Wako’s daughter lay
in the middle of a scenic plateau as the full moon revealed it in a burst of
brilliant colors. Birds chirped in the autumn colored trees while crickets chatted in thick
grass, each contributing to a soft lullaby. The shadows that haunted her down the
mountain became welcoming spirits in the ambient glow of colors.
She squinted at its splendor, releasing a
heavy sigh across her parched lips. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, from the long
trek down the mountain, all Wako’s daughter wanted was to rest and admired the
view. But she knew she couldn’t stay,
not here in the open, with death biting at her heels. She had to keep running.
She turned to one
side, attempting to stand when another shot of pain went through her body like a
bolt of lightning. She screamed in agony, before collapsing in a heap on her
face.
When Wako’s daughter woke again, the rush of pain
had subsided. She wiped away the blood that trickled from her nose with her
forearm and tried to move again. Going slowly, and aided by a tree, she got to
one knee, then the other working her way to a standing position.
She stood on shaky
legs for a moment before collapsing again. “I can do it.” Wako’s daughter thought. She tried twice more, before her legs
supported her full weight.
She maintained her
balance while admiring the beauty of the colorful wildflowers in this picturesque landscape that brought up memories of her Mommy Wako. The unexpected,
sharp pain of heartache stole her breath. It's worse than the pain from the deep gash running down her left leg that made her sick and
queasy, like when she saw blood and death up the mountain.
