Chapter 13

In the morning, the sun was halfway rise from the mountains peaks. The only sound heard on the riverside was that of the water flowing. At a tree beside the river, Mayra sat under a tree supporting her back on the tree stem. Mayra remembering her father last chat, “Do what you do best,” she was busy drawing in her little book.

Akyaa walked towards the river carrying a pot while singing. This caught Mayra attention where she silently faced her without noticing her noticing her back. After Akyaa’s pot was full and she was ready to take it up and walk away, Mayra shouted, “Hello Akyaa.”

Akyaa placed the pot full of water beside her legs faced Mayra whom was walked towards her while saying,

“It’s like our fate is tied together.”

“No, it’s only because am used to come to the river at this time.”

“And Osei is he a friend like Ofori to you or it’s something different.”

“Last time I checked we were not friends.”

“Sorry I did not mean to offend you.”

“Thank you.”

Then Akyaa bend took the pot and placed it on her head. Before she moved away Owusu the father of Osei walked to them followed by two masculine men. Immediately the men reached where both Akyaa and Mayra stopped, facing them curiously Owusu faced Akyaa and asked, “When was the last time you were with Osei my son.”

At the time the weight of the pot was weakening her to reply to the answer free she placed down the pot and with a curious look she responded,

“It was yesterday late afternoon, why?”

“Because he is missing.”

“Are you sure you are not behind all this?”

Pissed off by her answer he faced her in an angry faced but wanting help he blended the reaction with an innocent look. Mayra noticed the awkwardness where she said, “Maybe he choose to just leave for good.” On a serious look, he turned to Mayra where Mayra noticed the odd look where she added, “Or maybe he is kidnapped the way you say.”

Owusu faced Akyaa back and said, “At least she is making sense than you.” She feed up with the conversation and remembering the wrath of her mother if she took a longer period in the river, she took the pot back on her head and walked away. Owusu not fully convinced by her words, he shouted to her as she was walking away, “If you know where he is just tell me.” Akyaa still as she was moving away she shouted back, “Continue looking for your son because he is not with me.”

When Akyaa vanished off Owusu view he turned to Mayra who gazing at Akyaa and said, “Hey girl.” Immediately Mayra faced him where he added, “Go back to the village because I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Mayra responded by saying, “Ok!”

Then Owusu and his men jumped the other side of the river where ignorantly Mayra followed them to the other side of the river. After crossing over, the other side of the river Owusu stopped facing her in an angry look and said,

“Go back it’s not safe walking in savannah.”

“I may be of good help to you.”

“Don’t you understand it is not safe for you? Today there are also two other two guards missing.”

“Am a grown-up lady.”

Owusu was a silent and open-minded man, he responded, “Ok come with us,” and he continued moving away as she followed them.

It was at noon the sun was shining down to the dry savanna. The long grasses of the savanna were swiftly blown from east to west by the wind. Due to the strong sunlight, a lizard was busting on a rock happily enjoying the climate.

Suddenly the lizard escaped from the swung of a sharp machete that one of the Owusu’s men was caring. Then behind the man followed another a second man who was also moving while slicing the long grass to make way for Owusu and Mayra.

Owusu was walking while chatting with Mayra,

“You said you might be useful, how useful?”

“I can read.”

“That is not useful to me because I can also read.”

Mayra out of her backpack she took out her special book where she showed it to Owusu and added, “Am a philosopher I read the way natures work.” Their conversation was cut short when one of the men noticed a blood drop on the long grass and shouted, “There is something here.” Everybody walked to the man where the gathered round the bloodstains. The second man touched the blood, sniffed, and said, “This is human blood and it is fresh.”

Mayra with her curiosity character she noticed the bloodstains trace where she silently followed the traces. Owusu noticed her and shouted, ‘Where are you going?” she assumed him and continued following the blood traces.

Then Owusu exclaimed, “Let’s follow her,” as he followed where her. Following the blood trace, they reached to where two men were lying dead on the ground. Owusu responded, “Those are the night guards.”

Mayra knelt beside the dead bodies and noticed two small holes on the victim’s neck similar to the ones on her father’s body. One of the men asked, “What killed them?” Mayra responded, “It’s the same creature that killed men in our camp.” Owusu astonish asked,

“What did the creature look like?”

“All I know is that it has a human figure but strong than anything that I have ever seen.”

“And to where do the creature moved to.”

Mayra rose from the ground, faced towards the direction of the mountains, and said, “I think there is where the creature might have gone.” Owusu then ordered the men, “Let’s go and kill this creature.” The men bravely moved towards the mountain as Mayra and Owusu followed back.

As they were moving, Owusu commented to Mayra, who was walking beside him,

“I have now seen you are useful now tell me more about the killings in your camp.”

“That was the reason I came here after my father was killed and I choose to find what killed my father.”

When they all reached the base of the mountain, they all stopped faced the long mountain where Owusu said, “We should all disperse.” Immediately the two men disperse leaving Owusu and Mayra stagnant at their stop. Mayra faced Owusu and asked,

“Aren’t we not dispersing looking for your son?”

Owusu pissed with that question he walked away from where Mayra. Mayra solo moved around the place observing everything. She heard some movement on a distant bush where she walked slowly towards the bush to have a clear look. In the bush, she found a wild dog that was badly injured.

She moved closer to the injured wild dog where the wild dog was facing her in petty. Mayra in with her petty character she place down her book and strained the dog’s neck where the dog died.

After the dog died Mayra took her book stood where she astonished to see others dead wild dog. She slowly moved passed the dead wild dogs silently looking at them. Where she was caught up with some peculiar movement to the base of the mountain.

Mayra immediately changed her course and moved in the direction to where she had heard the strange movement until she came face to face with a cave. Mayra stopped at a distance from the cave having a weird feeling she zoomed in the cave at a distance. Zooming into the cave, she noticed a strange drawing on the cave entrance.

Slowly Mayra moved closer to the drawing placed her book on a rock and started drawing the drawings on the cave entrance. As she was drawing, the pen fell from her hand and rolled in the cave a little bit. Mayra concentrating on the pen she left the book on top of the rock and walked to take the pen. Immediately she took the pen up, she heard a movement deep in the cave where she was sure there was something inside the cave.

Though she was and audible lady she was also afraid, quickly Mayra reacted by moving backward off the cave still facing the cave until to where she paused looking at the cave. To where she had stopped by a tap on the back of her shoulder. She quickly turned back astonished where she found it was Owusu.

Owusu noticed how shocked Mayra looked and asked, “Have you found anything strange.” Mayra turned to the cave that looked silent, she faced back him and said responded, “No I have not found anything strange.” He then added, “It’s late we should go back,” then he started walking away. Mayra quickly rushed took her book on the rock and followed him away from the cave entrance.