Say Walah

25: Fear

Rimi glanced around, her eyes darting nervously over the treeline. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself against the uneven ground beneath her feet before deciding what to do.

Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she scrambled to her feet and made a desperate attempt to run, her legs still trembling from fear and exhaustion.

"Rimi, please! Don't leave me here!" Mairo's voice cracked with panic as another chunk of earth crumbled away beneath her. The root she clung to creaked ominously, small pieces of bark flaking off under her desperate grip.

"I have to get help, Mairo! I have to!"

"The root is breaking! Please, please don't go!" Mairo's words dissolved into a sob. Her legs kicked helplessly in the air, searching for any foothold against the sheer cliff face, finding nothing but loose soil that cascaded into the trees below.

Rimi's heart felt like it was being torn in two. Mairo's pleas pierced her like arrows, but she knew staying would mean watching helplessly as Mairo fell. She dug her fingernails into her palms until they bled.

"Just hold on, Mairo. Please hold on!"

"Rimi!" Mairo's scream echoed through the trees as Rimi finally turned and fled.

The forest blurred around her as she ran, branches whipping her face, roots threatening to trip her feet. But she didn't slow down. Mairo's cries grew fainter behind her, yet they seemed to chase her through the woods, spurring her forward even as guilt and fear threatened to choke her.

"Don't let me be too late. Please, Allah, don't let me be too late." She prayed.

Her lungs burned like fire, but she pushed herself harder, harder, until finally – like a gift from Allah himself – she spotted a familiar figure on the pathway ahead.

She nearly stumbled into me, gasping for breath, her words tumbling out in broken fragments. "M-Mairo... Mairo... fall... cliff." The urgency in her voice sent a chill down my spine. Without a second thought, I let the crops I'd just harvested slip from my hands, scattering across the ground, and sprinted in the direction Rimi had come from, my heart pounding in my chest.

The sun dipped behind the canopy, casting long shadows that twisted like claws, and I could barely keep my mind from imagining the worst.

When we reached the clearing, my stomach twisted into knots. Mairo's hands were white-knuckled around a root that jutted out from the gaping edge of the pit. Her legs dangled over emptiness, feet searching for something—anything—to find purchase on, but there was nothing but air beneath her. The root creaked ominously, thin threads snapping one by one, and I felt the ground shift slightly under my own feet, threatening to pull us all down into the abyss.

I took a quick, deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Panicking wouldn't save her. her. "Mairo, hold on!" I shouted, sharper than I intended. Rimi quickly translated, and as Mairo's wide, fearful eyes met mine, I could tell she was losing strength.

Rimi hovered nearby, trembling, as if afraid even her presence could tip the balance. I looked around frantically, searching for anything that could help.

Then I saw it—a thick ododo vine twisting up a nearby iroko tree, the kind our grandmothers used to weave ropes, strong enough to hold anything. It was our only chance.

Quickly, I rushed over, yanking at it until it came free. It was thick, still green and full of life, which meant it was strong. Strong enough, I hoped.

I tied one end of the vine around the trunk of a nearby tree, testing its hold to make sure it wouldn't snap under our weight. Then, I knelt at the edge of the pit, looping the other end of the ododo vine around my arm. "Mairo, listen," I said, forcing my voice to steady. "I ...throw this ...to you. You..catch ...tie around waist. Tight, very tight. Understand?"