Chapter 5 - Building Foundations 2

"Khisa! Wake up!" An excited voice shouted.

"You said we are making something fun. Wake up already!" Naliaka called from outside my bedroom.

The thin bed barely bothered me anymore, but I still needed a mattress. Once you taste luxury, you can never go back.

You could feel the cheerful atmosphere in the village, with the kids excitedly chatting away about how we were going to build something amazing. The adults felt the infectious energy in the air as they went about their various duties happily. Children are truly the joy of a society.

After breakfast, Khisa went about his training, the kids joined him, doing their best to mimic his movements. These kids were the future, and he wanted them to be as strong as humanly possible.

It all starts here, he thought to himself.

"Okay, kids, we are going to have a competition today. We need to mix the clay with dried grass. The one who brings the most dried grass will get a cool present. I'll make you the best-looking wooden spear, and for the girls, I'll make you the best necklace in the whole village."

This ignited the competitive nature of the children. They ran all over the village collecting dried grass, seeming to never run out of energy. Khisa never thought life could be so fulfilling. As the kids gathered the grass, he was busy digging a hole big enough to do the mixing in. Since he wasn't allowed to use the kiln, he would have to dry the bricks the old-fashioned way. It would take so long, and he was sure the kids might lose interest in it.

Maybe I should introduce a game? He pondered.

Collecting materials took most of the afternoon, and he then showed them how to make the molds. Trying to keep their spirits up was hard, but with promises of food and games, they cooperated. Tomorrow he would start the mixing process. This childish body was very limiting; there's only so much he could accomplish in a day. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

Khisa woke up early the next day, his body slowly getting used to the exercise. He spent all night thinking of a game to teach the kids. If only he could use the kiln, it would make the building part so much easier. He could ask his father for help, but he decided that he was going to accomplish this with just him and the kids. He wanted to prove himself to everyone. One day, they would all be depending on him, and it wouldn't hurt to make sure he was a trusted member of the community.

He assembled the kids for today's activities. He was sure they were going to have a good time. It's best to get the tedious activities out of the way first.

"Today I will teach you a fun game, but first let us mix the clay with the dried grass, and you get to play with it for a while before we pour it into the molds. It will take a very long time to completely dry, but everyone gets to draw a nice picture on whatever you work on."

The kids cheerfully got to work. The clay was poured into the hole Khisa had made yesterday, and they added water and dried grass to the mixture. The highlight of their day was crushing the mud beneath their feet. Children are so easily amused. They then poured the mixture into all the molds they had made. It would take about a week or so before they completely dried, but for now, Khisa decided it was the best time to teach them the new game.

In the afternoon, Khisa ran to meet his mother. She gasped when she saw him, covered in mud from head to toe. She quickly began scolding him, but Khisa was too excited to be concerned with that.

"Mother, I need you to make something for me. Please make a small, closed leather basket filled with grass. It's for a game I invented. I want to invite all the children in the village to play. You can come watch us too," he said, beaming with excitement.

His mother had been worried the past few days because Khisa was acting differently, but it would seem her concerns were unwarranted. He still seemed like the cheerful, happy child she gave birth to. She smiled, tears leaving her eyes.

"Before that, you need a bath. I'm sure you and your friends are all filthy," she said, dragging him toward the water-filled pots for a quick wash.

He sent all the kids to the houses in the village to gather everyone. In total, the kids gathered were about 400. Khisa was surprised at how many there were. He was always hanging out with the same kids, and he didn't make time for the others. He silently vowed to change that. These were his people after all.

Seeing all the kids gathered like this made the adults curious as to what they were up to. Khisa stood on a raised platform to explain the rules of the game.

"This game is called Mbumbwa. My mother is making a ball for us to use. We will play with two teams of eight. Not all of us will get to play today, but once you learn the rules, you can play whenever you want. The goal is to get the ball to the opposing team's goal line. You can only pass to the person next to you or behind you. You can tackle the opponent to get the ball. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. The field size is huge, but there are a lot of trees and rocks in the way, so do your best to avoid them. I have marked the goal lines with painted animal hides. One is red, and the other is blue. I have some more paint here to mark the team members. Everyone else, let's cheer for our friends and have fun today."

Excited cheers filled the air. This was going to be a fun game.