Names With No Faces

When I met death, I can't remember , maybe it was before ten. I thought

"It was when you were still on your mother's breast" I had a voice.

"Who is that?" I asked in vain. Maybe it was an echo in my brain. But I stayed silent, awaiting, if it will speak again.

"You called my name!" it said. 

Fearless I had become. I said

"Death, my time has not come"

It laughed, closer, it come. It was Cold, so calm, so dark. The whole room was covered with a dark mist, grey smoke, with silent lightning flashing,glowing, in it a form, a man I thought, a man with no face, a man who wore the mist, with a slow slur, dark bass spoke, cold echoes shadowed his words. 

"Young king, no fear in your words. Ask! I have come"

And so I asked.

" Why do you take away? That's all you do. Take the aged, instead. Those have come to an end"

It laughed.

"Foolish young king. Am not the end, am just a passage. Am the relief to the damaged. Your world of the living is carnage. You should be begging me, Death. To take you away. I don't understand why you stay"

"I know my flesh is a carcass, but my soul has purpose. God gave me purpose"

It laughed

" Your purpose is weak. A purpose to live. This is no life. You have no sight. You are blind, so blind, Jinns play before your eyes. Taunt me! To take you before your time"

I answered

"I have enough light to see. I do not live by sight. You have no might, you too serve a purpose, feed earth with a carcass, take souls to their answers."

It never laughed.

"Boy! I have been here and will be"

"Death! I am here and will be. Why do you speak, when you are not the end. Serve your purpose and let me be!" I responded

Silence brew in the room till Death spoke

"Words, words words. Young king, hell has come, with light as prince, so bright the blind can see, the ones who have, sight can't see. But the sight you have, you see the sea, the souls he's trapped beyond you cant see, the sun shall burn all in it. That's when i'll come."

"Wait! It's too much. Has time come?" I asked

Without saying a word Death left.

I heard a silent cry, hiding in the cloak that Death wore, moist and dark with a cold mist you couldn't see through

"Who's there?" I asked

"Why you ask? Child" a sad but sweet voice, calm like the morning breeze, sweeter than a pregnant mother's hum to an unborn baby's ear

"I know who you are" I claimed

"Who am I?" She asked

"You are Peace" I responded, as God showed me.

"You cant see me like this" she said, yet unseen by my eyes

"Wear my Heart" I answered, as God told me ,’ she is hiding because she is naked’.

She was silent. All was silent. I waited, patient.

She muttered

"You're not my king, you're not even a king yet. You still sleep in your mother's home, you still eat your father's bread. Who are you?"

I answered.

"I am the Afrikan king. Born from a kingdom that queens used to reign. I need you"

Her eyes shined, the room turned bright

She said

"Okay ,Give my your heart, my king"

My pain was no more

"Go get War! Tell him, no more. Tell him, I'll be waiting home. Tell him, your name, your true name. He will know. T"

I turned and she was gone. I was not in the room any more. I felt a breeze, a breeze so cold, my feet were bare, blades of grass stung my feet, Am I outside? 

A wind blew, cooler than the previous wind. The sound of leaves bellowing to its tune, was I in a forest, It was dark. No stars. I heard my name. 

I heard it again. It was a creaky voice, old and slow in speech. Loud but brief. I was certain it was an old man

"Young king, is that you?" an old man's voice breezed through like a haunted wind

Before I could respond. I had another voice, old but calm with a squeak, sounded like an old woman, it whispered but not towards me

"You know its Him" She told the old man

So i responded

"It is I, who is asking?"

The old man responded

"You know"

Confused, I started walking towards the voice, cautious of the darkness, I keenly listened, carefully following the echoes. From a distance, i heard the old woman's voice calling me

"Come my son. Yes come"

The path began to become brighter, I began to see, I was surely outside, in a field, thought. Ahead was a small hill, I went. Up the small hill, I went and there was a hut, outside they sat. Beside the hut there was an altar, A cow they had burnt, beside the altar, were banana leaves, a goat they had served.

"Sit my child" she said

On a small stool I sat. Silent in respect. I awaited their command

"Speak boy!" the old man spoke restlessly

Confused of what i could have done to anger the old man, I asked

"Who might you be?"

"You know!" he answered and stood up and walked towards the altar. Mumbling words I could not answer, restless, he picked a knife from a place I could not yet understand, the goat, he began to cut.

The old lady looked at me

"Don't be afraid, my son. He speaks like that. He has always been like that. Soon you will understand"

He came back with a piece of meat on his hand.

"Eat it." he said, the piece he passed. "Don't chew, pass it around your tongue, make sure, everywhere it has touch. Then swallow. Don't break it. Just swallow"

So I did.

It was sweet on my tongue, sweetest thing I ever had. Till I swallowed. It was gall mixed with spit down my gut, it went. My belly, it felt, full i felt. 

They all smiled and asked in unison

"Who are we?"

Now I could understand. I answered

"He is Knowledge and she is Faith"

"So who are we?" they asked in excitement and with anticipation in their eyes

I answered

"You are Fate" I laughed in excitement. Happier than before

The old man smiled and said with command

"Ask!"

And so I did

"Where am I?"

The old man answered

"in your destiny"

"What is my destiny?"

The old woman, Faith replied

"It is the path, God places in you, if you choose Him to follow"

"If you don't" Knowledge the old man interluded "this path is blinded to you"

I asked

"how many have come?"

Faith Said

"few come, less eat, most chew, all spit"

Knowledge stood up and stretched

"But you son, you are a king" He looked at me and said " follow me"

So I stood. Faith Went too wrap the meat

I followed the old man. He stopped at the door and told me "Wait here"

He came back from the house with cow dung, dung that was used to fix the mud wall. Surprised. He stepped out as he mumbled words in his tongue, I could hear, so clear, this is what I heard.

"There are beasts out there, those are animals, they eat men, skin women like birds with barren wings. Those things you need on your side. Dark, so dark" without any warning he smeared my eyes up to my forehead, it stings, oh! it stinks. I didn't want to ask what it was for, because he is an elder an elder who knows

My Eyes were shut, the odor down to my gut, I couldn't speak. Then he stopped

"That's all you need, that's the world for you" he said with command and continued

"The smell will never change but a house it will make. Close your eyes, inside the darkness is where you stay. No matter what, your face will stay with stain"

He held my hand and said "come"

I could hear fire crackle, not from a distance, must be from the altar. The heat, yes it's the altar, the smoke, no, not the altar. Then I felt warmth on my right hand, it was Faith, warmer than Peace herself. She said" Don't be afraid"

And I was calm again

Then she said "Turn this way" and turned towards the setting sun. I could feel the heat through the cow dung on my face.

Then they both let go of both my arms

She said "turn the other way" so I turned. It was full of smoke, hotter than the midday sun. I felt the old man's hand grabbing the back of my head, mumbling words I could no longer understand. Then she placed her hand on my chest and made me slightly bend to the heat of the furnace. Her other hand held the back of my neck

She said "Don't be afraid!" and I was afraid no more.

Before I could take a deep breath, they slammed my face, My Face! on the burning altar, on the fire but there was no pain, there was no stain. So I opened my eyes, it was all red, yellow, No! I can't say it was as bright as day…

 It was the only way I could see my name

It's the only way i could know my name

It's the only way i could call my name

They said"He is ready"

And it was dark again. They were gone. Away, I go, going to find my way

Oh! It's dark. God! It's too dark

Please, light my path

"Whose God is that?" I heard a voice in the dark, a voice full of pain and anger,

"whose god is that small to listen to a man's command?"

"Ain't he Your God too, Darkness?" I asked

"The God I serve, serves no man" The voice continued

"The God, I serve, will tear you apart" I responded

"The God, I serve, will put me back, The God,I serve, serves everyone. The God,I serve, is the God you serve"

A light came up and darkness hid in the shadows, but it wasn't the only one

I went on and reached a rocky path, beside the path were dead trees that stood, they had iron thorns and dripped blood as sap. Hiding in the thorny forest, I had cheeky laughter's coming closer and closer

"What do you have there" I heard, a voice full of smack, then I heard another loud laughter at the back

So i turned and appeared the hyena, dark with scars and hang a big belly, its teeth stain with blood, saliva oozing from its tongue,it had no eyes but a big nose, it as the hyena called greed and close a fox came,the fox called corrupt, the fox had a keen eye, had hands for feet, no teeth and was very skinny, skin sunken deep in its ribs 

"where is the hare?" I asked

"I see, you know, we were three, but fox cut him up and I, ate him up" the hyena claimed

The fox came close and smelled me

"What is that in your bag?" the fox asked

"I want some!" the hyena said with command

" Its meat from fate, I have" I answered

Hearing this, they seemed afraid and they ran away into the dark forest

So i walked away till where I saw the sun, and there I came to the land of skulls

Out I was from the dark path, there he stood, a tall man, with the face of a pig. He seemed excited to see me. As if awaiting, expecting my arrival. With glee he welcomed me

Welcome,welcome young man

My name is Money

This is my world

Cursed, the land of skulls

"It's dead", I said " its empty, its red, the light,its blood. Is this the end"

He laughed hysterically, happy he seemed. His body was all gold, his smile was silver, he was blind, coins for eyes, a door for a back, a snot for a nose but had a smile. A big smile

"Lets go, That meat is getting cold" he said as he walked on bones

" You are going to love my wife, her name is Lies. She makes the best wine, cooks the best to dine. Your meat, she will spice." he went on.

I stopped and said "No" he stopped and smiled on then walked

I raised my voice "Am looking for War!"

He turned and picked up a dry skull

And said'' See! His deeds. Can't blame him. That's all he knows. Though, his sanity is gone. He has not been with Peace for too Long"

I interrupted him "Peace, sent me"

He was surprised "Oh my!eat that meat. Eat it now!"

I took it out, it was still hot, i took a bite, it was still soft

He went on "Eat the leaves too. That is where life is, the meat is where the blood was."

I was starving so I ate it all. Energized, Money I followed. And he we went on

"Give me your debt"

"I have not" i replied

"You owe me" He claimed

"I do not" I replied

He came to a stop, faced me and said

"I owe you, now" 

"You owe me not"

"You need me now" he claimed

"I need only God" I said

"Hush! That name here, you say, Not"

"Why?”I asked

He answered in a whisper

"Foolish, the godless has War" He pointed east. "There, the wise hide, they have your robe. There, time commands not. They will test your might, might you have not. If you fail to be right,life you have not. But I see you have light, light will find war. I pray you are right, the wise are never wrong."

He hoped away dancing like a young girl, coins from his belly falling through his ass. He hummed as he hoped to the horizon. 

So I turned east, where the land was the sky and the sky was all blue

Skulls had turned to ashes, where I had reached, red had turned to green and now blue. I was at the edge of the land. I looked down and saw it was all dark, all black. How deep? I don't know. So I took a three steps, ready to run, ready to jump

"Fool!" The voice was dark, it was a voice I had heard. So I turned, It was death

I asked " why have you come?"

"You called me" he replied

"No, I did not" I said confused

"I told you, I will come" he said

" So why have you come?" I asked again

" cause, you wanted to jump!" he replied

"Did you come to help? I asked with a smug

"Fool, am here to guide you" he laughed

"Command the light, to go first. Behind, I will be your guard"

So I told the light "Go" and it went. Oh it shone, below were demons,numbered like the sand, aimless, walking with no paths, eating each other one by one.

He shouted ''Now, Chase the light, don't look down or up, don't try to jump, the light will show where the wise are at."

So I ran, till the light came to a stop. There no where i could turn, I stopped and froze, never turning m head

"You can turn now"

And there was a throne, on thr throne, sat a woman, a woman called Wise, just sat. I could not see her face, for my sight was not worthy.

" kneel!" Wise commanded

I knelt , bow my head so low, beneath I saw the earth was below.

"What do you see?"

"My home" I answered. She asked again 

"What do you see?"

"My mother's womb" I answered

" What do you Know?" She asked

"I know nothing" I answered

"Look again!" She commanded.

So I did

"What do you see?" She asked

"My tomb" I replied

"What did you do?" She asked

"I did everything" I replied

"Be glad" She said

"Rise Up!" she said, And so I did

"Come!" She called

And War came, in his cape of grace, shredded, Shackled to his own name

 He went on one knee right before me" Speak my king, you are my command"

Now I could see, more than his cape, his face was warthog, with the mane of a lion, tusks of an elephant, horn of a rhino, eyes of an owl, wings and feet of an eagle. On his chest was a scar, the only mark he had but his belly was no more, ripped off, it was hollow.

So I asked, "Tell me, tell me what happened to your belly" 

he replied in shame. "It's the meat, you ate."

Wise interrupted" tell him, tell it all."

He went on. "I met Money on the way, he said; better it will taste. So I went to his, Lies made it taste. Awake, I didn't stay, Foolish came to take, my belly he did take, take it, he took it away."

So I said" stand up! Peace sent me"

He replied "I know" He continued " Command me my king,I do what you say"

And so I did

"Go home now,Go to Peace, spend the rest of your days. Be free. Go teach, teach the errors of your ways. Go show, show them war is love. That is the battle we shall fight, that's the fight we shall win. Leave me be, from Wise, I will learn, when time comes, I will come with my staff. Peace is your queen, till the end of this earth. That is your command."