CHAPTER 6: PRIZES AND PRICES
A cataclysm was at hand. Food was getting scarce. The prices were skyrocketing. An impounding doom was about to collapse amongst the survivors as mankind was about to lose control to its animal instincts. The economy was going down. People needed to survive.
A man watched from the windows of a collapsed home as two people ran out of a wrecked apartment, stealing bags of money and gold. They stayed in his sight as they wore away their masks taking off.
"So what are your plans, boss?", asked Jamie, coming out of the toilet. "Phew, none of these homes anything not rotten", shutting the fridge after finding fungus grown on the stored chicken.
Jamie walked in his creepy style to the window in his flimsy, greasy jeans. He was a thin, ugly guy with thin hair receding his line as a shiny bird's nest was soon to be made by the borders of his tangled hair. The boss turned around, giving a jaunty flip to his ponytail. He lit his cigar and sat on the shabby sofa.
"Time is running", said Charlie. "It will come soon and we must act, before it finds us lost". "I don't follow", said Jamie in his whacky way. Charles clutched his muscular hands onto the sofa as he got up and went across the room thinking.
His buff forearms told a lot of cunning tales on how he was a murderous runaway. He was a fugitive who had come out as a survivor as the jail had collapsed but luckily his muscular built saved him from his least lucky smallest piece of concrete falling onto him. Fate had a lot ahead for him, so he did not need to go down so easily.
But now, the power was out, food was limited and he soon had to make arrangements to escape the country. "What was it about that little girl yesterday that you heard from the hospital, Jamie?". His deep voice growled in the empty room. "What?", asked Jamie, inattentively. "About that girl. You heard them talking about a reallocation camp". "Yes, yes, the Naraba government was setting up a makeshift alternative in the jungle nearby", said Jamie.
"I guess that is where we are going next", grinned Charles.
The buses arrived. There were too many at sight. Ada was shook for a while but luckily, there were hundreds of camps as long as the eye could see. Regina too had arrived by her side, tired from all the settings as her hands had grown tired.
The first ones had the doctors and health professionals, whom the healers greeted and guided ahead to their huts. The medicines and equipment followed them in the next five buses. Next were brought the many stable injured people who only needed general care. The beds were gotten rid of them for the hospital's needs. Along came their families and relatives who were shown their cottages by the people. The new arrivals were made to stand in queues as the officials checked people signed up in the list.
Regina felt an urge to scream out of happiness as her mission had taken a physical form.
In the lines, Charlie and Jamie moved ahead in hoods, looking around at the lush green place. "Yes, it is me, Alexander. And yes. This is my brother, Robert". The official looked up ahead at their faces and glanced down at the papers and greeted them inside.
Back at the hospital, the third day had passed. A doctor came early morning on the fourth, giving Adana good news of the guard's recovery along with a discharge slip. But how, was she going to go back again.
After twenty minutes of overthinking, John came inside stumbling. "I am sorry I got late a bit. I had received a message from the hospital to pick you up. Actually, we all got busy back at home because we were packing our stuff", said John in a hurry and picking up their belongings. "So, all of your family is coming with us today?", asked Adana. "Yes, Grandpa, Grandma, Mum, Sarah and the kids...they were sent yesterday. Tiffany and Andrew are going with us today".
The name of Andrew bounced inside Adana as she struggled against this friendly timidity from developing. Within no time, John took off for the village. Upon arrival, Adana was amazed to see the hustle and bustle. The guards had made friends with the outsiders. Some outsider guards too stood on patrol with long guns in their hands. Adana had known about this extra-terrestrial class of weaponry. It could tear apart a raccoon with blink of an eye and at the farthest brink of an eye's focusable distance. Advancement was here.
But what the wolves amongst the sheep? They had to be watchful for a while. For now, her mind was bound. She could not think beyond the thought of Andrew living amongst her people.
Silently, she opened up the curtain to Ada's hut. Nobody was there. She stepped inside to look around for new clothes. She found herself in front of the mirror and went blank.
What would the people think. She was Adana of the Azizi tribe. How could she have fallen so low. She herself was a fierce warrior... not a warrior's waiting maiden. What had come upon her. The strong smell of the homely leather aroused her back. She could not marry an outsider. That would be ridiculous.
Well, a lot had been happening and it was all sliding down a strange hallucination. Truces were happening. The land was being given for sharing. The tribe was beginning to prosper into a modern era. This too could one of the clumsy settings. She will get over it, thought she.
"There you are", entered Ada, "I am so happy you are back, I had started to miss you while I was planning ahead with Regina. I needed your strategic advice". They hugged tightly.
Ada felt an uneasiness in Adana's force. She was somebody else. Not the manly Adana she knew. "Did something happen back there? Are you alright?", asked Ada curiously. Adana glimmering under confidently into the mirror and did not reply. "Come on darling. You can tell me if something is bothering you. Don't I go off telling you each and every part of my crazy insecurities? What is it", said Ada in a humble tone.
"How much strength should a woman keep? What is the criteria to become a strong woman?", asked Adana, eyeing her in the mirror. Ada felt surprised, listening to her words.
Before she could say anything ahead, Adana got up saying, "I guess I have inhaled alot of outside's filthy air. I need a bath". Before stepping out, she said, "oh, and be careful for the wolves around. You must teach them the rules of the pack here".
As she left, Regina came inside with John. Ada went to hug her. Never had she seen a day like this. Night was going to befall upon them. The trio was glad that what once started out as a friendly conversation was now a mature bond of common interests; prosperity.
They decided to go for a stroll to see the place outside. The workers were climbing up and down with the tribesmen, tying solar panels high on top of the trees. Next followed a mesmering design as they jointly clothed that tree with numerous panels for maximum energy storage. Ahead they went and saw many similar trees after a short considerable distance.
The small levitating towers had arrived too. John checked his phone and there was full network coverage.
They saw children of mixed ethnicities run after a squirrel as they surrounded it in the centre like a grey flower stitched into a contrasting kente cloth of blue jeans and fawny kemis. The children caught it and took it away into a cottage.
Some cute devilry was going on as a woman ran out screaming. They giggled together.
"So I am wondering, we should arrange a big feast for your people", said Ada. "That way I can introduce myself and the main authoritarian people around here as well as the laws".
Regina seconded, "Yes, we must not make room for negligence. The people must be educated about the lifestyle of this place".
They came to find the guard from the hospital on patrol again. "How are you feeling? Go, take some rest, why are you here so early on duty?", asked John.
"These are Lady Adana's orders. For the next few days, we will be keeping a very thorough guard on every new comer. Surely, we all come in peace", said the guard.
John heard a lot of hustle behind a green lane of tall bushes. They came out to see a cottage that had been made like barracks. It was the makeshift hospital. A stream passed nearby as the healers and the doctors bonded, discussing their versatile style of treatments and plans to run the hospital.
It had gotten darker and as they were coming back, they realized the village had expanded quiet far away. To Ada's amaze, the village had been lit up by the battery powered lights and she fell in wonder as her dreamy stars had come down to Earth, a sight she had longed to see since she was a child. It was a splendid view amidst the forest.
It was night. Alex and the family had arrived. Upon being guided to the guest cottages, Alex inquired about his little girl.
He found her in her hut, repeating to herself "education, education, education.......".
"What is my baby girl up to now", said Alex stepping inside happily. She ran to his embrace as it soothed her anxiety. "You made it. Did you find it amusing?", asked Regina. "It is amazing and I do sort of feel proud of you now", said Alex, tickling his little daughter.
"So what is with the education part?". "Bringing the people here was an easy task. Now is the task of keeping the Ubuntu. What if we have brought along some tricksters?", said Regina in a low, sad tone. "All our efforts towards peace would be gone".
"It is okay. I will make sure it does not happen. I will talk to Mr. Gosling to keep a keen check", said Alex, pressing her head against his chest.
After a while, he asked, "Although, what mixed educational set up are you people going to present. For sure, we have amongst us professors and preachers. We have to teach to begin our civilization. What will you become someday?". Regina thought over this practical question for a while.
There was no school or university to go to. They had to set up a virtual one. "But I don't want to take any courses", said Regina. "But you too have to learn something to survive. You can shadow me and learn all about technology and create something new or sit with Grandpa Vince and learn about the herbs he is planting", said Alex encouraging.
Regina brushed those thoughts away, saying "Boring! Can I be a writer instead? Can anyone here teach me? Or does it come naturally?", Regina asked.
"But what will you write about?".
After a daze, she said, "I will write about....us. The new Naraba".
“Hey..hey..hey..boss! Look! What do we have here?", said Jamie in a cackle.
"Who's there?", said a guard aloud.
"Don't worry, it is just us", said Charles coming out of the bush with hands up, alongside Jamie. "We kind of lost our way, can you guide us back?".
"This is a certain no going area for you outsiders for now. Do not come here again".
"Oh sure, why would we?", said Charles slowly turning away.
Coming at a distance, Jamie muttered, "Did you see them?".
Charles grinned, "there lies our prize".
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