The Outcast – Episode 29

The Outcast – Episode 29 Finale

Written by Amah

“This is our tribe, our land, the good soil the gods blessed us with, our forefathers died and was buried in this soil so is our fathers and we will some day die and become part of this soil, I have come to realize that no one is more important than the other, if you are given opportunity to leader or to direct, direct and lead well for you not when the night will darken your sun….my name is mukattembaziela I am a teacher of the law and also a tribe leader, which was passed down to me by my father, I have intend to pass it in the same way to Mbazi my first son, I took my time to guide and prepare him for what is yet to come, I never no the gods have other plans for him, I have lead my people for many years, and thought them how to live and abide by the law, I try not to break any law since I grew to be a man, I wanted to live an exemplary life, a life that many will want to emulate, a life that will serve as a reference purpose in the future even after I was gone, my loving wife Tabitha , knew it all and she knew I was a law keeper, and try not to be bias in my dealing, I wanted to deal, instruct and punish anyone that fails to abide by the rules that govern the land, everyone…my family inclusive, I try not to be petty in my judgement, I walked and live this way until my daughter Zila, was born, I named her Zila because she was so beautiful to behold, a beautiful flower that welcomes the sun, although she was beautiful like the morning sun yet she was tagged an outcast from birth just because she was born with a boy,…I have joined hands in casting twin girls who happens to be born same way Zila was birthed, is a general believe in our tribe and is being practiced for decades, I have judged several cases like that and try not to be indifferent, what I didn’t understand was how it felt like to watched your child be cast off, I never knew what other parents whom their girl child was cast off felt, the pain, the agony and trauma of watching your own flesh and blood, watching your own innocent little one be taken from your arm, I didn’t understand it until the gods threw the ball to me to catch, the gods gave me their shoes to wear and walk in it by giving me Zila, just like the general saying “he who wears the shoe knows where it pains most, after Zila was born I had sleepless night not knowing what to do, remember I said I never broke any law and I have always thought with same boldness , now with Zila’s present I needed to live by example just as expected by everyone, even my wife understood that, I watch her weep every night knowing that our precious daughter, whom we cherished so much will be taking from us, I tried not to attached much feeling to it but I just couldn’t help it, sleep was taking from my eyes and food was taking from mouth, I lost appetite of everything, then on the day she being taking to the wood forest, where she will become food for the beast I followed quietly, everywhere was silent, it felt like it was going to be the end of the world for me, the only noise in our midst was that of little Zila, giggling and startling many of us who were in deep thought, no cry was hard, no tears just a giggle, she was just a happy child, I sometime take a peep into the weaved basket that held my little daughter and watch as she act and wave her little hands in the air, she was just few months old then, I thought within me, if she knows what awaits her she will be crying right now, instead of giggling, even in my thought I still wish I can steal her from that basket and disappear to an unknown land where she will not be an outcast, the gods darkened my sun and took my joy, I forgot what laughter felt like, as we got to the wood that very day, Zila never stop interacting with herself and giggling at anyone who pays her attention, I looked round the whole place and saw basket like the one Zila was in, scattered all over the place, little children’s born and skull scattered all around the wood, I knew this was the fate that await my own daughter, I bent over and looked at her again, a painful tear clouded my vision, I tries to held it back, it maybe mistaken for weakness, if a tribe leader like me wept in front of the men present it could be tagged as am not man enough, my little girl held onto one of my finger with her whole hands, i blink severally trying to hide a tear drop but at some point I just couldn’t hide it again, I allowed it to flow freely, right there on a knee watching my daughter in her basket as she lay I knew I couldn’t leave her there, if I ever do that a whole part of me will be gone with her, I will never be my good self again, she was the centre of my happiness at that moment and I can’t leave my happiness laying in a cold wood forest and beast devouring what that is connected to my life, at that moment I knew I will be tagged an infidel, a law breaker, a bad man and so many other thing if I dare tries to take my daughter with me, but I was ready…fully ready for whatever the consequences maybe, I carried my daughter out of the basket into my arm and dares anyone who tries to stop me, I knew I wasn’t right in my doings, but it was the only thing I needed to do to save Zila and so many other girl child that maybe thrown into the wood in the future, I knew with saving Zila will bring an end to such barbaric act, which I never saw as barbaric but as the way of the gods until then, I finally took my daughter home, even though I had oppositions, I had people trying to stop me but non of them succeeded, after I took Zila home to her momma, she couldn’t hold back her joy, her saddened mouth and reddened eye from crying was lifted with joy, I know I have created more enemies for myself than I could hold, especially from those who lost their babies to this mishaps, which I never bother for once to see their pains, it took me so many days going from house to house, pleading and asking those affected for their forgiveness, I pleaded the best way I could for them to forgive me, I totally understood their pain and trouble, the gods gave me more than I can chew, by sending Zila us, I knew I have stepped on toes, all I needed was to make amend, of which I did, it wasn’t so easy at first but I eventually succeeded, and that was the end of such barbaric law, and I promise again that I will never break any law, saving Zila was because I just needed to, I had no choice than to do that, but I promise within me I will never break any other law, not for my family or anyone, I tried to go extra miles in teaching those laws to the public, I guided my household in keeping them, Mbazi, my first son m ost especially…i thought him so much thing… I embedded the rules of the land into him so that when he becomes a tribe leader in the future he will have less to worry, I wanted him to turn out to be better off than me…well as I was growing him in the way I wanted him to go the gods where leading him in the direction he was suppose to go, my big trouble began when my daughter went missing during her marriage preparation, we searched everywhere possible, she was no where to be found, everyone was careful not to go close to the forbidden side because we all thought no normal person will want to dare get close, not even my own children because I instilled fear into them, but Zila was a child chosen by the gods, she was just like me, fearless, harden and adventurous, she does only that which is in her mind, and the only person she was close to was Mbazi, her elder brother, not me or her momma, she chose the only person that will understand her, not knowing that the gods also have a hand on her pal, my wife became critically ill, I fear I will loose her like Zila, I prayed day and night to the gods not to punish me for my unknown sin by destroying by household, and it was as if they answered me by sending Mbazi to her, he returns back from one of his journey with a leaf that cured his mother just as if it was a magic, Mbazi never told me where such a divine leaf came from but I was grateful to the gods, to Mbazi and to those he told me that gave him the leaf, I knew my son wasn’t happy and I thought it was because of the woman I picked for him, so I decided to give him the freedom to pick his own wife and he said there was a girl named Kumar whom his heart beat for, I looked forward to meeting her not knowing she was among the people we tagged unfortunate, she was in the forbidden land as an outcast, meaning that even my wife’s healing was credited to the outcast whom we avoided like they were lepers… then it got to a time for the hidden things to be revealed and it was so shocking, I tried not even think of the possibilities of the matter on ground then, I hit and strike my son severally for even acknowledging that fact that…Zila was alive and well but with the outcast, in love with a man named Ladi…and him was also in love with Kumar who is equally an outcast, I almost went mad, it was a big hit for me, and for the first time I watch my son stood up to me boldly, and I knew I have failed the everyone, even myself and also failed the land, I knew this was another way the gods wanted to strike me, he walked out and his brother Mukeh followed him and even Marie, who was suppose to be his betrothal followed, I wept again for the third time, the first being when Zila was born as an outcast, the second being when Zila went missing and the third was when Mbazi stood up to me, I knew I have to do something, because the hidden truth was coming to light, at the end I couldn’t just do anything, I sat and think for days, keeping to myself but yet the truth was glaring and I just didn’t want to acknowledge it, well my wife left too and I even hard some other people were going over to the outcast little by little, I lose my standing ground when Riko my good guard, who has being awesome in his service to me and my household came with the news that Zila was getting married to Ladi, I have always looked forward to seeing my daughter get married and handing her over to her husband, but it was as if I was loosing everything, and I couldn’t breath or stand again and I slump to the ground, and right there in my sick bed I came in term with the truth which I have always avoided, the gods were uniting us back again with our people whom we cast off because of one minor thing or the other, I knew it was a great foolishness to have even allowed the enemy which was our evil mind and selfishness mind and desires to divide us, who are we to even cast off people, what right do we have to thrown children away who was given to us by the gods, just because of one illness or the other, we tagged them off, we cast off the people we suppose to care for and correct, we tagged them evil and forbidden, and create huge boundary between us, we instilled fear of them to the people of our tribe and make it seem they are very lucky to be normal not an outcast, right in my sick bed when other leader came to me and speak about this things, they thought the gods were punishing us for being so shrewd and heartless to our own brothers and sisters, children of the soil that we joined hand to cast off in continuation of what our fore fathers did during their own time, I knew the ways of men differs, and no matter how strong willed you think you are the gods can soften you to become a mare potatoes, they softened me severally by using my own children to bring the light to this land, after I was healed up by the medicine from this precious land we tagged bad…I knew what to do.. I…am really sorry for every wicked act I have joined in, I apologies on behalf of everyone who knowing or unknowing cast you off, we know we can’t bring back the years you have lost or healed your wounded heart, but we are determined to make it right, we were foolish and behave like we were wise, I have come to see that no one is wiser than the gods, I am not less of an outcast myself, I deserve to be cast off because I have broken several laws, I am deeply sorry my people, Ladi….you are not just my son in-law…you are my son and today I become the father you never had, to Kumar, you are not just my daughter in-law you are my daughter and I will never ever treat you indifferently, may the gods strike me if I have do such or put hand again in such evil, today we take off the boundary, today we wear our unique attire and celebrate because the gods has brought back what we cast off, the gods has unite us all together through our children, lets live as one, one people one tribe, live anywhere you chose to live, buy and sell, trade and interact freely for wisdom has come to stay, we have more people who knows and understand the use of herbs and leaf among our brothers and sisters we cast off, even in the desert the gods blessed them with so much uniqueness that we can ever attend to in years to come, come home to us again and may there be no one cast off again, for there are thousand and one way to treat a person who wronged the land, casting off is far from us from this day, let slaves be free, marry and live with the person your heart desires, let everyone be merry for the gods has unites us again, for our celebration will never cease until the third month, even after we will keep celebrating this day, the day the gods used our children to bring to light the hidden things, there are more to say but I will continue speaking as the celebration goes on, for every month we will pick a day to gather together to dance and be merry, we won’t tell any sad tails again but jokes and creativity will be displayed, for the gods has multiplied our land by adding again what we separated, Mbazi you might not have followed all my rules or become as I always wanted but you have brought great joy to me, I can’t be less proud of you, Zila my precious daughter, my beautiful damsel, you are indeed noble, and the gods really chose wisely by choosing you….thank you for starting this and achieving a great reward at the end, your name will forever be written in the sand of time, next generation will sing your praise when they hear of the great woman named Zila who brought liberation to the land, I thank the gods for giving you to us and bringing you to our tribe when the wickedness of men is high, I thank the gods for bringing you in such a time when there was so much cry and tears from the other side, the gods picked you rightly to bring laughter to everyone’s lips, and you harken to their calling and never allowed anything to stop you, you are indeed special, and you stand out among your peers, may the gods bless you and Ladi with children that will bring joy to you, Zila… we are matching out to the festive ground…..i want you to lead, for although we don’t really regard women yet the gods picked you to bring this happiness to our land, by uniting everyone…lead us and we will follow your leading…Mbazi will follow right behind with his wife Kumar and the rest of us will fall in line and sing our victory song, let the drum beat high, let our voices go up to heaven and let the gods smile down on us for finally our forbidden people has come back home, a home were we will all live as one, may there never be or be hard of any forbidden among us, for everyone is one, today will be written down and sealed up for the future so that no such barbaric act will ever be repeated again, be merry everyone for the light has come to stay and it will stay like this forever….

Well…Zila led everyone out…as we danced and sing…it was just as mother foresee in her dream…it came to past…this story is just about me but mostly about my sister Zila, because she became the first great woman leader of our tribe,

My name is Mbazi, I am my father’s son, and my father is generally addressed as Pah, which also means father…soon I will be called Pah too, because Kumar my beloved wife will bring forth children as the gods pleases and I will guide them as it should be, and I will live my remaining live with the woman of my youth,

May there be no forbidden again in our tribe and May we have more reasons to celebrate on each day break, I know the gods are smiling on us, I thank the gods for chosen me to play one of the most important roles in this journey, my joy is full because the light has finally come to stay.

The End.

 

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