AMAYA
(Son Of The Moon)
Episode 3
After grandma had been moon-snatched,the moon gods didn’t stop there. They visited the entire community that same night with their wrath.
“Wait! What’s that scream about. ” Vincent inquired as the screams of people enclosed the entire community.
“I smell trouble!” Christian muttered in-between sobs.
“What are we going to do now? This might cause us losing this community again. My fear is,where are we going from here,if we are been thrown out? ” Chimamanda inquired in tears.
The silence was intense, disturbing. The sky seemed darker. People had been running helter-skelter, groping for their loved ones that they were almost losing.
“It’s the moon-snaaaaaaatch! Ruuuuuuuun!” A woman took to her heels, sprinting into her house.
A toddler sitting by the mango tree called out “Mama! Mama! Mama”. His voice was shrill, but the panic in his eyes even louder. It broke my heart, even now.
His little sister stood, wide-eyed, hands akimbo, wondering what was causing the chaos and panic. Their mother had been moon-snatched as well.
A man rushed out of one building with a pile of books. He looked like he had a white-collar job. He opened the backseat of the SUV parked by the tree, threw the books inside and slammed the door shut. He hesitated, unsure of going into the the car. He threw a glance in the direction of the building he had come from before he jumped in and drove off. The three ladies, coming from a distance, were apparently oblivious to the chaos on this end. Suddenly, they stopped, took off their heels and raced in the direction the SUV had gone.
“My king! My king!! My king!!! The worse has happened! We are losing our loved ones every day!” A man thundered at the king’s palace.
“Calm down and speak to me like a man. What is the situation about?!” The king inquired.
“A moon-snatch glow is attacking this land! The gods of the moon are after our lives,your highness! We are finished! My children are all gone! My wife is nowhere to be found. ” The man cried out.
“A moon-snatch glow,in my community?!” The king asked. Suddenly,more people broke into the palace, crying profusely.
“First thing tomorrow morning! Fetch me the great herbalist of this land. What could be the reason for the visitation of the gods of the moon,in our land? We haven’t done anything wrong!” The king wondered about.
As the harbinger(rooster) of a new dawn had ushered in the new day,the community herbalist honoured the call of the king. So the king explained every situation that the community had been facing.
“Your highness! There’s a moon child in this community. Hidden somewhere. I’m afraid! If he’s not gotten rid of,this whole community will get continuous moon-snatch attacks from the gods of the moon. ” The herbalist explained.
“How do we know this stranger?” The king inquired.
“He has a blue-purple bracelet on his left wrist! And he’s about sixteen, seventeen years old!” The herbalist said to him.
“Guaaaaaaards!! Go round the community! Search every home and bring back here the strange moon child! Noooooow!” The king thundered.
Christian and Vincent visited different herbalists,to inquire about the solution to my problems, but they kept diagnosing that,the only way to end the situation,is either I accepted the call or I get k!lled.
“The only solution to stop your younger brother right now,is for him to accept his fate as the son of the moon! Anything aside from that attracts destructions. ” The herbalist explained.
“Ehm! Baba! How about the bracelet? Can’t we get it off his wrist?” Vincent jumped in.
“The bracelet holds his life. If it can be removed,he will surely die. But! This must only be done at dawn. Anything that has to do with the night is highly dangerous,as the moon covers his powers. ” He said to them.
“I will never k!ll my brother! No matter who he is!” Christian stood up and angrily walked away,leaving Vincent behind.
“Baba! One last question! Don’t you have any charm that I can use to subdue his powers at night? I will like to exterminate him myself, because my elder brother will never agree to this!” Vincent inquired.
“His powers under the moonlight night are proportional to that of the moon gods. There’s nothing you can do to harm him at night, except in the day time. ” He said.
“So! Can I take him to the evil forest to let wide animals feed on him at night?” Vincent inquired.
“If he allows you to do this without getting you hurt,then that’s fine.” He concluded and Vincent returned.
Chimamanda had gone to the market to get some food items,when she overhead people talking about,how the king had ordered the capturing of the moon child. So she hurried back home to report the rumour.
“Brother! Brother Oh!! Brother!!!” She called.
“Amanda what is it? Why are you running like you encountered a ghost on your way home?” Christian asked.
“Brother! The king had ordered the capturing of the moon child. That must be Amaya. Please! Get Amaya out now! The guards will be here anytime soon! ” Chimamanda thundered,breathing heavily.
“Christian! Whether or not you like it,Amaya k!lled our mother and grandma,and now he unleashed his Ogbanje spirits into the land last night. What were you expecting?” Vincent fired as usual.
“Look! I don’t want to start arguing with you right now. Where is Amaya? ” Christian inquired.
“He’s inside!” Vincent shifted in.
So, Christian rushed into the house immediately. At the point that Christian got in,two royal guards had already broken into the house, through the back door.
I was sleeping on a mat when I felt a hand ran up on my skin. I opened my eyes and it was a royal guard. He then quickly muffled my mouth with his hand,so that I won’t scream out. I dragged his fingers into my mouth and bit them hardly,till he screamed.
As a sixteen years old boy,I tried my best, struggling with a body builder of about thirty something years of age. I couldn’t take it anymore,I had to use the power of the bracelet. So, I screamed aloud;
” I fly to your patronage, O powerful gods of the moon; despise not my prayers in my necessities. ” Suddenly,a lightning bolt flashed across the guard and he fell to the floor, surprisingly,he stood back up on his feet immediately,like nothing had happened to him.
“Have you forgotten that this is day time? Your powers only reflects at the coverage of the moon lights. ” The guard’s unfriendly face grinned at me. So,he grabbed me.
I was so caught up in their bravery and golden glow.
“Amaya stop! Stop summoning the spirits of the moon!” Christian then attacked the other two royal guards with his bare hands.
“Let him be. ” Christian pounded his fist and glared angrily. Shortly after,he landed a punch across one of the guards face.
“Get out of the house,Amaya! Run to the waters and stay there until the moon hits the waves!” Christian thundered. So I sprinted out of the house and ran straight to the stream. I stayed in the stream till the moon came out.
So,I sneaked back into the village at night. I went straight back home and knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?” Chimamanda asked. “Brother are you back?”
“Amaya!” I whispered.
“Amaya?!” Chimamanda raised and opened the door for me. Then I got in. But unfortunately, Vincent was sleeping peacefully,but he hopped out of his sleep.
“What are you doing here? Are you not tired of k!lling people? You k!lled our mother and grandma,as if that was not enough,you then extended your misfortune into this peaceful land. Now, Christian has been arrested by the king of this land. I hope you’re proud of yourself now?!” Vincent slammed at me. “Now get out of this house,now!” He furiously raged in anger,with his eyes burning in hatred.
“Brother! Arrested?! But…! I haven’t done…!” I tried explaining myself,but Vincent cut in immediately.
He talked loudly and vehemently, especially in anger,ranging and raving about my misfortunes. So,he dragged me out of the house, immediately.
“Vincent! Stop it! Where are you taking him this night? It’s late already. ” Chimamanda was trying to stop him,but he chased her back into the house and shut the door against her.
Vincent hauled me into the dark forest that night,with my mouth muffled. My legs and hands tied up. He got to a big baobab tree,tied me up to the tree and returned back to the house.
… To Be Continued.
©️ Rihanne Maya
