Sam Harris Adventure Box Set by P J Skinner

Author:P J Skinner [Skinner, P J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIII

When Fergus and Ned got back to Fona the next day, Tamba was waiting for them in the sitting room of their house. He plucked at his robes as he perched on the edge of the uncomfortable sofa. His usual bumptious exterior had been replaced by a deflated melancholy. He had the air of someone who had been waiting a long time, but he did not look pleased to see them. His stomach rose and fell as he breathed out an extended sigh. There was no sign of Fatimata.

‘Hi Tamba! This is a surprise. Are you seeking refuge from Sam? She’s a real devil, isn’t she?’ said Fergus, taking in his bedraggled state without comment.

Tamba did not smile. He looked at the ground and drew in a deep breath. ‘I have bad news,’ he said, ‘about Sam.’

‘What sort of news? Is she hurt?’ said Ned.

‘She is missing.’

‘What do you mean missing? Didn’t she come to work yesterday?’ said Fergus.

‘Oh, yes. She came, but she wasn’t well, she had a headache. Do you know what voodoo is?’

‘Yes,’ said Fergus.

‘Not really,’ said Ned.

‘Voodoo is a mixture of the beliefs of various ethnic groups from Africa. We use it to make sense of events and to influence life in our favour by using a healer or witch doctor to intercede for us with the spirits of our ancestors,’ said Tamba.

‘I understand all that, but what’s this got to do with Sam?’ said Fergus.

‘Someone put a serious curse on her, trying to kill her or make her disappear.’

‘Jesus, Tamba! Are you telling us that Sam is missing because of a spell?’ said Ned.

‘Steady on there, Neddy,’ said Fergus. ‘People around here believe powerful spells can make you fall in love or die.’

‘Have you searched for her, Tamba?’

‘Um, not exactly, but we know where she is.’

‘What on earth are you doing here? Why didn’t you get her right away?’

‘She is in the bondo in the sacred forest. It is forbidden for men to enter there.’

‘And what is a bondo?’ said Ned, looking incredulous.

‘It’s a ceremonial house where they circumcise the girls,’ said Fergus, ‘to get them ready for marriage.’

Ned winced.

‘Circumcise the girls? How do they do that? I thought you could only circumcise boys?’ said Ned.

‘Jesus, Ned, do I have to give you all the details? They cut out their clitoris, so they won’t stray.’

Ned blanched. ‘Jesus, don’t tell me that Sam …’

‘It is unlikely, but there is something else,’ said Tamba.

‘Something else? Isn’t this bad enough?’ said Ned

‘Sam took bad juju into the bondo with her.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Someone planted a voodoo fetish on her, a bag full of evil spirits, to make her die. If the sowei find it, they will kill her and burn the body to stop the curse contaminating the sacred forest.’

‘They'll murder her over a superstition! Do something, Fergus.’

‘We will stop them. There must be a way.’

‘You can’t go there, sir.’

‘I understand,’ said Fergus.

‘What are you talking about, Fergus? We must go there now and save her.’

‘No, we can’t. I’m sorry, Ned, but they would kill us too.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.