MALEDICTION (22)
who opens a woman is no longer a man." Catherine remembers that day very well, in fact it was one of those days burned deep into her memory like a bad film. She wished to forget it, like she did everything else, but then how could she when it was the day she lost her will to live?
"Because he is now a father." The bishop's words echoed throughout the entire cathedral. It was weird, how a man wouldn't follow his teachings, rather, he would decide to follow his own heart. A heart filled with lust, envy, hatred and so many other things.
It was her first day ever coming to church, she was 13. Her family had all come, since her brother was raised in the Christian faith. The first generation in Loliwe to do so. Back then she had no clue just how much hatred she would now carry for one man and for her entire family for abandoning her in her time of need.
'Can you believe she got herself pregnant?' She heard whispers coming from the small living space they called a house.
'But then how will we sell her off to the village chief?' Her mother's soft voice reached her ear.
When her father got word of this, you could say he wasn't too happy about it.
'HOW DARE YOU!'
His thunderous voice shaking the ground beneath them. 'I fed you, gave you somewhere to sleep that was just your own, and this is how you repay me, by bringing another one of you to this earth.'
"But it wasn't…" She tried talking but was immediately cut off with a slap to the face.
"Toka kwa nyumba yangu, rudi kwa mwenye mimba (Get out of my house, return to the father of your child)"
Those are not the words a girl, barely 17 at the time would want to hear. Especially one who was going through something like that.
She turned to her mother, who said nothing. But she could tell that whatever it was in her eyes, it wasn't love. It was everything other than that. Disgust, fear, hatred. In truth this deal would have assured her youngest brother a good future as they would have been able to move. But in order for them to stay their long enough she would have to entertain the bishop's wants and desires. What were they?
Young supple skin.
Tender thighs.
A pretty face.
Big breasts.
Erect nipples.
Dark skin.
She would have to do that, along with all the other children. But what does she get in return? A beating, scolding, rejection. Not even a-you tried your best or that bastard I'll kill him.
No. If you would have told her on that day, her first time in church at the age of 13 that she would have been sexually abused from then on and then get impregnated by her abuser only to then get rejected by a family that never truly wanted her, maybe she would have belived you. But still the same thing would have happened anyway.
After she was chased from the only home she ever knew, the only thing she could do was hung up the towel. The bishop wasn't going to take responsibility. The villagers would tell her sorry, which isn't even helpful and her friends would just laugh.
"If there really is a god up there somewhere." She prayed tying the rope around her neck, "I hate you, with all my heart, with all my soul and with my entire body. I hate you!"
ON FEBRUARY 18TH CATHERINE WAS FOUND HUNG FROM A TREE BY THE NECK.
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"Oh dear." The youngest sister and her two siblings followed a door that led directly to their new cellar. If you followed that narrow corridor for a time you would arrive at a door, which would open up into a flight of stairs heading down, deeper below the house, deeper below the cemetery.
"That damn fool." Said the middle sister, "He blew up all the stairs."
"Yes, he's not the smartest, is he now." The middle brother sighed.
"Wait."
All of them froze.
"How sure are we that is wasn't the kind sir who did this damage?" Asked the youngest sister.
"About 50%, we don't know what kind of sorcery he uses, but could it be a body enhancer type sorcerer?" Asked the middle sister.
"I have no idea, you two should be the ones to enlighten me." The youngest smiled.
"Well, we won't get the answers standing here. Shall we go?" The middle brother go on one knee with his hands behind his back.
"Thank you." The youngest sister got on her brother's back. He then go up looking at his sister. "We're the same age so don't feel to bad."
"I won't."
The two then hopped down landing on the ground with a thud!
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LET'S SEE HOW GIL'S DOING!
Just 140 more meters below where the three siblings had landed, Gil had finally…
"…found it!" He shouted opening two great doors which led him into a giant room of sorts.
Now, dear reader, when I say giant what do you think I might mean? Like maybe the size of a small house, perhaps the size of a mansion? Nope. In fact this place seemed to be a small town in it of itself.
There were clay houses that seemed to make up the city or rather village would be more accurate. Above it seemed to be a metallic plate with glass panes surrounding it.
"Hello?" His voice didn't echo, even though it seemed like a place where it should.
"Whatever." He moved, realizing that he had a small window of opportunity to understand what he was even trying to accomplish.
'When they arrive, there's no hope of me beating any of them.' He clenched his fists, 'Even I can acknowledge that me beating just one of them was by chance, I'm not their yet. But even so…'
He moved towards the village, and made his way around, looking for whatever it was that could help him. He already knew what he was looking for and where it was, but the real questions would be:
How to get up there.
How to open whatever it is there.
How to get away from the siblings.
The ground was made of metal, and whatever or whoever had made this place seemed like they were recreating something in real life. Maybe a village they had seen far away or maybe even something in their imagination.
In any case, this village seemed incredibly realistic.
"What artisan made this?"
"That would be me thank you."
Gil gave a sharp turn. His eyes widened, a girl with her hair braided into lines, her skin pale, her eyes narrow. She wore a pair of blue overalls that had clay all over it.
'Damn it, how did I not see her.'
"What brings you down here at this time, kind sir?"
A COMFRONTATION AND A QUESTION.
TO BE CONTINUED!