WATER BOY
CHAPTER SIX
Gone,far away!
I spurted from the water, spraying droplets everywhere; the dark goddess Ariadne sprouted from the lake halfway through.
"You...! Desecrated my territory little boy. You will never return to your base. "Ariadne thundered as she returned into the water in anger.
Rivers of pulsing light saturated the dark lake water as I crawled on the loamy sand while gasping for air. Then I rested under a mango tree.
I searched round the roads and the whole paths,scanning the entire water side but I couldn't find the pathway out of the lake side. It was as if I had not been there before. So I decided to sit under the shade of a mango tree.
"I'm lost! I can't find my way back to school. Maybe the dark goddess is angry at me. " I thought to myself.
On that crisp sunlit afternoon, I sat idly under the mango tree watching as a whirlwind whisked across the rolling hills of the meadow. Still,there was no way out for me.
A few moments later,I saw three young girls walking down the dark lake with empty gallons in their hands. They look startled when they saw me in my uniform all alone under the mango tree. So,I quickly approached them.
"Good afternoon ma'am,"I greeted them. "Please,I lost my way back home. Can you please lead me out of this lake side? I don't seem to recognize the road back to my school. " I explained.
"I can see that you're a stranger. But where are you from and what are you doing here?" One of the girls asked.
"I am a student of East High secondary school. I came here with some of our school students to appeal to the goddess of the dark lake because our school's treasure hunt events,but somehow I lost my pathway back home!" I said.
"Wait! You came here to appease the goddess of the dark lake? Here?!" One of the three girls thundered.
"Yes?! Is anything wrong about that?" I asked.
"Abomination! This is a sacrilegious act! So you came here to steal from the goddess of our land? Ayyyyy!!!" The girls shouted till some group of young men bolted out of nearby farms with machetes in their hands. They were lurking around me like some hungry lions.
"What's happening here?" They would ask at their arrival. The rage on their faces was fierce.
"This young man right here is one of those people that usually come to steal from the goddess of the dark lake. " The girl queried. "Every day for the thief,one day for the owner of the farmland. "
"No I didn't! I lost my way!" I defended.
"So why is your body wet? If you're innocent as you claim,why are you drenched? It has not rained today;answer me before I push this cutlass into your throat. "One of the young men thundered at me.
"And what are you hiding behind you?" He spotted my diamond necklace. Then he pulled out my hand and pried my fingers," A diamond necklace of the goddess! A treasure gift from the dark lake!" He quizzed.
"No! This necklace was given to me by my father in my...!" I was trying to explain myself when a thunderous slap swept across my face. My vision flickered and I went blank immediately. Blood spurted out of my nostrils due to the heavy slap from a hard palm of the strong man. His palm was hard like someone who had been pulling rocks from the ground with his barehands.
"Take it easy on him;he's a little boy! He's too small for that slap!" One of the girls shouted.
"He's a thief! He deserves more than beating. " The other girl retorted.
"I'm rich!" One of the men rejoiced endlessly," A diamond necklace of the goddess!" He hopped happily.
The other young men rushed all out on me probing me nonstop," What else are you hiding on you? Speak before I pounce on you till your last breath. " One of them thundered.
"I have nothing left on me! That's the only thing I had on me! But you have taken it. " I stuttered in between sobs.
"Does it look like I'm laughing with you? If you do not bring out those precious stones, I will strangle you till...!" One of the man queried and all of a sudden,a raging storm emerged. Thundered claps followed.
The immense storm clouds swallowed up all of the sun's light and rain bucketed down. The young girls and men could no longer hold their confidence still.
"How come? There's no sign of rain prior to this downpour! Why is it pouring so heavily?!" One of them inquired.
In no time,a rattle snake crawled out of the blue and bit the same guy that had slapped me," Ahhh! My leg! My leg!!" He screamed aloud and fell to the group. He had just stepped over a log when he felt a sharp piercing pain in his leg. He held on tightly to his leg after being bitten by a large rattle snake.
"Eze! Eze!! What's wrong with your leg?!" One of the men probed.
"S-s-s-snake! S-s-s-snake!!" He stuttered and fainted immediately.
"Eze! Eze!! Is he dead?!" He probed," He's dead!" He then pried the arm of the dead man and collected the diamond necklace from him. "If it's a joke stand up this minute it's raining already. " The young man turned when his eyes saw what his mouth could not comprehend.
"It's that the lake god I'm seeing?!" One of the men stuttered.
The others turned to the lake side and what they saw struck them real deep;psychologically and mentally.
"The river god is out of the lake! Run! Run!!" They screamed and flew back home.
It was outrageous to see or look at the lake god or goddess whenever they appear on the surface of the water. It had never happened in their community before.
"We are finished oh! We are finished!!" They wailed away.
Then I turned my face to the dark lake. I saw a well built ebony dark skinned man on the surface of the water; he had a colourful rainbow fish tail that shimmered and long sheen glossy black hair that was dangling on his broad shoulders. His beards were midnight black in colour but neatly trimmed and shaved. The diamond crown on his head sat comfortably with rays of striking reflecting orbs blurring away. He was so masculine. The scene was calming and soothing to behold. But he quickly returned into the water. A perfect description of him was the dream I had sometimes ago.
Meanwhile, before the water-god sank down the water,the rattle snake that had bitten the man swam into the water and returned to the dark skinned Water-man. It then curled itself round his neck.
That was when I knew who he actually was.
However,I found out that the rain was only falling at the lake side. I probed round the lake side; it was only where we were standing that the rain fall was pouring on. I was under the rain all these while but wasn't getting drenched. Not even a drop touched my body. It was a mystery.
Then I followed the same pathway that the people used in fleeing.
A few moments later,I arrived at a community. The whole place all along from the dark lake road was still dry. No rain dropped on those parts.
I saw a crowd waiting at the entrance of the community,like they knew I would come. I became extremely scared at their appearances. So I paused for a moment.
Just then,a man pushed his way out of the crowd and stood directly to my face," Grab him!" The man thundered.
"Is he the merman?! He must be the merman or a child of the sea! He must be rich!" Rumours kept having a toll on me.
"Or he came to steal from the dark lake goddess! " The crowd mutterings continued.
"Guys! Get hold of him. " He commanded. Then,three mascular men rushed at me. They grabbed me by my shoulder and hauled me away.
"He must be the one!" I would hear people muttering to one another," He must be thrown out of the lake. Maybe he's a child of the gods. " They would whisper.
"To the king's palace immediately! To the king! To the king!!" They would sing as I was been hauled away.
... To Be Continued.
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©️ Written By Rihanne Maya
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