Dreaming

Chapter one

Superstitious beliefs.

As an African child, superstitions were not hard to come by, in fact it was almost embedded into our lives, for a few, it was their life. Like the one I believed when I was younger, 'if you were sitting on the floor, and someone crossed you, you would become short.' I heard it, I believed it. In fact I would fight who ever crossed me, because I didn't want to become short.

I am, and forever be a proud African child, even if most of the people here were very very dangerous, and I don't mean, having guns and tracking them down and ending people's lives, that was too easy. But that's kind of my story, not really it, but something like it.

When I walked out of my room in the middle of the night, rubbing my eyes to rid them of the sleep I was deprived of, my destination was my mother's room, I wanted her to give me water, because I was not tall enough to reach it. I got to the room, it was dark, I didn't see anything, the only source of light was a sliver of the moon coming through the glass windows. My eight years old self, walked around the bed, I was here more than enough times to know where the part of the bed my mother laid on. I tapped it, it was empty, I blinked in confusion, why was my mother's side of the bed empty, I saw come in here after she already told me good night. I felt the side for my father, he was not there too, where did they go? Were my sisters alone in the house, I remembered my dad's elder sister, she was staying with us for the time being, I did not understand the reason for her appearance, but I didn't actually care. I headed to the room she was staying in, I wanted to tell her that my parents were missing, and also get her to give me water.

The place was pitch black, I placed one leg before the other, walking in a slow and steady pace, I did not want to trip and fall. I would have carried the Torchlight, but my immediate younger sister Tami, she loved hoarding the torch, it would be hard to collect it from her grip, so I decided to go with just my eyes. My mom would say,

"You don't have cat eyes." In my native language. I chuckled, because I thought it was just another superstition. About cats having great eye sights. I heard voices, my mom's voice, so I stopped to listen. I heard my mom's voice, I smiled in relief. I was going to open the door until I heard my dad's voice, it rang harshly,

"Just tell us whatever it is, it's midnight."

"Very well.." my aunt started. At this point I was eavesdropping, because I knew they were going to chase me out anyway.

"I had a dream, considering the way my dreams all have a meaning, I dare to think what meaning this one has." Her voice was grave as she spoke.

"Well what was it?" My dad asked impatiently. I heard my mom murmuring, probably begging him to be patient.

"She woke us up this midnight, to tell us a dream she had, and she is keeping us here without saying anything." He said harshly.

Mom didn't answer him, she let him in his impatience.

"Ibisiki, do you have any quarrel with anyone of recent?" She asked him.

"No I did not." He said.

I knew my dad, he was friendly to everyone, people respected him, loved him even. My dad, was one of the few people that was educated and had children who were getting an education. He also had a steady job, with a huge company. In our little village, Okrika, it was hard to find such men, so he was well respected.

"In my dream, you carried your fifth child, you were crying. She.. she.. was.." my aunt said. Their was silence. My heart was beating heavily in my chest. Another thing my father had asides a degree, was two wives. He had two wives, and six children, so I counted on my fingers, which child was the fifth. It was my mom's daughter, her third daughter. I was sweating heavily. I couldn't breathe. That was my baby sister.

"It was someone's doing, some person did that, I don't know why." She continued. My aunt was someone who could see things for people, I don't know what is called, but in her church, she saw visions for people.

My mom gasped, and started crying, my dad murmured something under his breath, I backed away from the door, and walked towards my parents room.

Doing this kinds of things, killing people, getting rich, all those kinds of things were done with the aid of traditional means, traditional worshippers, some call them idol worshippers. They made people's lives harder, and caused pains to stop them.

I heard my parents voices, talking in hush tones. I sat on the bed, taking deep breaths to calm me down, so that pretend. I dropped my eyes slightly, and rubbed them. I yawned the exact moment they walked in and the electricity was restored.

"Hey Theresa, why are you awake?" Mom asked me. I looked at her. She looked like she was going to cry again. And she didn't call me by my pet name, Tessa, she called my full name. I hugged her.

In my baby voice, I said

"Don't cry mommy, nothing is going to happen." I whispered the last part.

"I want water." I said when she released me. She smiled, and got me water.

When she tucked me back in, she sat on my bed and waited for me to fall asleep, but how could I? After what I heard? I pretended to sleep and she walked away. My siblings and I shared the same room, so I got up and went to Terra's baby crib. She slept soundly. I held her hand, her fingers wrapped around one of my fingers, I told her there and then that all the bad things some one was plotting against her, was going to turn around for her favour. I kissed her forehead and went to lie down on my bed.

My family were really really religious Christians, and that was how I was brought up. I heard my dad pray fervently, I smiled because when my dad prayed like that, it was over for them. My Terra was safe.

With that thought, I shut my eyes. Drifting into the land of sweet bliss.