The Cannibals of Caliba 03

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The watchman in Camel skin ran hastily through the village sounding the alarm of an approaching doom

about to befall the village. As expected, the villagers rushed out of their houses and watched as the enormous

stone open in its mouth. The people stood transfixed and stared at the rock like a lamb fearing to be

slaughtered. The eldest person among them sighed heavily. He moved slowly and entered into the rock. As

soon as he does so, the rest of them rush recklessly into the rock. Trampling and climbing.

Bewildered, Mari and Sule stood before a huge rock held by a tiny stone.

"This is amazing," she exclaimed. She brought out her picture and snapped.

"I have only seen this in films but they are really real" Sule went through the village and began to check the

house.

"It's like a tourist village"

"The huts are tidy and warm"

Mari sees an old fl int tool by a cold fireplace. She brought out her brush and cleaned it. She wrapped it in a

soft cloth and put it in her bag.

As they got to the outskirts of the village, they heard a loud noise that seemed to take flight in the death-like

silence of the empty village. The echo rang farther away from the confines of the village. It shook the ground

and then it died away in an instant. Mari suddenly heard the noise take possession as she heard heavy

footsteps. She placed her hands on her chest checking if it was her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She glanced

around and couldn't find Sule. Her loneliness brought back a fair share of fear down her spine, her limbs got

stiff her hands shook as the steps grew louder.

"Sule?" She called out to the approaching noise as she took a very slow step back.

She didn't know who was coming but she perceived what was coming. A big animal, she feared. She tried to move but she could not fully comprehend why her legs weren't moving.

Get out of here! Her insides screamed but instead, she shouted "Sule?" Her voice echoed in the disturbing

silence. She forcefully wiped her head around still there was no sign of Sule. Expecting to see a big animal

ready to pounce on her but what she saw were scared barefoot of bushmen in an attire that seemed made

from Camel skin. Then she saw other throngs of naked men whose private parts were the only ones covered.

She knew she was in the middle of a stone age era. They were brandished with wooden bows and blabbed

arrows moving towards her at increasing alacrity seizing her with their intense stares. She knew if she was to

run now they would catch her in an instant. As soon as they held her hostage they gave a loud uproar that sent

a loud bang into her ears. It was like they were celebrating. They cackled in loud laughs that sounded like

sounds made by hyenas it made her more nervous than she was.

The crowd that surrounded her began to touch her lightly as if she was about to disappear any minute. A

child lingered the twinkle in his eyes showed his curiosity. Something others tried to hide.

Although Mari's thick hair was unlike their frail corn rows yet her complexion was as dark as theirs and it

shone in the rising sun. It was unlike anyone they had seen though they haven't ventured out of Caliba for

fear of being killed by the god, Nwgal Apata.

Firstly, they marveled at the leather bag she carried. They looked at her clothes. A loose yellow blouse already

drenched with sweats with khaki shorts and trekking boats. Some of them assumed it was skin to her already

dark skin but they were astonished by the sight either way. As one of the elders from the Obiri tribe stepped

forward and the people drew away from her immediately. His eyes were empty of expression. His lips were

drawn in a grimace and he walked soundlessly as a shadow. His actions hushed their amazement. As if

controlled by a remote the crowd changed abruptly into a forlorn atmosphere, their face rigid and devoid of

any appearances of their smiley tiny irritating stained teeth. Quickly instilled in them was the latent fear that

had at the previous moment disappeared.

Then everyone started to speak. Like a Barbarian. A word she heard sounded so familiar but it withheld no

meaning to her understanding. The language was so strange, each word they spoke made a clunky noise and a

rhythm that involved the beating of the tip of the tongue on the lower jaw of the mouth. As if jolted by a volt

she remembered why the language sounded familiar. Her grandfather had used such sound to converse with

his cattle. A madness she feared had run in the family of which she was exempted having left home for the

boarding school at a very early age.

With no prior warning, her eyes became heavily covered by a strange fabric. She couldn't decipher what type,

as shadows began to dance in her vision. Then she felt rough hands all over her body-gripping, dragging on

her clothing. Blindly, she struggled to keep the calloused hands away but her hands were already held in bonds

behind her back. Over the sound of her frantic breathing and inconsistent pleading, a shriek erupted from her

throat closely replaced by an unholy curse word. She could feel the faint heat of the sun on her exposed body.

It was evening.

Her troubled thought drifted to Sule. She hoped he had gone to get help. She felt a streak of tear fall down her

cheeks. She wanted to say a silent prayer but her lips trembled. She clutched them together instead. Choosing

to pray within her thoughts begging God to spare her life from the hands of her captors.

Her mind traveled to Bona, in deep regret she wondered if she will ever see him again.

The guards dragged her forward faster than her legs could move. She could feel the rustle of grass and the snap

of twigs underfoot, the spirited snarls of the people surrounding her closed in.

She felt something like a sharp nail scratch on her chest. After a moment, her mind fell into a dreamy state like

a soul-drenched in opium. A lazy grin was splattered on her face but her inside screamed for freedom. She

could feel her legs go jelly but the hands holding her firmly held her.

Later, her blindfold was removed and she was immediately pushed into a dark room. With no sense of

direction and awareness, she lay on the cold ground wallowing in her dream-induced imagination.