The Witness of Usehjiki

ter

the University of Osekoni. He waited for them to drive in, watching Ifiso with stern but focused

id, getting out of the car wi

sked. "Egong nu mana?

sni

so cringed beside her. Osa loved Ifiso, but sometime

lked into the building. The women followed him down the corridor to th

o do this. I told him Sene

sa said as she was carefully dropp

crawling with open books and scattered journals. But in addition to that, there were student

died before forty. Just like your father's brother. Just like their mother. Your mother

ised h

're the oldes

minutes,"

r parents. Waking the witness

wrong," Toso said. "Mana

o's hand as the

e hundred years. Your ancestors did this to her and because you have

ow can we appease

ng shook

o way to a

must be

king stick and watc

your family, Oseki, in Osekoni." He stood up and walked around the table to a shelf of old, tattered books with torn spines. "The four of them fought over

sound petty, Si

g on to the divinity of your ancestors. I'

sa held her hand and camped down, cau

tradeable wealth, but things got so bad that outsiders were benefiting more than our people." He pulled out one of the books. "So, they came together and agr

d a witness

nd searched from page to page. "They took a commoner and sanctified her to all the gods and set her apart. She became the wisest a

zed head and a skinny body. Her hair was a wild, black mane. The lines were carved in Jiki abstraction

hen, five hundred years ago, the four families of Usehjiki fell on hard times. Because of the oath of unification, they could not steal from or kill one another. So, the

e save

ow, she is owed five hundred sacrifices and she will not rest until sh

cture of a harmless-

e blood of her enem

ly," h

her, how do we defe

page back,

ructions for a ceremony. The witness was at the centre of the diagram, kneeling. But at the four corners of the page, there were fou

Toso asked, lean

id, eying Dr. Mowung in bewilderment. "

or tomorrow, you have to find

l be forty years old next year. If w

ep the key away from your

family if there isn't bound to a

ked at Dr. Mowung,

ves to the fullest, like the rest of us. Grow old, have families if you want, travel, see the world," he said.