Sam stood by Darla’s window. For all he knew, he couldn’t
believe that she could forget him. He had always been there at every turn, but
she never seemed to retain his memory. He watched him sleep like a creep in the
middle of the night, wishing and hoping for an opportunity to present itself.
“Maybe you should just introduce yourself; this is taking
too long.” His father chimed those the mind link. “How long will you
accidentally bump into her or watch her sleep, son.” He grunted and pushed a
loud exasperated sigh.
Everyone was growing impatient with him, but there were
rules he couldn’t break, or it will all be worthless. He seemed to be the only
one following Magdalena’s instructions anymore. Everyone just wanted everything
to be over with. He did too, but not recklessly.
Three thousand years, they’ve waited. A few more years is
nothing. A decade will be daunting, but he could wait. He had only one shot at
this and wouldn’t miss out on it.
Over the Awkarat mountains, smoke emanated from a single
chimney, a hidden way beneath the mountains only the birds and wild animals
knew. Inside, Magdalena was at work, carrying the community by her shoulders.
She had grown stronger and wiser over the years, but also she had grown old,
for she wasn’t like the other community members. She was human and couldn’t age
as they did.
The Nijnelak were faster, organized, and extremely native
only the forest knew them. It comprises two tribes who, according to ancient
Nijneleka history, a family arguably made a pact two separate each of their
daughters to create two different tribes they could lead and educate on a
different way of life.
The two then went far west to the land rich in honey and
water, where the sun rose early and set early, a land higher than the other.
The two had heard about the land with no start or end, filled with animals and
no humans.
They moved there and hid among nature. And for centuries,
they had thrived in their ecosystem until ten thousand years ago, when
Magdalena had ridden through the village only to find the community not as it
was. She had had a long conversation with Sam’s grandfather and had left soon
after, never to be seen again until today.
What they discussed caused wrinkles on Chief Taita’s face
the next morning g, and his face has never been smoother again. Sam had since
grown, and his grandfather had long gone, and now, as Chief Taita III, he still
remembers his stories. Of course, now he knows they are not just stories but a
detailed history of what happened and what he must do after.
There was nothing, however, that he could do without the
woman destined to fight alongside him. He slept every single day for as long as
he could remember, dreaming of the beautiful girls with skin darker than the
ripest on a bunch of juicy Mingililonik. The woman who will bear a son for him,
who would have the softness of her heart and the strongest of his.
Sam thought back to how his grandfather had split firewood
with so much strength he couldn’t fathom.
“Iromob, why do you grow old every CENTURY and yet still
chop firewood better than my day? He is strong but doesn’t do it like you.” His
Iromob laughed at the small boy, even though he could chop firewood, but all he
did was watch his elders do the job.
“Do you see how you are sitting there, Nuynirew? That is
exactly how your father was. He would sit there every day watching me work, but
I never asked him to join me or help. So he never practiced. He just learned.”
Sam was momentarily lost before he understood what his Iromob
was saying.
“Why?”
“Because he is destined for greater things. I don’t object
that he learns, but not everything you learn your practices.”
Sam thought briefly as he watched his grandfather’s axe
work. The firewood had piled up now, enough to last a few days. As he put the
last of the firewood, he collapsed. Without his IROMOB’s stealthiness, he would
have hurt his wings, which hadn’t been heard from his last careless streak.
That was the first time he dreamt about his sweet Darla. She
smiled at him and called his name, which made him lose his balance. He had
never felt a strong emotion like that before. Everyone in the house comes scrambling
outside. The guards were on high alert before his Iromob showed away. His
Ognomab and Nohcurok knelt beside him, asking all sorts of questions.
His mother was practically about to peep through his mouth
to confirm if his organs were bleeding.
“Get away, mum. I am a man now. You cannot keep doing that.”
“Do not disrespect me, young boy. Just because you are no
longer a Tetegn doesn’t mean you aren’t my child. Anyway, what happened to you?
Why did you fall?”
Sam shook his head, trying to remember the girl who had
knocked his wings out of his back. He quickly acted normal and scrambled away,
leaving everyone calling after him. He was not about to explain to his parents
that he thinks he now thinks of girls that way.
Later that night, while he sat by the chicken coop, throwing
them pellets, his Iromob came and sat next to him and began telling him about a
story of a man who slept at night and saw a woman he was destined to marry.
“The gods chose the woman for him, and he was to wait for as
long as it took for her. But after a thousand years of waiting, he couldn’t
wait any longer. He was consumed by rage and lust, and he lost him one chance for
true love.”
“It was foretold before his time that a woman will be sent
for every Tairotial before he ascends the throne, to bear him a son for the
next generation of the Nijnelek, and when the time of despair reaches, they
will send a woman they called Jezebel, who will fight alongside their
Tairotial, and defeat the Isomehc, to save his people.”
“No one had ever disobeyed the Gods before, and he was
punished for spending the next ten tears searching for her in his mind. She was
taken away from him, and he grew with despair yearly. According to ancient
history, the woman has to call your name to awaken the power within, so every
time his woman called, he wouldn’t hear, and his power lay dormant. It was
painful for him.”
Sam appeared shocked for a second, then cleared his throat
and asked, “How does one know?”
“She appears in your dreams at first, like an angel at
twilight, and one day she will call for you, the pull will be strong when it
happens, and the next thing you’ll see is her face in front of you.”
Sam was disappointed, he thought he’d be lucky enough to
find his woman after three thousand years, but the Gods hadn’t thought of him
as deserving of a woman yet. His Iromob walked away, knowing exactly what the
boy was thinking, but he was a quick learner and confident that he would figure
it out.
Now he stood before the woman destined to be his, and he was
not about to make the same mistake.
He would wait. Darla began stirring in her dream mumbling
words that Sam could not comprehend. She was dreaming. This had been the case
for many nights now. The sun shone above the horizon, and Sam took off, too. He
wouldn’t want to scare her off while he was still waiting to woo her.
2
Darla woke to her alarm and groggily walked to her bathroom.
Life in the city was perfect. It was everything she had ever wished for. She
had a beautiful apartment overlooking the great Awkarat Mountains and her dream
job. Iborian was a big city where dreams came true, and her’s had come true.
She was up for a promotion that very week after to the
Company president’s office, and she was elated. The promotion came with
connections, which she wanted, and the power, but that was a guilty pleasure
she did not like to show off.
An hour later, she was outside the office with her best
friend in tow, who was also her secretary. Rachael had never had any education but
had learned everything she knew from Darla. She had accompanied Darla
everywhere she went, including to school, but after high school, she had chosen
the wrong path.
Darla learned a few years ago and did not think twice about
helping her. It was not easy what Darla did, and Ray had always remembered. She
chatted noisily about free matters as they went up the elevator to her office
until Ray asked about her dream.
“Did you finally get to see his face? Darla rolled his eyes.
“I still can’t. I really want to, I feel like I know him,
but I can’t see his face well. It’s really frustrating.”
“I’ve never heard of such a case. Every night, the same
dream never ends. Maybe the gods are speaking to you.” She laughed at her
friends, who only seemed worried.
“That’s silly. I want to see the end. I’m probably too tired
even in the dream world.”
Darla left the elevator and trodded after her best friend,
who couldn’t stop rumbling on and on about the possible faces of my mystery
dreamer. She had named every guy within a one-block radius, and still, none of
them had ever caught my eye enough for me to lust over.
She had never lasted over anyone since her crush in high
school. That had swiftly ended just as it had begun.
“I think you need to go out and find a real man. I don’t
think you’ll ever see his face. He could be someone with a complexion that is
not appealing. You probably blurred his face out so you wouldn’t puke.” She
waved her hands over her face while mimicking Darla’s intimate thoughts.
This was especially horrible since the company’s President
chose that very moment to summon Darla in person. He was a grown man who did
not deserve such ill manners, and Darla was mortified. She apologized to her
friend profusely, which the president chose to ignore and asked to see her in
his office instead.
Darla went in 20 minutes later, the embarrassment still
written all over her face. She was a respectful woman, and that’s how she had
planned to keep it, at least until after her promotion, then nature will take
its course, and he could learn he quacks slowly.
“Sorry again, sir, my friend is silly.” She said as she was asked
to sit across the table.
“We all must have a quacky sense of humor sometimes, lest
life will be boring. “He said to help her feel comfortable and forgiven. “Now,
you know why I called you here, and I’d like to officially offer you the Vice
President position and welcome you upstairs to your new office.”
“Thank you very much, Sir.” Darla was beside herself.
Inside, she was a child high on sugar, climbing trees all over her homestead
and running after grasshoppers. Outside, she was a cooperative lady who was
calm and composed, even under pressure.
“I need you to sign the official documents.” He handed her
first executive pen and a few documents, which she hurriedly signed and handed
them back. She could wait to take the big office. Which was half of the whole
floor, and now she had three employees under her, not just Ray.
They had their mini offices beside hers and the Presidents.
He had hired her straight from campus and had never let her go. The stars had
aligned for her.
“Your office is directly opposite. Feel free to renovate it
as you’d like over the weekend.” He removed a business card from the table and
handed it to her. “Call the company and ask for a contractor. They’ll send the
best. And don’t forget to bill everything to the company.”
“That’s excellent!” She couldn’t hide her joy.
“It’s standard policy, Miss. Darla.”
“Oh yes, even the pens, I know.’ No, she didn’t. It was all
a surprise for her. She quickly left the office only to come face to face with
the Company’s heir. Her step had already faltered, and she couldn’t save
herself, but luckily, he was swift enough to catch her.
“You really never seem to watch your step Darla, or do you
just like meeting me this way.” Darla chucked before replying.
“You should probably ask me on a date then. I think bumping
into me a million times is enough for a girl to notice.” Darla couldn’t believes
it.
Sam was taken aback for a moment. She had actually taken a
moment to notice him today.
“Umm, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so obvious. So, how
does tonight sound?”
“Tonight is perfect; I have some celebrating to do.” She
slid past him and got into the elevator. Sam watched her fumble with her
executive pen casing. Those things were ridiculous, he had curved one year ago,
and now his father had made it into a brand. She had already forgotten about
him, but at least today, she spoke to him rather than just muttering sorry and
hurriedly leaving.
He absent-mindedly opened his father’s office and walked in.
His father stood by his desk expectantly. He also couldn’t believe it.
“She finally acknowledged you, but why doesn’t she seem to
know you? There is no twinkly.” His dad asked, a little concern etched in his
voice.
“I just learned that she hasn’t seen my face yet.” He said
as he sank into the couch next to his Iromob, sitting quietly and reading his
paper. “Something is shadowing her.”
“It’s not something. It’s someone.” His Iromob finally
spoke. “You have hovered all over her for years, and now you have blended in
with all the human faces she has seen. You are to wait until she calls for you,
and she will. This bumping into her is not a good thing.”
“But she just asked me out. Am I to fail her.” Of course
not, but he already had a feeling that she only told him to be kind but wasn’t
expecting him to attend. So he would go and be at his best.
3.
The party was as alive as Sam expected it to be. She was the
liveliest person she knew. She also broke hard. The night passed without them
talking much between all her admirers and friends. Each congratulated her and wanting
her to give them her attention.
She spoke so much he thought her jaw was beginning to hurt,
but all those beautifully spoken words did not fall to his ears, only the rest
of the party. In honest truth, he had secluded himself, hoping that she would
feel guilty that he was alone. But he was the son of the president. Someone was
also hanging onto my every word at every turn, which I was tired of.
Every woman tried to get his attention as well. If she saw
him, she knew he wasn’t alone and definitely never guilty. So he purposed to go
find her. That reminded him how he always took every opportunity to nap, so he
could see her and hear her say his name. Darla had never spoken his name out
loud; even if she spoke it, it wasn’t enough. She had to call him to come to her.
“Sir, um,” Darla spoke before him, pulling him from his
thoughts. “Hope you are enjoying the party, courtesy of your dad. Tell him I
said thank you.”
“I definitely will. It’s not every day that we choose a vice
president, so enjoy the fun while it lasts. Soon, you’ll be deep in paperwork.
You’ll realize that the work upstairs is more than that downstairs. That’s
where the company secrets are.”
“Oh, then I promise to keep them, sir.’
“Call me Sam, no need for any more formalities.” Sam was
pushing it.
“Sam, that’s a nice name.” She said softly, just as he had
thought it would sound.
Ray interrupted their chatter a few minutes later. The party
was dying down, and their ride had arrived. She bid everyone goodnight for the
weekend and left. She was happy with herself. Ray watched her best friend and
felt a little jealous of her.
“I’m so jealous and happy that you are now high up in the
status chain. It doesn’t even seem so.”
“That’s because it isn’t so. I don’t see it as you do. I see
growth. Change and life that is not boring. The work is the same. The location
is the same, only the title is different. I see constant change, which is what
I always wanted.” Ray understood her friend. She was afraid of boredom more
than anything else and would never do anything as she did the last time. If she
did, then she won’t complete the task as before.
Darla always found weird ways to accomplish tasks to keep
things interesting. Like when she finished a business deal in cattle dip
because her grandmother had asked her to finish her work, and the boss had to.
The client thought the company operated on a farm for half the call. The client
signed the deal because a woman who could care for livestock as she did, was
capable of handling his company.
Darla threw herself on her bed and grounded for a few
minutes before getting back up to make tea and noodles. She cooked slowly,
reminiscing her day until her thoughts settled on Sam. She stopped stirring for
a second to wonder why she was thinking of him. She slowly began removing
pieces of his clothing from his body. She made a mental note about his physic
bore serving her noodles.
Darla fell asleep before the television that day, fully
clothed. As always, she had her dream and woke up startled. Her dream is short-lived,
however. She gets up and goes to her bedroom. She struggles to sleep for a few hours
before she is again overtaken by sleep.
The dream comes again, but this time as she tries to wake
up, she felt like calling out to the person tormenting her dreams. She knew the
name; all she had to do was call him. But the words could not come from her lips,
and it seemed she was being pulled into an abyss.
“Sam.”
Sam’s body shot out of his bed involuntarily, and for a
brief moment, he thought he imagined it, but he hadn’t. She was calling him.
The moon was full in the sky, but Sum did not even pay much attention to it.
His whole body was overtaken by force stronger than his own will. She had to
stop himself and think of what to say before he was flung into her room. But
too late. Kneeling beside her bed, and his mane finally left her lips.
He leaned to kiss her, the lips that summoned him to her,
and she kissed him back. Darla crawled out of her dreamy state only to find Sam
in her face. Sam stayed. Still, he really ought to have thought through his
actions despite the pull. He was impatient, which was a bad trait for a
Tairotial.
“Sam.” She called again, and Sam wanted everything he had
waited for all those years. He wanted them all at once right at that moment.
“I’m here.” He spoke reassuringly, hoping she wouldn’t come
to her senses and scream the night away. She finally opened her eyes to see a
man crouched beside her, making her jump from her bed.
“Wow, wow, not so fast.!” She pushed him away and then sat
up, looking around her house bewildered. “What in the world was that dream.”
“It’s called the Isomehc, and only I can kill it, but not
without your help.” Darla looked at the man kneeling by her bedside.
“How about the blue leaf-like animals?”
“They are indigenous to our people; they are like spirit
guides but have been extinct for years. They usually guided the woman to their
mate if she took too long to find them. Magdalena probably summoned one from
the spirit world to help you clear the fog on my face.” He smiled as he said
the words, innocently exposing her friends for a snitch, and that did not slide
past Darla.
“And what is the president’s son doing in my room at two
am?” Sam stood and walked towards the window. He always imagined that when he
finally felt the pull, he would rush into her arms, and she would conceive
their first son at that moment. He also thought that she probably would scream
and attempt to kill him, but Darla was unbothered.
“You called me.”
Sam could see the embarrassment on her face because of what
she had been dreaming about.
“I was dreaming.” She defended herself, and Sam took the
opportunity to walk across the room and sit beside her.
“And what were you dreaming about, my Tauam?” He asked,
watching her cheeks tremble as she forced down her embarrassment.
“What does that have to do with you being here?” She
retorted.
Her dream was back. Sam was itching to touch her. He slowly
reached out to caress her face. He then cupped her chin and forced her to look
at him so he could see the lust in her eyes, but he only found desire.
“Come closer, Tauam,” An order she quickly obeyed. She desired his touch. She has for months
now. “You know why you called me Darla.” Sam leaned down to kiss her again. This time,
she was not waking up from the throws of pleasure, but he would take her there.
Darla woke up two hours later wrapped around a man she
apparently summoned according to a witch’s tale. She wasn’t surprised as she
had an aunt who was batshit crazy and always went along about all kinds of things,
so this was up her alley.
