Unusual Beauty

Blood of Jesus Christ, what is this?.

There are literally tadpoles and tiny green earthworms swimming in this water.

"What the heck!" I exclaim.

"What's wrong?" I hear faustina asking, sounding concerned.

I turn to face her, my brows furrowed in suprise.

"There are living things in my water!"

She suddenly chuckles, leaving me speechless.

"That's how it is, it took me long to get used to it," she says.

"Huh?, Really?. You trying to tell me that you bathed with unclean water?"

I can't believe this. Really?.

She nods, "yes."

My eyes widen, my lips slightly parted.

"really? B-but I used the water to rinse off the foam in my mouth."

She bursts out laughing, standing up, then walking my way.

She stops right I'm front of me, a smile still on her face.

She then places an arm on my left shoulder, her gaze gentle.

"The water in the tank isn't meant for consumption," she says.

R-really?, D-does that mean I had tadpoles and earthworms in my mouth?

HUH..?

I raise my hand to my lips, my fingers pressed on them.

"Oh Lord of mercies."

My gaze slowly drift to the sandy ground, my eyes wide with disgust.

She pats my shoulder, pulling my gaze to meet hers.

"You'll get over it," she says, then walks past me.

"Ahhh!!!" I can't hold it anymore.

Letting out a scream still isn't going to change the fact that I used unclean water to rinse my mouth.

If it were to have been another body part, I'm sure I won't mind...or maybe I would.

But this is my mouth for Christ's sake. I had living things in my mouth, and who knows, they might still be in there!

"Ahh!!!"

I immediately sprint to the bush, spitting saliva in every direction.

My eyes widen as I suddenly feel something poking me in my mouth.

Using the tip of my tongue to trace it, I lift it up, and slowly bring my tongue out.

"Ahh!!!"

I spit the tiny green earthworm and immediately run to the hallway, my feet pounding the ground.

"Mom!" I call.

I finally emerge out of the hallway, and pausing as I notice the children from the next compound sitted in our entrance hall and looking my way.

"Uhm...," My gaze sweeps over them, and my eyes lands on one of them particularly.

It's him, the yellow boy!

And he's with them this time around.

But I'm finding something weird in him, hmmm...

"What's it, Amanda?" my mom asks me.

I immediately divert my gaze to her, what am I here for again? Oh yeah!

My eyes widen, "There are creatures in the water!" I exclaim.

"Creatures, how?" she asks, her brows furrowed in disbelief.

"It's true, I swear. I even have one in my mouth! Do you have bottled water I could use to rinse off properly?"

"You had one in your mouth? How?" she sounds concerned.

"I used the water in the tank to rinse my mouth, and I didn't realize it was that dirty!"

She suddenly starts laughing, and the others in the hall follow.

"What?" I ask, my brows furrowed.

"This is the village, Mandy, so get used to it," she says.

"Huh? Get used to drinking frog babies?"

"You're not meant to drink the water in the tank, Mandy, you should have asked Faustina for water."

"But..." I start to say.

"The water in the kitchen's keg is out," my mom interrupts, "if you know where to get bottled water from, then go get one."

"But what if those gunmen show up again?"

She pauses, thinking to herself, "That's true," she mutters.

"Aunty, let me help her," a girl speaks up, her Igbo accent lingering.

I turn to see who's offering assistance and notice a girl already on her feet, a gentle smile on her face.

She has a short haircut and a beautiful, smooth brown skin tone.

"It's fine, dear, I don't want any business with those people," my mom says gently.

"Nothing will happen, Aunty, they don't show up at this time. It's usually around 6 in the evening," the girl responds.

"Yeah, that's true," a boy chimes in.

"But why did they show up last night?" my mom asks, looking slightly worried.

"Aunty, don't mind them, they're just looking for someone to kill," a seated girl says.

My mom laughs, "Really?"

"Yes," several of them respond in unison.

She hisses, shaking her head, "stupid people," she mutters.

She glances up at me, "Amanda, you can go now."

"Huh?"

I turn around, searching for someone, "Where's Faustina? Let her go for me," I say.

"She's not your maid, go by yourself, it's you who needs it, not her," my mom replies.

"But..." I start to protest.

"I'll go with you," the girl standing interrupts, her eyes shining with a happy expression, never leaving mine.

"Uhm... fine. I'll go get my money."

I give her one last look before turning back into the hallway.

I head to the living room, push aside my phone and clothes, and start searching my bag for money.

I had hidden it in a secret compartment, a spot only I knew about.

But it's not there.

I remember seeing it this morning, but now it's gone.

Frustration creeps in as I wonder how my money could have vanished without me spending much of it.

"Krrpupupuppum!"

I flinch as the sound startles me.

My attention snaps to the pile of crayfish bags, and I freeze.

The sound came from there, like a can falling on the ground.

I slowly drop my bag, my eyes fixed on the crayfish bags.

I approach the pile cautiously, my eyes scanning the neatly arranged bags with no gaps between them.

I don't think it's possible for someone to hide there without being visible, but there is a possible hiding spot behind the door.

That must be where the sound came from.

I approach the door and slowly reach for the handle.

"Amanda, you're wasting time!"

My mom's voice startles me.

"Coming!" I respond, reluctantly tearing myself away from the door.

I step out of the living room and into the hallway, making my way to the entrance hall.

The teens are already up, engaged in a quiet chat, oblivious to my presence.

I glance down at my mom, my brow furrowed.

"My money is gone," I whisper.

She raises an eyebrow. "Gone? How?"

I shrug, feeling helpless. "I don't just know."

"Did you check properly?" she asks, her lips parted in concern.

"Yes, I did. It was in a secret place, known only to me."

She shakes her head, "I'll give you money for now. When you get back, check again."

I nod, "Okay."

I watch as she pulls off her phone's pouch and hands me a thousand naira note.

"Go now," she says.

I pocket the money and look up to meet the gaze of the children, who are now aware of my presence.

"Uhm..."

"Let's go!" The girl with the low cut says.

I walk forward to them, feeling slightly nervous.

The girl suddenly grabs my wrist and entwines her arm with mine, starting to walk before I can even take a step.

Her friends join in from behind, chatting and laughing.

We make our way out through the gate and onto the empty street.

I can't help but notice the big beautiful house next door with grey and white paint.

It's a new building because I didn't see it when I last visited.

"My name is Wendy, and you?" The girl holding me suddenly asks, her Igbo accent evident.

"Uhm... I'm Amanda, but I prefer when I'm called Mandy," I reply.

"Hmm, nice name," she says.

"I'm Amarachi, but I prefer when I'm called Amara," the other girl next to me chimes in.

She has a childlike voice and this noticeable desire to speak fluent English.

"How old are you?" she asks.

"I'm 17, you?" I respond.

"Eeehhh!!" Amara squeals, her eyes wide.

"Uhm, what's the matter?" I ask, amused.

"I'm also 17, girrlll!!"

Someone taps her shoulder from behind.

"Taa, mechie onu gi there, idiot." (Shut up, idiot) he says.

"Ooouch, stop it, you moron!" Amara complains, sounding like a child.

She's literally drawing every word, and it's criingee!

"Kwara kidi!" (See how you look) The boy teases.

"Stop it, you moron!" He mimicks her tone with a strong igbo accent.

"Mmbanu hapi ya, ochuri ne me ka Mickey mouse," (no, leave her. She wants to be acting like Mickey mouse) another boy says, erupting laughter from the rest.

"Hapum oo!" (Leave me alone!) Amara says, using a warning finger on them.

"Amam ihen basara nnu," (I don't know how it concerns you) she says, trying to sound serious.

I find their company fun, especially when they are this playful with each other.

Wendy suddenly stops, and I look around, confused.

"Go and buy the water," she says, freeing my arm.

"Where's the shop?" I ask, looking around.

"There," she points to the side, and my eyes follow her finger to a metal blue door with a wooden bridge leading to the shop.

I hadn't noticed it earlier, distracted by their banter and the group blocking my view.

I take a deep breath and walk towards the shop, crossing the wooden bridge and climbing the stairs.

Inside, I see a woman engrossed in her phone, lying on a bench.

"Good morning," I greet her, but she doesn't respond.

"I want to buy bottled water," I say, but she still doesn't notice.

I have no other choice then.

I step inside and walk to her.

I tap her shoulder, and she finally glances at me, putting down her phone.

"I want to buy bottled water," I repeat.

She struggles to sit up, her movements labored due to her size.

"It's not cold," she informs me, standing up and walking to the corner of the room.

I don't actually mind if it's not cold, I just need the water!

She opens a creamy colored fridge and pulls out a bottled water, handing it to me.

"Thanks," I say, handing her my money.

I watch as she searches her plastic container for change and hands me eight hundred naira.

I finally step out, cross the wooden bridge, and rejoin the group, who are still waiting for me.

"How much is it?" Wendy asks.

"It's 200," I respond, holding up the bottled water.

"Okay," she says, entwining her arm with mine once again.

"Let's go!" She pulls me along, and we start walking.

As we head back, I feel my hand accidentally brushing against something.

I glance down to see it's someone's black short, then up, to meet the gaze of piercing green eyes.

My eyes widen in surprise, it's the yellow boy!

And he has a neutral expression on.

So unusual!!!

"Beautiful," I mutter, mesmerized.

He raises an eyebrow, his face still impassive.

I can't help but smile, "Your eyes," I clarify.

He looks away, his gaze falling to the ground, his expression unreadable.

His eyes are so beautiful!