KASAO

12

KASAO RAN THROUGH the night. She never stopped for rest. Once when she fell, she crawled till she could stand and resume her race. She plunged forward into darkness, hitting her feet in the process and sometimes, running straight into trees. She didn't only run to build distance between she and her buyers but she ran to ease the pain she felt in her heart. It worked. She only felt the pounding of her chest as her feet hit the ground forcefully and every other feeling vanished. She didn't think of Twelve and she ran instead, she focused more on her tired body.

By the time sun began to rise, Kasao had covered a very far distance. If calculated, she had ran up to a hundred and twenty miles. She was tired and hungry but even as she couldn't continue running, she walked. She dragged her feet along and never stopped.

When it was early morning, Kasao had used up all her strength and her eyes failed her. She couldn't see clearly for her vision had blurred out of exhaustion. She was practically crawling, determined not to stop. She couldn't afford to get caught and taken back into slavery. Her whole body protested. She was weak to her core and she needed rest. When her body could take it no more, she slumped and her eyes happily closed.

Kasao woke up in the late afternoon. At first, she was unaware of her surroundings and when her pupils adjusted, she realized she was in a farm and her head was rested on a ridge. She quickly stood up and hoped she didn't spoil the farmer's ridge. Carefully, she walked out of the neatly made ridges. The farm was a big one. It was spacious and neat. She wondered what farmer had the farm and how he makes his farm so neat.

Kasao tiredly turned around to leave the farm before she was accused of trespassing when she saw a line of banana trees. Each tree had mouth watering fruits and before she thought better of it, she was already in front of the trees. She plucked a single banana from a huge bunch, peeled off the skin and pushed the soft fruit into her mouth. It wasn't completely ripe but it was edible. Kasao plucked the fruit one after the other, peeled off the skin and ate the fruit. By the time she was tired, she had littered the ground.

Kasao bent down to pick up the banana peels so she wouldn't smear the farmer's neat work when she spotted an orange tree with ripe fruits. She dropped the peels back on the ground and made for the tree. She'd quench her thirst with the juice. There was a pole beneath the tree so she picked it and plucked some of the ripe fruit.
She busily tore the orange apart and ate the insides. She was completely unaware of the growing footsteps behind her.

It was until the footsteps stopped and the person caught her forcefully by the arm that she realized herself. The sharpness at which the person caught her arm startled her and she let out a piercing scream. When she finally shut up, her eyes settled on the blazing eyes above her and the half eaten orange in her mouth fell out and this made the eyes grew angrier as it followed the orange to the ground.

For some moments, no words transpired between Kasao and the huge man holding her arm. They stared at each other. The man with blazing anger and fury and Kasao with fear.
As Kasao made to speak, the man beat her to it.

"So it is you" The man's voice was a growl and Kasao shivered.

"You are the thief" The man's burning eyes pierced hers.
He was the owner of the farm she trespassed, ate from and littered.
"No" Kasao couldn't form words to say. Nothing could justify her actions. She wasn't a thief but she had been caught stealing.

"You do not look familiar. Who is your husband? Where did you come from?" The voice growled louder this time and his grip tightened. Kasao whimpered.

"I am not a thief please. I was only hungry" Kasao pleaded.

"You will explain that to the elders!" The man began to pull her again and Kasao burst into tears. She cried loud. And she cried not because she was guilty and was being taken to the elders but because she was tired. She was tired of being dragged all the time. She was tired of going from one problem to another. She was crying because she missed her mama and her home. She was also crying for Twelve. All the tears she had been holding back came rushing and she allowed them out freely.
The man looked at Kasao disbelievingly. He was disgusted at her out burst after being caught but somehow he felt slight pity for her. She looked retched but he wasn't letting a thief go so he dragged her along and she cried all the way.