Anita in the kingdom of slaves - Chapter 3

At this distance, it was impossible for me to avoid the bullet that was coming towards me.

-(Sighs and with a sad look) Excuse me my baby (while crying). I am not even able to protect you.

I already had my eyes closed, my two hands on my belly waiting for the bullet to hit me. Five seconds passed and nothing happened. That's when I saw Alika in front of me. I could see the blood but I still didn't know what had happened. It was when the soldiers started to run towards me that Alika turned around with a wounded eye. I immediately realized that Alika had saved me from the bullet. Then next, he pushes me with the tip of his nose into the cliff.

-No... No... No... Alikaaaaaaaaaa. Noooo.

Screaming like this and falling into the river, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself hanging on a branch out of the river. I then made the effort to get rid of the branch. All exhausted in pain, I tried to get up to find a place to take refuge. In pain, in suffering, I mumbled to myself while crying, looking down:

-Alika, why did you do this for me? Why did you do this for me? Why did you do this for me? I promise you to live as you wished for me. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. After a few minutes of walking, I found a cave in which I took refuge. I spent ten days in this cave and fed myself with fish from the river. I made a fire with dead wood. I lived like in the prehistoric times. Every ten days I changed places because of the soldiers. 32 days have passed since my escape. Suddenly, during the night, the cervix of my uterus opened and liquids began to gush out. After a few moments of pain and retentive screams, I delivered my baby alone and it was a boy. I did everything by myself. I ate fish and some fruits to have enough milk to breastfeed the baby. After a few days, I ran out of food and my baby didn't have enough milk. He was crying every night. I was gradually losing weight. My skin was drying out and sticking to my bones. A month later, I was barely breathing. On the night of the full moon when I saw my time coming, and lying by my fire with my baby in my arms, I saw a black animal with a prey in its mouth. Being in the dark, I could not see clearly. I was afraid because it could be a carnivore and could attack my baby and me being very weak. The animal approached and I could see it clearly: it had its eyes gouged out, its left hind leg fractured, a mortal wound on its neck and black with a hare between its fangs. In spite of my tiredness, I stand up, tears in my eyes

- (In a weakened voice) Alika, is that you? It's you, isn't it? Alika tell me that it's you.

The dog barks suddenly, warning his prey to fall. I immediately knew his message. I took him in my arms and cried with all my strength. Having cried with all the energy I had left, I fell asleep. The next day I found my baby next to me, grilled meat. Considering the meat and the absence of Alika around, I immediately felt saddened as if I knew unconsciously what meat it was.

- We had only just met again. Leaving me alone again made me more than sad. Please come back to me Alika.

Tired of crying, I had been speechless all day waiting for Alika to return. He didn't come back until nightfall. At night when I fell asleep with swollen eyes, I had a dream that Alika had come back to me, everything was white. And all of a sudden Alika began to speak: << Anita, I am no longer of this world. But I don't regret sacrificing myself. The only chose that makes me proud is to have been able to protect and see my little brother. I have always considered you as my mother. So as a big brother, I have to protect my little brother. And the only way to protect and care for him is to allow him to nurse well and grow up like a real man. And for him to be well breastfed, you have to feed yourself properly. That's why I thought of the hare and thanks to my sense of smell, I could find you even without my sight. But seeing my wound, I said that it would be a waste to die without doing anything, better to my family and as I knew that I was going to die, I took care to prepare you the meat of the hare and then threw myself into the remaining fire. Feed on my meat and nurse my little brother properly. I count on you. I love you >>I woke up with his name in my mouth and tears in my eyes. Feed on my meat and suckle my little brother properly. I count on you. I love you >>. I woke up with his name in my mouth, tears in my eyes. Feed on my meat and nurse my little brother properly. I count on you. I love you >>I woke up with his name in my mouth, tears in my eyes.

-How could I eat my own son? I mumbled.

-I will bury you with dignity and this time I promise to take good care of your little brother.