Chapter eleven

CHAPTER 11

Manuel was one mammoth structure of a person, we could say he possessed an extra Y chromosome but that's behind our scope. It can just be simply put that Manuel was such a mountainous, stone- hard, nut-headed, ballast minded individual who always had green tobacco on his mouth, just to avoid use of complicated words. The guy roamed the whole village spreading this message and that, claiming to have fought in the second big war where the white people killed their fellow white, infact he would go ahead and indicate a lost tooth which he claimed got shot by some heavy machine gun at Burma. Of ofcourse no one believed him, who could believe someone whose mouth was always wet with tobacco stew anyway? Someone who besides lacking a girlfriend wasn't even associated with any daughter of the land through rumors . Such a loser. They all saw Manuel as a busy body but not until he proposed reason, not until hell broke loose.

The season surprisingly boasted of hot sun, afew birds had migrated to the stream which never dried despite the comfort of changing times. The lands were almost all ready for the rains, except for afew farms which belonged to the hot mouths of the kingdom. Such fellows never lack in any population.

"I hear they're coming for us, after teaching their ignorant kids how to use a fork". Hannah started with a defeated tone.

"And simply because I'm not circumcised, something not a single girl in the city has ever heard of. I mean what part of country is this". Eddy was now in a constant battle with her community.

"Maybe you gave them what they never asked for", Tande said thoughtfully.

"But they're all here long before the sun germinates from Leitin hills. Is that how you describe someone who has no interest in your stuff?" Eddy was completely beat.

"Maybe there's a future after all this, maybe it's just empty village talk", Tande comforted her.

All this time, Hannah was peeling some yams and placing them on a big mouthed calabash. Since the rumours started, she had not been herself again, she could never understand why a community she had invested so much on could turn against them in a span of less than a month. The rains were beginning to fall and had it been in some civilized country, the calendar could have indicated October.

People moved in and out of farms sowing this seed and that in the black fertile soils which were moist with hope. A green vegetation soon sprang and the whole land was now at spic and span. People were busy tilling land and for a moment Eddy seemed a forgotten subject, young boys were too busy such that only about half of them attended classes. The others had asked for afew days to help in planting.

Then it happened, the most strange operation that ever happened in Butita in history. It was all a film by one Manuel, the tobacco fellow, remember?

It was a chilly morning and birds seemed to have slept late such that not a single bird was making their usual morning sermons. The sun was sure up but heavy clouds prevented any ray from striking the land, only afew patches of sunlight seemed to be striking Leiton hills at the extremes of Lukenya plains. War drums started pounding and for a moment Eddy thought it was the usual training for the young morans, but why too early? Hannah was full of premonition and appeared more dark than ever before. Tande, who was always the first person in their homestead was helping in the milking. The drums were fast approaching and by the time they knew it, a group of about thirty led by one Manuel surrounded Hannah's homestead with read ochre covering all their bodies. They were carrying whips and clubs. Their bellies were shinning with castor oil above the merely covered 'things'. It was time for war.

"We're here to expose all the evil, to cleanse our land of all dirt that has covered it for seasons". Manuel started with determination.

"Yes, a daughter of the land who is not cut is a great threat to our land, it's a catastrophe", Another young man put in.

"Look, you ignorant bastards. You're very afraid of using your common sense. Has that one uncut herione not put sense into your children? Have I not sold my land for the sake of your children? Land I could have used for my seeds?"

"None of which we asked for, we have been living comfortably since the times of our forefathers without your hell-knows-what programs", Manuel was easy to supply.

"Then do anything to me, anything but don't touch my daughter". Hannah was almost moved to tears, she could not believe the betrayal.

Eddy was weeping uncontrollably, looking at the people she had sacrificed every bit of her time spit directly in her face. The experience was humiliating.

Two young men advanced towards Eddy, Tande was holding Eddy trying to comfort her though her inners were melting with extreme fear. Hannah knew it was finally happening and gave her last breath in it. She wailed so loud as if to awaken Leiton hills which had been sleeping since whoever knows when. She continued wailing, afew young men dashed towards him while others shouted as they advanced towards Eddy. Strange how they were heavily armed for just two ladies. That is the time it happened, the visitors!

In a blink, the two askaris emerged from nowhere in the middle of the drama. The diisii also had an heavy metal dangling on his side this time. The two pointed their nozzles at the unruly crowd but they were met by several stones, maybe they had never experienced the power of these metal bars.

"Scare shots", the command was simple from their leader.

Tuh! Tuh! Tuh!....

Everyone seemed shaken by the power of those metal objects. They were however dismissed as mere scarecrows for despite the loud noise, nothing else happened.

"Get them, fools", Manuel instructed and about ten men charged towards the police. The resulting carnage left a mark that would continue painted in the mind of Butita forever, one young man was down with brains dripping like cold wine. On seeing this, all the men took to their heels. It was surprising how Miguel led in the chase.

The whole blame was placed on Eddy's shoulders and a great hostility ensued. The king claimed that the group of rebels never had his blessings and that lifted some weight off Hannah's homestead, but that was just but the start. Young boys and girls started boycotting classes, not in their will but on their parents orders.

In less than a week when Hannah and Eddy were laboring at their farm, a thick smoke spread from their homestead and before they knew it, their hut was on fire monster tags of fire.

"The fools, we're done", Hannah lamented as she watched angry flames eat their only hut.

"Maybe we could report to the police", Eddy suggested amid sobs.

"They don't worship the askaris down here"

"Then we could try the king, through Fache maybe".

"That will be heavy for Fache, he has his home and a multitude of problems to take care of"

"Then what?"

"We shall figure out something". Hannah's tone was hard and flat, no emotion.

The subsequent days were dry of hope. Nobody sympathized with them except afew faithfuls. Nobody knew who had perpetrated the evil but rumors had it that Manuel had an upper hand in the same. Rumors were never far from the truth in Butita.

Few people offered to help in the reconstruction despite the hostility and soon a new hut , though smaller than the first one had been put up. It looked all amazing in the cowdung varnish such that Eddy admired it, They thanked everyone who had participated profusely and vowed to cooperate with them in any other community event. Things seemed to be falling into place but not as before, everything was falling apart and for the first time Hannah felt isolated from her community.

One afternoon found Eddy at the hilltop, this time not admiring the busy lifestyle around the village but despising the very people who betrayed her. It was a sunny afternoon despite being a rainy season and a cool breeze soothed her mind, she was thinking of music, the busy city life where people of different cultures lived like brothers and sisters. People who never asked much about where you came from but whether you were okay where you were, she then looked at her village, ignorant adults who were always trying to sight any single difference between them. The land was in dire need of transformation but it would take long than she had anticipated. She looked at their homestead and this time no one came to consult about classes like the previous time. Times were surely changing.

Eddy saw her dream in transforming the village varnish in the thin air, she stared at the askari post, a meager show of civilization. Peanuts of development and despised the government which gave little sense to this small corner of the world. Life continued like nothing had happened, young boys were playing hide and seek in the pasture grounds with their usual herds of cattle, afew people were tending crops. Some of which were strange to them like soy beans and french peas, some stray man was going through this homestead and that. The stream was flawing cautiously like it had done for years. It was the same old village which was immune to changes. She craved for change, solitude.