Black Avatare

13 | VILLAGE

Tradition was a powerful force, so much so that an entire community believed that a fancy ceremony was the answer to misfortune. Binara sighed as she pulled out a demon mask from their pile of things.

The lodging provided for their use was a wattle and daub shelter built around a tree. She knew that smaller versions of the dwelling were used to keep watch over paddy fields, where farmers whiled away the time singing folk songs. It was cool inside, and an earthen smell permeated the air. The demon mask in her hand was a riot of color under the shafts of afternoon sun that crept in through the window. She wondered if a demon really was responsible for the crop failure. If so, this ceremony would do little more than act as a placebo for the villagers.

"Hey, Binnie!" Piumi poked her head in.

Binara flicked the mask back onto the pile. "I'm done sorting out the stuff."

"Great. The boys are setting everything up at the farmer's yard." Piumi loped inside, holding food baskets made of coconut palm weave. "I grabbed us some lunch."

On cue, the hot aroma of food flowed into her nose, making her mouth water. "So to confirm, we're just doing this for funsies, and there's no demon at work?"

"About that..." Piumi handed her the meal and sat cross-legged on a reed mat. "After talking to the farmer, Vinod thinks there's an actual spirit involved."

Binara frowned as she sank to a sitting position, legs splayed out in a W pose. She eyed the basket in her hands. A steaming lump of rice rested on a banana leaf. Around it were four accompaniments—leafy green mallung, manioc curry, creamy kos and brown chunks coated in gravy, which she couldn't identify.

"Oh, that's urupaha," Piumi said, observing her questioning look. "Big, meaty mushrooms the folks here collect from the wild. It's a delicacy going back thousands of years, and they've cooked it just for us. Their way of life is very much connected to the forest, which brings me back to the spirit."

Binara raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Everything's out of whack 'cause of what's going on, so Vin thinks we should reinforce their bond with the spirit—other than having the tovil ceremony." She picked up the spoon—a woody utensil made of areca leaf. "That's all we're authorized to do anyways."

"Is there even a forest spirit in the first place?" Binara asked, eyes narrowed.

The other girl shrugged, plunging the spoon into her food. "He says we should split up. Two of us can head to the forest and offer a sacrifice while the others conduct the tovil. The farmer's very thorough and prepared everything we asked for."

Binara scoffed. "I ain't negotiating with supernatural beings—assuming there is one."

"I don't think this is a demon, Binnie. There are other entities, especially when it comes to nature. And it's not our call to decide what we do with this spirit—maybe it's important."

Binara tucked into her food. Flavor exploded in her mouth, the tastes and textures harmonizing into a gustatory masterpiece. The smoky tang of a wood-fired stove oozed from the urupaha, which was obviously slow cooked in spices and coconut milk. The inhabitants of Gongama certainly knew how to cook. While she chewed, her thoughts wandered to the ghost woman in the walauwa. Harmless ghosts were one thing, but pandering to potentially malevolent beings was another.

Piumi swallowed a mouthful of food. "It's delicious, yeah? They should do a cooking class..."

"So who's gonna take part in the ceremony?" Binara asked.

"Do you wanna do it? We'd have to get ready. You know, wear the costume and..."

"Nope."

"Okay." Piumi heaped rice onto her spoon. "Let's ask Vin if we can be the ones to deliver the offering. He says a bali sacrifice would do. He's brought an art piece just in case. It's good—nicely sculpted on a premium clay tablet."