Teriah & The Tree of Life.(1)

A large black soot filled pot sat on three evenly placed fire stones in the middle of the large underground cave. The fire crackled softly underneath as Teriah the Tshamari's apprentice silently stirred the pots contents.

She inhaled the simmering rich aroma that had slowly engulfed the whole cave and her senses. Teriah could smell the sweet jasmine, the spicy Kholuli tree root extracts along other distinct scents that intertwined explicitly into a thick rich bubbly concoction.

"Mmm.. Yes, yes that is the essence we need." a deep voice sounded just next to Teriah at once. The tall figure of the mighty Tshamari bent down the large concocting pot and inhaled the rich aroma that was bubbling forth.

Her sudden appearance did not frighten Teriah, she only nodded and kept stirring. She was getting used to her masters sudden appearances and vanishing. Secretly she also coveted this bizarre skill.

"Hmm.. although it is missing something... " a strong furrow jotted across her brow as she consulted her superior sense of smell.

"Hmm.. Ah yes a most vital ingredient. The heavens blossom flower."

Teriah gasped, hoping her surprised look was convincing enough. The Tshamari's stare was penetrating.

"Call for me when your done. Stop dilly dallying about!"

"Time is of essence, only the foolish waste it.!" Her voice betrayed no emotion and as Teriah watched the tall, towering figure walk away she wondered if she had caught on or had she always known all along.

Teriah shivered at the thought then with hurried steps made her way through the deep intertwining tunnels deep underneath what was now her home, the Tshamari's lair.

Every now and then she was allowed to go up into the wild Sereti grasslands to collect various herbs, roots and special ingredients for the various potions and concoctions she was learning to make.

Every now and then she would intentionally forget a herb or two so she could go back especially to watch the sunsets. There she would enjoy the feel of fresh air, listen to the birds and beasts as they roamed and frolicked about and just be by herself.

This was the most peaceful part of her days as the Tshamari's apprentice. The rest of her days were filled with darkness, turbid humid air and her masters stern teachings and berations.

Teriah felt her spirits rise as she made a left and approached the exit of their dark lair. Two helpers stood dutifully guarding the entrance, their eyes void and emotionless.

As she passed by they bowed respectfully to their future master. Teriah grimaced inside but tried hard not to show it. She was by now used to the weird occurrences and machinations in the underground lair but the hold the Tshamari had over these meek obedient souls was simply startling. Nobody was meant to have such power over another no matter the situation or reason.

Soon it would be her they would follow. Follow her every word, without question, without a second thought even when it meant their immediate death.

Teriah stepped out into the fresh open air with a sigh of contentment. It was dusk, the sun was setting far west. The grand cloudless sky was an orange haze all across the land. Back down in the lair her sense of time had become disoriented, never knowing whether it was morning, noon or night. After all a Tshamari's work was not bound by time.

The tall grass felt cool as she walked through it and she felt free. Which was ironic as free was something she would never be ever since that fateful day. The Tshamari's face filled her mind as if in silent confirmation. Her long thin face, skin sapped off all its vitality, those gray penetrating eyes that held so much power and also a deep in-explainable pain.

Teriah shook her mind to get that terrifying image out of her mind. But it wasn't all gloom and despair back there. All the occupants though strange had been unusually accommodating. They had welcomed her to their world. She would grow to be a healer, a seer and the sole link to the spirit world.

When she finally came of age, she would be able to help her people as well as maintain the balance between the spirit world which was a surreal mystical world and their human world.

Tomorrow she was going to cross the physical barrier into the spirit world for the first time. This time she needed the help of the spirit severing potion she was concocting but as she grew stronger she could cross on over at will.

Teriah came to a light clearing that overlooked the entire plains, over the horizon she could see the outlines of two hills and on top of the hills the two villages that stood perched above. She longed for the familiar huts that formed orange silhouettes against the slowly darkening skies.

Did they miss her presence or was she already forgotten. Was she just a pitiful forgotten memory cast aside to the back of their minds.

Teriah however did not miss her family much. Her father and mother had long become strangers to her long before the tshamari came for her. All those years closed in, hidden from the rest of the village as though she were a curse or source of future danger had made her numb. Even her elder brothers and sisters treated her this way. There was absolutely no love lost between them.

No one seemed to care, she sighed. Except maybe for that tall boy who used to come to play with her when they were still young and innocent. What was his name ..... Johari Tembo.

Teriah remembered his useless struggle as he came to her aid that fateful day. It seemed so long ago. Some distant memories of them as children playing and laughing out in the wild Sereti grasslands made her smile. How innocent life was then.

Maybe she was still missed by him and that maybe made her feel alright for now.

*****