KURA: The Cactus - by Olaitan Sanni

Do not speak when you reach Kura Peak. Listen instead to the breathless quiet, for the cold rock beneath your feet holds a soul that belongs neither to the living world nor the dead. <h1>Chapter 2: The Choice </h1> When the last spadeful of earth fell upon Nina’s shallow grave, Tunde’s truck disappeared into the distance, its engine fading until even the sound of it was swallowed by the night. Absolute darkness settled over the peak of Kura. But beneath the cold earth, something stirred. Nina’s spirit awakened. She was no longer flesh and bone. She had no heartbeat, no breath, no physical body. But somehow, she could still feel. She felt the crushing weight of the soil above her. She felt the phantom ache of the impact that had taken her life. But stronger than all of it was the grief burning within her. Her grandmother was waiting. The pot of soup was growing cold. And she was buried where no one would ever find her. Suddenly, the darkness around her began to change. A soft light pierced through the blackness. Two beings appeared above the mound of stones, visible only to Nina’s spiritual eyes. The first was surrounded by a gentle, pearl-white glow. Its presence carried a strange warmth. Its voice sounded like rainfall on dry leaves, calm, soothing, and filled with deep compassion. “Nina.” The Light Messenger extended a shimmering hand toward her. "Your mortal journey was cut short by a cruel hand, but your suffering on earth is over. Leave the dust behind. A special place has been prepared for you, a kingdom of peace where no pain, no tears, and no wicked human can ever reach you. Come with me and rest." Nina stared at the light. For the first time since the accident, she felt the warmth of solace reaching for her. But as she prepared to ascend, the second entity stepped forward from the shadows of the rocks. There was no light around it. Its body appeared to be formed from black mist and dark, shifting dust. Its eyes glowed like dying embers, and when it spoke, its voice crackled like burning wood. “Do not be so eager to forget, little girl.” Nina turned toward it. The Shadow Entity smiled. “Look below.” The darkness beneath them seemed to disappear. Suddenly, Nina could see her village. She saw Mama Beatrice walking in the neighborhood, her worn slippers pressed against the cold earth, her wrapper pulled tightly around her body as she searched the darkness. “Nina!” her grandmother cried. The old woman’s voice trembled. “Nina, where are you?” Nina stared. Her heart, or whatever remained of it, ached. The Shadow Entity continued. “She is searching for you.” Nina watched as Mama Beatrice walked farther down the path, calling her name again and again. “Will you leave her to search in vain?” the entity whispered. Its voice became darker. “And what of the man who killed you?” The vision changed. Nina saw Tunde driving back toward the city of Musay. “He will go home,” the Shadow Entity said. “He will drink his gin. He will laugh with his friends. He will wake tomorrow and continue living as though nothing happened. He could have helped you. He knew you weren’t dead yet, but he ran because he has always been a coward” Nina’s spirit trembled. “He will grow old,” the entity continued, “while you remain forgotten beneath this mountain.” The Shadow Entity stepped closer. “The white messenger offers you peace.” It paused. “I offer you justice.” Nina looked at it. “What do you want from me?” The entity smiled. “Stay.” Its voice echoed across the mountain. “Bind your soul to this soil.” The air suddenly grew colder. “Give me six human souls from this mountain. Six lives. Six spiritual arrows forged from blood.” Nina said nothing. “With six souls,” the entity continued, “you will gain the power to pierce the veil between the living and the dead. You will show your grandmother where your bones lie.” Its eyes burned brighter. “And you will have the power to find the man who took your life.” The Light Messenger stepped forward. “Nina, do not listen.” Its voice, though gentle, had become solemn. “Vengeance is a poison. Whoever drinks it believes it will destroy another, but in the end, it destroys the one who carries it first.” The Light Messenger looked directly into Nina’s eyes. “If you choose this path, you will surrender your place of peace. Your soul will become bound to this mountain. You will no longer belong to the world of the living or the world of the dead.” Nina stood between the two beings, her spirit trembling. Nina looked toward the glowing sky. Peace was right there. She could feel it. All she had to do was let go. But then she looked down again. Mama Beatrice was still searching. Still calling her name. Still hoping Nina would somehow answer. Nina closed her eyes. How can I rest when my grandmother is broken? How can I sleep peacefully while the man who killed me walks free? When she opened her eyes again, the softness in them was gone. “I choose my grandmother,” she whispered. The Light Messenger looked at her with profound sorrow. Nina’s voice grew firmer. “I choose justice.” A long silence followed. Then Nina said the words that would bind her to Kura Peak forever. “I choose revenge.” The Light Messenger lowered its head. A single tear of light fell from its face. “You have chosen your path.” Its body began to fade, dissolving into the night like a dying star. “May you find what you seek.” Then it was gone. The mountain fell silent. The Shadow Entity smiled. “The pact is sealed.” It stretched out one dark hand and pressed its palm against the earth above Nina’s buried spirit. The ground trembled. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, from the soil above Nina’s grave, a tiny green shoot slowly pushed its way through the earth. It was barely visible beneath the moonlight. A single thorn protruded from its fragile stem. And as the tiny plant emerged, something strange happened. The disturbed soil around it began to change. The mound Tunde had created slowly sank into itself. The loose earth settled, spreading outward until it became indistinguishable from the ground surrounding it. The stones he had dragged over the grave seemed to disappear beneath the soil. Within moments, there was no longer any sign that the earth had ever been disturbed. No mound. No fresh soil. No shallow grave. Nothing. Only the tiny cactus remained. It stood alone above the earth, small and innocent looking, as though it had always grown there. The Shadow Entity looked down at it. “This is where you will remain.” Nina stared at the little plant. “It will grow with you, and it’s roots will entwine with your corpse” the entity continued. “Not quickly. Not easily.” The wind moved gently through the rocks. “It will take ten years.” Nina looked confused. “Why ten?” “Revenge is already earned,” the entity replied. “But patience makes the spirit stronger.” The tiny cactus trembled in the cold wind. “Each year, it will grow a little stronger. Its roots will sink deeper into your grave, and your spirit will sink deeper into it.” The Shadow Entity’s voice became quieter. “But when the tenth year arrives, the slayer will be ready.” Nina looked toward the village one last time. “And then?” She asked. The entity smiled. “Then the six arrows will be forged.” “Six people will be brought to this mountain. One after another.” The entity pointed toward the tiny cactus. “Their blood will feed it. Their deaths will strengthen you.” Nina said nothing. “Only after the sixth soul is taken will you have enough power to cross the boundary between the living and the dead.” Nina looked at the tiny plant again. It seemed impossibly small. Almost harmless. But something inside her knew that it would not remain that way. The Shadow Entity began to fade into the darkness. “For ten years, you will wait.” Its voice echoed between the rocks. “Let the cactus grow.” “Let your anger grow with it.” “And when the tenth year comes…” The wind suddenly stopped. “…the sacrifices will begin.” The Shadow Entity vanished. Silence returned to Kura Peak. The tiny cactus remained above Nina’s invisible grave. One small stem. One sharp thorn. Nothing more. And beneath it, hidden from every eye, Nina’s spirit waited. Patiently. While the earth concealed the secret beneath its roots.

Other insights from Olaitan Sanni

Contributor Points

Points-to-Coupons

Referral Earning