His Vengeful Obsession

CHAPTER 1

It is morning in the village of Yabiza. The sun takes its place slowly, his yellow robe painting the clouds orange and pink. The swish-swash of the clothes being dunked up and down into the river

by the women in the early morning, their musical voices filling the air.

They glance momentarily at the sun, before resuming work. They smile because the clothes will be dried by lunch. The men walk out to the fields, more orderly than a row of ants but louder than the elephants, their hearty laughs resurrecting the fields and scaring timid creatures. They look up at the sun and groan. It is going to be a hot day.

The children are simply delighted. New day, sunshine, and more play!

Meanwhile, in a little hut, a girl tends to her aunt. She is around 18, with long wooly black hair and dazzling blue eyes lined with kohl. She is petite and is dressed in a yellow dress. Her eyes are tinged with sparks of longing, a little ray of hope still left in them. Her Aunt is ill, but she hopes, like other times, she will be alright. A small yet prominently shining nose pin adorns the curvature of her nose.

As Aunt feels better, she gets up, grabbing the basket to take to the farm. She bites her lip, realizing that it's getting near noon. She walks into the fields. The children run past her, smiling and giggling as she races with them to the farm.

Setting the basket on the ground, she folds her sleeves and begins to pluck the carrots while singing a traditional song of Yabiza that she learned from her aunt.

In the garb of a defeated lover,

I will go in search of my beloved.

In the garb of a defeated lover,

I will go in search of my beloved.

In every nook and corner

I will sing the song of my beloved.

She paused for a while seeing some of the rabbits swarming around and grinned.

"Are you hungry tillo?" she asked, staring at the brown rabbit who only looked back at her.

But then she smacked her head,

"Of course you are, it's lunchtime," she muttered, narrowing her oval eyes and pouting her lips before abruptly tossing some carrots towards them.

"Don't you dare cheat, share it equally. One for tillo, one for millo, one for chillo and this one is for nillo!"

And the rabbits, as if understanding her, took the carrots one by one and went away, making her grin and wave at them.

If any person apart from her village had witnessed the scene, they would have definitely certified her as a mentally unstable creature.

"Oh My God! Stop distracting yourself and focus, Zoya, you have a lot to do!" she smacked her head before sitting on her toes and resuming her previous activity as well as singing.

In the garb of a defeated lover,

I will go in search of my beloved.

In every nook and corner

I will sing the song of my beloved.

Let the world see him there

I will see him there too!

I will sacrifice my honor and life for him

O friend! I will be called as a defeated lover

Spending the whole day in the garden seemed like a good idea, she needed to get as many vegetables as she could before winter.

It may be hot as shades in the summer, but a winter freeze was not unheard of. It was the middle of October, so it was sometimes blazing hot but the weather was definitely cooling down fast.

So that's what she did, spent all her time in the hot sun on her knees, plucking vegetables.

After a few hours, her back started to ache, and black dirt showed through the tips of her fingernails. She sighed and stared up at the sun as if it would give her some relief.

By the position of the sun, she could say it was about 5:00-5:30. She had skipped lunch, and her grumbling stomach had her notified that it was time for food.

Finally, she got up and washed her hands in the river water, staring longingly at the rushing water, wishing more than anything

that she could bathe in hot water. But then, the sun was already setting and her aunt never allowed her to step outside the house after the sunset.

Deciding to leave it at that, Zoya grabbed her little watering can and

filled it to the brim with crystal-clear stream water. Ambling towards the left corner of the field, she began to water the plants.

She cherished the little plants, taking care of them by giving them the fresh drink they deserved. It was like a coping mechanism for her whenever she missed her parents, she would sit near the plants and talk with them for hours. Even Cosmo would accompany her back then in the fields and catering plants but it all changed when he left for the city.

Her eyes brimmed with tears at that, it had been five years since she last saw her brother. With a pout on her face, she rubbed her eyes and nose with her sleeves.

"I miss you momo,"

It was near to sunset when she finally got home. It was a modest farmhouse, safely nestled in a small field in the woods. Around 250 years old,

She could see her aunt pacing back and forth on the front steps, concern, and a troubled look resting on her aged face.

"Hey Aunt, look who's ba….Ahh."

Before Zoya could complete her sentence, a flying shoe landed straight on her shoulder making her wince and step back a bit.

"Haven't I made it clear to you that before sunset you should be back at home," her infuriated and concerned voice could be heard in the background of Sammi's laughter.

Zoya rubbed her shoulder with a pout before glaring at her cousin cum best friend.

"Aunty, I was…"

"You were what? Let me guess, you went on hopping with the rabbits because they were sad, or you started to play hopscotch with the children, oh no no you must have again gone to Zuma's house to chase her chickens!" Aunt Mathilda started to effuse out her thoughts, still standing at the footsteps. Hands-on her hips, not before sending a glare to Sammi, decreasing the magnitude of her laughter.

"Stop being angry at the child, Mathilda, I asked her to do my chores as well since I was busy collecting the woods." a frail yet rigid voice of her uncle startled the three of them.

Sammi instantly rushed to her father, taking the stack of timber from him while Zoya also rushed to him, hugging him from the side.

"Uncle, I am not going to talk with Aunt again. She always rebukes me, she doesn't love me anymore. " her uncle looked down and smiled at her chubby innocent niece before softly pecking her forehead which was set into a frown. Her lips morphed into a shivering pout.

Her aunt shook her head, Zoya's innocent nature never ceased to make her concerned. Often chiding herself for not letting her interact with people and hiding her from the tentacles of the world.

"Zoya, my precious daughter, come here." Aunt Mathilda muttered, stepping closer to her. Anyone could see the sincerity of her emotions.

Zoya glanced at her for a second before hiding her face in her uncle's chest, shaking her head in "no".

"Fine, then I will not make the carrot and bean stew that I was going to prepare for you."

At this, her eyes widened before she doubtfully narrowed them.

"With cashews, right?" she asked,

"And nuts too!" This was enough to bribe her as jumped from her uncle's hold and rushed toward her aunt, nearly tackling her to the ground.

"I love you, aunty, you are the best." Aunt softly patted her hair,

"I love my child too, you are too innocent for things Zoya," she uttered the last part in a hushed whisper.

"What about me?" Sammi asked with a frown at which she also gestured for her to come forward.

Sammi smiled and went next not before receiving a jab from Zoya on her back.

"That's for laughing at me," she lurched out her tongue at her sullen face.

The Uncle smiled and strolled toward their cottage, praying for the endless happiness of his family.

While destiny stood at a distance, smiling weakly, and stared into space as if foreseeing a storm.