The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko

Author:Jordan Ifueko
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 2024-08-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

“Your lizard suitor is here again,” announced Kanwal the next morning, as she, Wafa, and I hung sheets in the courtyard, beating them with cinnamon powder to rid them of mites and silverfish.

No one knew of Ixalix’s visit. The moss and lily pads had vanished from the spa overnight, but not without leaving mildew streaks on the walls and tiny, iridescent water beetles that wriggled in the eaves. These mysterious appearances made Mamadele, who was already on edge as the Sin Salon drew nearer, believe that a pipe had burst, so she had demanded that the Amenities air every linen in the house.

In addition to the beetles, a buzzing swarm of dragonflies appeared outside the inn. I did not realize that they were spies of Ixalix until one swooped close as I did chores outside, and I shivered to see that its bulging eyes looked like human irises. The creatures, though eerie, were much stupider than Clemeh—apparently, Ixalix had learned her lesson about creating messengers with free will. So mostly they hovered and left me alone, though they grew angry when I spoke to Clemeh, darting past my ears and buzzing “What do girls know of gods? What do gods know of girls? Girl, not god. God, not girl” until I batted them away. I did not need the reminder.

Now, when Clemeh scampered into the courtyard with another gourd in tow, I did not even look down.

“I am not going to open it,” I grouched. That morning, I had found a new prayer pebble: one with sharp, gratifying ridges. I churned the stone against my cheek as I beat the linen. “So you might as well go away.”

Clemeh croaked in protest, climbing onto my sandal. I shook him off, seized the gourd, and dropped it into the well behind the inn. It sank with a gurgle, letting the murky water drown whatever the Crocodile had tried to tell me. For a moment, I fingered the intricate clay beads on my wrist, considering hurling them in the water as well. Instead, I rounded on Clemeh.

“Go,” I ordered. And with a final protesting chirrup, he retreated from the yard. Ixalix’s dragonflies danced in triumph.

Kanwal and Wafa paused at their clotheslines.

“Small Sade,” Wafa said, large eyes crinkling with concern. “Are you feeling all right?”

Kanwal’s thick brows furrowed. “Maybe Mamadele has been picking on her,” she said. “Small Sade looks the way I did when Mamadele told me to ‘stop experimenting’ with the inn’s boring dinner menu.”

“Well, maybe you should not experiment,” I snapped, using my cane to beat wrinkles from a sheet with more malice than the cloth deserved. “She does not pay us to be creative. Have you ever considered that all of us might be happier if we just kept our heads down and remembered our places?”

I was tired of dreams. Angry at foolish fantasies that made girls gaze out windows and smile into fern pillows and think that just maybe, they might not be so small. That they might deserve something vast and unimaginable.

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