ABẸ́LẸ́JAYÁN (The Harbor)

CHAPTER TWO — ARRIVAL FROM NOWHERE

The village square trembled with whispers when a stranger arrived, his presence as sudden as a storm that bursts without warning. Dark-skinned and tall, he was wrapped in an ash-colored garment that seemed to swallow the sunlight, leaving only the faintest outline of his form etched into the air. He walked with the confidence of one who owned time, each step landing with a quiet authority that commanded the attention of every soul present. The earth itself seemed to acknowledge his passage, the dust beneath his feet whispering secrets to the roots of the ancient trees that stood watch over the village.

He asked only one question, his voice low and smooth as the surface of a still pond: “Where is the one called Arike?”

The villagers, caught off guard by his abrupt arrival, exchanged nervous glances. The elders shifted uncomfortably, their faces etched with a mix of curiosity and unease. Arike, sensing the weight of the stranger’s gaze, stepped forward slowly, her movements measured and deliberate as she tried to hide her trembling hands in the folds of her wrapper.

“I am Arike,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you want?”

The stranger’s lips curled into a smile, but it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze lingered on Arike’s face, as if searching for something hidden beneath the surface. “You carry what belongs to the land,” he said softly, his words dripping with an otherworldly significance.

The villagers gasped, their whispers coalescing into a collective murmur of unease. Arike staggered backward, her eyes wide with denial. “I carry nothing,” she protested, her voice shaking. But the stranger stepped closer, his movements fluid and predatory, his voice dropping into something hollow and ancient, like the echo of a forgotten language.

Missed Chapter one? Read it here

Before Arike could speak, before she could breathe, the stranger vanished. One moment he was there, his presence as solid as the earth beneath their feet; the next, he was gone. The air where he stood collapsed inward, as if the ground had inhaled him, leaving behind only a faint whisper of ash and the echo of his words.The villagers stood frozen, unsure of what they had just witnessed.

Arike’s eyes remained fixed on the spot where the stranger had stood, her mind reeling with the implications of his words. What promise had she made? And to whom? The questions swirled in her mind, a vortex of uncertainty that seemed to pull her under, leaving her with only one thought: she was not who she thought she was.