Liberian Literary Magazine
with ease. I feel that a girl
should be given a
chance to look around
before she decides on one
man.” Tene told her mother.
With what had heard and
seen with my own eyes, I must
admit now that I have the
greatest
admiration
for
Bleng's
crystal
reading.
Something else I noticed,
Tene carried a little air of
sophistication about her. She
was not the same beautiful
little girl I had been knowing
all my
life. Bomi Hills had done
something to her. The more
she spoke, the more I was
determined to get her by any
means, foul or good.
I waited until the attention
of
the
family
was
concentrated on the evening
meal, to undertake my
delicate mission. Unnoticed, I
slipped from the banana
orchard and made straight for
the window of the room in
which Kema and Tene slept.
Fortunately there were no
utensils under the window sill
for me to step over, to attract
attention. I had been in this
very room so many times that
everything was familiar to
me. The wooden chests and
beds were occupying the
same spot where I left them.
I wondered whether the
contents of my trunk were
still intact.
I managed to ease myself
under Tene's bed in a
comfortable position where I
could remain unnoticed. I
made sure that the new razor
and scissors I brought along
were sharp enough to achieve
my objective as quickly as
possible.
While I was reflecting on
how best to get the parts of
Tene I needed, I heard
footsteps at the front door. A
gush of blood rushed to my
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
head, rendering me nearly
blind. I immediately reached
in my pocket for a vial
containing
a
syrupy
concoction Bleng gave me to
lick to quiet my nerves.
From the sound of the
footsteps, I could tell it was
Kema, who came into the
room. I heard her ask, “Tene!
Where is the lantern! I want
to light it!” Tene told her it
was sitting by the head of the
bed where I was secreted.
“Bring a torch, it’s too dark
for me to see!” Kema
demanded. I didn't know
exactly how this would effect
my safety. A bright light, and
ill luck, could expose me and
turn my mission into a
complete fiasco.
Tene came in with the
torch. But it turned out that
the lantern had no wick.
Kema remembered throwing a
piece of felt hat under her
sister's bed which they had
been using whenever the wick
was finished. “Reach under
your bed and fetch the piece
of felt hat! “ The older sister
ordered.
When I saw the light coming
under the bed, I became very
tense, in fact rigid. What if
the girls should discover me
and alarm everybody in the
village? What, if all the men
in the village overpowered
me? Yes, what excuse would I
have for being under the bed?
These and other questions
passed through my mind so
hurriedly, there was hardly
time to figure out any quick
solutions.
When Tene put her hand
under the bed, her palm
swept my face. She felt the
movement of my eyelids and
yelled, “Kema! There’s a rat
under the bed! I felt its tail.”
“That's nothing unusual,
Tene. This house is full of
7
them. I thought you knew
this. One thing
I miss old Kai for, when he
was here, he killed them in
his rat traps. “
“Don't know it Kema. Many
days rats were all we could
find for making domboy
soup.”
“Tene, the kind of men we
will be associating with from
now on look down on women
who eat rats.”
“Who would eat those dirty
things if they can get cow
meat and fresh fish all the
time? That's one thing I
enjoyed when I was in Bomi
Hills. Our dryer was forever
full of fresh meat or fish.”
My body remained rigid
while this dialogue was going
on. I did not dare move a
muscle. The girls lit the
lantern and never bothered to
look under the bed.
Kema and Tene were fast
asleep by midnight. Bendabli
was enveloped in total
darkness and silence. Now
was the time to execute my
delicate mission.
The first thing I reached for
was the lantern at the foot of
Tene's bed. I turned it off, to
render the room completely
dark so that if the girls did
detect my presence, they
would not be able to make me
out. I had figured out
minutely how to go about
getting the things the crystal
reader needed.