by Marion Hill
“My son, I’m so sorry,” she said with her arms open wide for an embrace.
I didn’t move from my seat at the table. “Have I become a criminal to you?”
She sat down across from me. “It was Xavier, not me. I would never have my child placed in a cell like this. These are for the ants you have decided to live amongst.”
“So the head guard lied to me?” I said with anger rising in my voice.
“He didn’t lie, he’s just wrong. I told Xavier about our last conversation, and he got angry with you. He wanted to teach you a lesson. I thought he would demand you return home. I never thought he would have you placed here—and then blame it on me.”
“Why would you tell him about our conversation?”
“My son, you know that Charles and Mother Adrianna have been held in high regard for our entire history. Their place in our city is sacred and can’t be changed.”
“How I do know that? I don’t understand why you never taught me about this other history. Why hide it?”
The tears streamed across her cheeks. “You don’t understand! And you are the sign of the Water Bearer, and that makes you an agent of change. If you begin to believe in that history . . .” she said and placed her hands over her mouth.
“What does my sign from the life chart have to do with this?”
Mother rose from the table. “My son, I beg of you, please don’t believe in what you have been told.”
“Get me out of here.”
“I can’t,” she said as she started to leave. “Only Xavier can decide that.”
“What? He’s your brother and has put me here for no good reason. You and I both know you control a lot of what happens in this city. Have him get me out of here, Mother.”
“I can’t . . . my son,” she replied and left the cell.
I banged my hand on the table in frustration. Why didn’t she want to believe in this alternate history? What did the life chart have to do with it? How long would Uncle Xavier keep me here?
SEVEN DAYS PASSED AFTER Mother’s visit, and I grew weary of being in the holding cell. I asked the first guardsman who brought me lunch and dinner about any contact from my family. He said there was nothing to report. Uncle Xavier had decided to punish me for what I’d read at Aliki Park—with arrest, imprisonment, and the silent treatment. I missed standing at the podium doing my themily readings. I liked looking at the audience’s faces for their reaction. I missed hanging out with Trayvonne as well.
At this point, I was still unsure about who put me here: Mother or Uncle Xavier. I could believe it was Uncle Xavier more than Mother. However, I remembered the way she had looked at me when I was in her room. The coldness I’d felt from her revealed something deeper in Mother’s personality that I didn’t know existed. She was willing to protect the history of Charles and Mother Adrianna even at the cost of her own child.
And what did my sign as a Water Bearer have to do with it? She knew I never fully believed in that stuff. That was from the old culture. No one on the west side followed their life charts; the immigration from Terrance had affected local beliefs too strongly. Those immigrants believed in multiple gods and I heard about the one named Megaro, that came from Kammara Sea.
Those old beliefs had become a conversation piece at parties or other social events. You would say, “I’m a sign of the Porpoise,” meaning you were born in the month of Carm, the third month; or “I’m a sign of the Ox,” meaning you were born in the month of Aym, the fifth month; or “I’m a sign of the Stingray,” meaning you were born in the month of Veme, the eleventh month. No one attached any real meaning to it. But the east siders, including mother and Uncle Xavier, held on to those old beliefs.
The cell door opened, and the head guard entered the cell. He placed paper and a pencil in the table in front of me.
“You are not supposed to have this,” he said tersely. “However, I’ve heard about your themilies from some of those folks at Aliki Park. I think you deserve to keep working on them.”
“Thanks.”
He gave a slight smile. “You are welcome. I’m sure you have a lot of frustration and need a release.”
I laughed as he left the cell. It felt good to finally laugh.
I PREFER CLARITY OVER agreement. I prefer disagreement rather than blindly accepting history or what I have been taught as truth. I prefer discussion amongst those I disagree with over punishing others because they differ with me.
Those were the first words I wrote in the holding cell. Simple as they were, it took several hours for them to come out. The head guard was correct—I needed a release.
I worked for several more hours on the themily. It was about having clarity and how the memory of the past can be altered from what really happened. What other history had my family kept away from the people? I was starting to question everything I had been taught as a child.
I heard the cell open, and I looked up from writing.
“Hello, my nephew,” Aunt Maxina said with a troubled look on her face. “It’s time to leave.”
“Leave?”
“Xavier may be the ruler of this city. But I’m his sister, and my nephew should never have been locked into a holding cell like a criminal.”
“How?”
“Don’t worry about that, my nephew. Gather your things, and let’s get out of here. Time is limited.”
I grabbed my paper and writing instrument and followed her out of the cell. I didn’t know how she got Uncle Xavier to release me. But I was glad she had.
“Thank you, Aunt Maxina,” I said as we walked out the building. I glanced at the guard who guarded my cell and could see the shocked look on his face. He didn’t believe I was supposed to leave that holding cell so soon.
“I have something to tell you, my nephew,” she said as we reached the automobile that was parked in front of the building.
I searched her face and noticed that same troubled look from earlier.
“You will have to leave Charlesville.”
“Leave Charlesville?”
“Xavier doesn’t know I got you out,” Aunt Maxina continued. She clasped my hands. “I’ve tried every means possible to get you out of there. Xavier was born under the sign of the Ox and is extremely stubborn. He wanted to keep you in that cell until you apologized to him for mentioning that history to those people at the park.”
Aunt Maxina’s eyes watered while she was talking. This was the first time I’d ever seen her show emotion.
“I knew I had to get you out. Even if it means jeopardizing my own future.”
She placed my hands on her cheeks, where I felt her tears. I felt closer to Aunt Maxina at that moment than at any other time I could remember.
“This automobile will take you to the airport. There is a flight to Santa Sophia waiting for you. I don’t know if I will ever see you again, my nephew. But I want you to know I love you like my own son, and your words spoken at the park are finally coming true. Truth is freedom.”
She released my hands and opened the automobile’s door. “There’s something inside you will need for your journey. “
I got inside the automobile and closed the door. I looked to my left, and on the seat beside me was the Book of Kammbi.
Chapter 6
THE DRIVER FOR THE automobile Aunt Maxina had arranged for me whisked through the streets of the west side in order to get to the airport as quickly as possible. I found out his name was Keevah, and he had been a friend of Aunt Maxina for many years. I didn’t know she had a friend who was a driver and could help her in a situation like this. Apparently, unlike my mother, Aunt Maxina would form relationships with “the help.”
I asked him about Santa Sophia. He knew nothing about the city other than where my flight was going to take me. Since I could only see the back of his blow-out hair, I wondered if he knew the danger of helping me escape Charlesville.
What will I do in that city? How am I going to live? Did Aunt Maxina arrange for me to be taken care of?
My mind raced with questions.
I grabbed the Book of Kammbi that was lying on the seat beside me. A piece of paper fell out it. I pulled the paper close to me. It read:
My nephew, I know you have a lot of questions at this moment. You are leaving home and wondering why. You will get the answer to that question when you arrive in Santa Sophia. I have some instructions for you. Please follow them.
First, you will need to read the Book of Kammbi on your flight to Santa Sophia. You will need to learn about Oscar Ortega and what he did for this land. His story is covered in the Baramesa section of the Book of Kammbi. Baramesa means “promise,” and there are seven books in that section.
Second, you must go to the kahall of Santa Sophia when you arrive. You will meet with someone there who will take care of your living arrangements. You will not have to worry about how you are going to live.
Third, I want you to know that I will be all right even if Xavier finds out that I helped you escape Charlesville. I believe you are the one who will unite this land as one, and the Great Forest will not be a barrier between us anymore. However, you must be accepted as one of their own. Their approval of you will be critical if you are to fulfill Oscar’s prophecy.
I love you, my nephew. Truth is freedom.
I folded the paper and placed it back into the Book of Kammbi. Aunt Maxina had embraced this alternate history and the beliefs of this book. I hadn’t known there was a connection between Santa Sophia and Charlesville. If I fulfilled Oscar’s prophecy, would the people of our city become believers in Kammbi?
KEEVAH OPENED THE AUTOMOBILE door once we arrived at the airport. I noticed he had a suitcase in his left hand.
“Good luck, and may Ama be with you,” he said and handed me the suitcase.
I grabbed the suitcase and opened it to place the Book of Kammbi inside. The automobile’s door closed, and it dawned on me that I was leaving Charlesville. Keevah drove away, and I walked into the airport.
A CRG guard greeted me after I entered the building. He had a stern look on his face, and his thick eyebrows accentuated his displeasure.
“Follow me, Mr. Azur,” he said sharply.
I obeyed his instruction and, moments later, reached the boarding area for my flight.
“May Ama be with you,” the guard said and left the boarding area.
I watched him walk away and wondered what kind of trouble he would be in when Uncle Xavier found out he had helped me leave the city. Aunt Maxina must have planned my departure days ago in order to get a driver, a guard, and a flight for me. Who knew she could wield that kind of power?
“Hello, bro.”
I turned around in surprise and saw Trayvonne with his reassuring smile. He had a new woman with him as well.
“I’m here to see you off,” he told me.
“Aunt Maxina told you about this arrangement?”
“Yes, she planned this while you were in the holding cell,” he replied. “She’s a believer in that Book of Kammbi.”
“She is indeed,” I replied.
We shook hands and embraced. He was my only real friend, and I would miss him a lot.
“Before you go, I want you to meet Anissa. I told her everything about you and this arrangement.”
Anissa smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you finally. May Ama be with you.”
I nodded. Trayvonne, I realized, would never settle down with one woman. He had first choice of all the women on the west side and could get rid of this latest one once he got bored with her and have a new one the next day. Anissa was short and voluptuous, as he liked them, but had light-green eyes that contrasted nicely with her caramel-colored complexion. She was the prettiest woman I had seen him with so far.
“Truth brings freedom, bro.”
“It does, Trayvonne.”
We shook hands and embraced. I knew that was the last time I would see my best friend.
AS I SETTLED INTO MY seat, I realized I was the only passenger on the airplane. I remembered when I traveled to the cities of Terrance and Walter’s Grove as a kid. Flying on the plane delighted me then and made me want to be a pilot after each flight.
However, I did not have those feelings as I prepared to leave Charlesville.
A woman wearing a yellow blouse and green shorts approached me from the front of the airplane.
“Mr. Azur,” she said.
“Yes.”
“I’m Stayssia, your flight assistant for this trip to Santa Sophia. The flight will take about four hours. Once we are safely in the air, I will bring your meal. Sit back and enjoy the flight.” She smiled and turned back toward the front of the airplane.
I opened my suitcase and pulled out the Book of Kammbi. I had to follow Aunt Maxina’s instructions. I hoped I would understand what I read and that the belief system in this book—the belief system of the lands north of the Great Forest, where I was heading—would make some kind of sense to me.
“All systems have been checked, and we ready are for takeoff,” a voice said. It sounded like it came from through a stereo speaker. It must have been the pilot.
Good-bye, Charlesville. Will I ever return to you?
A FEW MINUTES AFTER liftoff, I started reading the Book of Kammbi. It was divided into two sections: Ryianza (meaning “covenant”) and Baramesa (meaning “promise”). There were seven chapters in each section. The Ryianza chapters covered the origin and life of Kammbi, while the Baramesa chapters covered the origin and life of Oscar Ortega.
I saw a folded corner on one of the pages at the beginning of the Baramesa section. Aunt Maxina must have used that folded corner as a page maker for herself. Or was it for me?
The first two chapters described how Oscar Ortega left his homeland in the South Country in order to follow Kammbi’s command. He received a vision one morning before going to work. Then a voice said, “Oscar Ortega, I have chosen you to establish a new land that will worship and honor me. You must leave everything behind in order to do it.”
Oscar didn’t know where that voice came from. But it spoke to him each morning for seven days until he agreed to follow its command. I wondered if his family, especially his wife, thought Oscar had gone mad when he told them about that voice and what he had to do.
However, the Book of Kammbi didn’t record that conversation between Oscar and Sophia or his other family members. The first chapter ended with him leaving the South Country with only a single bag of clothes. It seemed to me that Kammbi wanted his followers to obey him without question. Also, that they must trust him completely.
The second chapter recorded the journey from the South Country to the Ortega Hills. A couple of items stood out for me. The journey took fifty days, and Oscar learned about something called “the Eternal Comforter.” I didn’t totally understand what the Eternal Comforter was. It seemed that when Oscar confessed his belief in Kammbi, he received the Eternal Comforter as a gift. Was it a spirit? Another god?
The other item that stood out to me was when Oscar reached the Great Forest. He was traveling through the forest, being guided by the Eternal Comforter, when trouble came. A couple of huge black cats surrounded Oscar. They were getting ready to pounce on him when a brown-spotted leopard jumped onto one of those black cats, knocking it away from Oscar in the nick of time. The other black cat continued toward its prey, but a strong wind lifted it away from him.
After that ordeal, the brown-spotted cat returned to Oscar. At first, he thought the cat wanted to attack him too. However, Oscar realized the leopard was friendly, and he saw the bruises it had received in the fight with the first black cat.
The leopard approached Oscar and lifted his head to show a shiny tag around its neck. Oscar read the tag and learned the leopard’s name Reuel. Reuel meant friendship, and from that day they were inseparable.
“Your aunt told me this was your favorite meal,” Stayssia said, interrupting my reading.
I looked up. She had brought mango bread, bluefish, and mango juice. Bless Aunt Maxina. I didn’
t know what they ate in the north, but I could guess this would be the last time I ate my favorite meal.
“Enjoy,” she said and walked away.
I sure would. I hoped that Santa Sophia would have food as good as this meal.
After I ate, Stayssia came back to take my plate and clean the tray. She said we would be landing in two hours and that the pilot would make an announcement as the plane made its descent into the city.
Two hours until I reached my new home. I still had an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but the reality of my situation was starting to take hold. I pondered whether Oscar Ortega had the same kind of feelings when he left the South Country. Or did he totally trust in Kammbi?
I returned to reading the Book of Kammbi. Chapter 3 was the shortest in the Baramesa so far. It highlighted Oscar’s expedition into the cities north of the Great Forest: Santa Teresa, Alicia, and Issabella. The next three chapters would go into greater detail about his expedition into each those of the cities.
The last chapter in the Baramesa grabbed my attention. It was Oscar’s return trip to Charlesville. He attempted to reconcile with Charles, but he already knew that Kammbi wouldn’t allow it because of his act of passha with Mother Adrianna.
Oscar Ortega was devastated by the banishment of Adrianna and Charles from the tribe. He prayed to Kammbi for reconciliation with her and his son. Kammbi refused his request for reconciliation because of his act of passha with her. There had to be consequences for that action.
However, Oscar’s repentance allowed another way to be established for reconciliation by Kammbi. Oscar wrote these words that he heard from the Eternal Comforter: “Because of your obedience in leaving your homeland to come to a new land, I will continue to make your name great. Even though you have lost a child due to your act of passha, you will have a descendant who will unite the entire land. And the people will believe that Kammbi is the Lord of all. Those who have always believed in me and those who didn’t believe in me will create a new people, establishing peace and sanctification throughout this land.”
