Later that morning as I watched her wash the bed-spread heavily soiled with blood; a ritual I had witnessed for the fourth time now, I couldn't help but wonder if nma was really a witch like I overhead aunty Zorlesi and aunty Barido talking the other day on my way from uncle Letam's house, with the little keg of palm wine papa had sent me to get.
I know my nma & papa had me after being married for 7 years; nma said it every time anyone tried to beat me. And Aunty Waka even said aunty Dumle, aunty Leelee and aunty Barine who suffered the same fate as nma were all in the same witchcraft coven. It was rumoured that they ate up their babies from their womb.
As I watched nma wash her wrappers with tear in her eyes, I shook my head vigorously. It couldn't be. Nma is one of the kindest women in the village, and I know witches are always wicked like Nàà Sorka, the village witch that had been abandoned in her hut by her children because she bewitched all of them.
No, nma is not like that. So why was she loosing her babies? Was it in our generation? Would I also loose my babies when I get married? The thought made me shiver with fear and for a moment, I thought of asking nma if her own mother also lost babies. But I decided against it, when I saw her running nose.
As she bent down to blow it into her wrapper, papa appeared at the door with his hands on his waist. "Mda, are you still crying? God knows why it happened. He will give you another one". But nma refused to be consoled. Even papa could not explain the constant pregnancy loss. So she didn't listen to him.
Comments
Post a Comment