MY ILMORAN

THREE

Wangari decided to take a walk and hoped she could make it a habit whenever she visited her grandmother. She put some music on and started her walk. She lost track of time and by the time she realized it was late, she also realized she was not familiar with the area she was in.

Wangari started to panic a little as she tried to remember what direction she had come from as she reached a junction at the path. She thought to call her grandmother but when she checked, her phone was dead because she had forgotten to charge it that morning. It was now around five thirty in the evening and she was seriously panicked, her mind insisting on torturing her by creating scenarios of what could happen to her.

Wangari was just about to make a decision on which path to follow when she saw a herd of cattle coming her way from the left. She concluded that she should head right and went. As she was walking down that path, she saw some young men who were most likely herding the cattle ahead of them. Wangari looked at them but decided to mind her own business but the guys decided otherwise.

One of them waved at her and she pretended not to see. Some of them broke off from the group and headed her way. She started to walk faster but they caught up with her and stood in an arc before her so she couldn't walk forward and she couldn't turn back. They started asking her questions in Kiswahili and laughed mockingly as she fidgeted in her spot feeling uncomfortable and hoping for a miracle. She didn't know their intentions but she reckoned they were not good.

Just then, another herd of cattle slightly larger than the one before also come their way. The men in front of her were distracted for a moment and that was all the opening Wangari needed. She made a dash down the path but the men behind her shouted something in another language and those from the other group who were approaching her blocked her path. One caught her and dragged her by her arm back to his group. She struggled to get free as they conversed in what she knew was Maasai dialect due to how they were dressed in shukas.

She clawed the arm of the man who was holding her and he said something which Wangari thought was a curse at her and glared at her fiercely. She continued to struggle and when the guy loosened his grip, she stumbled and bumped into the guy at the back of the group as she tried to regain her footing. He stabilized her and helped her stand. She crossed her arms and glared at them all. She turned her glare to the guy behind her who was now talking to the others looking as if he was scolding them. She determined that he was their leader or something. Wangari's glare faltered when she saw that the guy was none other than Dennis while he paused his speech abruptly, looking shocked.

The guys were confused for they had never seen their leader react like he did just then. They figured that he knew the girl but couldn't understand how or who she was. The other group reached them and they started to talk. Wangari deduced that the first group wanted the rest to leave her to them. They talked for a minute and they were all surprised when Dennis pushed Wangari behind him gently, blocking her from them all. They started to get aggressive and Dennis's group stood in front of him blocking them. They backed off when they saw that they were clearly outnumbered while shouting words back at them which she figured weren't very nice.

"Are you okay?" Dennis asked turning to look at her. "Yes." Wangari replied still alert in case she needed to run or anything. Dennis turned and muttered something to the ground and they started to leave. He then turned to Wangari and scrutinized her checking if she was indeed okay. "Come. I'll take you home. Near the shops?" He asked as he started to walk in the direction she was walking. Wangari nodded as she scrambled to follow him still cautious but a little less apprehensive.

"It's okay, you're safe now. You're very lucky but don't make it a habit to come back to this area alone. In fact, I'd advise against coming here at all." Dennis said. Wangari nodded indicating she had heard him. She let out a shaky breath and realized that she was shaking. Dennis also seemed to realize this and he slowed down so she could keep up. By the time they reached Wangari's neighborhood, she had stopped shaking and she had relaxed a little. "Thank you so much for helping me back there. Nashukuru sana." Wangari said. "Okay." Dennis said and turned to leave. "By the way, what's your English name?" He turned and asked.

"Cecilia. Cecilia Wangari." She said. "Okay. Can I- may I call you Cecily?" He asked again looking a little discomfited. "Sure, although nobody else calls me that." She said with a small smile. "Okay, well, bye Cecily. See you around and take care." Dennis waved and turned. Wangari watched him leave taking note of his tall lithe form as he disappeared in a distance.

Dennis couldn't believe the girl. He couldn't believe she ventured out to the forest area on her own. Didn't she know how dangerous that area was? He knew that she was lucky that his group appeared. Otherwise, he doesn't even want to think about what would have happened to her. The different groups tended to stay out of each other's way and some tended to turn a blind eye even as injustices were done.

His group and some others would offer help sometimes but they weren't always there and misfortune befell some people. That is why that area was avoided by the locals because thieves and vagabonds roamed that area. The rough terrain, the brush and thickets created a cover for them and they took full advantage. The police had tried and they kept trying to catch them all and Dennis could say that the area was safer than some few years back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Song of the day: The Bones - Maren Morris

Hey guys,
Tell me what you think of this chapter, let's hear your thoughts, or read in this case 😏
Also, it's okay to explore but don't ventured too far on your own in unfamiliar lands, best case scenario is you get lost.

Don't forget to leave a comment and hit the little star on your screen and share.
Till next Friday, love y'all 💞