Midnight Shrub

Chapter 2- Anju

"Papa"

"Papa please!!!"

My eyes are wide awake. Another dream.

I could feel the tears as it rolled down my cheek. I wiped it.

"Argh!" it felt like a coconut had been broken on my head again. I tried to massage my scalp.

Every time I dream of the blind night, my body never forgets to react like it was just yesterday.

It's been 11 years since I heard his voice. I heard the voice of the man who would sacrifice for his land, who saw the light in the midst of this darkness. I stretched my body and massaged my temple. Getting out of bed, I stood by the window seat and looked out to enjoy the green of the hill that descended the small town.

Today made it the 37th time I dreamt of them. Thirty-seven times in almost twelve years, and thirty-seven headaches each time much more painful than the last. 

I could never forget that day. Papa always told me that we, the eyes, were the blessings of Nijiria. We were the backbone of the land. The northerners, westerners and easterners were our brothers and sisters whom our mother, Nijiria, gave birth to.

11 years ago,

I ran towards Papa, who was sitting outside wondering towards the stars. Jireh just said something and I want to confirm it.

"Papa Jireh said we are the eyes of the Nijiria, is it true?"  ten  years old me, I asked the man whom I want to become like.

"Ha-ha" Papa laughed "yes my son, we are the eyes of the Nijiria but also we possess more than that." He carried me on his lap. It felt like home whenever he did that. I felt like an egg that was always protected.

"Really like what?" I was so curious about what special power we possessed.

"Not yet my son, maybe when you are of age to understand more about your heritage and yourself." He assures me of course. I frown at the response because he always talks about age and truth. I want to grow up fast.

"Hmph!" I sigh. I was about to get down until he stopped me and continued.

"While we are the eyes of our Nijiria, the northerners are the arms and legs." Whenever papa starts with that tone, I know a story is about to begin, and I was excited to know more about our brother and sister tribe. "They are always at the frontline protecting the land, whenever we go into war with other neighboring nations; They have powers that the gods gifted them with exceptional strength. Their source of power is strength. Their goddess, Ashua,  blessed them beyond human strength. I heard a northern warrior fight like they dance with the wind. A low tier northerner is as strong as two men combined."

"However, the easterners are the brains of our land. They possessed so much wisdom about the world we live in. They renovate and invent our resources: the bed, lamps, chair, weapons, even your favorite toys, almost everything is made by easterners.  The reason why we call them the brain of Nijiria is because of their strategic nature. I heard an ordinary easterner has the capacity to occupy a minimum of five books per day. Their god, Obgi, blessed them with wisdom."

"So, they are like our half-brothers?" I asked.

"You could say that Anju. Nevertheless, we are much stronger than you know. As I was saying" he continued "then we have our western brothers. You will always know them because of how they look. They have marks on their face. They call their marks 'Pele'. They are the heart of this land; they make remedy for any diseases. Foreigners call them physicians because they save people, while we call them the healers. The westerners are gifted with magnificent healing powers. Some believe that their marks show the level of their powers, and only the direct descendant of their god Oryuba have three marks which is the highest level of the mark. Also, their source of power is nature; Nature provides them with a remedy to create and persevere in life. Do you know that an ordinary westerner's life span lasts 20 years longer than an ordinary individual's?" Papa said so much about history that I felt blessed to come from such a wonderful place.