The woman and the beast

Professor Manda entered the lecture hall, and the entire auditorium fell silent upon noticing her presence. She tapped the floor as she walked in her blocked purple heels, which complemented her purple and green Ankara dress. Her braided hair was styled in a small bun, and she adorned her normal-sized earlobes with silver earrings. She looked the part as she stood in front of the people. She was the wife, the mother, and the first woman professor in her town.

She stood at the podium and leaned forward into the microphone. She began to speak: "It is said that a woman of greatness never sleeps at night. In the light of day, she is loved and respected by all, but in the stillness of the night, she is haunted by her own shadow."

She paused to pose a question: "What happens when you take a woman from the land she walks on and place her in waters that could either drown her or feed her to the creatures of the sea?"

Taking a sip of the black coffee prepared for her at the podium—laced with a shot of Irish whiskey at her request—she savoured the acquired taste and answered her own question. "I'll tell you one thing that a woman I know did when she didn't drown or get eaten: she floated in the water for as long as she could. Eventually, she started to swim in search of land, even territory that did not belong to her. Her instinct to survive became desperate. 

When she discovered a small island in the middle of nowhere, she fell asleep for a while, only to wake up to the sound of her stomach growling. Her mouth was dry from a lack of water, and her body felt heavy since she hadn't eaten for days. Despite this, one thing grew stronger—a desperate need to survive at all costs.

The water around her was calm, and while her body was weak, only her eyes showed signs of movement. She dived into the water and caught a large fish by its tail. The fish struggled for freedom, but she was too quick, pulling it out of the water, depriving it of air, and sinking her teeth into its flesh. 

Days passed, and her life began to change as she learnt to survive in the wild. During the day, she enjoyed sleeping, but when the moon rose, her eyes shone brighter because it was time to feed. All the small animals glared at her, the heartless intruder, who killed them with no mercy. She fed on their uncooked flesh and stored their remains in the cool ground under the trees. The woman destroyed the homes of other creatures to build her own, cutting down trees to make a house. She had crossed the line that separates humans from animals. She had become like one of them, another creature in the wild struggling to survive.

The heat of the sun and the cold rain had not killed her. Her body was shaped like steel; her muscles bulged, her hair had grown wild, and her eyes resembled those of a madwoman. Yet, her need to survive had only grown stronger. This need had driven her out of her own humanity and transformed her into a beast. After all, who better than a beast could survive in such harsh conditions? With focus, the beast performed its tasks, replacing soft human hands with hard, strong ones. The brutal environment was suited only for a beast. Thus, she adapted to the harsh world that had transformed her body into that of the beast.

One sunny day, the beast managed to push the makeshift raft into the ocean, battling against the waves as it sailed away. Looking back at the small island, the woman reclaimed what was left of her body and felt a pain in her chest. The hope she once had had now returned in double amounts. Her raft sailed on the dark sea the entire night, but she was not afraid. While her vision may have been affected, her other senses were as sharp as a shaka's spear.

In the morning, she could see the mainland in the distance. Hungry and tired, she thought about her favourite meal: nshima, cabbage, and dried fish. She remembered how her mother used to cook it for her and the gentle voice that would wake her in the morning. Tears fell from her eyes as she finally felt human again. As she gazed at the mainland, she smiled and tried to scream, but her smile was crooked, and her scream was more of a whisper because the beast could neither smile nor scream.

People looked at her in wonder, asking each other how the woman had managed to survive in the wild. They called her great and erected a monument in her memory. Books about her were written, and children learned of her bravery. Many years went by, but she never forgot her past because the beast's eyes would stare back at her in the mirrors of her house. She couldn’t accept the fact that without the beast, she wouldn’t be alive.

The audience was quiet, expecting more of an explanation from the professor's strange story. Then she cleared her throat and took another sip of her coffee. As the hot liquid went down her throat, she said shakily, “Only losers drown in earthly miseries or die by becoming a beast. Sometimes, just sometimes, one has to become a nightmare in order to live in her dreams, and with that comes the consequences of that decision.”

There was dead silence after that, then, after a minute, a faint clap sparked the whole crowd to applaud and finally give her a standing ovation. Professor Manda walked to a covered figure and unveiled an erected statue of her at the entrance of the auditorium. Many students flocked to her to get their copies of her latest book signed.

The day felt long, and she was thankful it had finally come to an end as she entered her house at midnight. She staggered to her children’s bedroom and saw that they were sleeping. The coffee had done its job, making her feel tipsy. She entered her own room and was greeted by her husband's loud snoring. As she stepped further inside, she took off her earrings and placed them on her vanity table. However, when she looked up, she suddenly screamed at the reflection staring back at her.