African Regalia

My friends and I decided to hold a mobile camp at the same time a mobile clinic as we traveled the long and dusty road of a Samburu region in small nation next to an ocean. The place was in the midst of a versatile desert land where only camels and donkeys found favor with the habitation. The rest were Samburu cattle with humps... a clear indication that all means to conserve any form of liquid was not debatable. The cattle rustlers were fond of stealing the natives cattle herds and some goats, on a good day, so with time we somewhat got accustomed to the wildness and the rough climate with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. My three friends seemed to beg to get out of the place. There was Kevin a fairly masculine young man, with dark hair and the great brown eyes you would not mind dating him even in such circumstances since he seemed calm and collected. Then there was Nelly who like brushing her all the time to ensure that fleas did not clutch onto her skin but a beautiful blonde for that matter! Last but not least, there was Kendi who was brought up in an South America but had her origins all the way in Africa. Kendi of all of us seemed to be at peace with the world and the culture that stood before us.



We run a small hospital back home, therefore, being a part of the Samburu people we would get a chance of visiting the most remote places in Africa and offering a helping hand. The children played with sticks especially the boys and some stick dolls for the girls, with no form modernity everything depended on Lantern lamps and torches. One of the Samburus offered a place where we would sleep and called the houses, "Manyatta" which were short structures made of cow dung walls. Anyway, considering we preferred camps we thought of staying in there for a while.



Soon enough it was morning so as we were resting outside one of the Manyattas a little girl came crying to her mother that her brother took away her stick doll made of grass straws. When she saw us, in effort of saying what she felt, she blurted, "He is commandeering..." well we laughed a little bit so I took her and placed on her on my lap, and apologized on behalf of the brother. So she smiled a little bit, and, said "want dolly ...!"... I could only her kiss her on the forehead, then we saw a woman in African regalia standing at the entrance of the village's homestead and everyone went helter skelter without making a single noise. Then I wanted to look at the woman again when an old woman grabbed in the arms and said, "No look eyes, bad magic .."



Once we were inside the Manyatta, I asked, "What eyes?"

Then a young girl came into the Manyatta where I think the woman asked her to explain about the woman. My friends and I, ...shocked beyond words could not believe a word they said. The young girl said, "The woman you saw outside wears that African Regalia when she is mad at something and the least you can do is dare not look at her in the eyes or else something sad will happen to your family!" Nelly looked at her in amusement and thought of daring the woman. So she ran outside and looked at her in the eyes, so when she came back she looked pale and then started laughing hysterically about the incident.



Anyway, we did several vaccinations for the little children after the mysterious woman left. Then evening came and we ate some of the traditional food which included roasted beef and some strange looking pancakes. Nelly started complaining that the food tasted like dirt, well we all knew her and she would complain about anything in the world including why a bee buzzes! After the meal we went to sleep, where we slept in different tents as Nelly chose to sleep in one of the houses. "White lady ... wake up something wrong with friend!" a young girl came to wake us up. We rushed to the Tent and Nelly had no eyes nor an abdomen, there were ants all over her and her interior was now dirt! It seemed the damn things ate her up the whole night and started to construct some small mound hills.



We felt weak and short of words so in our somber mood we chose to cover her body and then since we loved the children we chose to continue with the vaccinations with Kevin and Kendi. Evening came and we entered the tents where we received an alarm that the Mystic witch was back, Kevin thought it was high time he saw this witch that everyone ran away from and for some reason he felt weak as he approached her but with a bitter and an anguished tone asked her, "Why?" We could not sleep that night as we had to keep an eye on Kevin and morning came where everything was still okay. We did the vaccinations, where we had a great time with the children who even played soccer with Kevin. One of the boys threw the ball in bush, Kevin rushed for it but by the time he came back with the ball he was screaming and then ... he passed out. We later on discovered that he was bitten by the death stalker or else known as Leiurus quinquestriatus one of the lethal scorpions found in the sub-Saharan deserts. He began loosing his breathe and sweating too much, he even began swelling, we had a polyvalent antivenom but for some reason Kendi and I could not find it. Sadly, we lost Kevin by 1.00 a.m that evening. I could only ask myself one thing why us and we meant no harm ... to anyone! We cried for a whole night wondering why a journey like that had been so painful. Therefore, the strangest thing is that by morning... Kevin had no face at all, it looked like something ate up the flesh the whole evening.



The following day, we had to pack our things and leave the place ... when the same woman came back very early in the morning and for some reason I could not help but look at her and we did not know what to say. Kendi looked away and then went before me ... asking me to leave the witch alone. I looked down in anguish, confusion, and just lost! That night I had the most horrible dreams, of a giant viper chasing after me, I would wake up in the middle of the night and find Kendi watching me. She would take some water and then wipe my face with a wet cloth. I could not understand why she was doing that, then she said, "You were bitten by a Black Mamba and then I think you lost your consciousness ...!" Then I slept off, fighting for my soul and with much first aid I was okay in the morning.



An old woman came and said through the young girl who could speak English, "The goddess of the hills, spared you because she saw your sadness but your friends challenged her prowess to take life and that is ..." I think I passed out! Otherwise, I was already home by the time I woke up and Kendi was the one looking after me! Kendi mumbled, "I found out we could be sisters because I do not know where our families are at the time!"