Kosey Ba

An old memory (1)

                                                            Chapter One of KOSEY BA,

                                                                       An old memory

My name is Kosey Ba, son of Ita. My mother was named Aisha meaning Life, because she almost lost her life, she doesn't want to talk to me about it, all she has told me is that nothing is safe in Kenya, especially on the game reserve which we live on, I can't go out of the boundaries of the reserve. I've only ever been out twice,I feel this life is getting boring. I am nine summers old and Pili won't come exploring with me either he thinks that's stupid and for youngens. Pili is my brother, he is sixteen now and my other brother Matu has just got married to a dancer called Bina Osei and they are living a mile down the dusty track from the reserve.

I have built a camp with a hammock, where I am digging traps and attack areas for when an evil man comes and tries to steal the animals off the reserve, but that may never happen, Pili and Matu think I'm crazy. But the camp is great for exploring because the mud mix I made on the walls has baked enough in the sun so its well insulated, inside they're just jealous. We are having a fire tonight round the ashy, dusty pit and I have to collect some dry, burning wood and I have to find enough so the villagers from the Kericho suburbs can be warm its going to big. I can't find much round the camp because I have used most of it for my den but I will look round the reserves gate.

Pili is strong and always working on the game reserve carrying heavy loads with Ita, and he's mostly working with him all day there is always work for them to do on the reserve. But for me and mother there is not much. Maybe if I persuade Pili to help me build a portable little yacht, I can pretend to go exploring and push the boat through the mud when it rains. But for now I am going exploring round the back of the house over the hedge which is pregnant with flowers and cream colours, out into the open air I can run through the fields like me and Matu and Pili used to do like aeroplanes. I miss that, I wonder If they remember. The golden, brown grass is long and comfortable to lie in and run through so I would just run and run, it seemed never ending as I was to short to see over the stretched grown grass, the grass was getting longer and I thought maybe I should return home incase there was any dangerous animals in here, there never used to be when I was here a few years ago with Matu and Pili but we didn't run this far. I have decided to walk back as this is dangerous and I'm really worried. The sound of hooves is getting louder and my heart is beating faster and faster and faster. I start to run really fast until the grass gets shorter again. I keep running and running. Then something pushes me to the ground pulling me over towards the heavy hedgerow knocking me straight off me feet.

A dizzy gaze turns into a blur of beauty I look up at the deep, dark ocean blue or night sky navy eyes which have stars in. I'm alive!