Superstitious

12. Let us be realistic.

Mbali

This is all dereistic. When a person moves to another city, town or in our case, a village, they learn to adapt, start over and meet new people, they don't discover they've entered an enchanted and anomal village and they are about to be showered with bad lucks and painful ordeals.

Or maybe all villages are like this. Like I said when we arrived, I don't trust villages and now I have more reason not to.

"The previous settlers of this village were obviously traditional, right?", Tumelo starts, and we nod to his statemet. "Meaning, they lived by their ancestral rules and this village being enchanted was just normal for them, like the same way we believe in God."

"Okay, belief and all", Elsa starts, too, "they obviously belived that this village belonged to their ancestors, who spiritually guided and protected them and anyone who went against their rules would be punished.", she says, looking at Tumelo then at me. "Like with God and His Ten Commandments... if anyone goes against them, they get punished somehow."

"And we-- the new settlers are not very traditional", I say, "meaning we're indifferent to every Act or rule in that book, thus doing everything we're not suppose to be doing ignorantly---"

"Now the ancestors of this village are going to punish us for every wrong thing--- according to them--- we've done", Jason finishes, dejectedly reclining against the booth.

"Exactly", Tumelo says, "but, we've been here for about a week, we probably didn't disobey many of those rules."

We keep quiet, glance at each other for a few seconds, consuming the little bit of hope that Tumelo just threw at us in his assumption.

"But", Elsa starts, and I don't like her but. We're not going to be punished, we just got here!

"But what, Elsa?"

"We're Africans by blood, meaning that those rules genetically apply to us, too", she points out.

"How?", Tumelo asks, "we didn't suffer the consequences while we were living our western life."

We all stare at Elsa, waiting for her to give back her point up.

"Enchanted, mystical village. Remember?", she says, eyebrows raised, "we basically got hexed the moment we entered this place."

Hexed? I don't like the sound of that.

"So now everything we've done that's against the ancestors' rules is coming back to destroy us?", I ask, shuddering at the thought.

"Yeah, like Karma", Elsa says, "but more magical", she adds.

"But we didn't know!", I whine.

"So?", Elsa says, "the ancestors do not care."

My jaws drop at her response. You know, for a western doctor, Elsa has so much belief for the spirituality and magic.

"Oh", Jason exclaims, looking at Elsa, "I get why you're so faithful to all of this now", we look at him, confused. "You already believe in ancestors, that's why you wear Izilo (mourning clothes) and stuff."

Elsa chuckles. "Look, I was told to wear black by my family... to indicate that I'm mourning."

"So there's no spiritual connection to it?", Tumelo ask, "like if you don't wear it then something bad will happen?"

Elsa sighs and says, "look, I never asked, okay?", miniature annoyance plastering her face. "I didn't want to sound ignorant... and I don't like my family very much."

"That's why they'll jealous of your baby", Tumelo says, "they are the cause of that ill snake."

Elsa keeps quiet, eyes glum and disappointed. "Yeah, I'm alone in this Universe", she says, eyes downcast.

"Okay, so", Jason starts, breaking off this awful gloomy moment. "We now have to obey to God's rules and those of ancestors, too?", he asks, not happy about all of this, "that's a load."

"Well, we have to obey the rules of this place, Jason", Tumelo says, "we are living in it, we're walking on its land, drinking its water and sheltering ourselves in it."

"It's God's land", Jason protests.

"Says the biggest scientist in the room", Tumelo taunts.

"Whatever", Jason says. "So we're screwed?", he adds, "each and everyone of us here?"

We don't answer him. We can't basically say yes Jason, we're screwed because we don't want to believe that all this is really happening, not even Elsa The Great Hypocritical Believer (given that she's a western doctor and everything)

"Great", he says, reclining against the booth then folding his arms.

We continue with our silence, stuck and confused. It's times like these when I wish I watched those African movies with my aunt when she visited, maybe I would have an idea of how all this works.

"Maan!", Jason suddenly exclaims exasperatedly, "I always thought belief was a choice but now we're forced into believing in ancestors and following their rules. I mean, what kind of god punishes his people? Is punishment even really necessary?"

"God punishes His people, too, Jason", I say, not being the naïve one for once.

"Yes but at least with God, you can pray and ask for forgiveness."

"There's probably some way to ask for forgiveness with ancestors, too", Elsa says. "Get vindicated or something."

"How, though?", Jason says, "we're totally clueless."

"Maybe we have to do some ritual or cleansing", Tumelo says. "The problem is how."

"Yeah and meanwhile, we're going to suffer and probably die", Jason says, casting a we're screwed smile.

Jason is being too pessimistic and it's annoying everyone. We have to come up with a plan, something to keep us from not getting struck by lighning on a clear day as some punishment. I don't wish to die here.

"Let's all just go home and take a look at Mbali's mysterious book", Tumelo says, "maybe we'll find a loophole there."

Mbali's book? Really?

"My book?", I say.

"Until it's given a name, it's Mbali's book", Tumelo says before grinning.

Mbali's book it is, then. It's like I've discovered a star and it's been named after me, there's some awesomeness to it.