The Open Book

Chapter 4 Scene 2

2.

She'd done it, avoided the nightmares, but not sleep. The battle had taken long. Stolen time unlike anything else. It was just a shame she was useless against the floor, the mat, the couch, the table. She was fed, watered. She did some of it herself. How dare she not try be involved in her own life.

Night fell with the floor group bigger than before. Bodies filed everywhere, but this time both Thato and Aphiwe were up, staring at each other. Forehead to forehead.

"You don't want to sleep do you?"

Two blinks.

"Is it, because you aren't tired?"

Two blinks.

Thato stared, it would take a minute before the next question, and time would expand from there.

"The... ey..." Aphiwe began, Thato tried to speak, but Aphiwe's head shake made Thato retreat.

"They... cai....m... back..."

Thato's eyes widened, she was furious but not at her, never her.

"God dammit, why must your pain be where I can't go?"

Thato hugged her, burying her face into her daughter's neck. Then, suddenly popped up.

"Of course, this is Nature's way. And by Nature, we cannot win, but we can compete. I have a way. But it has to be up to you, I think it has to be you to decide."

She picked Aphiwe up, carrying her out the room to the lounge, sitting her down on the heavily used couch. She pulled a book, there was a click, she pulled another and a chain followed after it, she unlocked the chain and the room's centre rose. Layer after layer of wood, land, soil and more wood. Eventually wood gave way to steel and then open air, leaving blackness. She did not so much as turn on a lamp, merely walking into a pool of limitless inky black. It swallowed her whole, leaving Aphiwe alone. It didn't take long before she came running back, a stack of books in hand.

Thato was thrilled, giddy.

"I've been reading this, by now I'm mostly through. This is from a man greater than me, not you though. I believe these are the journals of the original Chui warlords, from the Age of warlords. I'm not sure how far into our learnership we are involving the Age of warlords. But they were warriors who taught themselves the original wizards, forming magic of their own. They were so powerful they'd change the face of war. Change maps, territories would shift."

Thato stopped, holding her anticipation. She might as well have been salivating. It was weirdly contagious, made Aphiwe want to get up and dance with her. But no.

"Power doesn't mean what people think it is. For now, that's not really a thing you should understand. What you need to understand is strength. My heartbeat, my undying love. Let's consider strength."

She pulled out the first book.

"This is a dangerous book," She paused, it made Aphiwe shiver. "That's why I'll leave it with you. Here's the first line from the book,"

"If you read this, you will die. You must decide. This book will give you my strength. It will be enough to give you power, but not on its own. You will have to take it, but as a start, we must change you. Not make you myself but change you. And to do that you must suffocate your good self until it dies, for your new self."

Thato stopped there. The thinking wasn't blank, but troubled, eyes furrowed.

"This is something very dangerous. Again, you should believe me when I say you will get better, on your own. You don't need to learn this, it could hurt you reading this but only after it makes you better. You need to focus on whether you want to. It's the most important choice of your life. But it's a family rule. You have the power to destroy your whole family. It's important you have that power. In order to have the right, the responsibility to save. Which again you can do without this book. Anyway let's go.