[Stories] The girl with the magic hands (episode 4

The voice chuckled, “Ask them anyway.”

“Pardon me, madam,” Chidera ventured. Her eyes darting around the women and the tree they leaned against. “But my mother told me to always look people in the eye when I talk to them. She says it’s polite to do so.”

“I have more than mere eyes,” the voice said. “And you cannot look into them. But if you must address something, address the uli tree my friends lean against. You may call me Osisi Uli if you like.”

Chidera’s mouth fell open. Spirits, she thought! She took a step back and the younger woman snickered. The older woman elbowed her friend and said, “Shhhh!” The younger woman covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. Chidera was too focused on the tree with the black berries hanging from its branches to notice.

“I’m…glad to meet you,” she said staring up at the tree. She had never heard of or seen an uli tree before but it didn’t look strange, except the drawing on the trunk of a crescent moon next to a sun. On its leaves they had drawn many many stars. There were many trees around them that she had never seen before since she didn’t travel deep into the forest often.

“Here,” said the older one. “Let me draw something on your hand.”

Chidera looked closely at the sharp object the woman held. A wooden knife?

“Don’t be afraid. It’s not a knife. It’s nma uli. The instrument we use to draw with. It is just a sharpened stick of wood.”

The woman stepped closer to Chidera and the smell of flowers grew stronger. It was sweet and light. Nothing like the smell of old oil and lemons that hung from the walls back home. For the first time in years, the sadness she’d always felt was gone. Chidera was so shocked by the absence of sadness that before she knew it, she said, “A leaf! I want you to draw a leaf!”

The two women laughed and gave each other a knowing look.

“Ah,” Osisi Uli said. “The leaf has the power to heal. A fine choice.”

“Hold out your hand,” the older woman said. “Palm down.”

Chidera did so and watched with wide eyes as the woman turned around and the younger woman handed her a wooden plate that had a blue-black paste on it. She dipped the nma uli into it and then began to draw on the back of Chidera’s hand. She expected it to feel cool but it was warm. The warmth snaked up her arm as if she were submerging herself in a warm bath, arm first. Soon her entire body felt light and heated and the air smelled as if she were in a sea of millions and millions flowers.

Still she watched as the woman drew. Her hand moved with expert precision and speed and the leaf she drew was perfect in its simplicity. When she was done, Chidera stared at her hand, a shocked grin on her face. It was glowing with the same glow that the other designs around her had. As if there was a bolt of lightning behind the black of the paint. She took another look around the decorated forest.

On the other trees, the dirt, fallen leaves, she saw drawings of lizards, kola nuts, yams, fruits, flowers, palm trees, frogs, and more abstract things like tight spirals and squiggles. It was the natural world drawn atop the natural world. And everything glowed lightning blue underneath the inky black. She looked up at the clear blue sky. The sun was bright. Down here was dark. She looked back at her hand. Then she froze.

School!

“I…I have to go,” she said. She held up her hand. “Thank you for this.”

The women nodded.

“Go and be fruitful, my child,” Osisi Uli said with a laugh.

Chidera turned and ran down the path, her mind reeling. She could still smell flowers. She was so late. Who were those women? Did that really happen? Had her parents left for work yet? She was sure she’d be punished. She wanted to stop and look at the leaf on her hand. It was still there as was the warm feeling she got when the woman had painted it. Did anyone else know about those women? What were they doing there?

When she got to the well, she breath a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was there. She filled her container, wrapped the cloth and placed it on her head and was off. Water spilled on her clothes through the cracks and over the top of the container as she hurried home. She didn’t care. By the time she made it to school, she was an hour late. The teacher, whose name was Mr. Akidi, and the entire class watched her slip into her seat.

Chidera didn’t like Mr. Akidi. He seemed to find great joy in causing a spectacle when a student did something wrong, as he did now.

“Do you not know how to urinate properly, Chidera?” he said smugly. All the students turned to watch her answer.

“What? I…I don’t understand, sir,” she said.

“Stand up,” he said.

She stood. At once she knew his target of humiliation.

“Do you consider yourself a civilised girl, Chidera?” Mr. Akidi asked. He was a light-skinned man with a pinched face and wide nostrils. He wore navy blue pants and a white shirt. It was still morning and Chidera could see that the armpits of his shirt were already wet. Everyone knew that Mr. Akidi sweated like a pig.

“Yes, I do, sir,” she said, standing up straight.

“Then how come you don’t know that you are supposed to pull down your underwear and lift your skirt out of the way when you urinate!”

The entire class burst out laughing. Chidera felt her face grow hot. She had splashed water all over the back and front of her skirt. Now her mean teacher wanted to make a mockery of it. Chidera glanced at her friend to her left. Florence was frowning. Chidera shook her head lightly and Florence looked angrier but kept quiet. Chidera was glad; she didn’t want Florence to get in trouble.

“It’s water, sir,” Chidera said.

“Yes, we all know that urine is mostly water,” he said with a chuckle, looking very pleased with himself. The class laughed some more. Was this the way to teach children? No, but he didn’t really care. The children he taught were naturally smart. No matter the method, they excelled and he got the credit. Chidera, whom he particularly liked to harass because of her worn out uniform and sad face, was one of his best students. Thus his behaviour was never really an issue. Many parents even praised him, especially when they saw the marks of their children.

Chidera’s nostrils flared. She looked at the leaf on her hand. “My father asked me to bring water from the well and I…I didn’t have much time and I spilled much of it on…”

“What is that on your hand?” he suddenly asked.

All eyes went to the leaf.

“It’s…”

“Is this what makes you late for my class? Drawing pictures? Artwork? Child’s play?!” He loudly sucked his teeth and shook his head. Then he turned his back and strode back to the front of the class. “I hope it was worth it. You will spend an hour after school cutting grass.”

Chidera sighed. At least she would be alone, able to think about what had happened near the well...but oh how sore her muscles would be.

Chapter Two

“What a day,” Chidera mumbled as she and Florence walked home. Florence had waited as Chidera cut grass in the schoolyard. When the hour was finished, Chidera’s muscles burned.

“I know,” Florence said, taking out her mirror from her pocket to make sure her hair was still neat. Chidera absentmindedly pulled Florence to the side of the street with her. As I said before, Florence thought herself to be utterly beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that, as she did not walk about comparing herself to others. Nevertheless, her habit of walking in the street absorbed in her mirror was dangerous indeed.

“That stupid teacher is really mean,” Florence said.

Chidera shrugged and they walked for a while in silence. Cars passed on the road and a group of boys ran by on their way to play soccer. Chidera was thinking about whether to tell her friend about what she’d seen or not. After cutting the grass, she’d gone to wash her hands. She’d tried not to get water on the leaf drawing but it got wet anyway.

But the leaf didn’t wash off. As a matter of fact, none of the ink even ran. She’d rubbed at it a little and still nothing came off. She thought about spirits in the forest. Evil spirits? No, she didn’t believe that. But what if the symbol never came off? Her father was an angry man and the leaf would be a perfect thing to latch his anger onto. Especially if the thing was still on her hand the next day and the next. He’d accuse her of not washing, calling her filthy and stupid.

“I think he likes to be mean,” Chidera said.

“Of course he does. Mr. Akidi’s always been like that, ” Florence said. “Hey, I like that leaf you drew. Everyone is talking about it now. Did you notice?”

Chidera shook her head; not knowing whether to feel bothered or flattered. Most people didn’t notice her at school. She wasn’t like Florence, who was so popular. Sometimes Chidera even felt invisible. Now Florence was telling her that her classmates not only saw her but were even making her the topic of their conversation.

“Some people are saying it has a strange delightful glow. Let me see.”

Chidera held out her hand and Florence looked at it closely, her nose almost touching it. Florence sniffed it, “Did you spray your hand with perfume, too?”

Chidera shook her head, “Why would I do that?”

She’d never owned perfume. Her mother guarded the tiny bottle her father had bought her years ago like a dragon guarded its treasure.

“Well, you smell like you are,” Florence said, still looking at the leaf. “Hmm, it doesn’t look so strange. It’s very pretty, though. Can you draw one on me, too?”

Suddenly, Chidera felt very possessive of her secret. She wasn’t ready to share it just yet. She wanted more time to chew on what had happened.

“Maybe,” Chidera said, grinning. “Give me a little time to…to practice drawing. I just...started.”

Florence shrugged, “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The two did the secret handshake that they’d made up three years ago when they had first become friends; they locked their index fingers together, then snapped and grasped hands.

The moment Florence was gone, Chidera turned her thoughts inward. Practice? What am I talking about? Practice what? I didn’t draw this. Then it came to her like a soft flash of lightning from far away. I.....

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