Diondray's Discovery

by Marion Hill

  Those were the words Aunt Maxina had read to me in Ama’s Faddar. Seeing them on the page brought Oscar’s prophecy to life. I wondered if the prophecy was the real reason this history had been hidden in our city all these years? Did my family fear becoming believers in Kammbi?

  I was still having trouble understanding the act of passha and its consequences as well. Kammbi took this act of passha seriously, but from what I had read, I couldn’t get a reason why. I couldn’t help think that Kammbi wanted perfect followers and would punish them for any mistake they made. Did I even want to follow a god like that?

  I knew I would have to get a better understanding about the act of passha if I was going to fulfill Oscar’s prophecy.

  “We are beginning to make our descent into Santa Sophia,” the pilot announced over the intercom. “Diondray, please make sure you are secure in your seat belt. We will be landing shortly.”

  I took a deep breath and finished reading.

  Chapter 7

  THE AIRPLANE LANDED safely in Santa Sophia. The flight didn’t feel like four hours, since I was reading the Book of Kammbi most of the way. However, I was ready to stand up and walk around a bit.

  “Diondray, I hope you find what are you looking for in Santa Sophia,” Stayssia said as she approached me.

  “I do as well.”

  Stayssia smiled and replied, “I don’t know why Maxina wanted you to come here. I wish your stay to be a short one and that you return home very soon.”

  She embraced me, and it seemed like she knew I would not be returning to Charlesville anytime soon. I released myself from her embrace, knowing that Santa Sophia would be my new home.

  I RECEIVED MY SUITCASE when I got out of the airplane, and then I walked into the airport. It was enormous. Glass windows were everywhere, and the walkway had red and green squares that created an intricate pattern. The lighting was so bright I momentarily put my hands over my eyes. I guessed the people of Santa Sophia liked bright colors and lights.

  I saw a sign for the bus and walked in that direction. I exited the airport. An oversized, bright orange bus was parked in front of it. I had never seen an automobile that huge before. It was the size of three RKV-100s and could seat at least twenty-five people.

  “Going to the kahall?” the driver yelled as he opened the door to the bus.

  “Yes, how did you know?”

  “I was told be here at this time,” he said. He got up from his seat and exited the bus. “There was a flight coming from a city south of the Great Forest, and only one passenger would be arriving.”

  I nodded as he grabbed my suitcase.

  “Plus, I could tell you are from a city south of the Great Forest. No one dresses like that here in Santa Sophia.”

  He laughed as I followed him onto the bus. He placed my suitcase in the first seat behind him on the right side of the vehicle. I sat down in the seat next to it.

  “They don’t wear shorts in Santa Sophia?”

  “No! Mister?”

  “Azur. Diondray.”

  “No, Diondray Azur,” he replied and continued laughing. He had a deep laugh that came from his stomach. “You would freeze to death if you wore clothes like that all the time. I hope you have some long pants and long-sleeved shirts.”

  He closed the automobile’s door and drove away from the airport. I hoped Aunt Maxina had provided me with some clothes that I could wear here.

  “What city are you from?” the driver asked.

  “Charlesville.

  “Charlesville . . . hmm, I remember seeing your city on a map in school.”

  “A map?”

  “Yes. You don’t have maps in Charlesville?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  He laughed again and turned around to face me. “No maps in those cities south of the Great Forest? That’s surprising. I hope you didn’t grow up in a city that was behind the times.”

  The driver returned to his driving position and focused back on the road. Was Charlesville really “behind the times,” as he put it? I hoped this would not keep me from being accepted by the people of this city.

  “What is your city like?” the driver asked.

  “Well . . .”

  “Horacio.”

  “Horacio, Charlesville is my home, and the only place I’ve known. So it would be easy to tell you all the wonderful things about it. Like the food, the beach, and that I can wear shorts all year long.”

  Horacio chuckled and interjected, “Those shorts-wearing days are over.”

  He made a right turn, and I looked out the window to catch a view of the city. I noticed there were no people walking on the streets. Where was everyone?

  “Do people come outside?” I asked.

  “This is the beginning of the month of Lir. From now until the twenty-first day in the month of Aym, the people remain inside until the evening. We are honoring Oscar Ortega’s journey from the South Country to the Ortega Hills. “

  “The journey took fifty days.”

  Horacio turned around with a surprised look on his face. “Yes, it did! How did you know?”

  “I’ve been reading the Book of Kammbi.”

  “Did you get a copy at the airport?”

  “No, I have a copy with me.”

  Horacio turned quickly back to the road, but he sounded very interested. “There was a copy of the Book of Kammbi in Charlesville?”

  I nodded. Horacio was looking at me through the big mirror above him.

  “I don’t know if I can believe that.”

  “The Book of Kammbi was left there by Oscar Ortega. How else would I have a copy?” I began to open my suitcase. I pulled out the book and held it up for Horacio to see.

  “Great Kammbi!” he replied, still looking at me through the mirror.

  I saw the eyes raised in disbelief.

  He started to slow down the bus and pulled over off the road. “I have to see it.”

  Horacio stopped the vehicle and got out of his seat. I finally noticed his small stature. Horacio was about half of my height. However, he had oversized hands and broad shoulders that made up for his lack of size. Horacio’s most prominent feature was his thick mustache and beard that covered the bottom of his face.

  I handed him the Book of Kammbi, and the surprised look on his face revealed all I needed to know. If the people of Santa Sophia didn’t believe that Oscar had left the Book of Kammbi in Charlesville, then gaining acceptance here would not be an easy process. As I wasn’t different enough, I was all carrying an object that would be controversial.

  Horacio stared at the Book of Kammbi for several minutes before returning to driving. I thought we were going to have further conservation, but he remained quiet until we reached the kahall of Santa Sophia. That worried me too.

  “Here’s the kahall of Santa Sophia,” he said after parking. “May Kammbi be with you.”

  Horacio got up and grabbed my suitcase. He had a distant look on his face. “Do you know what this means, Diondray?” he said and grasped my shoulders with those oversized hands. His grip was strong.

  “What does it mean?”

  “Oscar’s prophecy may finally come true,” he replied. He shook my hand. “Go to the newcomer’s assistance area.”

  I nodded in acknowledgement.

  I FOLLOWED THE MAIN sidewalk to the entrance of the kahall. Overhead was the kahall’s reddish-orange, dome-shaped roof. The rays of the sun reflected off of it. I could only look at that roof for a few seconds before I had to lower my eyes.

  I reached the main entrance, where I heard a slow creaking sound as the door pulled back for me to enter.

  “Welcome to the kahall,” a man wearing a white shawl said. “Service is not for a couple of days. How can I help you?”

  The man’s smile was wide, stretching his mouth back toward his cheeks. His teeth were so white they appeared painted like a kid would do in a coloring book.

  “I’m looking for newcomer’s assistance?” I asked.

  �
��Newcomer’s assistance. Are you from another kahall?”

  “I just arrived from Charlesville. I’m Diondray Azur.”

  The man seemed startled by my comment. “Charlesville . . . you said?”

  “Yes. It’s south of the Great Forest. Have you heard of it?”

  “I have heard your city mentioned before, Diondray,” he replied. “Follow me.”

  The man led the way further into the kahall and turned right after a few steps that led to another hallway. It was dark inside. There were little flames of light encased in cylindrical cases every few steps. And there was music playing softly as well. I didn’t know where it came from.

  “ I have been told that someone would arrive here today, unexpectedly. I was to have a room ready for that person. I believe I just found out whom that person is,” the man said as he stopped at a door on the right side of the hallway. He opened the door and continued, “You can rest here for the evening. I will bring you dinner later.”

  “I’m going to stay here?” I asked.

  “I will find out before evening has ended,” he replied. If that’s the case, I’m Second Esperah Leo Carranza. May your stay in Santa Sophia be welcoming.”

  He left the room.

  THE ROOM WAS SPACIOUS. The bed occupied the left side of the room and had a red blanket covering it. Opposite the bed was a long, rectangular window and a desk underneath. The wall between the bed and the window had a painting of a man floating in the air. There was a white glow surrounding him and the words, He’s always with us.

  I dropped my suitcase next to the desk and walked over to the painting. I touched it, and it felt rough, like a shell rock on the beach. I looked at the man, at his bearded face and large eyes. I felt like he was staring back at me. I knew it was Kammbi.

  There was a knock on the door. I turned around, and Second Esperah Carranza came into the room.

  “Dinner,” he said and placed the plate on the desk. “I don’t know what you eat in Charlesville. But I hope this meal will be similar to what you’ve had.”

  “Thank you.”

  Second Esperah Carranza stood back from the desk with his fingers intertwined on his chin. “Kammbi, may you bless this meal that Diondray will eat, and may you give him guidance while he’s here in Santa Sophia,” he said softly.

  I sat down. On my plate were fish, a bunch of red circular things with long stems, and a green leaf of some type. It didn’t look that much different from what I ate back home.

  “I’ve heard the people south of the Great Forest love fish and fruit. Well, we don’t eat a lot of fish here in Santa Sophia, but I was able to get this for you. The fish we do eat comes from the city of Alicia. Hopefully, the fish and cherries will remind of your city.”

  “I will let you know how it tastes.”

  He smiled at me and turned to leave the room. “I will return in a while to collect the plate. Enjoy.”

  I ate the fish first. It had a flaky texture that I could easily chew. Its aroma was not as strong as the bluefish I regularly ate. I wondered if the fisherman or whoever had cooked this meal was able to wash out the fishy smell somehow. Overall, it was very good. I was relieved to know there was at least one food item I could eat here in Santa Sophia.

  I tried the red fruit with the long stem. I spit it out after a couple of bites. The fruit was not sweet like a mango, and my teeth bit into a seed. I bit into the green leaf and found it tasted like paper. I needed flavor in my food, and I would never eat this green leaf again.

  Second Esperah Carranza returned to the room a couple of hours later. He was still dressed in his shawl and carried a lamp in his right hand. “You didn’t eat much of the cherries and the verde lettuce,” he said after placing the lamp next to the desk.

  “Not for me. But I love the fish.”

  He grabbed the plate and said, “I’m glad at least the fish was enjoyable for you. I will return in the morning for breakfast, and after that you will get to meet Diakono Copperwith. I’ve been told that this room was set-up for you. You will live here while you are in Santa Sophia.”

  Second Esperah Carranza intertwined his hands again and bowed before he left the room. He was as formal as the CRG guards who patrolled back home. Did he ever relax outside of his duties? Or did Kammbi expect people like him to act that way all the time? I decided I would like to talk to him and find out more about his duties here at the kahall Also, they knew I was supposed to arrive here like Aunt Maxina mentioned in the letter. How long had this arrangement been planned?.

  It was time for my first night of sleep outside of Charlesville. Tomorrow would be a new day and a chance to get a better idea of how I was going to fulfill Oscar’s prophecy.

  I WOKE UP TO THE SUN’S glare in the room. I got dressed and walked over to the desk. I had placed pencil, paper, and the Book of Kammbi on the desk before I went to bed. I was looking forward to writing my first themily here in Santa Sophia.

  Second Esperah Carranza came into the room with breakfast a few minutes later. He was carrying a plate in his right hand. I could see a thin, circular white piece of bread covering the entire plate. There were sliced cherries, corn, and strips of meat mixed together on top of the bread. I had never seen that combination of foods mixed together before—but it didn’t look bad. The meal’s presentation was colorful and interesting.

  “I thought you should try one of main dishes here in Santa Sophia for your next meal,” Second Esperah Carranza said as he placed the plate on the desk.

  “What is it?”

  “A changa,” he answered. “One of our favorite foods here.”

  Second Esperah Carranza smiled and waited for me to try it. The aroma from the plate opened up my nostrils, and I picked up the plate from the desk.

  “Roll the edges of the bread over the ingredients and lift it off the plate.”

  I followed his instruction and took a bite. It was delicious. The tartness of the cherries balanced out the textures of the corn and strips of meat.

  “I knew you would like it. Changas are mostly eaten for breakfast here in Santa Sophia.”

  I nodded as I took a bigger bite of the changa.

  “Is that the Book of Kammbi?” he asked.

  “Yes, it is,” I replied after swallowing my latest bite. “It came with me from Charlesville.”

  “Oh my!”

  “This copy of the Book of Kammbi has been in my city since Oscar’s expedition when he attempted to reconcile with his son, Charles. I just found out about that a couple months back when my Aunt Maxina showed me where it had been all these years.” I put the changa down on the desk as I spoke.

  Second Esperah Carranza stared at the Book of Kammbi like was going to put a hole through it. “May I touch it?” he asked in a soft voice.

  “Sure,” I said and handed him the book.

  He didn’t grab it but touched the cover with his fingers. “Oh, my! Diakono Copperwith was right all this time. He believed there was a copy of the Book of Kammbi south of Great Forest.”

  “I don’t understand. I just read in the Book of Kammbi that Oscar came south of the Great Forest to reconcile with Charles. It says he left a copy of the Book of Kammbi before returning back here. You have copies of the book here and read it, don’t you? Do the people of Santa Sophia not believe those words written?”

  Second Esperah Carranza removed his fingers from the Book of Kammbi. I clutched the book in my hand to keep it from falling to the floor.

  “Unfortunately, not all do.” He lowered his eyes after that comment and intertwined his fingers.

  “Do the people of Santa Sophia truly believe in Oscar’s prophecy?”

  “Not a lot of us, Diondray. Maybe you are truly here to change that.”

  Chapter 8

  SECOND ESPERAH CARRANZA led me out of the newcomer’s assistance area and back through the main entrance of the kahall. The lights were still on even though it was daylight. Did they ever burn out? We reached outside and turned left on a sidewalk that took us
around the east side of the kahall.

  “Diakono Copperwith’s office is a little walk from here. Good thing it’s a nice day outside. The heat from the months of Yul and Gus are still some time away,” he commented.

  “It’s hot in Charlesville all year round.”

  “I could tell by what you are wearing, Diondray. I hope you have some longer clothes in your suitcase.”

  “I stand out by wearing shorts.”

  Second Esperah Carranza looked back at me and gave a small smile. “Yes.”

  It was the first time I had seen him smile. This was a chance to get to know him better. Trayvonne would tell me never trust a person who didn’t smile. That meant they were always thinking and living inside their head. It was not good for anyone to live like that, and it could make you go crazy if you did it long enough.

  We reached another building adjacent to the main entrance of the kahall. Second Esperah Carranza opened the door and was greeted by a tall man with blond hair and a blond mustache. I felt his presence as soon as I came into the office. Second Esperah Carranza intertwined his fingers and bowed before the tall man.

  “Diakono Copperwith, this is Diondray Azur of Charlesville.”

  “Welcome, Diondray,” Diakono Copperwith said as walked up to me.

  His presence made me take a step back. However, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into an embrace.

  “I believe we have our second person from south of the Great Forest here at kahall of Santa Sophia, Second Esperah Carranza,” he continued and released me from his embrace.

  “Second person from south of the Great Forest? Has someone else come before me?”

  There was a long black sofa against the wall on the left side of the room. Diakono Copperwith motioned for me to sit. He sat on the opposite end. Second Esperah Carranza stood solemnly upright next to the door of Diakono Copperwith’s office.