#Who officially got his powers through Lazarus Rain

[glow-worms-are-believers]

A Princess’ Crown Jules

“…and that’s how I got my powers from Lazarus rain,” says Circuit Breaker as they are both winding down after a sparring session. 

It was a semi-regular thing since Dani first visited Nevada, and met the hero when she helped in taking down one of Circuit’s rogues. And ever since she’s been visiting when she’s in the area. Today they finished the spar a bit earlier than usual and they ended up sharing backstories back and forth all casual-like. Which is why this last tidbit rams into her like a goddamned sledgehammer. 

Lazarus rain.

Dani may be young but she’s seen lots of things on her travels, and with Lazarus water no longer being an unfamiliar term, Lazarus rain is no big stretch to make out. She still gives herself a bit of time to absorb it.

“Your power over the Still Force,” Dani confirms. “The power over all things inertia and entropy?”

“Yeah,” Circuit Breaker says raising his head a bit from the ground to look at her curiously.

Dani inhales and steeples her fingers “There’s good news and bad news,” she starts. And then, she brings her hand to her mouth and looks into the distance, searching for a way to say this.

“Bad news: you’re at least a little bit dead.”

Circuit Breaker sits up and stares. “What?”

Dani tries for a smile. “Good news: you’re also a good bit alive too!”

[2015poetry]

The 2020 Short Story Writing Challenge (Part 40)

Adapting Survival Skills in a Hash Environment

Prayers offered by the Chieftainess blessed God and requested a heavy downpour of rains plenteous to fill the rivers, the dams, the streams, the underground wells and swamps for her people and livestock. Her prayers included blessings on the seed so that the crops blossomed into a bumper harvest.

Ministers, MPs flocked to the ceremony to register their interests and oneness with the Chieftainess. Presentation of gifts forced government officials to place before the Chieftainess assorted gifts in the form of fridges, mattresses and electronic gadgets. Small gifts never went unappreciated. As names from the master of ceremonies escaped his mouth, various homages went to the Chieftainess, as guests knelt and bowed their knees while presenting their appreciations and gifts.

“All those gifts are for her?” Some of the people silently murmuring at the semantics and the inequality of life and living.

The evil that held natives in captivity and fear, soon received the power of God through Baptist missionaries who invaded the godless society. Outreach works through the door to door engagements, the word of God spread, relieving hearts of men held in bondage by the fear of death, and spirits. Captivating the minds of people, the evangelists through moving pictures called ‘Bascope’ (videos) drew a large crowd at dusk to watch various films depicting the Love of God to his people. No more held captive, large numbers of people flocked and braved the fear of the night to hear the gospel of Christ Jesus. Soon, a congregation stood established in the middle of the Soli-land; the word of God spread, and God’ literature found entrance in almost every home.

A new task at Chulu’s hand; herd boy: alongside his peers, spending all day in the fields with his uncle’s cattle became a service required of him. It was not an option, but a task one had to take up involuntarily. Scarcity of pasture land resulted in migrating animals from place to place in search of water and green pastures. Thus, spending the entire day away from the village. Chulu hated holidays. It meant full-time of herding cattle in the bushes and forests. In the heat, and without food, the boy developed rural survival skills.

At dawn, an early meal was inevitable. Being the only meal until dusk, on return from the woods, Chulu had to fill his stomach with energy-giving foods. Starch derived from leftover Nshima and Okra as relief made a delicious meal. At harvest time, added meals included boiled sweet potatoes fresh from the ground or dried for food reserves. Boiled maize provided additional carbohydrates for the lads as they played the role of herd boys. Carrying bulged pockets of cooked grain, fried groundnuts, or barked corn signified additional food supplies as the lads got swallowed into the thick forests with their animals. In addition, plastic containers of drinking water, as well as a local drink known as Finkwese quenched their thirst and prevented dehydration.

As cattle grazed from field to field, the lads scrounged for gleanings from the harvested fields. Groundnuts were the favourite gleanings from the fields. Using bare hands to exhume hidden nuts, the lads had their stomachs filled by the time they returned home for dinner. Sweet potatoes too provided enough gleanings for the lads aside maize grain droppings in the field. Small fires in the bush signified the roasting of groundnuts, sweet potatoes and other gleanings, if the cows found enough provender to be in one place for a while. Aside the gleanings, wild fruits added to the many meals of the day. These ranged from small to large nuts such as Fikunka, a popular name for edible Palm fruit. One Palm nut adequately supplied energy required for the day’s errands. The fruit, sweet and fibrous, made it not easy for the eater. Struggling to suck its rich juice, the lads sat under trees and enjoyed their meals until they found a hard nut in the middle of the fruit. The nut had to be cracked with metal to give way for the lads to enjoy the white juice that sealed their tummies.

None cared about lunch for the lads in the forests. Unlike the lads in the grazing lands, those in the villages enjoyed all their meals.

Lazarus, one of Chulu’s friends, however, never experienced the life of a herd boy. His uncle, Malubila, never had cattle. However, he often helped his uncle skin the hunter’s choice. At least once in a month, Malubila brought hunted game meat into the village. With manual sharpened knives, Lazarous and his uncle made different cuts of buffaloes, impala and Warthogs meats, the most common game animals in the area. The hunted meats resulted in butter systems; exchanging with money or for buttering with items the families lacked, either as fresh meat or as dried and smoked meats.

Carrying a bundle in a plastic, Malubila stealthily sneaked into Chulu’s yard and handed into his hands a parcel; a rare gift to a beloved friend.

“What is this,” Chulu inquisitively asked as he unwrapped the plastic. To his amazement, he gasped at what he saw.

“It’s all yours,” Lazarous whispered into the ears of his friend as they quickly disappeared into the nearby bush to hide the contraband.

“If I declare this gift to my family, I won’t even taste it,” Chulu acknowledged as he began having a feast at the relish at his disposal. For weeks, Chulu feasted at the dried game meat hidden in the forest; he roasted it or ate it as was until maggots attacked the exposed dry meat. What selfishness!

Christopher, a companion and a fellow herd boy, had his father trading as a fishmonger. Once his father arrived from Luangwa river with his contraband of fresh fish, Christopher beckoned his friend Chulu for the activity of preparing fish for drying. The use of a sharp knife was inevitable to rip open the fish, remove its entails and scales, wash it, coat it in salt and smoke it or dry it in the sun. As Mwachiyaya, Christopher’s dad ripped open the stomachs of the fishes, one after another, the sharp knife cut Chulu’s finger. As blood exuded out of his second right big thump, excruciating pain ran through the boy's nerves; rendering his services useless. Nonetheless, the reward of partaking of a sumptuous meal; Nshima and roasted fish, however, nulled Chulu's pain, but not the lasting mark created on Chulu’s left thump.

(Barnabas Chiboboka 2020)