Impulse: The Works

“I am the great Queen Natiki. Welcome to my palace.” Smiling, the beautiful woman gestures about her splendid throne room. Her ladies in waiting surround her, draped in burgundy and copper. The queen herself is adorned in scarlet, a gem in her setting. Slaves stir the air gently with palm branches as musicians beat drums to please her. The smell of freshly cooked meat and sweets drifts through the air from the adjacent banquet hall. Six bronzed men guard the doors, long spears clenched in powerful fists.

Before the queen stands a woman, tall and proud. Gold hangs from her ears, neck, and wrists. Robes of deep purple and bright yellow cover her body. Her burnished ebony skin glows in the soft light. She nods to the queen and speaks: “I am Queen Tembe from the kingdom in the Thirstland. This,” she indicates the creature at her side, “is my enchanted baboon Sankhambi.”

“I don’t wanna be a baboon!” shouts Sankhambi, picking up a handful of dirt and throwing it in protest. Natiki tries to jump out of the way, but trips on the rubble. A garland of leaves falls from her head as she crashes to the ground. Sankhambi points and laughs.

“I hate my brother,” thinks Natiki as she stands dusts herself off. Aloud, she says, “You got to be a prince last time. This time you’re a magical baboon.”

Sankhambi is no longer amused. “Why can’t I be a great hunter? Or a lion? RAWR,” he growls.

“Because you look like a monkey,” snickers Tembe. The other girls giggle in unison.

“Because I’m your big sister and mama told you to do what I say, and I say you’re a baboon,” declares Natiki.

“Oh yeah, well I am a great hunter,” bellows Mmutla as he steps through a hole in the ruined wall. “I come to seek the great Queen Natiki.”

The girls squeal as they scatter amongst the debris. Natiki dives under a sheet of roofing leaning against a wall. Soon the chamber of the ruined schoolhouse is empty except for the two boys. Natiki’s heart beats fast as much from Mmutla’s presence as from being startled. She finds a small hole and watches the boys.

“Come, my little monkey,” calls the older boy.

“oh, c’mon!”

“ok, lion cub.”

“ok.”

“Come my lion cub, let us hunt.”

The boys listen for a moment. Mmutla nods towards the overturned teacher’s desk and gestures for Sankhambi to circle around behind. They each creep like cats towards their prey. Mmutla makes no sound as he coils at the base of the desk. In a single, explosive motion, he throws the desk aside as Sankhambi shouts, “RAAAAWR”. Shrieks pierce the air as girls scurry like beetles. Natiki grins but remains silent.

The roars echo as her brother continues chase her friends. Mmutla peers around the room, resuming his hunt. He moves quietly to the side, away from the desk, and is soon out of the view of Natiki’s spy hole. She listens carefully but can’t hear anything over her brother’s growls.

“Look out, look out,” shout the girls. Natiki jumps from her hiding place as the boy lunges at her. She is too fast and he crashes into the wall, clutching only air. She flies from the building, her friends following close behind.

“I am a great hunter!” calls Mmutla in the distance. “I’ll get you sometime.” Natiki tries to hide her smile.

The girls run until they loose their breath and collapse by the side of the road. Nearby, shacks riddled with bullet holes lean on each other.

“He’s so annoying,” announces Nandi between gasps.

Tembe nudges her. “That’s just because he wasn’t looking for you.”

“No, that’s not why!,” protests Nandi. “He’s smelly, and loud, and clumsy, and…”

Natiki is in her own world. “Did you see how tall he is? He’s grown a meter in the last month!”

Tembe laughs, “You like him! You like him!”

“Natiki loves Mmutla! Natiki loves Mmutla!” chant the girls.

Natiki jumps to her feet. “I do not.” She hopes she isn’t grinning.

She looks around. Her brother is nowhere to be seen. “Great, Sankhambi‘s gone. Come on, I’ve got to go back and get the little brat.”

They stand and move slowly down the road talking and laughing. A dark shape flies from the shadows and grabs Natiki by the arm. The girls scream.

“Ha ha! Got you!” cries a rough male voice. The girls try to pull him away, but he just spins, using Natiki as a whip to knock the other girls down.

Natiki rams her shoulder into her captor’s chest, trying to knock him over, but the boy won’t budge. He just laughs at her. “What’s the matter? You not gonna hit me? Come on. Scratch me with your other hand. I’m only holding one.”

“Stop it Dondo!” shouts Tembe as she starts punching his side. Dondo plants a meaty hand on her face and shoves her to the ground. He turns back to Natiki, “watcha gonna do? You gonna hit me like her? C’mon, hit me. I’m only holding one hand. What? What’s dat? You only got one? ONE-ARM GIRL! Whatcha gonna do One-Arm Girl? ”

Natiki glares at Dondo. She’s used to being teased about her arm and isn’t about to give in to this bully. “My other arm is magical, searching the countryside for my future husband!” she declares proudly.

“One-arm girl gonna get a husband? HA!” Dondo throws his head back in laughter. A hunting knife appears at his throat.

“Yeah. Maybe she’ll get her husband,” hisses Mmutla. “but you won’t get a girl with no head.”

“Take it easy, man.” Dondo slowly releases Natiki and raises his hands in surrender. Natiki’s friends pull her into their protective circle as she bursts in to tears.

Mmutla throws Dondo to the ground. “Get out of here!” he shouts, kicking him. Sankhambi throws a fistful of dirt for good measure. “RAWR”.

The bully scrambles to his feet and runs away. “I’ll get you, Mmutla!” he calls over his shoulder.

Mmutla turns to Natiki, ringed in the hugs of her friends. “Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head. “I hate him.”

“It’s not her fault she’s only got one arm. She didn’t want to get it blown off,” cries Tembe.

Nandi gently strokes her friend’s hair. “She lost her sister and her arm. Dondo hasn’t lost anything. Why is he so mean?”

“I hate him.”

Mmutla gently places his hand on Natiki’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” She believes him completely.

“Let’s sit over here in the shade.”

Crack, crack, crack. The sound of shooting comes from down the street. The children turn to run the other direction, but shots answer from there as well. They dive between the shacks hoping nobody will notice them.

Crack, crack, crack. Ping, ping, ping. They feel the shack vibrate as bullets pound through the thin metal. Natiki hates all this fighting. It never ends! She holds her little brother, covering him with her body. Mmutla sheilds them both, whispering, “Stay quiet”.

In no time, they see soldiers nearby. Most are their age and look awkward in their armaments; lizards wearing tortoise shells. They wave their AK-47s around like garden hoses, not bothering to aim.

BOOM! A grenade goes off; a wave of dirt buries the children. Sankhambi is screaming, “let me out, let me out, let me out!” He kicks and squirms trying to run away.

“Shhh. Quiet.” Natiki tries to hold him, but can’t. He breaks free and runs across the adjacent field behind the shacks. Natiki jumps after him.

“No!” Shouts Mmutla.

Dirt leaps from the ground into Natiki’s face. Dust is everywhere and she can’t see. She wanders aimlessly. “Sankhambi? Sankhambi? Where are you?”

She sees a shape through the dust and runs toward it. Arms surround her and hold her close. A kiss lands softly on her forehead. “You’re safe now, my sister.”

Natiki looks up. In a swirl of sand, she sees the face of her sister and cries, “oh Ngosa it’s so good to see you.” She throws her arms around her big sister and squeezes tightly. She gasps in surprise at the feeling of her two hands clasped together.

Gently, Ngosa takes her younger sister’s face in her hands and blows softly on her face. Natiki’s thoughts flutter away like leaves in a breeze. “Come, let me take you to your new palace,” says the elder, smiling.

“What about Sankhambi?”

Again, Ngosa blows on her sister’s face again, and again, Natiki’s worries evaporate. “Mmutla will look after him. He will save our brother from the freedom fighters, and one day Sankhambi will save his life in return.

“Your palace is ready for you, little sister. Beautiful birds sing in every room. Cheetahs await to escort you in your courtyard. You have many beautiful robes with beaded jewelry and pressed gold. There are rich meats, pomegranates, and cakes; you’ll never feel hungry again.”

Natiki feels the warmth and safety flow to her through her sister’s arms. She looks into her sister’s eyes, seeing their love. Smiles spread across their faces.

The dust from the mine settled, returning to the earth like a soft blanket, muffling the last echoes of the explosion. Only a slight breeze betrayed the passing of the spirits.