War Brothers: The Novel by Sharon McKay

Author:Sharon McKay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Annick Press Ltd.
Published: 2013-11-26T16:00:00+00:00

14

CEN—EVIL SPIRITS

Oteka did not appear to look up as he prepared food. Instead he seemed to busy himself with the chicken carcasses, matooke steaming in a pot over a fire alongside pancake bread and pots of vegetables. But he was watching. From a distance he took note of Jacob staggering around like a lamero.

“Angut!” Oteka cursed under his breath. Jacob was sobbing uncontrollably. Had the soldiers not had their fill of killing this day, Jacob would have been dead by now, no matter what Kony had ordered. It was Jacob’s good fortune that their minds were on other things.

Behind Jacob came Paul. He raced into the village, his eyes darting in every direction. Paul spotted Oteka standing by a makeshift table near the fire. Where is he? Where is Jacob? Paul spoke with his eyes.

Oteka motioned with his head. There, he seemed to say. He’s over there.

Norman followed, his eyes filled with fear. Then came the women, children, and slaves, all straggling into the village.

Oteka expertly drained the blood from the chickens, dipped the carcasses into hot water, then began the business of plucking the feathers. Several stringy chickens, giblets removed, were ready for the fire. Small children were gathered near him, all starving, all silently watching him. Girls looked at Oteka in wonder. Men did not cook, even if they were hungry.

Oteka flung two more chickens into the fire, then looked across the compound. Lizard was eating a mango. The skin of the fruit was held tight against his mouth, and juice dribbled down his chin. His small eyes were glued on Jacob.

“Angut!” Oteka repeated as he shook his head. The behavior of Jacob and his friends was dangerous. From the moment Oteka was captured he had watched, learned, and thought only of survival and escape. All else was forgotten. Forgetting was the key, something Jacob and his friends could not learn, or refused to learn. If Oteka thought of what it was to go to school, have parents and brothers and sisters, or make plans for the future, he knew he would go mad and behave as Jacob was behaving right at this minute.

Oteka looked down at the children who sat silently watching him, their eyes as round as coins, their mouths agape like little birds in a nest. He scanned the village quickly then flung uncooked strips of chicken skin toward the smaller children. They gobbled it down in seconds, leaving no greasy telltale signs.

While the chickens roasted over the fire a soldier held up a large wind-up radio and laughed. He turned a knob and the radio crackled to life. A cheer went up! Soldiers sitting farther away moved in close to hear the news. All the soldiers—the new ones and the older ones—and the girls and slaves, too, leaned in to listen.

Paul and Norman had managed to make Jacob sit still behind a hut. He was not completely out of sight, but it was the best they could do.

“Jacob, are you fine?” whispered Paul. Jacob nodded but did not look either boy in the eye.

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