Chapter 1
27 years earlier...
The giant stood up, and stretched his large frame tiredly, a few bones cracked here and there. Why do I call Kanyi a giant? Because at 6 feet and two inches he towered well above everyone in the entire village. Which made the village elders appoint him to succeed the old Chief when he died, leaving no heir behind to succeed him. He had spent almost the entire night sitted on his small stool waiting, anxiously, for the ululations of the village women, which would announce the gender of his firstborn child. He bent slightly as he fit himself through the door of his almost bare hut, and held his blanket tightly against the chill of the dawning day. In the horizon the sun was already rising and in the nearby trees he could hear the chirping of the birds. He stood facing the sun as a few streaks of light broke through the dark clouds, and stretched once more. In one hand he held his walking stick, a sign of his chiefdom, and on the other he carried his stool. Slowly he walked behind his hut and set his stool down, then he began pacing up and down with his hands held behind his back.
His mind took him back to when he first met Maria, his wife. She was coming from the stream intricately balancing a big pot of water on her head. Her colourful sash tied around her small waist matched her head scarf and the small piece of cloth that covered her generous breasts. There were three strands of beads on her waist and three more on her long neck, a sign that she was an unbetrothed virgin. Before that day Kanyi had never wanted to take a wife, but he was simply mesmerized by Maria and her royal demeanor. She walked quickly swaying her big derriere and her breasts bouncing invitingly with every step she took. He had walked towards her, forgetting about his friends and the hunt they were heading to. While he was still a few feet away from her, he noticed that she was walking straight towards a buffalo that was feeding peacefully on the path. He had then run towards her and stopped her way before she could put her life in danger. But that was not before Maria had slapped him hard for touching her inappropriately. Kanyi couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as the memories came flooding back so picturesquely. He'd made up his mind that very same day to court her. After all, it's not every day that you run into a feisty Maiden that will ensure you never have a dull day in your life, he'd told himself.
Suddenly the cool morning air was interrupted by the shrills of a crying baby, followed by the ulululations of the village women. The first round rent the air, then the second, and then there was silence. It was a girl, were it to be a boy there would have been a third round of ululations. Kanyi's heart sank, he'd really wanted a boy, a heir to his throne and his immense wealth. Nonetheless his heart pounded with excitement as he placed himself in front of the hut that had been his wife's labour room and waited for the village midwife to bring his daughter to him. He held her delicately in his large strong hands as he beheld her beautiful angelic face, instantly he lost his heart to her. Her large brown eyes opened and held on to his for a long time. Reluctantly, he broke the gaze and walked slowly to the edge of the homestead, and as custom dictated, he whispered into the baby's ear (she had to be the first to hear her name) before lifting her up to the gods, "I give you the name Kira, a strong and revered name of our ancestors. May you grow up strong as the name you bear." And that was me. Slowly he lowered me down and handed me back to midwife.
