Fiona
(Episode 22)
Frighteningly, Amitabh missed a step. Tiny stones rolled down the edge of the cliff. He wobbled and began to fall over the cliff.
We screamed, watched, and hoped. Just when I thought we had lost little Amitabh, Michael swung around and grabbed his T-shirt, but the poor boy smashed his leg on the rocky side of the cliff. Amitabh responded with a loud groan. Michael too lost his balance in the process but, thank God, he recovered quickly and pulled Amitabh up.
We all heaved a sigh of relief as Michael steadied Amitabh on the path and tried to catch his breath. I looked at Michael with heartfelt appreciation. Only God knew how many times he had saved us during this unfortunate journey. That very moment, stones crumbled under his feet, and he lost his footing. He flailed his arms tirelessly to regain his balance. I rushed forward to grab his arm, but I was too late. I missed his hand by the whiskers, and he fell down the cliff. The fall seemed endless until he finally smashed onto the rocks below. Blood spattered everywhere.
We all sank to the ground and wept bitterly. Hayakharet urged us to move on. “He die as warrior,” she consoled us.
We soon managed to get to the end of the path. However, Amitabh was not looking good. The gash on his leg had begun to fester, and it was taking a toll on him. He was fighting to hold on to life. I became afraid for the little boy when I saw the expression on Hayakharet’s face after examining the wound.
“We need to find the Ntunja,” she said with a sense of urgency.
“What is Ntunja?” Sister Elizabeth was apprehensive.
Hayakharet explained that the Ntunja was a leaf with great healing powers. The challenge was that it could only be found back it the forest. One of us had to hurry back the turtuous path to the jungle and search for the snowflake-shaped leaf with purple veins, and that scratched like it had hairs on its surface. We all looked at each other’s faces because no one was willing to go. We were too frightened to go back that path, especially when we remembered how Michael died. I looked back at the track and then Amitabh’s face. The infection was spreading fast. I took a deep breath and volunteered to go.
“No.” Hayakharet shook her head. “Booby traps everywhere. A warrior must go.”
I quite understood her. Apart from the booby traps, there was too much at stake to take a gamble. What if I came back with the wrong leaf after all? She ordered Kammahayak to go and fetch it while she did all she could to stabilize the boy. It seemed like forever while we waited for the leaf. Amitabh’s condition grew worse with each passing minute. He was now growing pale, and his eyeballs had started to make us afraid. I looked at the path for the umpteenth time, and there was no sign of Kammahayak. I began to pace up and down.
Sister Elizabeth dropped to her knees, raised her face and hands heavenwards, and began praying. I began to think she was going to enter into a trance the way she was shaking her head like an agama lizard. Amitabh began to stiffen, and we all started to panic.
“Boy has little time, ” Hayakharet broke the news.
She stood up and began scouting the entire surrounding for a substitute or anything that could extend the boy’s life a little longer. She spotted a plant at the base of a boulder. She ran to it and plucked some of its leaves. She squashed it and squeezed the juice into his mouth and rubbed the crumpled leaves on the injury. Lilian dropped down beside the boy and held his hand and begged him to stay with us. Amitabh gradually began to shut his eyes. The earth stood still in that instant.
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
