CHAPTER 5 : CHAINS OF THE PAST
Reconciling again and again, Ada scraped another thought from the blank state of her mind. After what Adana had told her, she did not feel like she should be the queen. Instead, she was better off to be commanded as a pawn.
The chief's words were usually final, the rest of the formalities were merely celebrations and salutations. The path that she believed would take her to the highest authority, had now taken its course as it silted up heaps of reality and clearer definitions. She was not worthy to lead.
Hamidi would have certainly watched her and even if he wasn't in the sky, he would have still looked down upon her. Their ancestors had died keeping their land away from all nihilists and their contagious ideas about materialism and euphoria.
The earth would have trembled as soon as it was going to expect new arrivals. It was obvious that she wanted the tribe to embrace the positive nuance but a lot was at cost as the people on the opposing verge were known well for their callousness and vice.
They always presented a vain display thinking our people envied them. But in reality, we abhorred their arrogance. It was never ignorance but sheer negligence. They devoured on greed and insatiable insidiousness, unbeknownst to what their recklessness would bring someday.
The earth had risen its core temperature. It wiped them with floody tears. Sometimes, her skin would crack open due to their debauch practices and they stayed vile and yet vigilant, looking for escapes. Maybe what they should have sought was confrontation and resorting out a way. Maybe this was one, but an escape or a confrontation?, thought Ada to herself.
Every step had to be taken cautiously. The safety of her people counted more than what her friends wanted. There's no saying if John continues his father's plan of educating us, where their concept of knowledge devalues us to the ground and wants us to accept their version.
But then again, she had only one hope that no person gets left behind. They had things her people needed not to be sacrificed for.
With the advent of their medical advancements, her people needed not to worry about snake bites. With a technology that lights up their own stars on the ground, her people needed not to fear of prowling monsters when venturing outside for guard at night. Their defensive prowess might become better with their levels of weaponry.
If only they could enter with their advancements and leave behind all their wickedness, they could start a new. She was ready for such a deal. Her people would have all at once skipping the many sacrifices that came into reaching those points.
John went inside Grandpa's room that evening. Grandpa was seated calmly as he listened to lost music of his times. He saw John bring in another sad and confused face and got up. "Come in my son. What has brought you after so many days?".
"As you said, the officials found advantage in the lost mission with the Azizi tribe. The reallocation of Naraba can be possible that way".
"So where is the glitch?", asked Grandpa.
"It's just that I am not sure if our people would blend together as we have imagined. What if these fallacies continue on both sides and give rise to newer conflicts?", said John.
“Grandpa...How did my Dad get involved into all of this? The education scheme with the Azizi people?".
Grandpa stared at him for a moment, rubbing his nose before clutching back a fist for his chin to rest on. "In the beginning, it was my idea that I implanted into his mind. I have been to that place only once. Still, I have always been drawn towards it. It was like they were calling me. When I discussed this with Richard, he saw how badly I wanted them to be given rights as a modern man easily has.
It is sad that we have been bad people. In search for advancements, our factories have destroyed the atmosphere. The wars that we have waged have made so many animals flee from their homes as we played with fire.
Our population multiplied like the water hyacinths covering all the surface of Earth's landly pond, making all things suffer and we drained the Earth solely for our reasons as if we owned it. It did not matter for us to bloom out lavender flowers if it was at the cost of the disruption of the ecosystem.
We never had time to decide when to go back or when to stop as we too had no other pond.
That was when I had gotten too old for things and stumbled into that forest one day venturing out into the unknown. Having a bad response, I could do nothing but watch as those people lived life contented in their strong values.
I needed that education. All of our people did.
Therefore, I sent Richards for this mission. It was our future someday.
If we hadn't built such tall stacks to reside in, the earthquake would never have eaten so many of our people.
Sadly, all the people that believed in Richard were labelled traitors to their kin and Richard was believed to bring a revolt and was termed to be greedy of their land for the similar nasty, manly reasons. After much trouble, Hamidi laid Richard down for the betterment of his people.
What they need to know is that we, people of this era, have slowly realized the concept of Ubuntu. We are because the world is. Now it is to make them believe this. To believe that, we too amongst us have conservationists that want to change. We too don't like our own deeds. We need their guiding light", said Grandpa in a motivating tone.
John rubbed his eyes as the burdens of reality felt clear and substantial. He slowly got up and took Grandpa's leave for he had to think ahead as tomorrow the group would have to meet. The night passed slowly and worriedly.
The broad daylight caught on to Regina and John finding Ada waiting for them in the umbrella thorn.
All three had been mostly awake last night and tired of all the procrastination.
Regina began, "Last night, Dad showed me an email. It was from the government. They had agreed to the idea of reallocation. Under Dad's signature, I have been assigned as the delegate for the developmental project under his supervision".
"That's amazing", said John. "I too ran in thoughts on the new culture. Seeing the vague characters in our people, I suggest we bring up the education system and the new culture to a mix.
Our people need to learn your peaceful morals to live here. Your people would need to learn about the technology and the infrastructure we would be bringing along", said John, teaching imaginatively on a thick bark using his fingers.
Ada's eyes narrowed and asked further, "And what about the teams that will come for surveys?". "John has received his call, we are waiting for mine. We were planning to bring them along in the next week as everything becomes suitable".
Ada took a notice. "Well, I have spoken to the viziers. They will be having a hard time making our people understand the positive and negative outcomes and knowing about the balance".
She had just begun when a guard came running that two guards have been badly injured after a pack of wolves attacked. All of them came running back. As they entered the tent, healers were covering them with leaves dipped into pungent concoctions.
One had lost his eye as a wolf had scratched on all of his face. Adana entered after them, hurrying to the powders. "Add more turmeric in that one to stop his body's inflammatory response", as she began churning a new mixture. "Where are the pin cushion tree's extracts?, how do you expect me to stop the pain when nothing is even sorted!", Adana ran across the room.
She was one artful person with great skill on all of her sides, thought Regina.
"What about his eye?", asked John. "What about it? Its perfectly damaged. He would have to live with it", said Adana, bringing the healer the new blend.
"What if I guarantee to you that an artificial one can bring his eyesight back?", said John as Ada's face fell into wonder. "My brother has recovered using it. Just let me take him to our hospital as fast as I can reach on time".
"I am coming too", said Adana, telling a nurse to pick him up. He was placed in the backseat of the car and off they went. Regina stayed behind at the village with Ada.
On the road, John called Andrew to come with Grandpa to the Grand Hospital in a hurry. He again dialled his organization's lead to make arrangements for the guard's artificial eye. This was going to be an epic act of gaining their trust.
Adana looked in amazement as he held out a small device and began talking to people afar. All she had known about distant communication was coos and hoots made to echo in a thick forest.
Upon arrival, she saw metallic humanoids take away the guard in a hovering bed as she saw the person of John's organization waiting for them alongside one old man and another man seated on wheels.
He felt odd, thought she. John met them all and introduced Adana. The person in the official dress told John to go with him for the operation signings and procedures. The old man went inside saying he will be looking for his tablets.
Adana looked at Andrew suspiciously. It was something about this man.
She hadn't felt at ease after seeing him for the first time from the car.
"Let's go inside to the waiting room", said Andrew. "It is quiet hot outside".
Pressing a button his two wheeled seat, he led the away as Adana looked anxiously to see an injured man walk independently. "So did you too lose your leg in the earthquake's accident?", asked Adana. "This is just a mild fracture. I am perfectly fine now".
"How did they treat it?".
"They have inserted metallic rods inside my leg. It is to give support to my weight and give me a little bit of mobility". Adana was amazed as she had only known hard external wraps around fractures for healing.
After finding Adana a place to sit inside, Andrew pointed towards his eye, "This eye too is artificial. This is the one John told you people about. I can see way clearer in it than my original one that needed lenses".
Adana grew interested as she got close to lifting his eye lid. She saw her own clear reflection inside as it zoomed over her in focus.
Something felt alive and warm about the cold metal in his orbit. She saw a handsome rough face with a fresh stubble and golden silky hair lashing her view from that deep eye. She felt her heart change its rhythm as she found herself still and solid in a fast flow of time.
She quickly changed her view as she steered away. What was all that? It was something she had never felt like. She felt weak and disgusting. But what was it about this man that felt outlandish. Something was sinfully appealing about him.
She got up saying she needed to look for the guard. But it was him she wanted to run away from. Maybe it was something in the stale air of the city that had allured her. She was a woman though, but love at first sight was just a fairy tale, so she believed looking for her strength.
She returned soon with Grandpa. "It has been a mess", said Grandpa. "I could not find a simple tablet for your grandma's cough. The medicines are short in supply".
"For cough, we use thyme and ivy leaves. They are easy to grow", said Adana encouraging.
They waited soon for John to arrive, declaring the operation a success. Everyone cheered and went to the guard's ward. "How are feeling?", asked Adana. Wearily, he lifted his thumb with a clenched fist to speak of affirmation.
"Adana, we should let him rest for a while, you can come with us and be our guest", said grandpa. "That is really sweet of you, but I have to stay guard if he needs anything. I am staying her with him". "Ok, then keep this money in case you need something. I need to drop them off and I will be back in an hour", said John. Saying so, they all left with Adana noticing Andrew's stern face leave with a smile. It stayed imprinted on her hazy memory till the evening.
As they were nearing their home, John heard a bang. It came from the grid station, not far away from the hospital. Smoke soon rose above, confirming a power blackout due to the overdrive on the generators. Here was another problem. The government obviously had to resolve to maintenance of the hospital at a priority.
"Going to a doctor is going to be so expensive nowadays", said grandma, at home.
"Yes, everything is expensive and scarce with the current crises going on. We should not get sick", said grandpa, taking out a chair on the lunch table.
"How do we do that?", said Tiffany bringing out the cutlery.
"That girl, Adana, told me something different. We needed not to be dependent. We can grow our own medicines. Look at the balcony. We can grow the main essentials. That small space can provide us with all the healthy essentials. It can save us money too", said Grandpa.
"I wish we had done it before", said mum, filling grandpa's plate with rice.
"And what about the power?", asked Sarah. "All food is going to rot if we can not save it".
"The tribe!", said John. "I guess we too have to shift there now". Grandpa felt delightful if the words were about to become reality.
"Tomorrow, Regina will be sent the supplies. It will be including all technology that can be of use in that background.
They ate the food with gratitude as they hoped to hear a good news soon.
Back at the tribe, the officials arrived. Ada, in her bloom of staunchness, wore a kisa baskettry headdress to greet them.
It was made from a leopard's skin cloak that her father had killed when it had once attacked the tribe. It was garlanded beautifully by ostrich feathers.
Regina guided them to an outskirt of the tribe and showed them an imaginative sketch amidst the open trees. It was a city powered by solar energy, as the people had demanded less fire accidents. All coal and oil was forbidden to be lit here.
The officials presented to Ada a gift of the demand. They had brought along solar reflected ovens and stored charge batteries in hundreds for the new supposed settlement.
When taught on how to operate, Ada felt amazed at how diligent these people were towards rebuilding their people while her father would have left them behind marking it nature's course of survival and an unknown reason behind it.
Suddenly, a vizier came to the meeting. He whispered something into Ada's ear and left again after taking permission. "So it seems you have gained our people's respect. We too have some technology of our own", said Ada getting up and guiding them outside. It was big box of clay with a door and little tunnels passing onto all its sides. "Is that a fridge?", said John confused. "Call it what you want, but this thing has to be put inside stored water for keeping things cold and making them last long", said Ada with flamboyance.
It was indeed a remarkable thing, thought Regina. Something not operating on any power but sheer concepts of conduction and insulation. She felt even more intrigued to what the future would hold as the communities would grow together.

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