Nadia Knox and the Eye of Zinnia

by Jessica McDougle

  “Why were you looking?” Simone asked.

  "We are anthropologists hoping to win a very important award," my mom answered.

  "What does this award have to do with our people? We don't engage in modern society, we stay away from it to protect our children."

  “We were hoping to learn about your people, and to share your story with the world,” Mrs. Haynes began.

  "Oh? Is that so?" Simone said, looking amused. Clearing her throat, Uru interrupted. Addressing Simone in their native tongue, Uru told her about my parents' plans to reveal them to the world, starting with the foundation.

  I looked down at the Eye of Zinnia dangling from my necklace glowing. As Uru kept talking, Simone's eyes grew wider and wider.

  "What is she saying?" Mr. Haynes whispered to my dad.

  "I'm not quite sure, but I think Uru told her about what the foundation wants to do in their territory."

  Once Uru was finished talking, Simone stood glaring at my parents.

  “Do you think that you can just come into our home and make a spectacle out of my people? Take your cameras and leave. You are not welcomed here."

  Hearing this, Bantu's head dropped. Now I understood. This was probably the only chance to find his brother. He risked just as much as the rest of us, and he should have at least gotten the answer he came for. It didn't seem fair to him.

  Walking up to Simone, I smiled and did an awkward little bow. I wasn't sure what the custom was for children speaking to adults, but I didn't want to offend her before I had a chance to plead Bantu's case. Remembering what Bantu had done when he saw Uru for the first time, I kneeled and placed my hands together over my right shoulder. Bowing my head, I said in a low voice, "Forgive me, may I speak?"

  Nodding her approval, Simone turned to Bantu. "I see you have taught this young one well. Speak child. I'm listening."

  As my necklace glowed, I cleared my throat and began to speak in flawless Swahili: "Please Simone, don't let the selfishness of my parents ruin Bantu's chance to learn about his brother. He already lost his grandmother. He has helped keep our entire group safe during this journey. He has taught us of the history of his people, and I now share a pride for them that I didn't know existed."

  "What difference is it to you? Why should your words mean anything to me?" Simone demanded. "Our people have been through enough hardship. We deserve to live in peace."

  “Bantu is my friend, he helped me find out who I am, and now I want to help him. What if I could guarantee that you and your people would remain a secret. Could you tell Bantu about his family then?” I asked.

  “How could a child promise such a thing? You have seen where we live. What is stopping them from telling the modern world about us and destroying all of our lives?” Simone said coldly.

  "Please give me a chance," I begged. After taking a few minutes to talk it over with Uru, Simone agreed to let me try to change my parents' minds.

  I took a deep breath and turned to my parents. "You can't tell the foundation about these people."

  "But everything is riding on this FISH award. If we don't win, we'll get dropped by the foundation, and we'll lose everything."

  “I get that, but we’d be destroying the lives of all these people, even kids,” I said, pointing to the girls playing with the colorful ribbons. “Don’t they deserve some dignity, and to grow up peacefully? Who knows what will happen to them if the foundation comes in with their cameras and all of that other stuff.”

  “Nadia, you’re being dramatic. They would be fine. They would be able to live their lives and continue as if the observers weren’t even there,” my mom said, putting her hands on my shoulders.

  Shrugging her hands off of me, I kept going. “You can’t seriously tell me that you’re okay with little kids growing up being chased by Guardian Souls,” I said getting angry. “Don’t they deserve some protection?”

  Pausing for a second, my mom looked at me. Then she looked at my necklace. "How do you know Swahili? I've never heard you practicing. How did you get so fluent?"

  Grabbing my necklace with my right hand I remembered what Bantu said, and I answered quietly. "If you let the foundation come in and destroy this place and these people, magic like this will be gone forever. The rest of their history will be lost, and these kids will never know their whole story."

  Looking at me with sad eyes my mom hugged me. “I understand that you’re upset, but mommy and daddy are the grown-ups, and sometimes grown-ups have to make hard decisions.”

  “Wouldn’t the hard decision be to find another way to win a FISH? Wouldn’t the hard decision be to let these people live their lives quietly?” I said, looking over at Bantu. “So if you’re trying to make a hard decision shouldn’t it be one of those?”

  “I understand you’re upset,” my mom started again.

  “No! No, you don’t. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be okay with snatching Bantu’s chance to know the rest of his history away from him. As much as he’s done for us, he deserves a happy ending more than any of us,” I said.

  Walking up to me and my mom, my dad said. "You know, she's right, Shannon. Bantu risked his life and his connection to his family to get us here, even though we weren't completely honest with him in the beginning." Turning to Uru and Simone my dad smiled and said, "Your secret's safe with us."

  I looked at Bantu and saw his eyes shining with unshed tears again. I felt the necklace pulsing against my chest.

  "Would it be possible for you to tell us about Bantu's brother? Bantu has not seen his brother since he was a little kid," Chris asked.

  Simone looked at Bantu for a few seconds then called over her shoulder, "Soudee, inform Sholeen and Aku that they have visitors."

  We all looked over at Bantu, who seemed just as surprised as we were. A few minutes later, Simone came back with a woman who did not look a day over forty-five. "I am Sholeen, who has sent for me?" she asked.

  "I have," Bantu said, stepping forward, wiping tears from his eyes. "I am Bantu, son of Minwa Sheeway Alsheer. I am your grandson." At the mention of Minwa's name, Sholeen grabbed Bantu and hugged him, sobbing into his shirt. "Grandmother, I thought you had died," Bantu sniffed. Everyone stood in silence, some wiping tears from their own eyes. "It's you. It's really you," Bantu said.

  Letting go of Bantu, Sholeen smiled and took him by the hand, motioning for us to follow. "Your mother, is she alive?"

  "Yes," Bantu answered, smiling. "She is alive and well, well, as well as can be expected."

  Nodding as if she understood, Sholeen stopped in a little area with a group of benches and table covered in fruit and freshly steamed fish. Helping ourselves to the refreshments, we waited for Sholeen to start talking. After about ten minutes of her just staring off into space, she spoke. "What do you remember of the last time we saw each other?"

  Pausing for a second Bantu answered. "I remember you running, and Aku sneaking away from mother. There was a fire, and a guardian soul and my mother searched for Aku among the fallen until the sun came up."

  Thoughtful, Sholeen asked. "Does your mother ever speak of that night?" Shaking his head, Bantu waited for Sholeen to keep going. "I didn't expect that she would. The whole thing was very difficult for her to accept, which was the reason she moved you and your sisters out of the village. She is angry with the spirits. She felt they betrayed her."

  "Why didn't you talk her into staying?" Bantu asked. "I could see the pain in her eyes. She would have led a life of misery if I had. She needed time to heal." Sholeen said.

  "She never did recover from losing Aku." Bantu offered. "She spent many years mourning, and still does.

  Smiling sadly, Sholeen said, "That daughter of mine, she left behind all of her roots. She blocked out the connection that she has with her children. If she hadn't, she would have known." "Known what?" Chris asked.

  Smiling down at Chris as he stuffed his mouth with fish, Sholeen turned to Bantu. "I will tell you what your mother should have been able to tell you
a long time ago. On the night of the revolt, there was lots of chaos, people were everywhere, and no one knew who was on what side, so we had to be careful. When the fire started everyone started to panic. Your father took this as a moment to punish the traitors. After sending out a guardian soul to do a reaping, he sat back and watched as his own people were torn limb from limb. Your father was not a man of kindness. In fact, he was planning on taking over tribe after tribe until he could create a kingdom.”

  Sholeen’s words painted a picture like I’d never seen. I got more scared the more she went on.

  “When he sent out the Guardian Soul, many of us scattered, some ended up in neighboring tribe territory, while others ended up getting caught by the guardian soul. As I was running, I looked over and saw that Aku had taken the darker trail with the others, and that's the one that the Guardian Soul took, too. I stopped watching in horror as the Guardian Soul ripped many of my people to pieces as if they were dry corn. In that horrific scene, I thought Aku was one of those that had been torn to pieces. Feeling helpless and knowing I would be a traitor if I went back, I kept going. Once my group made it the cliffs, where we had been building boats in secret. We wanted to find an area that was empty of people so that if the Kamju wanted to seek us out, they couldn't, so we decided to leave the area altogether and came to Uganda. Many of our group decided to settle in a small area near the savanna and became the Zolani. They eventually left their traditions. The rest of us chose to keep going and founded this area. For many weeks we took turns watching and waiting, making sure that our people were safe. One day while I was gathering food I came across a small group of people who were starving and in desperate need of medicine. Among those people, there was one with the gifts of lugha, the ability to interpret any language, and kudang, the ability to control the emotions of others. His lugha was different from others: he could speak within the spirit realm.”

  Pausing Sholeen glanced over her shoulder. “In turn for our help, he placed a spiritual koti, or enchantment on our territory, making us invisible to the powers of the Guardian Souls. If interrupted by unwelcomed invaders we would stand as open targets to Kwame and his Guardian Souls.”

  I appreciate the story Grandmother, by why are you telling me this now?" Bantu asked confused.

  “Because the person gifted with lugha and kudang was… Aku.”

  “Aku?" Bantu repeated. “But how is that possible?"

  “Why don't you ask him yourself,” Sholeen said pointing to a man that was walking towards us.

  “Aku!” Bantu said in disbelief. “It has felt like a lifetime. I wasn't sure I would ever see you again.”

  “Bantu, you look well little brother. It has been many years; I hope that the spirits have smiled on your existence.” Aku said hugging his brother.

  “I have been well, as I see that you have too,” Bantu said pointing at Aku's yellow robes. “Mother is going to be overjoyed to hear that after all this time you are okay. You must come back with me and show her that you are alive,” Bantu said.

  Aku interrupted, shaking his head. “No, she must never know I am alive.”

  “What? What are you saying brother?” Bantu asked confused. “Mother has been suffering from the heavy burden of guilt because she could not find you. Seeing you will put her soul at ease.”

  “That is a guilt that she must live with. She had her chance to save me, and she chose her husband. She made her choice, and I have made mine.” Aku said folding his arms.

  “Brother, what has happened to you? You have become bitter, and towards our mother no less,” Bantu said, sadly.

  “You don't remember. You were much too young to understand what was going on. Once father found out I had been gifted with lugha and kudang, he spent my every waking moment preparing me for his take over. He had priests and priestess from all around training me on the holy languages and trying to reach the spiritual realm. I was his secret weapon.”

  Nodding Bantu added, “I was used as a weapon in my own right, but what does mother have to do with this?”

  “Yes, the gift of where is very helpful, but father had me accessing the holy realm and trying to manipulate the minds of others, jeopardizing my soul without any concern. Mother knew about this and never spoke against him. She never told him that he was misusing my gift. When I asked her to make him stop, she would say that he is my father and he must be obeyed. It got to be more than I could bear. When I heard grandmother talking with others about the revolt I knew that was my chance to get away from them both for good.”

  “Mother was a broken woman after you left,” Bantu said softly.

  Aku sighed. “She knew what she had done. She knew why I left. She must live with that. I don't hold any ill feelings for her, but I am content with the way things are, and I don't wish to change that.”

  “I understand, brother. I wish you would change your mind, but I understand why you will not.”

  “You are welcome to stay here with us, brother. I would love to have my little brother in my life again.”

  “I thank you for the offer, brother, but I must return to mother. She has lost one son, and I do not feel that she could bear to lose another.”

  “I understand. I haven't let go of her altogether. I use nija to check her well-being. She never completes the connection. She purposely rejects the connection.”

  “What's nija?” Charlotte asked.

  “Nija is the pathway that links mothers to their children allowing them to communicate with one another.”

  “Is that for every mother and child?” Chris asked.

  “All mothers can sense their children,” Aku said. “They have a special connection that allows them to sense their well-being.”

  “That's so cool,” Teddy said.

  We sat listening to Bantu, Aku, Sholeen, and Uru trade stories into the late evening. As the ruby-colored sun slid lower into the sky Sholeen insisted that we stay in their village and take part in their evening meal.

  Early the next morning I came across my parents talking with Bantu and Uru. "We see the beauty in this place. We could never forgive ourselves if we had a hand in destroying the beauty and history of such a wonderful people. With the hospitality that you all have shown us, we want to return the kindness, and leave you be. We will find something else to gain our nomination for a FISH award." my mom said.

  “Thank you,” Uru said. “We are grateful, and you will always be welcome among our people. And you too Bantu, I am glad to have you back.”

  Giving Uru's hand a squeeze, Bantu answered. "I thank you, and I will do all that I am able to."

  As we prepared to leave, Aku came and stood in front of Bantu. “Brother, even though I cannot come back with you, I hope that that does not mean that you will stay away from me. I want us to stay connected.”

  “I will see you again soon big brother. We have many years to make up for.” Bantu said hugging him.

  “Even though I do not want to go back with mother, that doesn't mean that I want her to suffer. Give her this.” Aku unwrapped a leather bracelet and placed it in Bantu's hand. “This is the bracelet that she gave me after I finished my spirit walk.”

  “She made this.” Bantu gasped, flipping the bracelet over in his hand.

  “Yes, she did. This will tell her that I am okay, and maybe one day it will give her a reason not to reject the nija.”

  Bantu put the tan colored strap in his pocket. After more hugs, and well wishes we began our journey home.

  Sholeen paused at the gate of the village. “It is much faster if you take the nija ya maji, the water path.”

  Looking confused Mrs. Haynes asked, “How do we get there?”

  Sholeen took us around the gate of the village, through a small grove of flowering trees. The brightly colored flowers stretched their petals towards the sun as their fragrance wafted through the air, filling our nostrils with the smell of freshly cut oranges.

  “Through the trees you will find a boat tied to the last flowering tre
e. Untie it and go north. The path will lead you to the riverside of the waterfall. It will take you all the way back down safely.”

  “How will we get your boat back to you?” Teddy asked.

  Chuckling, Sholeen answered. "Don't worry. We will send some of our older children to retrieve it later. Now be safe on your journey.”

  After hugs and farewells were exchanged, we followed Sholeen's instructions and headed through the grove of trees.

  “Thank goodness Sholeen told us about the nija ya maji. I don't think I could have handled walking back through that waterfall,” Charlotte said. We all nodded our heads in agreement.

  As we floated down the emerald waterway, the ruby-colored sun slowly rising, I felt a surge of pride knowing that my parents had made the right decision not to tell the foundation that they had found the tribe that they were looking for, plus a whole new group of people.

  When the journey was almost over, Bantu turned to Uru and said, “I would love to remain connected with you all, including visits, but I must go back. I have many things that I would like to accomplish. Many things that will help the lives of countless others in the future.”

  “I understand.” Uru nodded. “Go forth and do great things, my nephew.”

  By the time we made it back to our campgrounds, we were all eager to get back to the city. It was late afternoon, and we still had a few more hours of traveling to do.

  “What are you going to tell your mother?” Chris asked Bantu as they loaded our equipment onto the minibus.

  “I’m not going to say anything. I'm just going to give her this. This way she can take whatever she wants to take from it.”

  “Do you think it will give her peace?” Chris asked.

  “I think it will, knowing that her son is okay after all these years.”

  “Okay everyone let's go,” My dad said putting the camera bag into the back of the bus.

  Once on the main road, we each grew quiet, looking out the windows as the spots of grass slowly filled in the bare road. Small patches of grass peeking through cracks in the dirt road giving the ground a bit of artistic beauty. The closer we got to Fort Portal, the more narrow the road became and the heavier the traffic got.