Here is part 5 of the shabiki Fiction that has now become the longest I have ever written. Thankfully, Bea helped me make some alterations. I hope wewe enjoy it. ; )
Lisa reached the spot kwa the roses where she would begin trimming and pruning for the night. She looked up at the big house illuminated kwa the sunset and saw two figures in the window. They appeared to be Lost in conversation of some sort. She tried to imagine what kind of things they could be talking about. Would they boil them au fry them for dinner? It really wasn’t funny but she had to think of something to make herself laugh. Spirit was hiding beneath the bushes and he pounced at Lisa as if she was his prey. She laughed to herself, a silent laugh but it did her moyo good all the same. He looked at her with deep, green eyes that seemed almost human in their depth. She cocked her head to the side and he followed suit.
Back in the greenhouse Hugh was looking out a Lisa. Since it was one of the few things he could do that semi-involved her, he did it. Hugh took the journal in his hands and read Lisa’s words. He had been anticipating them all day. “Love, Lisa” WOW! He felt his moyo jump. She alisema “love” too. He looked out at her again. Then he put it back under his mto while he thought of what to write back. There were so many things to say to her, but he would have preferred the traditional methods rather than uandishi and being unable to speak at all. He was contemplating what to say when the door between the greenhouse and the main house flung open and a figure descended the stairs in purple and black from head to toe. At her feet was a large, black cat. Hugh had an argument going in his mind as to what she seemed to represent. She could indeed be the classic image of a witch from the pointy black shoes to the dark purple shawl. The black cat seemed to add to the picture. She did differ in that her nose was most definitely not pointy, her face wasn’t as pale as the other sisters, her eyes were a light blue, her lips colored a bright pink and she seemed to be a bit less disapproving in her ujumla, jumla countenance.
“Good evening Mr. Laurie.” She nodded curtly afterward.
Hugh looked at her for a moment as if expecting her to say more.
“Umm… Good Evening. wewe must be Melvina and this must be Spirit” he alisema while glancing down in acknowledgement of the cat. She turned to the corner of the room and bent over a meza, jedwali there that he was sure he hadn’t noticed before. When she turned back she carried a tray with a cup of chai and a plate of shepherd’s pie on it. Hugh hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he saw it.
“Yes, that is my name, but wewe would do best not to blurt out any information passed between wewe and Lisa in front of Mavis.” Melvina gave him a slight wink.
Hugh’s eyes widened at the idea of him letting the secret of the journal out. Melvina had a slight smirk on her face as she set the tray down in front of him.
“Go ahead and eat. Don’t mind me. Were wewe two not currently inhabiting my greenhouse, it’s where I like to go to think.”
Melvina sat on a wooden chair across from Hugh and Spirit wrapped himself up in the folds at the bottom of her skirt. Hugh took a fork full of the shepherd’s pie while still sizing up the woman who sat across from him. She seemed to be studying him.
“This is delicious! Did wewe make this?” Hugh was shoving another fork full in before she could even answer.
Melvina reddened slightly. “Well in fact, I did and thank wewe for the compliment. I used to make it for my boyfriend a long time ago.” Melvina lowered her head and looked wistful.
“Well, it’s wonderful. I actually think its better than my Mums.” It had been a while since he had eaten anything quite this good.
Melvina produced a tiny sized dish of the scrumptious marvel and placed it on the floor for spirit who njiwa into it with gusto.
“So this boyfriend, where on earth is he that he would not be around to enjoy something this amazing? If wewe don’t mind my asking.” He alisema it to be friendly but immediately regretted it when he looked up and saw her face.
A smile very faintly crossed the woman’s face followed closely kwa knitted brows that themselves spoke of pain. She rose and walked to over to a drawer and pulled out a candle. She set it in a holder on kwa the window and lit it with absolutely no device he could see, only her bare finger.
“He left one siku to go to the village of New ngome on business and he never returned. I made inquires but no one had seen anything. I’ve often wondered…maybe he just decided to keep going and not turn back.” her voice slowed and she looked down at Spirit who returned her gaze and she smiled. “Well that was a while ago.” She took a sip of her tea.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I mean, I really am.” Hugh couldn’t help but feel that she was doing her best to cover her pain. He thought that changing the subject might help so he decided to go for broke.
“Melvina, why is your sister doing this? I mean, I assume it’s her.” Hugh sipped from his own chai as he waited for her reply.
“Mr. Laurie…” she began.
“You may call me Hugh, please.”
“Hugh, my sister Mavis and I are all that is left of our family. A family which has never quite lived as shall we say, the normal people around us. When wewe have umm abilities and talents that others lack it lends itself to a certain amount of jealousy and even what some might call hatred. When other young women were finding men to court them, Mavis and I were learning to make potions and charms to heal the sick au drive away bad spirits. It was our family legacy and I didn’t mind, but Mavis always has and does resent it. I threw myself into the healing and stayed away from the things that were, shall we say a little zaidi dark. Grandmother lived kwa certain rules. There were, elements of the family that did not live kwa her belief system. Mavis seemed to learn zaidi from them than Grandmother at times.”
Hugh was intently listening to her story. He was exhausted but this was part of a world he had never known and it was so interesting that he was suddenly wide awake.
“So she is resentful of Lisa and I? Why exactly?” he asked as if piecing it all together.
“The other night at the pub, we were there. I think when she saw you…”
Hugh seemed to tafuta a memory. “I don’t remember you.”
“You wouldn’t because we didn’t look like ourselves and frankly, wewe seemed occupied otherwise.” Melvina raised an eyebrow.
Hugh registered a look that bordered both happiness and self consciousness.
“The nearest I can tell, Mavis became somewhat annoyed probably because she was eyeing your for herself au she just doesn’t like to see other people enjoying what she doesn’t have. Having a upendo life when wewe are a witch isn’t exactly easy. Beyond that, I can’t say that Mavis has been overly lucky in that department. Things always went smoothly with her suitors for the first few weeks. Eventually a spat would result in someone having an…accident or…”
“An accident! What kind of an accident?”
“Typically nothing really bad, I mean a little balding here, losing teeth there.” She seemed to be searching through her memory which amused her on some level. “I don’t recall anything really serious happening.” She placed a finger up to the side of her face as she thought.
“So she has some dating problems and it results in placing some sort of spell on Lisa nd I for the crime of apparently falling in love?”
Hugh took another sip of his tea.
“This is precisely why my dear sister and I have not been on entirely friendly terms the last few days. I have tried to explain to her that there is no good that can come from this.” Melvina took a scone and bit into it in a somewhat absent minded manner. There was a bit of despondency in her face.
“Well from the fact that we are still here and unable to speak to one another, I take it that wewe are not winning the argument.” Hugh spoke carefully as the last think he wanted was to cause this witch to become annoyed also.
Melvina looked over at the burning candle, signed and plopped the last bit of scone in her mouth.
“Well, its really against our code to tinker with another’s spell. Instead I have tried to intervene as much as possible. That is the reason for the journal for one thing. wewe can at least communicate but I warn you, don’t let her catch you.”
Hugh nodded to her and then yawned.
“You must be getting tired she said. Don’t worry too much about it. I have been thinking of other ways to appeal to her.” She rose to ascend the stairs once again. When she got to door she vanished through it.
Hugh was asleep in no time. He woke again when it was still dark and hurried to recount the evening’s conversation to Lisa in the journal. At the end he wrote. “ I watched wewe through the window tonight and I wished I could be with wewe zaidi than anything. It seems so unfair that right when we were beginning, this happened. Love, Hugh.”
Out in the garden Lisa could see the soft glow of the sun begin to brighten the sky. Spirit seemed to be crossing the yard for a morning hunt. He rubbed his back against Lisa’s feet as she kneeled to pull weeds.
“Hi Spirit. Do wewe sleep well then?” Lisa couldn’t swear to it, but she thought she saw him nod before he pranced away.
“I must be tired” she alisema to herself. Just then she turned to see Hugh walking towards her. She smiled at the sight of him and he smiled back. As they passed she formed her hand into the sign language symbol for “I upendo you.” And held it at her waist so that he could see it but anyone watching for the house could not. She saw him glance down and then turn ever so slightly red at the recognition of the sign. They passed by, each without will as to where they would be until the sun and moon passed each other again. If they weren’t so miserable, it would almost be romantic.
Lisa reached the spot kwa the roses where she would begin trimming and pruning for the night. She looked up at the big house illuminated kwa the sunset and saw two figures in the window. They appeared to be Lost in conversation of some sort. She tried to imagine what kind of things they could be talking about. Would they boil them au fry them for dinner? It really wasn’t funny but she had to think of something to make herself laugh. Spirit was hiding beneath the bushes and he pounced at Lisa as if she was his prey. She laughed to herself, a silent laugh but it did her moyo good all the same. He looked at her with deep, green eyes that seemed almost human in their depth. She cocked her head to the side and he followed suit.
Back in the greenhouse Hugh was looking out a Lisa. Since it was one of the few things he could do that semi-involved her, he did it. Hugh took the journal in his hands and read Lisa’s words. He had been anticipating them all day. “Love, Lisa” WOW! He felt his moyo jump. She alisema “love” too. He looked out at her again. Then he put it back under his mto while he thought of what to write back. There were so many things to say to her, but he would have preferred the traditional methods rather than uandishi and being unable to speak at all. He was contemplating what to say when the door between the greenhouse and the main house flung open and a figure descended the stairs in purple and black from head to toe. At her feet was a large, black cat. Hugh had an argument going in his mind as to what she seemed to represent. She could indeed be the classic image of a witch from the pointy black shoes to the dark purple shawl. The black cat seemed to add to the picture. She did differ in that her nose was most definitely not pointy, her face wasn’t as pale as the other sisters, her eyes were a light blue, her lips colored a bright pink and she seemed to be a bit less disapproving in her ujumla, jumla countenance.
“Good evening Mr. Laurie.” She nodded curtly afterward.
Hugh looked at her for a moment as if expecting her to say more.
“Umm… Good Evening. wewe must be Melvina and this must be Spirit” he alisema while glancing down in acknowledgement of the cat. She turned to the corner of the room and bent over a meza, jedwali there that he was sure he hadn’t noticed before. When she turned back she carried a tray with a cup of chai and a plate of shepherd’s pie on it. Hugh hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he saw it.
“Yes, that is my name, but wewe would do best not to blurt out any information passed between wewe and Lisa in front of Mavis.” Melvina gave him a slight wink.
Hugh’s eyes widened at the idea of him letting the secret of the journal out. Melvina had a slight smirk on her face as she set the tray down in front of him.
“Go ahead and eat. Don’t mind me. Were wewe two not currently inhabiting my greenhouse, it’s where I like to go to think.”
Melvina sat on a wooden chair across from Hugh and Spirit wrapped himself up in the folds at the bottom of her skirt. Hugh took a fork full of the shepherd’s pie while still sizing up the woman who sat across from him. She seemed to be studying him.
“This is delicious! Did wewe make this?” Hugh was shoving another fork full in before she could even answer.
Melvina reddened slightly. “Well in fact, I did and thank wewe for the compliment. I used to make it for my boyfriend a long time ago.” Melvina lowered her head and looked wistful.
“Well, it’s wonderful. I actually think its better than my Mums.” It had been a while since he had eaten anything quite this good.
Melvina produced a tiny sized dish of the scrumptious marvel and placed it on the floor for spirit who njiwa into it with gusto.
“So this boyfriend, where on earth is he that he would not be around to enjoy something this amazing? If wewe don’t mind my asking.” He alisema it to be friendly but immediately regretted it when he looked up and saw her face.
A smile very faintly crossed the woman’s face followed closely kwa knitted brows that themselves spoke of pain. She rose and walked to over to a drawer and pulled out a candle. She set it in a holder on kwa the window and lit it with absolutely no device he could see, only her bare finger.
“He left one siku to go to the village of New ngome on business and he never returned. I made inquires but no one had seen anything. I’ve often wondered…maybe he just decided to keep going and not turn back.” her voice slowed and she looked down at Spirit who returned her gaze and she smiled. “Well that was a while ago.” She took a sip of her tea.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I mean, I really am.” Hugh couldn’t help but feel that she was doing her best to cover her pain. He thought that changing the subject might help so he decided to go for broke.
“Melvina, why is your sister doing this? I mean, I assume it’s her.” Hugh sipped from his own chai as he waited for her reply.
“Mr. Laurie…” she began.
“You may call me Hugh, please.”
“Hugh, my sister Mavis and I are all that is left of our family. A family which has never quite lived as shall we say, the normal people around us. When wewe have umm abilities and talents that others lack it lends itself to a certain amount of jealousy and even what some might call hatred. When other young women were finding men to court them, Mavis and I were learning to make potions and charms to heal the sick au drive away bad spirits. It was our family legacy and I didn’t mind, but Mavis always has and does resent it. I threw myself into the healing and stayed away from the things that were, shall we say a little zaidi dark. Grandmother lived kwa certain rules. There were, elements of the family that did not live kwa her belief system. Mavis seemed to learn zaidi from them than Grandmother at times.”
Hugh was intently listening to her story. He was exhausted but this was part of a world he had never known and it was so interesting that he was suddenly wide awake.
“So she is resentful of Lisa and I? Why exactly?” he asked as if piecing it all together.
“The other night at the pub, we were there. I think when she saw you…”
Hugh seemed to tafuta a memory. “I don’t remember you.”
“You wouldn’t because we didn’t look like ourselves and frankly, wewe seemed occupied otherwise.” Melvina raised an eyebrow.
Hugh registered a look that bordered both happiness and self consciousness.
“The nearest I can tell, Mavis became somewhat annoyed probably because she was eyeing your for herself au she just doesn’t like to see other people enjoying what she doesn’t have. Having a upendo life when wewe are a witch isn’t exactly easy. Beyond that, I can’t say that Mavis has been overly lucky in that department. Things always went smoothly with her suitors for the first few weeks. Eventually a spat would result in someone having an…accident or…”
“An accident! What kind of an accident?”
“Typically nothing really bad, I mean a little balding here, losing teeth there.” She seemed to be searching through her memory which amused her on some level. “I don’t recall anything really serious happening.” She placed a finger up to the side of her face as she thought.
“So she has some dating problems and it results in placing some sort of spell on Lisa nd I for the crime of apparently falling in love?”
Hugh took another sip of his tea.
“This is precisely why my dear sister and I have not been on entirely friendly terms the last few days. I have tried to explain to her that there is no good that can come from this.” Melvina took a scone and bit into it in a somewhat absent minded manner. There was a bit of despondency in her face.
“Well from the fact that we are still here and unable to speak to one another, I take it that wewe are not winning the argument.” Hugh spoke carefully as the last think he wanted was to cause this witch to become annoyed also.
Melvina looked over at the burning candle, signed and plopped the last bit of scone in her mouth.
“Well, its really against our code to tinker with another’s spell. Instead I have tried to intervene as much as possible. That is the reason for the journal for one thing. wewe can at least communicate but I warn you, don’t let her catch you.”
Hugh nodded to her and then yawned.
“You must be getting tired she said. Don’t worry too much about it. I have been thinking of other ways to appeal to her.” She rose to ascend the stairs once again. When she got to door she vanished through it.
Hugh was asleep in no time. He woke again when it was still dark and hurried to recount the evening’s conversation to Lisa in the journal. At the end he wrote. “ I watched wewe through the window tonight and I wished I could be with wewe zaidi than anything. It seems so unfair that right when we were beginning, this happened. Love, Hugh.”
Out in the garden Lisa could see the soft glow of the sun begin to brighten the sky. Spirit seemed to be crossing the yard for a morning hunt. He rubbed his back against Lisa’s feet as she kneeled to pull weeds.
“Hi Spirit. Do wewe sleep well then?” Lisa couldn’t swear to it, but she thought she saw him nod before he pranced away.
“I must be tired” she alisema to herself. Just then she turned to see Hugh walking towards her. She smiled at the sight of him and he smiled back. As they passed she formed her hand into the sign language symbol for “I upendo you.” And held it at her waist so that he could see it but anyone watching for the house could not. She saw him glance down and then turn ever so slightly red at the recognition of the sign. They passed by, each without will as to where they would be until the sun and moon passed each other again. If they weren’t so miserable, it would almost be romantic.
