A Labyrinthine Affair: The World of Taboo

The Dark Continent

The akomfo was brown as an almond, thin and muscular with rich, tawny eyes. He took James in, peering into his mind and deeper still into his soul, like a focused beam of light. 'I know where you come from, but who are you? What are you?'

*******

James was taken before the tribal chief who took one look at him and sent him to what was a council of some sorts. The wary men kept him away from the other villagers, hidden in a shanty, while they conferred with each other through whispers and menacing stares. They didn't trust him or understand him. They had good reason not to.

Finally they led him through a cleared path to a hut a slight bit away from the rest of the village, perched upon a small hill. It was surrounded by tiny figurines made from wood and grass, smelling of burning herbs and flowers, eerily quiet, except for a faint moaning coming from behind the hill. James knew that these spirits, whatever they were, were roaming the land, bound and confused. And then he immediately understood.

At a certain point, the men refused to proceed and James was left to enter the hut alone. Inside there was a kettle with boiling water and leaves set over a fire, made from a pit in the dirt. James could see a small bird, its fluttering wings thrashing as it rose and sank near the thatched roof. Atop a rickety wooden table in the back was a mélange of fresh ground berries and wildflowers, their smell sweet and soothing. But no one was there. He was alone. Curious, not frightened. Expectant yet resolute. He sat down against one of the walls, his shirt long gone and his black pants now having ripped in three different places. He thought of leaving to search for water, but he didn't know this place. So against that wall in the relative cool of a strange abode, he slept.

He awakened to someone's face directly in front of his own. A man. With ancient eyes but a much younger face. Small in stature with a mesmerizing stare.

The man uttered something James certainly couldn't understand. A question perhaps. What is your name? Where do you come from? What do you want from us?

James pointed to his chest and spoke slowly.

"I've been roaming this wilderness alone for days now. Didn't they tell you? I'm called Keziah. I have no papers with me."

"No papers," he repeated cautiously.

The tiny man ushered him to stand. Retrieved a knife from his pouch and violently cut away at James's long tattered breeches. Soon they fell shiftlessly on the ground. There was no question whether to also remove his undergarments. They had suffered the severity of the entire ordeal, including exposure to the elements and few chances to be rinsed out. He was glad to be free of them. His nakedness withstanding, the thing that stood out to him was the stark contrast of his olive tinged skin against the akomfo's dark brown complexion. He enjoyed feeling the open air flow all over him. This was how he'd wandered the forests, far beyond home and the local chapel. If possible, this is how he would wander all of Africa.

The old man grabbed what appeared to be a shell of some kind, dipped it into the boiling water, waited for a moment and then handed it to James. He dipped another shell into the boiling water and then held it to his lips. James hesitated and then braced himself as he boldy swallowed the scalding hot liquid. It initially stung his tissues going down and then pooled warmly in his chest before traversing out and down into his bloodstream.

Suddenly, James was walking alone through a forest covered in mist. He could hear the caw of crows and the hum of insects swarming all around him.