The Outcast – Episode 4

THE OUTCAST – Episode 4

Written by Amah

My younger brother Muke, Zila’s twin, who was always talking, said during dinner that day

.. “Ooh Zila, that day you went missing.. Most of us were scared that maybe.. the outcast must have used you for dinner, you know they don’t talk.. They only use sign language, they will use sign to beckon on their fellow.. To come and dine with your meat.. With their horns.. And a very long fawns.. With dark bloodied red eyes they are so deadly and they would have feed on you flesh cos they like human meat especially one that’s as fresh as yours..they will feed on you like this.. Yum..yum..yum.. and left your helpless carcass like …

He demonstrated with his hand while laugh.

Our parents hush him to keep shut.. And never say such thing about his sister again or talk about the outcast again.

Zila without thinking. Forgetting that my Pah was also present at the table spoke, she tried to defend the outcast.

” That’s very funny Muke, the outcast does not feed on human meat, wherever you hard that from is a big lie, their kind and they don’t use sign to communicate.. They actually speaks normal word, they speak and does not use sign to communicate, they are nice people ..and…

She realize were she was and saw the look on mother and father’s face, she quickly shut up and bent her head and try to apologize, Everyone was surprise..

“Hush Zila, keep quiet.. Now tell me how do you know all this, have you seen one before? Answer me Quickly…

Pah shouted at her out of anger, Pah. who was shock with what Zila said and the speed she use in defending the outcast,

“no Pah, no.. I’m sorry Pah, I havn’t seeing one before.. I just imagine what they will look like.. That.. They may not be all that bad as we all believe, they may just be normal human like us..they..

That’s non of your business to imagine what they look like, if they are human like us or not, they are dangerous Zila.. Stay off their rot.. Don’t even get close.. And don’t try to defend them outside or you maybe tamed as an infidel, you need not defend them.. Make sure all of you stick to this warning of staying off their lane. You all are told of the consequences.. And theirs no joke about it. We shouldn’t be having this conversation because you all know what it is at stake, I don’t want to loose any of you to mishap.. Zila..I know you are one stubborn child that always want to do what’s on your mind.. You are strong and fearless.. And like trying new things.. But Zila, you see this particular one.. you need not to be stubborn about it.. Is deadly, Zila.. Don’t go on a quest of no return, you are our princess.. You have grown to be a beautiful woman..kind and accommodating, by next fall.. Next year.. We will start preparing you for your betrothal.. our neighboring town chief son…You two will become husband and wife in few years from now..

you should be more concern on your up coming marriage in few years, not imagining useless things, be close to your moma.. So that she will teach you all you need to know about marriage.. She will prepare you for the journey ahead, not always running off and disappearing to where I don’t know, We don’t want anything to happen to you, We don’t want to ever regret anything, we almost loss you ones.. We almost lost you Zila when you were still little, We don’t want such to happen again.. Please.. Am pleading Zila, stay close to your moma and learn every necessary thing that will help you in your matrimonial home.. Stop running off to the wood all by yourself, because me or your moma will not be there with you at your husband’s house, is better not to cry when the head is off, We love you all and wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, A wise child does not play with fire. “hope am clear enough?

We all replied him “yes Pah” .

despite the warning.. Zila was planing secretly to go to the forbidden side, where the outcast stays again.. She planned doing that on her own since I told her it was a deadly mission,

Getting prepared for marriage next year wasn’t in her agenda, all she wanted to do was to revisit the outcast again This time around she will follow the Rafico way so that she won’t be easily seen, but she slowed down on the plan because of father, Pah placed her on house arrest, she couldn’t go out and was forced to work with mother in the house, she was restricted to many things because of her constant disappearing into the wood and how she defended the outcast during dinner,

Well still on Zila’s story.. I will continue later but let me tell you a little about my parents. And also my father’s personal guard, Riko,

Riko’ my father personal guard.. Told me a lot of things that my brothers didn’t know off, .. Because I was more close to him and father than any of my brother is.

Riko was handed over to father when he was still a young boy by my late grandpa, Riko Knows a lot of history, and I love listening to him,

Am the first of my father’s children. There’s something about Pah’s name Mukattabaziela you may not have notice at a first glance, There’s little of all his children’s name attached to his name if you look closely.. Well.. Is only the wise that will understand the riddles of an old man. Riko thought me proverbs too, which I use when necessary,

my father is generally address as PAH by his sons, children in the town and some people who can’t pronounce his name correctly.. I am my father’s right hand man.. Pah has a great wisdom.. He is a quiet man.. He thinks deep and act more.. I will say Zila took after his personality, He takes me along most time, whenever he is going out, be it Kinsmen gathering Or the town square festival… I stand behind him whenever he is seated at the square as the clan chief, me and Riko, my fathers personal aid.

I always wanted to have more sister aside Zila, who was a person in her own world and hardly relate to others, she doesn’t tell anyone what is on her mind except me, her beloved elder brother,

My father married only my mother.. They wanted more daughters, but Zila was like many daughters to them because they loved her dearly,

Zila wasn’t close to anybody except me, she trust me with her secrets and I never betrayed her, she so much wanted to go back to the outcast, the way she passionately speaks about them, makes me wonder if there’s something calling her over, or could she be bewitched by them, what exactly is it at the other side of the wood for Zila,

She kept on planing on her journey, looking for when the band father placed will be lifted, a year past by, zila didn’t give up on her quest, then another year came and gone, she stopped talking about it and can fully prepare and wash up things in mother’s absent,

I actually thought she has forgotten about the outcast until she called me aside again and told me she maybe going any moment since father has finally lift her restriction ban, she asked me if i have change my mind, i told her I haven’t I’m sticking to father’s instruction, I can’t disobey him. She nodded her head and left me.

Zila’s betrothal started to kick off as the parents of her husband to be visited father, Zila was already 16years,

Mother and Zila prepared different dish for them, Zila seem happy, as her up coming marriage was arranged

I watched her take a walk with her husband to be, a fine young man of my age, they hold hands and laughed and I was happy that she finally had something that could make her change her mind of going to the forbidden side, I stood with my PAH and watched them, the young man was already in love with her but deep down in my heart I wish Zila will love him back, although she seems so but she maybe pretending because of father,

After her visitors left, I called her and asked her if she really love her husband to be and she said no she was only doing it because father was watching her, that by tomorrow afternoon she will be off to the wood, if I want to find her I should always follow the rafico way

I couldn’t talk her out of it.

her mind was made up

And the next day Zila was gone.

To be continued

 

ALL EPISODES

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also
Close
Back to top button
error: Content is protected !!
Close

Turn Off Data Saver

To enjoy the full functions of our website, kindly turn off your data saver or switch to mobile browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Reload this page after turning off data saver