AMARA [An African Mini story]

10. Successor

"Move!!" Nnanna's hand pushed against my back, throwing me further into the room. I fell closer to the cage on my left, this proved to be deadly because of the prisoners whose were hands stretched out from between the bars, these hands grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to the cage.

I screamed out in agony as they pulled me harshly. "Help us, help us" They pleaded. Their nails dug into my skin.

"Oi, stop that, ya little worthless creatures!" A man ran towards me with a strangelooking stick in one hand and a torch in the other. This man was a white man! I gasped in horror. What is his kind doing here?
He pointed one end of the stick at one of the hands grabbing onto my hair from behind the cage. As I watched on, that end of the stick flashed with a quick spark, this was accompanied by a sudden, loud and fearful sound of thunder. My heart skipped a million beats, but I wasn't the only one afraid of that sound, those who had been grabbing onto my hair screamed, covering their ears. They moved away from me to the rear end of their cage.

That was when I looked down and noticed that one of them on the floor, in a pool of blood, lifeless. How did she die so quickly, was she not among those who grabbed me earlier?

"That will teach ya" The man then placed the stick of thunder upon his shoulder and approached me. I ran back, away from him... But Nnanna stood as a wall between me and the ladder that would take me out from this hell. "What took ya so long, Chief?" The white man said from behind me.

"My lord, I brought my daughter, the one who was supposed to be here since yesterday." Replied my father as he moved towards the white man with a thunder stick resting on his shoulder. My father bowed to the man.

"Get her in here then, don't waste my time!" The man said dismissively and turned towards the direction he came from, and started walking. My father took my hand, tightened his grip and dragged me with him.

I looked back and saw Nnanna enter the cage and bring out the dead girl. Wait, I know that girl! I tried to stop but my father pulled me along.

"Princess Amara!! Help me!!" Someone screamed my name called from the cage on my right.

I turned my head in that direction. Stretching forth her skinny arms through the bars was someone I knew very well.

"Onyinye!!" I returned. "Onyi!! How did you get here?!" I tried to escape my father's grasp but he continued to drag me along.

The others began calling out to me.

"Princess Amara!!"

"Princess, save us!!

"Please help us!!"

I recognized some of them as some villagers who were abducted by the monster years back.

I turned to my father. "What is the meaning of this?" He ignored me continued to drag me with him.

They stopped at the end of the hallway — where a large table occupied. On the table was dried human blood and drawings of terrifying signs and symbols from ancient sorcery and witchcraft.

Onthe wall was a writing in our dialect, which can be translated to; The more you look, the less you see.

"Welcome, Princess Amara, we have been expecting you for so long". A voice came called.

I saw Anyanwu, the witchfinder and priestess of the sun, come out from a room at the opposite side of the bloody table. Behind her were five other white men with sticks of thunder in their hands, and her seven servant girls.

I swallowed hard. What does Anyanwu want from me? And why are the same people we are hiding from, right here my father?

She walked toward me with a grin on her face. "The gods have finally brought you to us".

"Explain to me what is happening." I dared to ask.

My father stood in front of me. "I will tell you, come". I followed him, so did the white men. Walking alongside me was Anyanwu.

We arrive at a well-decorated sitting room— Chairs and tables were neatly arranged, a gramophone sat on the table in a corner. My father took a seat, as did Anyanwu and the men. I too was made to sit.

"My little Amara, I thank the gods for bringing you back to us". He heaved out a sigh of relief.

"Tell me what is going on here, papa, why are the villagers locked in there?".

"My little Amara, it is necessary... Sometimes, you just have to make sacrifices for the sake of the ones you care about... They were just unlucky.. "

"Papa, I don't understand?" I expressed

He gathered himself and said. "My little Amara, this is our family business, and I have chosen you as my successor".