A Mistake in Time

Chapter 3

When I wake up, I feel dizzy, unaware of my surroundings, and trying to adjust to the bright sunlight in my eyes. After about a minute, I start to get aware of where I am. I'm hanging upside down, lightly swinging from side to side. I then look at my leg. The blazer has been removed and replaced by some mud-like goo. I then look around to see that I'm being carried by the same figure who stared at me last night. I try to move, but I'm tied up by weaved twigs and tall grasses. As I try to find solutions to this, I can see some huts further ahead, and I'm being carried to the biggest one. I can hear them speak in a native language that I don't understand. As they carry me into the hut, I pretend I'm still unconscious. They throw me down on the floor, and before I can realize, I scream, "Ouch!!" Shocked and sort of scared, they all surround me with bows, arrows and spears. My heart is pounding as I try to stop them. I then hear someone shout, "Myeke!". A woman then approaches me through the defensive crowd. She is wearing weaved clothes of grass and reeds, weaved in all sorts of patterns, with coloured beads weaved within her clothes. She also has a crown-like structure on her head, weaved from twigs and other woody plants. She takes one look at me and then at my calf. "Kwenzenjani?" she asked one of the men with spears. He then mumbles something to her, and she glances at me again. She then turns herself towards me and bends down. She unties me and gestures to me that I should follow her. I don't have a clue what's going on, but I follow her. She takes me to the back of the hut, where she gives me water and something to eat. The then looks at my calf, wiping away the muddy mixture and examining the cut. I am curious to what it looks like now, and I see that the infection has disappeared. The goo they put on must've helped with it. Back in school, we learned about traditional medicine and how native tribes used plants and such to cure all sorts of illnesses and sores. The woman, I assume the queen/leader of the tribe, then takes some herbs, crush it with some water, and then adds it onto my cut. She then takes a banana leaf and wraps it around this mixture. Then she ties it with some thin pieces of grass. I am amused by the whole process and give her a thanking look. She slightly nods and then stand up. She turns to the rest of the people, who have been examining us closely and cognizantly. She speaks in a powerful tone when she tells them something. They all lower their weapons and leave. She turned to glance at me one last time, before leaving the hut. I lie there, finally feeling safe and able to rest and heal properly now.