The Bridge Home

by Matthew Williams

  They stared at each other for a long moment before Akiiki turned to the guards.

  “Leave us,” he said quietly. The two guards looked at each other and hesitantly exited the room.

  With his hands tied behind his back, Lael struggled awkwardly to his feet as Akiiki moved closer.

  “I have been advised by men whose advice I hold in great esteem to lock you away for the rest of your life,” Akiiki said, looking Lael in the eye. “Others have tried to convince me that death is the only punishment suitable for your crimes.”

  Lael looked at him with a cold defensive stare. “Then get it over with,” his voice was dry and tired.

  Akiiki studied Lael.

  “Not long ago I dreamt of killing you myself, but seeing you here I am curious, what happened to you that day? The day I escaped?”

  Lael eyed him suspiciously before he spoke. “When we were attacked at the market, I was separated from my men and badly beaten. Somehow, through many painful days and nights, I made my way back to my village. When I got there, many of the village elders shunned me for what I had done. Neither Farajii or Nassor had returned and when I told them of Zikomo’s death, they held a vote and banished me from the village.”

  “I see,” Akiiki said. “Where did you go from there?”

  “I wandered through the desert on the brink of death, living off the generosity of small villages and strangers. That is where your men found me. I suppose it is all I can expect, to die at the hands of another when I have taken so many lives with my own hands. I cannot tell you I regret taking your father’s life, because it was a decision I made in the face of anger and fear. But now that you are a man, I will tell you I am sorry. A son should never have to suffer for the choices of his father.”

  “I have another question for you, it is the same one I asked you all those years ago. I hope now you have a better answer.”

  Lael gave him a curious look.

  “Why did you kill my father?”

  Lael eyes widened and he took a moment to gather his thoughts. “When you live in the brush you are taught the ways of those that have survived before you. Revenge is one of the first lessons you are taught as a child. I have seen children fight over the simplest things out of revenge. I was a young man with the weight of a tribe on my shoulders and under that pressure I reverted to the ways of a child. I thought that by taking revenge against your father I would put an end to the devastation of my village, which would bring me closure and ease my mind. I convinced myself that any man who cared so little about the people of the brush was not worthy of my sympathy.”

  “And did it? Bring you closure?” Akiiki asked.

  “No. It only made my thoughts darker and more poisonous. That night at the palace, I had planned to kill your father and mother, to ensure that the leadership of the kingdom would suffer dramatically, but when I broke into your father’s room and he rushed to protect your mother, I realized he was no different than any other man who wished to protect his family. The look of fear and sadness on your mother’s face made it impossible for me to kill her.”

  His admission flooded Akiiki with a rage that seeped into his heart, urging him towards violence. He tightened his fist and exhaled.

  “After our raid I suppressed my doubt and shame because to face it would have been too much for me to bear. Youth is stubborn and strong, and I was able to hold onto my anger for many years before I finally had to accept my mistake. I blindly killed and caused pain to so many because I saw men as opponents to my tribe’s wellbeing. That night I saw the truth. Your father was not evil, nor was he my opponent, he was a man trying to protect his family,” a tear came to his eye before he blinked, and it disappeared. “I know I do not deserve forgiveness because it took me too long to find forgiveness in my own heart, but the burden of death weighs heavy in my heart.”

  Akiiki paused and studied the look on Lael’s face. “I forgive you.”

  With wide eyes, Lael stared at Akiiki “Why?”

  “I forgive you because I know if I allow my anger towards you to fester, I will end up no better than you. To honor my father, I must find it within myself to live a life not of anger but of hope.”

  Lael fell silent and his eyes dropped to the floor in front of him.

  Akiiki continued. “It is hope that has led me to my decision about your future.”

  Lael looked back up at Akiiki.

  “Think carefully about what I say, your decision will be final. I know your reputation. I know you have lived a life based on fear and intimidation, but I also know you were once a good man who did for his people what he believed was best, even if it came at a personal cost. My father once taught me that it is not a person’s actions that make him good or bad, but his reasons for acting. If you are willing to submit to a new role in your life, I could use you as a member of my council, to debate the course of action this kingdom should take on all matters big and small.”

  Lael paused and a silence fell over the room.

  “After all I have done to you, you are asking me to be a part of the royal council?” Lael asked.

  “Yes. I need someone who will give me not the truth I want, but the truth I cannot see. I believe you can be that voice. It will also set a future of forgiveness and understanding for the kingdom, and a future based on forgiveness and understanding ensures less anger and hate. What do you say?”

  “I would be honored to serve on your council,” Lael said as he dropped down onto a knee. “Thank you, your grace, I will not disappoint you.”

  Akiiki nodded silently before turning to the door. He knocked twice, and the door opened. The guards stepped into the room and flanked him on either side.

  “Take him to a guest room. See that he is given bath water and fresh clothes. Stand guard outside his room until I call for him,” Akiiki said to the two men. They nodded and Akiiki walked out of the dark room and back into the sunlight. With a deep breath, he listened to the song of the cool breeze as it helped relieve the final bit of tension he had kept locked away in his heart.

  ***

  A soft familiar morning greeted Akiiki as he woke peacefully. He turned carefully in his bed and kissed his wife softly on the shoulder. Kamani stirred in her sleep as he carefully rolled out of bed.

  Their marriage had been the first of its kind in the palace, a king and a servant, a pairing for-bidden for generations. But now, he was her servant and she was his queen.

  The cold floor sent a chill up his spine as he walked across the room and grabbed his small pouch from the table. Without making a sound, he slipped out of the room and closed the door.

  He walked quietly through the sleeping palace and made his way down the steps of the royal cemetery where he paused and looked out over the ocean. The sound of distant rolling waves and the smell of salt in the air brought a smile to his face.

  Once he reached his father’s grave, he knelt and poured the contents of his pouch onto the wet grass.

  Guided by experience, he set up his fireboard and drill and began to rub his hands together down the drill. The world within him fell silent as his hands, calloused from years of use, strained against the wood. He looked out over the horizon as the soothing breeze of morning welcomed him with its song. Closing his eyes, he let the song work around and through him, clearing his mind with its beautifully sweet notes.

  Eventually the breeze died down and left only a peaceful silence that allowed him to focus deeper within himself. He felt the beating of the earth under his feet, and as it grew stronger, resonating through his heart and body, he smiled and opened his eyes to the beauty of the world.

  Tears filled his eyes as he lost himself in a flood of experiences, of a past that stretched into the future and a future that longed for the past. Once the torrent of life within him subsided into its normal slowly flowing river, he sighed and watched the smoke rise from his fireboard. The light tapping of small feet on the stairs behind him, broke his concentration and h
e turned as his daughter ran toward him.

  “Daddy!” she yelled in a voice more beautiful and perfect than the song of love itself.

  She fell upon him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “When are you going to teach me how to make a fire?” she asked.

  He smiled at her. “When you are older.”

  She gently pushed away from him and frowned. “You always say that.”

  He looked into her eyes, and even in the dim grey early morning light, the sparkle in her eyes shone brighter than any star. For a moment he became lost in the depth of her gaze, his soul drowning under the weight of her innocence.

  “Daddy?” she said softly. “Are you ok?”

  “Of course. I was only thinking about how much I love you,” he said as he pulled her close.

  Kamani stood at the bottom of the stairs and smiled softly at him.

  “Mommy says it is time to eat.”

  They separated and Akiiki packed up his tools and reached a hand out towards his daughter.

  “Now, Queen Nailah, will you escort me to the dining hall?”

  She smiled at him and took his hand in hers. “Of course, right this way.”

  “Have I ever told you the story of the sun and the moon?” he asked as they approached the stairs.

  She shook her head.

  He began to tell the story, and with his hand in hers, he let her light guide him through the darkness and storms he faced throughout the rest of his life.

  Shout Outs

  Mom and Dad, there is no way I can pay you back, but my plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated…….

  Emma and Courtney, this doesn’t get done without you.

  ScubaSteve, Valafar, Vishus, Fuak, I needed those nights.

  To my Victory family, always aim for the stars, that way if you miss you’ll end up on the moon.

  Any art produced is just a reorganization of art consumed. Nipsey Hussle, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Meek Mills, Kendrick Lamar, Lebron James, Samuel Delany, E-40, Dom Kennedy, Murs, Ta-neshi Coates, Eminem, OutKast, UGK, Rakim, Kobe Bryant, Wu-tang Clan, Lil Wayne, Justin Cronin, N. K. Jemsin, Patrick Rothfuss, Will Smith and countless others, thank you.

  Juvenile, thanks for one of the greatest rap songs ever, ha.

  R.I.P. Mac Dre, Tupac and Afeni Shakur, Biggie, JMJ, Pimp C, Herman Hesse, Ralph Ellison. Death can never silence the truly influential.

  And finally, to anyone who has ever helped me laugh, learn, or love, thank you.