The Selection by Ifeanyi Esimai

Author:Ifeanyi Esimai [Esimai, Ifeanyi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635897067
Publisher: Ciparum Press
Published: 2019-12-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Kemi sniffed the air. “Is that water I smell?”

“Yes,” I said. My eyes darted between Kemi’s face and the stream. I couldn’t look her in the face. This was my favorite area of the forest. I braced for her response, my stomach empty and fluttery.

“This place looks different,” said Kemi, looking around.

Despite the brown color of the stream, this section had a lovely short stretch of sand, devoid of vegetation. Other parts literally had trees and shrubs growing close to the water, and branches hanging over the surface.

Kemi nodded and continued to look around. “Where’s the origin of the stream? Do you think anything dangerous lives in it?”

I hooked my bow over my shoulder and surveyed the water. “From somewhere up on the mountains. Some say the stream originates as a small trickle from a rock around Oyiria. Then flows down the mountain joined by other tributaries and gets bigger and bigger. Baba said the stream finally flows into the great river.”

“Oyiria, the city of magic?” asked Kemi. “They say it was a beautiful place before King Kenzi destroyed it.”

I nodded and remembered the bird from yesterday and what Mamalawo had said. Are they connected to Oyiria?

“Is the water safe?” asked Kemi.

“I’ve only seen fish in the water here.” I didn’t tell her about the water snakes. I didn’t want to spoil things and scare her. The snakes had never bothered me.

“There’s a pool over there with a narrow entrance that fish get into. If we’re lucky, some are trapped already, and we’ll scoop them up easily.”

Kemi snorted. “Stop saying that. Since I’ve been in this forest, nothing has been easy.”

I took off my boots and waded into the water. “You’ll see. Come on.” The water came up to my ankles, and without tree cover over that part of the stream, the rays of the sun could reach us. The small pebbles on the stream bed soothed my feet, an overall relaxing effect.

Kemi took off her boots and waded in. “Ah, so cold.” Her eyes darted all over the water. “Are you sure it’s safe?” She chewed at her lower lip.

“Don’t be a baby. Let’s go see if we can catch some fish.” I walked over to the pool, and, sure enough, a few tilapia and catfish were in the pool.

Kemi walked up, her lips and chin trembling. “Did you say we will catch them with our hands?”

“Yes, the inlet into the pool is like a maze. When the fish are in a hurry to exit, they have a hard time finding the right way. The key is to focus. Follow one fish until you scoop it out. Watch.”

“Okay,” said Kemi.

I targeted a catfish about the size of my arm. The tentacles on its head flickered back and forth in the water. I bent my knees and stooped, eyes on the fish.

“Are you sure it’s not going to bite? I’m scared,” whined Kemi.

I ignored her, my focus on the fish I’d targeted. I took a deep breath, made a cup with each palm, and brought them side by side underwater.

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