Trojian Horse

The moon hung high and full in the cloudless night sky. She was frantically racing toward the rocky outcrop at the end of the wide patch of flat grassland. The bundle in her arms had not let out a single sound since the pursuit began but continued to sleep soundly. Surprisingly the bundle in her arms felt incredibly light.

Sweat poured from her forehead in torrents. Her lungs felt as if they were ready to ready to burst into flames but still she ran on though her legs would occasionally give way sending her tumbling to the ground. Stopping was not an option and just as quickly as she fell she would get up again. Her baby’s life depended on it.

Closer and closer she got to her target. It grew from a large rocky dome in the distance to a gargantuan boulder that towered over its surroundings. Her attacker was breathing heavily behind her, still in pursuit, but fortunately she had managed to get a head start on him, barely, though she feared it would not be enough. Zibulo had not woken up once despite being flung left and right, and the occasional tumbling coupled with her own heavy breathing. Her eyes were thrashed by all manner of insects and shrubs but she was grateful the moon illuminated her way.

It was not immediately clear where she was going but soon she could see the trail of specially marked stones marking the way to Njelele in addition to the distance light that marked her final destination. She was not sure who was chasing her, all she knew was that she had to get away and Njelele was the only place she could go. The manner of help that lay where she was going was not certain. Over an anthill, down again, jumping across the narrow gulley, stumbling up the other side, some leaves from a shrub smacked her in the face, insects flying into her open mouth, her chest a definite blaze and her legs starting to cramp. ‘Keep moving’ she said to herself.

Eventually she got there. She stopped for only a second looking around to see where she was supposed to go next. It was close, she could feel it. The light came from deep within the cave. A row of rocks formed a corridor leading into the cave. On she ran again. Her attacker was no longer behind her. All she could hear were the cicadas and the crickets. A slight breeze brushed the leaves of the trees and shrubs together. It was a naturalistic symphony that only seemed to elevate the level of anxiety she was feeling. The grass rustled in the wind. Her breathing had become hoarse. She could not have kept running for much longer. Fortunately she felt she was almost at the end of her journey.

Something kept pushing her to run faster, to run longer until she reached the source of the light. The light grew closer and closer until she could make out an old man sitting right at the entrance to a cave huddled by the fire. He looked up alarmed at who was approaching at such a terrific speed, breathing heavily with thunderous footsteps crunching the leaves and grass beneath her feet. The undesirable noises caused him to stand up screaming warnings of desecration and demanding she turn back until he saw someone else was following her, clearly with sinister intentions. She sped right past him hoping he would take care of her assailant, while she felt compelled to run on further and further into the mazy cave. Once inside she slowed her pace. Never having been in here she had no idea where she was supposed to go. There were several entrances to other passages all coming from the main corridor she was on. She would have to trust her instincts.

Further in the cave, all she could hear were her own footsteps, her breathing and the eerie sounds coming from within the cave. The passage grew darker and darker the further into the cave she walked. She could barely see past her outstretched fingers and began feeling the sides of the cave as she walked on until she reached one entrance that had a feeble light emanating from within it. There was no time for her to decide otherwise so she walked in toward it slowly feeling her way toward it until she quite suddenly tumbled into a brightly lit dome, hewn out of the rock with exceptionally smooth sides. Several images were drawn on the walls depicting men hunting and praying to a big star at the very centre and top of the dome. A large granite rock with a flat top lay in the middle of the room, an altar of sorts directly beneath the big star drawn into the top of the dome. Walking towards it she became aware of a type of humming coming from it.

The rock was vibrating and she could hear it faintly at first then louder and louder with each step she took until it seemed to be glowing while the noise became unbearable. There was a loud bellowing sound behind her and she was knocked to the ground before she could turn around. Zibulo was knocked from her arms and rolled toward touching distance of the vibrating rock. She was forced to look into the face of her attacker by a pair of rough strong hands, seeing only a blur except for two blood-red eyes that seemed to burn like hot embers. The savagery in the eyes could not be mistaken. Her attacker seemed very angry and began strangling her while casting a glance at Zibulo who had woken up and gotten onto his knees, stretching his hand to touch the rock that obviously intrigued him. A well placed knee and substantial force knocked him off her. He stretched his hand to grab the boy but she was too quick for him, tackling him to the ground before he could take a single step forward. They scrambled to their feet and she found herself standing between him and Zibulo. She cast a glance to see if Zibulo was not hurt then she turned toward her attacker only to be met by a fist square in her eye. She fell back with a scream and a thud. Once again he climbed on top of her and wrapped his hands around her neck, squeezing tighter and tighter. Initially she fought but slowly she felt the life ebbing out of her body. One last glance at Zibulo with her dying breaths was all she could muster while thoughts of failing him ran through her mind. Zibulo touched the rock just as the light faded from her eyes and she was swallowed forever into the darkness.

Cebisa jumped up. Her eyes were greeted by the early morning sun streaming into their cave. Zibulo was laying by her side, sleeping soundly. Several of her older daughters were already up judging by the empty beds and the laughter coming from outside. She could hear the cows mooing outside, the donkeys braying, the chickens cackling. The whole camp was alive around her. It was only a dream. An incredibly real one but a dream nonetheless.

Her hand reached up to her neck. She felt an intense pain around her neck almost as if she had actually been strangled in her sleep. Khulu Zwangedwa was snoring loudly in a dark corner of the cave oblivious of her plight or anybody else’s for that matter. It had only been a dream she told herself before getting to her feet, hoisting a lively smiling Zibulo into her arms and walking out of the cave to begin another day in the camp.