Myzta

To the villagers of Denahla it should have been a typical day. The birds were singing while the people went about selling their wares and working in the nearby fields. Early that morning a large shadow began to creep its way across the sun and by noon the village was plunged into darkness. People ran to their homes worried that something evil was going to happen just as a tiny weak cry heralded its arrival into the world.

The Kenmahs were expecting the arrival of their 13th child, a very important omen. Should the child be born a boy, it was considered good luck and great fortune. He would be the seventh son and the thirteenth child, but as the child’s arrival approached, the day turned to night and the couple welcomed their seventh daughter into a very uncertain world.

Naomi Kenmah cried silently on her husband’s shoulder as the tiny little girl was cleaned and wrapped in a blanket. Given to her mother briefly, the child was whisked away as the village elders prepared to meet to discuss her fate.
As darkness once again turned to light and the afternoon once again took on a sense of normalcy, villagers stopped and spoke in hushed whispers. That night, the villagers gathered to hear the fate of their tiniest member.

The Shaman, dressed in his finest, slowly and silently made his way to the center of the meeting place. Gazing up at the sky, he slowly lowered his gaze to the crowd before him and spoke,” My brothers and sisters, after speaking with the elders, I have reached a decision.” And it was on that night, that Myzta was given her name and that her family and the villagers learned about her fate.


Myzta grew into a vibrant, bright child. Her long dark hair and green eyes were the opposite of everyone in her family and the envy of all. She greeted family and villagers alike with a warmth and kindness that made each person feel special. Despite their love for her, everyone around her began to notice tiny differences in her that set her apart from everyone else. Myzta could play for hours and never become bored. Often she would be found playing with small animals and insects that all seemed to stop what they were doing when around her. It was as if she had put them in some sort of trance, but a second glance would prove a quiet observer wrong as the animals once again resumed their normal behavior.

As Myzta grew into a beautiful, confident girl, the villagers and family prepared to celebrate her 13th birthday. It was on this day, that she would finally learn her fate. Unaware of the gravity of her situation, Myzta greeted the day with a song of thanks and then rushed off to do her chores.

As she gathered the eggs, Myzta told the chickens, “Today I will become a woman. I will be promised to someone and take my place in the village just as the other women.” To Myzta it seemed as though the chickens clucked their approval as she finished for the day.

With a basket in one hand, she entered the familiar surroundings of her home. She could smell the bread baking and the special meal that was being prepared carefully by her sisters and mother just for her. The whole village was expected to come, an unusual event, but Myzta took it in stride for she could feel the love that each person had for her.

Naomi softly called to her daughter, telling her it was time to prepare and as she combed her daughter’s beautiful long hair, she knew the time had come to let go. Nothing had prepared her daughter for this night and though she knew that the elders would speak her daughter’s fate, she could not let her go with out speaking.

“Myzta, you are a beautiful child and a loving daughter. You have given much to this village and to your family and it is with a heavy heart that I ask that you listen to what the elders say this night. Please my daughter, be brave and do not despair. The universe has chosen you to be its special child. Learn and do well and always know that you are loved.”

The tiny girl kissed her mother and promised her that she would do as she was told. “Mother I will be a good wife and mother and make you proud,” replied Myzta. Tears welled in her mother’s eyes as she spoke, “I know that you will my daughter.”

Carefully dressed, Mother and daughter greeted the rest of the family and then the village as the festivities began. Myzta shone like a tiny jewel, her hair had become dark as the black of night and seemed to capture and cast off tiny moonbeams. Her eyes sparkled like two beautiful emeralds as she stood in bright violet robes cinched at her tiny waist. Had she not been loved by all, it would have been at this moment, at this time, that all would have fallen in love with her.

The villagers and elders each stood before Myzta offering their gifts in celebration of the young girl’s birth. Some offered her bits of advice, while others gave her gifts that seemed strange and unusual; a broach of many shapes, each more unique than the last, an ornate dagger, and a tarnished headpiece with tiny colorful stones set in it.

As the festivities of the evening wound down, it was time for the elders to speak. Each elder, stood proudly in the light of the fire as each told the story of the Universe, a story that every villager had heard for many years, but on this night, the Shaman approached the fire and for the first time added new words to the familiar tale.

“My brothers and sisters, this is the beginning of dark days, where our village will no longer produce food to feed its people, a time in which we will toil for others, our animals will be hunted and left to die, each day will be darker still and we shall wish for our old ways.”

The Shaman paused to allow his words to be absorbed by those around him and then continued, “Thirteen years ago the Universe provided us with a special child. Though unprepared, she will go forth into the world alone. Should she be successful and learn, this child will be at the center of wars and reconciliations and will guide our people and many others to a new life. As a people, we have seen her grow with love and kindness and with this love we pray that she does not fall to evil. It is now that all will hear of the one who was whispered about so many years ago. Myzta, please stand before me and hear your fate.”

As the young girl took her place before the Shaman, and as she gazed questioningly at her family and the villagers around her, all heads looked at the ground before them. “Myzta it is the opinion of the elders that your birth for told your future. It is now time that you take your place in the world, not as a mother, a wife or a daughter, but as the child the Universe has given us. It is time for you to journey away from us. From this day forward you will no longer be a child of our village, but a child of the world. The world will shape you and teach you good and evil. It will be these experiences that you draw upon that will mold you into the young woman that you will become. Some day you may choose to become a wife and mother, but it is only after you have given the world what it needs. Go my child, for tonight you will be led into the woods to learn and grow. Embrace this life and open your heart for what others may teach you. Do not return for your time here has passed.”

As the final words floated in the quiet night, two villagers walked forward and led the girl into her home to gather her things. Myzta tried to speak, but was quickly chastised. The girl who shone so like a jewel was hastened past her family and led quietly into the dark. It was as if the sun had once again been cast into shadow as the villagers returned to their homes.