I feel cozy
warmth, and the dazzling shiny sunlight permeates through my eyelids. The sound
of birds singing gets larger and larger, awakening my tensed body slowly.
Finally, I open up my eyes, and look at a beautiful woman with a full smile on
her face. I used to start every day with this same pattern. I was satisfied
with every part of my life, and there was nothing to complain about. However, by
intuition I was able to know that this would no longer exist, as I saw a black
thick smoke rising from Mt. Kilimanjaro.It was a mundane afternoon, and nothing was special. I woke up as my stomach growled, came out of the cave I was living in, and found out that the sun was right above my head. The best woman, the one that I loved, Almasi, was preparing the dead body of lions that my brothers and I hunted yesterday, for cooking. She gave me a hug when I approached her, telling me to wait a bit until the meal was ready. To spend time in a more productive manner, and to give a good impression to Almasi, I decided to go to a nearby stream, and fulfill water storage for our family. A group of gazelles ran on the vast grassland of the Savannah, with Mt. Kilimanjaro being a dark background.
‘Wait, something is weird. Mt. Kilimanjaro cannot be seen that much vividly in this distance.’
I gazed at the mountain again closely. Black thick smoke was rising from the top of the mountain, and red rocks were spewing out. The rocks flew up more and more frequently as I kept looking, and it seemed that they were heading to my direction. Suddenly, one of the red rocks impacted a few meters in front of me, exploded with a huge bang sound, and set a fire. Being surprised, I instantly ran back to our family without looking back, shouting,
“Run everyone, run!”
The faces of people looked odd at first, but as they also saw the burning bombs flying above their heads, they ran away. I held the hand of Almasi, whose face explicitly showed how much frightened she was, and both of us ran to the cave as quickly as possible. Soon, a series of rocks bombarded the cave, and I lost conscience as I was caught by a giant bright sparkle.
It was cold and chilly when I was able to recover. Fortunately, Almasi was still at her position as she was, firmly holding my hand. I moved my aching legs slowly, and removed the rocks blocking the entrance of the cave. There were no more gazelles running on the grassland. No more birds sang, and the dark uncomfortable clouds replaced the sunlight. The lively scene of crowded people no longer existed.
Only about 150 people survived in total. Suffering from unfamiliar cold first ever in our lives, we gathered around the fireplace to device ways to solve the problem that we faced. We lacked all the resources; both crops and water storage were covered with gray volcanic ash. The sky did not seem to easily show sunlight to us. The chief insisted,
“The god of the mountain
is significantly frustrated with us! We should make a ritual ceremony so that
the god would calm down!”
The majority of
people assented to the assertion of the chief, by stamping their feet and blowing
whistles. Then, the chief continued,
“However, the
god will not use his divine power for us without getting nothing. Thus, I urge
the youngest man here to sacrifice himself for the whole community.”
At first, I
simply wondered who would be the victim in the ceremony, but my face got pale
when I found people pointing out, and coming toward me. Almasi was crying in
front of the chief, with her knees kneeled, and begging for finding out an alternative
way. I could do nothing: I just accepted all the actions people took, and when
I was conscious of what was happening, I was on a wooden altar, being firmly
tied. People were dancing and singing altogether, and my poor Almasi was wailing
to faint.
The chief, in front of the group, set a fire on the altar. I felt the heat gradually engulfing my body, and the sound of people singing got louder and louder. I fell down, but did not stop gazing at the deep, beautiful eyes of Almasi. I did not stop calling her name until my eyes finally closed, bidding farewell to my dear love.
Rain dropped slightly, while people kept chanting.
The chief, in front of the group, set a fire on the altar. I felt the heat gradually engulfing my body, and the sound of people singing got louder and louder. I fell down, but did not stop gazing at the deep, beautiful eyes of Almasi. I did not stop calling her name until my eyes finally closed, bidding farewell to my dear love.
Rain dropped slightly, while people kept chanting.
Zwitimbi,
Zwitimbi (Beads,
Beads),
Matshime,
Matshime (Water
fountains, Water fountains),
Vula,
Vula (Rain,
Rain)……
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