you doing?", I yelled at him.
He looked at me and continued what he was doing. I
didn't know how to get the attention of someone that
has already been hypnotized. I grabbed him by the arm
and pulled him as hard as I could. The glass orb he held
fell to the floor and shattered. I looked down to see
where the shards landed on order to avoid them. There
was nothing there, not even a piece of glass. Amir looked
up in shock and took a step back. The spell had been
broken. The fat man growled under his breath. I took
Amir by the arm and quickly flew up the flight of stairs.
Soon, all those people were out of sight. I found out that
all those people buying things in that market were
adventurers, pirates and unfortunate people who had
ventured there and were trapped in their minds by a
spell. I didn't know how long they had spent there, but
due to greed, I'm sure they'll remain there forever.
We continued walking up the stairs. We passed by a very
peculiar statue of a woman holding a jug. The head was
missing. The little bird flew above us. The sun was
already at peak point and already very hot. I soon got
tired and so did Amir.
"How long will it take?", I asked him.
"I'm not sure", he answered.
We passed by the statue again. I thought I was
experiencing a deja vu until we passed it again.
"Amir, we've passed this statue before", I told him
pointing at it.
"I was about to tell you the same thing", he looked at it
puzzled. We were in a loop. I quickly ran up the stairs
leaving Amir behind. Soon I saw myself coming up the
stairs to him. I tried again and the same thing happened.
"It's better to save your strength and let's think this
through", Amir said.
I stopped and looked at the statue. We both stared at it
for a while.
"I really don't know what we're missing", I said, already
tired.
"We have to think harder or we'll spend forever here".
The red necked bird flew down and perched on the jug
the statue held. It chirped into the opening. I went and
put my hand in. The jug was hollow and there was
something in it. It was a knife with a red handle. There
was an inscription on it. It wrote, 'whenever problems
come, let this knife fall on them as swift as cats run'.
"What does this mean?", I asked myself.
"Let me have a look", Amir said putting his hand out to
receive the knife. I gave it to him and he read the
inscription again. I kept saying it under my breath, trying
to see what it talked about.
"When problems come...when we are faced with a tough
situation...right now we can't pass this place. So
this...loop should be the problem", Amir said.
He was right. The loop was the problem.
"So what should we do with the knife? What do we hit
with it?", I asked.
Amir held the knife tightly and struck the statue. I tried to
see if the loop was broken so I ran up the stairs.
Unfortunately, I ran back up to where Amir stood with
the knife. He had a puzzled look on his face.
"It's definitely not the statue", he said looking at me.
"Let me try", I said collecting the knife from him.
I tried striking the stairs but it proved futile. We stood
there for a while. I sat down and brought out a mango
from the bag. I handed it to Amir and took another for
myself. He sat beside me, placed his staff against the
railing as we ate in silence. I held the knife loosely in one
hand and tapped it against the stairs.
"So we'll be here forever?", I asked, mouth half full. I
didn't receive a reply. Amir stared blankly into space. I
began to think about my parents and everything I left
behind. I thought of the spirit who took my place. It
would go to school for me, partake in the national youth
service in another state, get married and have spirit
children. It was a funny thought. As I was lost in thought,
I heard a . The knife had fallen down the stairs. I
suddenly stood up and chased after it. It tumbled and did
a flip mid air. Then I saw a very bright light. The knife was
still in the air and glowing magnificently. It then suddenly
burst into sparks. The knife was gone.
"What just happened?", Amir asked, visibly shocked.
"I seriously don't know", I answered.
"Wow. The only way to escape this just self destructed",
Amir said walking back towards the statue.
"So jumping down the stairs isn't an option?", I asked
jokingly. He looked down from the .
"Definitely not", he answered. The joke must have gone
over his head. I turned and started walking up the stairs. I
kept going up the stairs but I didn't see Amir anymore. I
walked some more and still didn't see him. The loop was
broken! I ran back down and told Amir.
"Are you sure?", He asked in disbelief.
"Would I lie in a situation like this?"
"I wouldn't know since you made a joke...in a situation
like this", he smiled sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. We
walked quickly up the stairs in fear that the loop might
reset. It didn't take long before we got to a door. I really
hoped it was the entrance and not another trap. The
black bird perched on my shoulder. Now that I think of it,
the knife accidentally slashed the loop.
"I think we're here", Amir said.
"Well I hope so".
We pushed the door open and we were met by a heavy
gust of wind. It smelled like rotting eggs. I figured it was
sulphur because of the smell and probably because the
place hadn't been open in a very long time causing the
air to become stale. The black bird left my shoulder and
flew into the temple. It's soft red glow trailing as it flew
deeper into the darkness. Amir and I exchanged looks of
fear. He stepped into the hall first, staff akimbo and
immediately, the whole room suddenly became lit with
purple flames from torches that hung onthe walls. I was
shocked because I thought the whole room would burst
into flames due to the sulphur. I drew my sword and held
it tightly, following closely behind. My hands shook in
fear. The hall was mostly empty. There was a single altar
at the end of the room. There were about 4 pillars on
each side. Then I noticed a figure just below the altar. I
didn't see it at first because the room wasn't brightly lit.
It was a skeleton.
"He was a priest", Amir said breaking the silence. The
man died still wearing his priestly attire.
"But how come those traps are still functional if the
maker is dead? He's the maker right?", I asked Amir.
"Probably. Any spell cast by a priest of high
understanding of things of this world and the next can
last forever until it fulfills its purpose. He might have
been the last of his kind. After what happened, we were
no longer blessed with priests of a high level", he
answered, kneeling to give greetings to the priest's
remains. In the process, he saw a scroll hidden in the
sleeve of the former priest.
"What's that?", I asked
"I wouldn't know till I open it"
He opened it and saw it was a map. A peice of paper fell
from it. He picked it up and read it aloud:
"To Amir and the very curious maimuna. I hope this letter
meets you well. Up to this point, I'd already known this
would be your destinies but as of here on out, your fates
would move in accordance to the one on high. A map of
where you need to go would be here with this letter. I
really hope to meet you one day as I'm not even sure of
my own fate and if I don't, praise be to god. I'm deeply
sorry about the tests I laid out before you got here. I
made sure no one, no one at all except you two would be
able to pass through. You're here now, so take the map
and leave immediately. There's a bag of gold coins in my
pocket. Take that too. I hope you get what you came
here for and free yourselves from the glare of the evil
one".
"That was...so amazing", I said. "How did he know we
would be here?", I asked Amir.
"It must have been revealed to him", he answered,
pocketing the map and searching through the priest's
pockets.
"The way he described you. That was the amazing thing",
he looked at me from his bent position smiling. I let out a
sarcastic grin. Amir found the bag of gold and handed it
to me. I put it in my bag and we left the hall immediately.
By the time we got outside the door, we saw ourselves at
the foot of the stairs but the stairs and temple
themselves had vanished. There wasn't even a single
trace of it. Grass and trees had already replaced it. It was
already late so we stayed in the spot we had stayed the
night before.
Chapter 5
It had rained very hard the next day. We had already
made a little shelter with branches of trees and palm
fronds, using a large tree as support as we saw the first
signs of rain. It got dark really quickly and soon we were
sitted under the shelter. The rain started to pour. It
changed in consistency while the strong wind changed its
direction, so at times the rain would pour into the shelter
due to the lack of a door. We had made seats with grass.
I sat backing the tree while Amir sat opposite me. His
staff was in the middle already glowing in its soft blue
light.
"Do you know the bird saved us yesterday?", I asked,
trying to make conversation.
"Indeed. Maybe it was given to us to be a helper", he
answered. I smiled at the little black bird sitting on the
floor.
I put my hand into the bag for a mango and found out
there was none. I was already getting hungry as we
hadn't eaten that morning.
"Amir, the mangoes are already finished. What do we
do?
"Maybe we'll go to a nearby market to buy some things.
Let the rain reduce first", he answered. I sat hugging my
legs and soon after, I fell asleep. Then I had a dream. I
saw myself running. Running very fast through the forest.
When I looked back, there was nothing there but I felt I
was being chased. The day became night and I kept
running. Soon the whole forest came to life. The animals
and birds made noises in different directions. Soon the
noises came together to form a distinct message:
"maimuna leave here". They kept chanting this while I
kept running. The chanting grew louder and louder as I
ran faster. I heard the footsteps thudding in pattern with
mine. The thing got closer and closer. The feeling of
dread and sorrow came back. Suddenly, I felt this chill
engulf me. My steps became slower and my breathing
ragged. I fell to the floor and saw a dark cloud before me.
It let out a shriek and then a very loud laugh. I woke up.
Amir was standing in front of me again with a worried
look on my face.
"Another nightmare", he said.
I used my sleeve to clean my already sweaty face. He
asked me what I saw and I told him.
"They are threatening you. They want you to leave here
so we would be doomed. They are everywhere though
we may not see them. We have to be careful", he said to
me. I sat up and thought about what I dreamt for a while.
I stood up and looked outside. The rain had already
stopped but lightning flashes could still be seen at a
distance.
"We better get to the market before it gets dark", I told
him still looking outside.
We headed for the market. It was a very large market. In
the middle of it was this very large tree. As tall as a 15
storey building. I don't know the name of the tree
because that was the first and only time I saw it. From it
hung green cube like fruits. The market was a very large
one where many things were sold. From livestock to farm
produce. The market was very orderly and not quite as
noisy as markets in our dimension. Magical objects and
potions were also sold. One would have to walk to a
secluded part of the market before they would be able to
buy them. I took only a few coins and hid the rest in the
roots of our shelter tree. We purchased fruits and dried
meat. As we were about to buy some eggs, I noticed
someone watching us from an empty stall.
"Dude, I think someone is watching us", I informed Amir.
"Where?"
"From over there", I answered pointing to the stall.
"Are you sure? I don't want us to draw any attention to
ourselves"
"I'm pretty sure"
Amir walked quickly towards the stall, but not in a way to
alert the person in it. I had my sword with me and I was
quite surprised no one even looked shocked. As we
reached the stall, someone hid behind the wall.
"Get in quick!", The voice said.
"We just don't 'get in' whenever someone we don't know
tells us to", I answered defiantly.
"They know you're here"
"Who?", Amir asked.
"Get in first!"
Amir held out his hand and drew out his staff from thin
air. That was amazing. We walked in gingerly and met a
girl about my age. She was fair in complexion and had
freckles all over her cheeks. She was taller than I was and
had very long grey hair. She had brown eyes and was
quite beautiful, but had a haggard look.
"Those bad people know you're here", she said again.
"How do you know?", Amir asked her.
"I see things. Things no one else can. They know you're
here so they're here to take you away"
"You're a seer?", I asked her.
"Yes I am"
"How do we get out of here then?", Amir asked.
She went out to peep.
"Come see", she said gesturing for us to come.
We went and peeped with her. There were two large
men in black robes. They had markings on their heads
and face, wore large golden earrings and carried very
long ivory staffs. There moved like they were floating on
air instead of walking and it looked like no one else saw
them.
"You can see them right?", She asked us.
"Yes", we both answered.
"If they take you, you'll never make it out alive and what
you came here for would never be fulfilled"
Amir's face was twisted in anger and fear. He held onto
his staff tightly. The fear started coming back. My fingers
shook by my sides.
"You'll have to follow here", the girl said, pointing to a
latch on the floor. It was a little hidden door that led
somewhere.
"What about you?", I asked her.
"I can take care of myself"
"What's your name?", I asked her before we entered.
"Ifenala", she answered. She was an Igbo girl.
We both climbed in. It led to a very dark tunnel. Amir's
staff lit and we walked for a while before we saw an
opening. It led us back to the forest.
"That was a close one", I said heaving a sigh of relief.
Amir looked around worriedly. Suddenly, he jumped back
and immediately, a thin metal wire whistled past front of
him. It cut everything in its path, even a tree which it cut
in two. I was so shocked I stood transfixed to the floor.
Amir looked around for the person who did it.
"Ohooo! Very good reflexes", someone said. We both
turned to see who it was. We were shocked as we saw
one of the huge men we saw at the market emerge from
behind a tree.
"Orieja, nice aim", another voice said. It was the second
man who stood on top of a tree branch.
"Isiazu, you praise me too much", the first man
answered.
"What do you want?", Amir shouted at one of them. The
walked or rather floated towards us.
"We want to destroy you...", orieja said.
"...so you won't stop our prince's plans", isiazu finished
his sentence.
Amir took a fight stance with his staff. I still stood there
in shock. They both laughed hard.
"This should be easy, don't you think?", Isiazu asked.
"I do. I do very much".
They came rushing closer to us. I grabbed unto my sword
and removed it from its sheath. One of them came
towards me. I slashed with all my might but I didn't hit
anything. He had turned to vapour which poured all over
my face. It was very hot and I was dazed for a moment.
He reformed behind me and was about to strike me at
the nape. I quickly turned, my sword following and struck
his arm. He let out a groan, jumped backwards and
turned into vapour again. He went into a tree. I looked
around for him when a thin metal wire whizzed past my
face. It struck me by the across the cheek. It felt very hot.
The wire curved over a tree branch and came towards
me again. I quickly dodged and hid behind a hedge. I saw
the wire retract into the finger of one of the men. Four
other wires did this. I looked at Amir. He was cut on his
legs and arms, but he didn't lose his stance. Orieja, the
wire wielder also took some damage from Amir. Part of
his clothes were Burned. I didn't see how they fought.
"You this boy, you won't let me finish you will you?", He
asked Amir.
Amir didn't give any answer.
"Na so Abi?", The man said, with a very large grin on his
face. The wires started coming out of his fingers again,
but this time, from all ten fingers. Suddenly, I felt a very
hard grab on my ankle. I looked down and saw a hand
holding tightly. The hand was emerging from a tree's
root! Before I could react, isiazu emerged fully from the
ground, still holding on to my foot. I lost balance and saw
myself spin in the air. I tried to regain my balance by
standing before I hit the floor to prepare myself from any
unseen attack. In the process, I sprained my ankle. The
sharp pain made me scream. He laughed and walked
gingerly towards me.
"You're very---". Before he could finish the sentence, I
heard a very loud boom. It shook the entire forest. It
raised debris and dust everywhere. The force pushed me
so I staggered and sat on the floor. I looked in the
direction of the loud sound and saw a blue light. It was
Amir's staff shining brilliantly. He had blasted orieja
away. Orieja let out a cry of pain. He was on a tree and
wounded badly. The wires from his fingers were tangled
up all over him and on tree branches. Amir was kneeling
on the floor. His face was badly bruised and he spat out
blood. I thought the blast had affected him too. That may
have been his last resort.
"My brother!", Isiazu screamed and ran towards the
mangled large man. He got to the tree where we was and
stood there for a while. He started crying and laughing at
the same time. He turned swiftly facing Amir.
"You're definitely not leaving this place Alive", he
threatened him.
Then before we knew what was happening, he
transformed into this green gas. It filled the entire area.
Soon we were both coughing. He must have turned into
a toxic gas. It felt as if my lungs were on fire. Liquid soon
filled my lungs and I had trouble breathing. We soon
began coughing up blood. Amir passed out on the floor.
The evil man's laughter could be heard all over the
forest. I began to feel sleepy. I thought it was the end.
Then in the midst of the laughter, I heard a familiar voice.
"Ala, god of the earth. Give unto me the power of the
wind and the earth. Everything around and within it". I
lay on the ground, almost unconcious, green smoke
everywhere, when I saw Ifenala. She was floating in the
air with her hands outstretched. Suddenly, there was a
heavy wind. All the trees around us swayed around like
they were dancing. The green smoke swirled around her
and moved into her palms. Fresh air filled my lungs and I
felt alive again. The green smoke turned into a ball of gas
in her hands. Isiazu screamed. He screamed for a long
time before Ifenala dispersed him with a wave of her
hand. He faded away in an instant, his screaming dying
with him. The tree on which orieja laid started absorbing
him till he became one with the tree. The shape of his
body could still be seen on its branch. She landed gently
on her feet. Leaves blew away as her feet touched the
ground.
"I didn't want to get involved in this Maimuna", she told
me, her hands outstretched to lift me from the floor.
"Thank you", I replied. "I'm sorry if we put you in trouble
or something".
"It doesn't matter now. You're safe for now. This is just
the first attack. You'll need to sharpen your mind for the
ones coming". She turned to look at Amir. "He's good but
he could use a little help".
I had already forgotten about Amir. I ran to him as he lay
on the floor. I tried waking him up. His wounds looked
severe. I didn't know what to do.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of him", ifenala said.
She bent down and laid her hand on the floor.
Immediately, four types of herbs emerged from around
her hand. She plucked from them with her right hand.
She then made a loose fist with her left and water
started pouring out of it. She poured some water into her
other hand and squeezed it. The mixture let out a very
nice smell. She poured it into Amir's mouth. Almost
immediately, his wounds began to heal. From his face
down to his legs. He opened his eyes and sat up but he
was still a bit dazed. I heaved a sigh of relief. Ifenala then
took a bottle from her pocket and poured the remaining
mixture into it and handed it to me.
"You'll need this in case of anything"
"Thank you so much ifenala. I don't know how we can
repay you", I said holding her hand.
"There's no need. Just go and continue your journey".
"No no. Let me give you something". I reached out into
my bag and gave her out of the gold coins I took to the
market.
"No no. I have no use for this. The earth always provides
food and drink for me", she said.
"That's a lifetime of fresh fruit and meat", I said jokingly.
She laughed. She had a gap tooth. I put the coins back
into the bag and helped Amir stand up. By the time I
turned back, she was already gone.
"Where did she go?", Amir asked me.
"I don't know".
"She helped us. I wanted to thank her personally"
"Don't worry. She knows you're grateful"
"Let's go. It's getting dark already", Amir said.

We walked back to our shelter with the help of black

bird. One of his wings was trapped under a branch when
I found him. The rain had started drizzling when we got
there. We sat down and ate some meat. Amir asked me
about what happened during the fight. I told him how
ifenala singlehandedly defeated the two men.
"She must be a forest spirit", he said.
He took a big gulp of water and lay down on the grass. I
went and sat down by the tree. Amir's staff glowed
softly. It was as if he set it that way because I started
feeling warm and sleepy even after the heavy rain.