Wilson's Legacy by Sovaizia Rahib

Author:Sovaizia Rahib [Rahib, Sovaizia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

Fractions

(Jangal Mariala, Pakistan, 1962)

Wilson sat at a distance, fixing the handpump, while he watched his eight-month-pregnant wife peeling the peas they had grown in their fields. He had taken some time off work because he didn't want to leave her alone. He had started growing vegetables on the farm to sell them in the city market. Life had never felt more beautiful to him now that they were expecting their first child together.

He was about to stand up when he heard anklets jingling around him. His eyes abruptly followed the direction it was coming from. There was nothing. He thought his ears were ringing. With a chuckle, he ignored it. In a few seconds, he heard it again. He looked toward Shanti, who was lost in her own thoughts. He remembered that she never liked anklets because they were considered a taboo in her village. The ornament was believed to be worn only by dancers and prostitutes.

The voice approached him for the third time, growing stronger and closer with each instance.

He turned, but there was no one to be found. He shrugged his shoulders in disbelief then pushed the handpump. Even after being fixed, it didn’t work. He had a habit of getting frustrated whenever he encountered failure.

After a pause, there it was again: the rattling of chains, and the delicate melody of the tiny bells and charms around a woman’s feet.

Irritated, he looked over once more; she was there, the woman he had met outside of the village.

“Hush!” she ordered, putting her finger to her lips. “You wouldn’t want to scare the mother of your child. It would not be good for either one of them,” she said politely, but her eyes contained nothing but darkness— a darkness that he had never confronted before.

He felt like someone had shattered his spine. In a split second, his sensations were numbed.

“You must be questioning the reason for my presence. Do not worry; you will receive all your answers eventually. For the time being, do not utter a single word, particularly to her,” she said, pointing toward Shanti, “If you intend to keep her in your life, you shall keep us hidden.”

“Us?” he thought in a state of shock, without saying it out loud.

“We are your family, Wilson. Look behind you,” she said as if she were telepathically connected to him.

There stood an elderly man with a grey beard, a little girl, and another bald middle-aged man with a silver hoop in his left ear. He was strong and muscular.

“We are not here to harm you or your family. We are here to make you a part of us. You are destined to belong with us. Do not forget that our lack of intention to harm you does not limit our ability to do so. The only thing we ask of you is to keep us hidden. You protect us; we protect you. When we summon, you appear; When you summon, we appear.”

“Wil, come quick! The baby is kicking,” shouted Shanti, leaving the peas scattered on the cot.

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