A huge cloud of dust rose to the sky as a large herd of cattle sped through the plains heading home. Unlike in the morning when they were leaving the sheds, this time around the animals made little or no noise. The only occasional noise was a mooing from a worried cow desperate for its missing calf, or a long bleat from a sheep calling its playful lamb.
Behind the herd, Lentutu trod casually with a spear leisurely held across his shoulders. He was muscular, athletic, tall and dark. Slightly behind him, Lelesit took quicker strides in anticipation to keep the pace with his elder brother. He too carried a spear lifted on his left hand. Both had Somali swords suspended in sheaths around their waists to paint a complete picture of true morans. And indeed they were.
Lentutu, aged eighteen, had already killed a leopard escaping narrowly with his life. Lelesit, on the other hand, had killed a male wild bear by his sixteen birthday. He looked forward to the next challenge; meeting a leopard or a lion and like his brother, do the beast justice.
The sun-rays inhibited the sandy plains shyly as the evening crawled to its prime. On the far horizon, the yellow eye of the sun slowly disappeared behind a range of hills. Soon it will be dark, Lelesit thought as he grasped a sight of the sprawling manyattas two kilometres away. After another thirty minutes, we will be home and dry. He thought and a twitch of a dry smile ran across his lips.
A distance ahead, his brother took his steps casually walking like a zombie, yet with that eternal pride totally oblivious of anything. Anything, including him. For the umpteenth time, he eyed him with admiration.
Maybe there was a strong bond that bound them together. Like Siamese twins, they were almost inseparable. Although education was not in his interests, Lentutu had agreed to go to school just to be there with his brother. The only school in the village was ten kilometres away. The path to the school ran across plains and thickets where wild animals roomed madly prompting a need for security. To his brother, he had to be the security.
The first day in the class was unmistakably boring, so boring that they left after only an hour and retreated home. Lelesit, taking an early liking to school, had begged they stay but his brother had forced him away insisting there was no sense in the business of sitting under a tree listening to someone who did not seem in the right senses himself.
They spent the rest of the week out in the plains grazing cattle. This would have continued perpetually were it not for Lelesit’s nagging and persistence to go back to school. Giving in, the following Monday saw Lentuntu follow his younger brother closely as they walked to the old boring school.
“I’m going back there because I have to protect you,” he would remind him earnestly any time they walked past a dangerous spot. Not that Lelesit cared much why he was going there as long as they went to school. Yet, it felt so good to hear him say it with his eyes darting far and beyond trying to trace any signs of imminent danger.
Five years later and now in the fifth grade, nothing much had changed in Lentutu’s perception about school. He however walked the same path each morning, a spear in his hand with his brother leading the way and carrying some old books he had been rewarded in school for being outstanding in his grade.
Despite his dislike for school, Lentutu showed open passion and curiosity in Social Studies. Endlessly, he would nag his teacher to explain how the earth was spherical. At the end of each explanation, his interest on the topic would go a notch higher. He would look far at the horizons curiously and then say inwardly, “One day I will prove the teacher wrong. I will show him that the earth is not spherical.” It was in such times that the mention of school aroused his interest.
* * *
The village was engulfed in darkness when the two exhausted souls finally made it home. Once inside the compound, they were startled by the noise coming from the other end of the compound near an acacia tree. They hurried the cattle to the sheds where another surprise awaited them. Four bulls and six cows rested idly in the enclosure.
“What is happening here?” Lelesit asked trying hard to conceal his fears.
Lentutu ignored his brother and walked about to make sure all the animals were safely locked inside. After, he picked his spear and started walking to their manyatta. Lelesit caught up with him easily.
“Who brought those cows?” he asked curiously.
“We just walked in together, didn’t we?” he asked almost angrily. Instantly, he felt sorry for being angry with his brother.
Lelesit recoiled with fear to see his brother’s reaction. “I thought you knew,” he murmured in childish defense. As they neared the entrance to their hut, Naiku, their ten-year-old sister came running to them. She seemed to have been crying earlier.
“Who beat my love?” Lelesit asked hugging his little sister.
“An old man brought those cows and took Lemasian away,” she said and started crying.
“What?” He hoped she got it all wrong.
“She must have been married off forcibly,” Lentutu offered sadly.
Lelesit breathed heavily fighting off tears now welling in his eyes. “This is unfair. Lemasian never wanted to get married. She was still schooling.” He turned to her younger sister and asked, “Was she happy when she was leaving?”
She nodded, “She was crying. She did want to go,” she explained tearfully.
Lelesit felt more bitterness from her tears. A lump of pain felt stuck in his gullet. He turned to his brother in time to see him bite his lower lip.
“You must bring her back,” Naiku said holding her brother’s hand firmly. “Will you, Lelesit?”
“I will,” Lentutu offered. “Even if it means death.”
It was the first time they were seeing their brother that mad and furious. The watched in silence as he made a little war cry. He raised his spear and headed to where the party was going on. Slowly, as if torn between corwadice and bravely, they followed him until they came to the open where feasting was taking place. They spotted their mother in a company of seemingly buoyant women. He hurried to her and asked her aside. They walked for a distance and stopped.
“Why did you let it happen?” he asked.
“Because……..” She fell silent and stared at her son like a cornered animal gulping for his last breath. She could read hatred in his eyes. For the first time, she realized how big his son had become. It was almost as if he was facing a stranger. “It happens to all of us. This is our tradition.”
He almost shouted. “No, mother! Lemasian was in school. She is only thirteen and she never wanted to get married,” he said with his heart pounding faster.
“I understand,” she said calmly.
“She was in school. She never wanted to get married,” he repeated almost in tears.
“I understand.”
He faced her and tears now flowed choking him, “I wish you understand. I wish you understand mother.”
He held his spear and made as if to go then he remembered something. “Where did he take her?” he asked.
She glared at her son, her eyes pleading with mercy and full of awe. “It is your father, Lentutu.”
“I know.”
“He will kill you if you bring her back. This is a shameful thing you want to do,” she pleaded.
“I know.” He left her standing motionlessly and walked to his siblings. Lelesit gazed at him hoping to see a ray of hope in his face. When he saw how sullen he looked, his heart sunk. Tears built up and dropped leaving his cheeks with a feeling of hotness.
“They married her off, didn’t they?”
Lentutu ignored him, “Get ready, we must bring her back.”
Naiku stared at his two brothers. “If father knows about this he will kill you.”
“Yes,” he stared at his younger sister and a fit of anger seized him. “You will not remain here. You will go with us. She is our sister.”
The last word sounded so real and hearty. They picked their spears and walked to the gate. She followed them closely.
* * *
It was approaching dawn when they arrived to the next village. The groom came from this village. He was an elderly rich man who already boasted of six wives. Their sister was to make the seventh wife. I will kill the fool if he won’t let her go, Lentutu promised after a heavy breath.
In that darkness, it was not hard to pick out the groom’s manyatta. It was the most spacious and well-fenced in the neighborhood. After studying the place properly, they requested their sister to hide nearby as they searched for a way in. Finally, they found a small opening on the southern end of the fence, slowly they sneaked in and once inside they held firm their spears. “If he tries to resist her return, I’ll kill him,” Lentutu affirmed. Lelesit nodded. He was too afraid to speak.
Inside the large compound, the huts spread from one end to the other. Lentutu counted seven bridal huts. “This fool is a monster” he whispered, “What is a man supposed to do with seven wives?”
Lelesit did not respond. His heart pounded faster. “That hut looks new,” he said at last pointing to the hut on the far end. They stooped heading to the hut. As they came close to it, they spotted a figure walking from the hut.
“Wait,” Lelesit whispered and froze.
“It is the beast,” Lentutu said raising his spear. Just as he was about to throw it, the figure disappeared in another hut.
They hurried to the hut and waited one, two, three…….the seconds ticked away. In that silence, Lelesit heard a sob followed by a weak cough. He turned to his brother and winked. His eyes seemed to glitter in the darkness.
“Lemasian……” he called in a whisper. A moment of silence elapsed. He called repeatedly. No response. He tapped at the door slightly in anxiety. “Lemasian.”
“Lelesit.” A weak voice came from inside the dark hut.
Lentutu felt a seizure of happiness. “We have come for you,” he whispered. “Open the door.”
“Lentutu,” she called in a voice full of renewed hope.
“Yes.”
“Where is Naiku?”
“Open the door please.”
After what seemed like an eternity, she struggled and opened the door. She dashed outside and embraced her elder brother.
“I knew you will come for me.” She said in tears. “I knew you will come.”
“Yes. Let’s leave.”
They walked for a distance then he held her to a stop. “Did that fool touch you? Did he?” he asked holding her tightly trying hard to avoid asking the direct question. “Tell me so that I can have a reason to kill him.”
She looked down shyly and nodded as cold tears flowed freely. Somehow, he wished he had not asked the question.
“We must leave. Naiku is waiting for us,” Lelesit interrupted their thoughts. The mention of their younger sister re-awakened the reason to be on move. Quickly they walked to the route they had taken before.
Once outside the compound they found Naiku waiting near the fence. They embraced for a moment then started walking away from the village. After walking for a distance, they came to a stop near an old acacia tree.
“We cannot go back home. Father will marry me off again,” Lemasian said in tears.
“We will not go back,” Lentutu said. Everybody stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“We will go to Nairobi and meet the Attorney General,” he replied seriously.
Lelesit almost laughed. “You cannot meet the Attorney General. He is very busy and he doesn’t audience the country people. Besides, Nairobi is very far from here.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if we go to Nairobi , I’ll get a job, earn money and take you back to school.”
Naiku stared at his brother pitiful. “Will you not go back to school with us?”
“I don’t think I will”
“Why?”
He thought for a moment. “I think the teacher lied to us. The earth is not spherical. That’s why I don’t want to go back to school again.”
Lelesit forgot the ordeal they were in and laughed loudly. “You are not serious, are you?”
“One day I will prove to you the earth is not spherical.”
They stood up and started walking again. Behind them, the first sun rays started warming the ground. It will be a long day, he thought as he watched their younger sister struggle to keep pace with the rest.
He checked at his pulse and saw the money was still safe. After walking half the distance, they would then board a vehicle for the other half of the journey. He thought for a while and reached his brother’s hand.
“Look. If the earth is spherical, why don’t we fall down while walking?” he asked.
Lelesit laughed. “Remember gravity?”
He nodded. “I have an idea. When we get to Nairobi we will ask people whether the earth is spherical, okay?”
“Okay,” everybody agreed. They continued walking hoping to reach the nearest centre before dusk. Yet, the capital city lay another 630 kilometers in the southeast.
