A Tale From The Savannah

CHAPTER ONE: THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

The bawled words assailed him, making him flinch. He had heard those hurtful words for as long as he could remember. How could anyone live with such a tag? How could anyone call another person that? What wrong or crime had he committed other than being born a certain way? It wasn't as if people could choose where or how they were born, could they?

A sense of doom, like a tidal wave, washed over him and his knees nearly buckled under him. The relentless, dreadful chant was accompanied by rude gestures and fearful whoops. A film of sweat touched his lower lip. He was usually careful to time his visits to the small wooded place. This held the stream, which was the source of safe water for the area. A dozen or so boys were busy play fighting on the opposite bank - all young warriors in training. They were clearly preparing for the great presentation that was to be held that very evening.

His weary sore eyes fell on their sculpted, bare-chested, bronzed bodies which gleamed in the late afternoon light as the water rolled off them. They were in stark contrast to his pale Albino delicate features. It was this albinism that was the bane of his life - the source of all his misery and abuse.

At the point of puberty, which was generally about the age of 11 to 13 years, every male was taken from his parents' home to be initiated into 'manhood' in a special, secret camp for about 3 weeks. Initiation over, they were sent to the village barracks to be trained as warriors. Once done with their training, there was a special 'pass out' parade in which they were presented to the king and his court in front of the whole kingdom. Representatives from various villages would be in attendance.

He, considered unclean, was never taken for initiation when he reached puberty. There were no special drums to announce the event, no special village celebration, no special feast. A deep sigh escaped his lips.

His eyes finally fell on their faces. There was that now familiar and unmistakable mixture of loathing, disgust and bewilderment. Why was he so distracted? He had been so distracted that he hardly noticed the late evening sun - a shimmering large disc whose eerie reddish glow bloodied the plains. He had not noticed the dark sinister shadows that cast a stern warning on to the browning grass. He had not even been aware that he was wandering into the wooded area.

'Hey, you son of a mangy hyena!' the shout from the biggest one of the boys cut through his thoughts. 'How dare you! Your very existence is an abomination. You should have been crushed the minute you left your filthy mother's womb.' The boy held a knobkerrie in his hand. He gestured at Mooka with it and a missile made up of a clod of damp earth hit Mooka on the side of the face, covering him in slimy mud. He hardly had time to react when something else whizzed past his left ear and stuck itself in a tree trunk behind him. Someone had thrown a spear at him. He felt a tiny sting where it had nicked him on his left cheek. He had suffered all manner of abuse before, but this was the first time someone tried to kill him. He stood motionless for a few seconds as his brain tried to register what had just happened.

Finally seeing the murderous looks on their faces, he chucked his cargo of the hares he had just killed, his crude bow and quiver of arrows, and thus began the sprint of his life. A dozen pair of excited and angry feet followed. He heard them splash loudly as they crossed the shallow stream. In that moment, the greatest fear he had ever experienced overcame him. His heart felt like it would explode in his chest as he felt it furiously pump blood around his system.

Mooka weaved and dodged through the scattering of trees as more projectiles missed his head by mere centimetres. The excited whoops and yells came to him as though through a tunnel, spurring him on till he found himself on the open Savannah.

No cover here. It was only a matter of time before his pursuers caught him. His only thought was that of getting to the safety of the hut that he shared with his granny.