The Imperial Family

Chapter 1 - The Die is Cast

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

"Sometimes we are tested. Not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths." Unknown

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Kaleya, Mazabuka, Zambia; 2001 - 2004

Ten-year-old Trinah bolted up, awakened by the thunderous sound of the pouring rain that had, as usual, easily found its way through the unsuccessfully multi-surgically-enhanced roof of their one-room cottage. Sleeping next to her on the mat was her little brother, Enock. At five years old, the little monkey had somehow mastered the art of snoring like a drunken sailor. They say that if you live with pig's vomit long enough, eventually, you stop smelling it. It was the case with little Enock's snoring. Trinah was responsible for the boy's nickname - 'little monkey' which she thought was quite fitting given his unusual obsession with bananas.

Lying on the other side of Enock was Petronella, their mother, her state of rest unwittingly bearing witness to the idiom about pig's vomit. The peacefully sleeping woman looked nothing like a twenty-five old should. Trinah reached over to her and gently removed the silk headwrap that had moved halfway through her thinning pale hair. The years of toil she had experienced after becoming pregnant at the age of fifteen had surely taken their toll on her. It was a wonder how she was not the one prone to aggressive snoring. Perhaps she had transferred the stress onto her son during pregnancy when yet again, a man had disappointed her.

Using the little light sipping through the spaces between the blocks serving as curtains on what was originally supposed to be a window, Trinah managed to locate the little oil lamp and matches strategically placed a few feet from the mat. Once the lamp was lit, her eyes followed the nearest sound of water dripping into a bucket. There were four buckets well-placed around the room in anticipation of the rain. The one furthest from the mat held her attention longer. She counted the drops as they landed in the almost full bucket. When she had reached fifty, she pushed the bedding aside and stood.

Emptying buckets of water at ungodly hours had become a ritual for Trinah. With inexplicable energy for someone who had just been unceremoniously awakened a few minutes earlier, the ten-year-old carried the bucket to the door. Once at the door, she placed the bucket down to move the heavy bag of sand holding the metal barricade acting as a door in place. She said a silent prayer, asking the gods to keep any night monsters away before quietly lifting the barricade to the side and pouring the water out. She placed the barricade and bag of sand back.

When she turned, her mother was seated up, a grim expression on her face. "I told you to let me do that Trinah."

Trinah smiled, placed the bucket back in its place and joined her family on the mat.

"Trinah," Petronella stared sternly at her daughter.

"I didn't want to wake you up," the girl said. "That evil woman makes you work the whole day without giving you food."

Bewildered, Petronella gaped at her. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I overheard you talking with Teacher Agatha," she said.

That was three months ago when the teacher went to enquire about Trinah's lack of school uniform, for the third time that term. There was nothing new Petronella could have said that could have excused her daughter's lack of many things. Even though she worked from 6 am to 7 pm, her salary was never guaranteed. Her boss paid her whatever she felt was enough and whenever she felt like it. Sometimes that meant going for three or more months without pay.