MISFIT

CHAPTER TEN

England 1948

It was a beauty to witness the birth of Tim's baby girl. They named her Susan. She was a pretty little thing. Mabu loved to baby sit her. Tim and his wife adopted Mabu and treated her like their own although people weren't quite comfortable with that because she was black.

Mabu became attached to Susan and watched her grow. She told her stories and sang her to sleep and swiftly the years flew by.

Then one day, a tragedy occurred. The girls had gone off to the market place to get some food items, Tim's wife Julia had asked Mabu to watch over her baby girl, Mabu held tightly unto the child's hand but she came across an act and went over to watch. Although she couldn’t see the actors, she knew exactly what was going on.Somewhere along the way, Susan let go of Mabu and drifted away without Mabu noticing.

When the act was over, she couldn’t find Susan, she searched everywhere but Susan was gone.

Tim didn't blame her but Julia did, she insulted her and cursed her and threatened her. Mabu found Susan by nightfall, she'd been found by one of the actors stooges, a young girl like herself whose name was Bethany. Mabu showed up with Susan on her parents doorstep, hugged her and put a necklace round her neck then she wiped her tears and knocked. Then she run off to hide just to make sure, her parents found her and no harm came to her. Susan kept looking in her direction. Soon the door opened, it was her father Tim who picked her up and called for his wife Julia.

"Thank God but how did she, was there no one at the door?" Julia asked and Susan pointed.

"That was when he saw the necklace she wore. It was made of twines and a very rare kind of stone.

He knew it was Mabu and Susan confirmed it when she pointed in her direction and said for the first time…Mabu. But by the time Tim had handed her over to her mother to check out her hiding place, Mabu was gone forever. But the tale of the wonder child didn't end with his bloodline, he told of her story and the story of the strange binju girl was passed on.

Tim was the only person Mabu revealed her true self to. She made their garden blossom and bloom even in winter, their stores were always filled with grain, she spoke to the animals and they understood her and she had saved his life once. The very first time he saw her take another form was the scariest thing he had ever witnessed but also the most beautiful. Once they were taking a walk, it was before Susan was born, they passed a dying tree and she stopped and walked to it, she touched it, almost immediately she began to weep.

"This tree mourns, she is in pain" Mabu had said.

"She needs water" Tim didn't think the water he carried will do anything for that tree but he handed it to Mabu.

"Will you refuse this water that I your keeper gives?" She spoke to the tree and then poured the water on its base, suddenly the grasses around it began to sprout, the tree began to take a healthy colour from its base up then leaves began to sprout.

Mabu laughed.

"Yes, it is I Te Fiti" Then she hugged the tree and transformed, her black locks became as twines, long and vibrant, a crown of flowers grew around her head and tiny white roses decorated the twines that looked like long braids. Her skin changed, and she looked like a carpet grass, except her womanly features were prominent. She had no feet, it was as if she was one with the ground. Tim fell back in fear and then she giggled. Then stepped away from the tree and became her true self. Human again.

"Don't be afraid, its only me"

"Te Fiti?"

"She is the keeper of the forest, she lives in me" Mabu had said.

****

United Kingdom, London 2019

Freya Howard dedicated her entire time to her research studies. She had recently launched her book and had spoken at various universities home and abroad on the need to preserve and conserve the natural environment. She was not only a conservationist but a coversationist too and a lover of History as she lectured the subject herself in various schools. She loved nature and had studied biology, zoology and archaeology, All she did was to travel and study and gather new information but there was one particular thing in her past that she so much wanted to find.

The origins of a highly advanced clan who had discovered various methods of preservation, parts of their history had been discovered by English researchers and Archeologists in an old cave they had found underground that held treasure from their escapades.

They had discovered, preserved herbs and had various languages written on tablets. There was hardly anything valuable in the chest but one thing, a broken stick that looked like a piece from a staff. It had inscriptions on it but what attracted people to it was the fact that the vines aroound it were still green and fresh although it had been buried under centuries of dirt.

Freya Howard had sworn to dedicate herself to finding the origins of the very strange staff they had found ,made from a very rare kind of wood, it looked very ordinary except the wood was nothing of this world.

The staff had been taken to the museum despite all attempts to be given permission to understudy it.

Her cell phone rang as she was busy doting over the staff that was on display at the Grand Museum. She smiled as she answered.

Her long time crush who had become her boyfriend. At thirty three, she had finally decided to give dating a try after a long period of singleness.

"Hi lover" She teased.

"Hey you, what mischief are you getting yourself into this time?"

"Oh how did you know" She laughed.

"Like I always say, mischief is just who you are, dinner tonight, my place"

"Oh gosh, you're cooking?" She said in delight.

"Errrm, I really didn't plan to but if it makes you happy, I'd get off work early"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Anything for you my love"

"Now that’s just cheesy" She laughed.

"Should I pick you up?"

"Don't worry about me, just worry about the soufflé,

"You just read my mind" He said.

"See you later George" Freya smiled throughout the entire call then hung up, pursed her lips and ran her fingers through her hair as the feeling of being loved once again overwhelmed her, she couldn’t wait to get into his arms.

She took one last look at the staff and exhaled. It was chilly. She put her hands in her coat pockets to keep them warm and turned to walk out of the hall.

Freya was successful, she had published her first book at thirty and it was a big success, she was invited all around the globe to speak she was a Human Right fellow as well and a painter too.

She loved nature and one other thing she loved more than anything was her grandfather, Timothy Howard, a war veteran, a historian like herself and a great story teller.

She had planned to visit him at the home he was being taken care of in, he had always wanted to come home, maybe now was the time. She was going to bring him home, and she intended to do so before his 97th birthday.