Into the Land of Darkness

1. Baba

**'Baba' in the Yoruba language means father

The sand beneath her feet glowed with golden pride. The air smelled of red dust and prestige.

Her ancestors the warriors, the wisemen, kings of the land,

Held their heads up high in the bald hills at her back.

"Baba! Baba!"

Her gaze desperately glided across the smooth hills,

But he gave no answer.

"Baba!"

The need in her voice began to overpower the 

message she was trying to send.

And so she tried again.

"Baba..."  

The whisper intertwined with the passing

Wind and was lost in it.

Making their way away from her frantically searching

Eyes, the tears stubbornly fell.

Mimicking the useless cries, her lips failed to make a sound. 

Her tongue danced to the music of the whistling winds.

An anger burned bright in her chest, threatening to 

Burst through and consume everything around her,

But before the rage could manifest itself,

A large gust of wind flung her backwards and a 

Sharp, familiar, pain spread across her cheek.

And just as it came,

The wind vanished.

All was still,

unmoving,

unchanging,

as if this was how it had always been.

Had she not known better, she would have believed

It so. 

She lay on the ground furled up, holding on to her knees,

And seeking solace from an unloving soil.

Then, in a final burst of hope, she gathered herself

And tried again.

This time, she closed her eyes tightly but focused her mind 

Upon the hills.

Drawing in a breath,

She let out one sharp cry 

"Baba!"

A breeze danced across her cheek and immediately fled.

She kept her eyes closed to keep the hopeless tears

From escaping.

Knowing that no more responses would be granted to her,

The girl was left alone and in the dark.

Her father did not want her to question.