The dying sun danced across the savannah landscape, its diminishing light embellishing the Mopane and illuminating the great plain. The night was alive with the pounding of drums, singing and a display of beautiful dancing from the village maidens. Everyone was in awe; hips were being hurled from left to right to the rhythm of the vibrant music. Their heads were decorated with exquisite head dresses and beads clutched their ankles and wrists tightly. They were one with the dance floor; the Earth that their feet were commanding. From the confines of the thick brush adjacent to the dance circle, two dark brown eyes peered, trying to remain as inobtrusive as possible. The amazement on her face, however, was not so inconspicuous. Suddenly, something was not right. She felt the atmosphere change and her face grew numb immediately. Terrified, she turned slowly to see who or what had invaded her tranquility.

'You startled me!' she gasped.

Before her was a tall, muscular man dressed in crocodile skin, attire that was foreign to her. His gaze at her did not subside. As he stepped forward the crocodile teeth around his ankle rattled.

'Beautiful maiden, what are you doing in the bush?' the man asked, his left eyebrow twitching with every word he uttered.

He couldn't tell whether she didn't have a plausible answer for him or she was still a bit phased and trying to assess the situation. Either way, she stayed quiet. After enduring the excruciating silence paired with the persistent whining of mosquitoes, he decided to reassure her.

'Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you.'

His bicep was pulsating as he stretched out his hand to pull her up. Beautiful markings were etched up into it and the moonlight created an alluring illusion on them. She hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to hoist her up. The sound of women ululating and the whistles of intrigued men escalated behind the threshold of the thick bush.

Even with the gentle sound of the flowing river, they could still hear the droning of the drums in the distance.

'My name is Ori,' he said rippling the cold water and smiling at her.

She smiled back at him, nudging closer to the water but still cautious enough to avoid the reeds. She was different from the other girls he had noticed. No beads choking her at the neck, around the ankles and in her hair. Her face was pure and untainted, no markings to signify wedlock, no engagement beads and no markings to indicate divorce. Her hair had been braided so impeccably and bits of shiny string clung it together.

'Are you still uncomfortable with me?' he asked finally trapping her in his gaze.

The music had simmered down and had been replaced by the unsynchronized singing of crickets and swirling of water in the river as it hit the rapids. The cool draft created by the river had enveloped them and it was getting cooler and cooler. She finally nodded to what he had said.

'But you followed me to the river,' he replied, letting out an exasperated sigh.

The crickets belted on their nightly tunes and the two continued sitting in complete silence. The girl raised her head and gawked at the moon like it was the most majestic phenomenon ever.

'I am an outcast,' she said

Ori stared at her with a look of pure confusion plastered against his dark face.

'You asked earlier why I was in the bush. I cannot watch the dances with the others. I've been cast out,' she clarified.

'But why?' he replied, his confusion rapidly morphing into concern.

'An incident occurred and my brothers and sisters died. I was accused of practicing witchcraft.'

She had been holding back the flood behind her eyelids but she finally burst and tears gushed out of her eyes and cascaded down her brown unblemished cheeks. Ori did not look too concerned but nevertheless, he consoled her.

'Don't cry, beautiful maiden. I know you're not a witch,' he said patting her on the back in the most unflattering way.

The girl was in anguish but she struggled past the emotions to ask him why he would put such trust in a stranger.

'You put your trust in me and told me your story. A little kindness soothes the heart but an understanding mind quells the soul,' he replied.

A short silence-filled while elapsed before they both said anything else.

'Your attire is very strange, surely you're not of this village,' she said to him.

He smiled into the darkness and twirled his finger a bit more in the cold water and for a moment it seemed like he had not heard the words she had uttered.

'Very perceptive. I'm from a village far from here, Komo. I have come here to look for a bride,' he said finally looking at her.

'That must not be going very well.' She replied.

'How so?'

'You are sitting with an outcast girl, a social pariah at the river past midnight,' she explained.

He giggled, letting out a smile she could never imagine he was harboring all this while and like before, his eyebrow twitched with every exertion. For a second she stopped wondering; questioning the man's impromptu arrival. A man on such a noble journey, making such an unholy stop along the way.

'I've never felt more at peace, my beautiful maiden,' he said, the remnants of his joyous outburst still dancing across his chiseled face.

'Maiden is a title I cannot afford since I have been cast out. And no one has ever called me beautiful,' she replied sadly.

'The harvest moon is trying to compete with your unprecedented beauty but even its allure does not surpass yours.'

He said, drawing near and his thick arms pulling her into his embrace. She gave him one final look before his lips ravaged hers. His skin exuded a gardenia scent that excited her nostrils. His tongue swirling in her mouth, his finger digging into her back, she had never felt such a sensation before. It was escalating all so quickly, like the Harmattan winds before a great storm, until she brought it all to an abrupt stop.

'I'm sorry. I cannot be yours. I have to go before they find me here and execute me,'
she said flaring into a really strong panic.

'But-' he said before she ran off, leaving nothing behind, not even her name.

*****

Ori was standing in the village Chief's court and still all he was thinking about was his encounter with the fascinating maiden. The memory of her was set in stone in the back of his mind. The Chief had offered him solace when he had heard of the wandering visitor. The man waited, careful not to display his impatience for fear of the Chief's wrath. As soon as the Chief arrived, he knelt down on one knee and waited to be addressed. He went on to give a detailed explanation as to why he had paid a visit to the village and which village he was from. The Chief was rather enthusiastic about the young man that he offered to give off his own daughter's hand in marriage.

Ori's mind was ablaze, all he could think about was finding the mysterious maiden that he had encountered a few nights before. He rested his head against the wall of the hut and pondered on. It was now difficult for him to chase after what he truly wanted, for he had been presented with a tough offer to deny. He was in a conundrum. Amidst of it all he managed to find some peace to daydream about the night under the full moon at the river, he could almost feel the water rushing through his fingers and could almost smell the fresh scent of reeds and grass scattered along the river side and above all, he could almost taste the lips of the maiden who fled from him.

'Good evening, may the gods exalt you and bring you joy.'

A feminine voice said, immediately disturbing his lucid dream There she stood in front of him, his supposed wife-to-be, the daughter of the Chief. She wore a smile that was outrageously pretentious on a face adorned with forehead markings and rings. Beads dangles around her waist with only her ample hips to impede them from falling off. In her hand she had a wooden bowl, ready to set it down at his feet.

'Your supper,' she said modestly with her head down.

'May the gods multiply your blessings.'

He received the bowl and set it down himself. She remained there until he directly thanked her for the meal.

The fire crackled in the open court and the air was filled with the cries of children playing games in the moonlight; singing ancient songs calling to Na n'aya, the moon goddess. Others sat with their mothers, listening to proverbs and tales from a different time. Young girls practiced their dancing, plaited each other's hair and sang while the boys wrestled out in the field with the hopes of seizing the maidens' attention. Ori's face gleamed in the light of the fire to reveal him battling with some hard nuts. The men of the court were around the fire sharing a myriad of stories; from the battle of the Blood River to who had had the best conquests and was the best warrior in the bed. No topic of conversation was safe.

'I trust you have met Rati, the Chief's daughter by now. The gods did not make her sparingly,' one man said before they all broke off into laughter.

'She is a woman to behold. Indeed, I'm blessed.'

Ori grabbed another handful of nuts.

The following night, Ori and his bride-to-be had to go to the river and their union had to be sanctified and blessed by the moon spirits and river god. A small group accompanied them to bear witness before the hallowed spirits. They arrived at the sacred place; a small waterfall just above the rapids. The crier was with them, the village spiritualist was present to converse with the spirits and communicate the wishes of the new pair along with the Chief's guards. Ori was back again at this river and all he could think about was that fated encounter. There would be no turning back after this, he would be bound to her in the presence of the gods but his heart was stuck to another.

'We shall begin the incantation. May the gods favor you.'

The spiritualist announced through an opening in a mask that covered his face and revealed only the eyes and mouth. He raised his staff and began chanting while all the witnesses knelt down and the pair remained standing, eyes fixated on the man in front of them chanting words they could not even begin to comprehend, he then finally started uttering words they could slowly make out.

'Governor of the skies, spirit of the beaming moon and the shining stars, come forth and bless your children,' he said.

The sudden rumbling of the clear sky came as a surprise to everyone, but the pitch-black darkness that came after is what really terrified them. A glowing face and body that no one could identify appeared mere seconds after, hovering above them like a wispy cloud.

'You have my blessing.'

It had a voice that made everyone shudder and it then shot into the dark sky, marking the reappearance of the moon.

The chanting did not stop and everyone kept quiet as if what they had noticed was something they encountered every day.

'Spirit of the rushing waters, Bringer of rains and strong harvests. Come forth and bless your children.'

Everyone was expecting something spectacular to happen but nothing came. Everything was quiet except for the water falling from the height and the noise of nightly creatures. Even the spiritualist was stupefied. He repeated his chant a few more times to no avail until he turned back to face everyone spectating. Before he could explain to them what was happening, they heard soft singing coming from down the channel.

Ori could not believe his eyes. It was her, sitting by the river, circling the water with her hands like he had. He could not help the smile that broke across his face.

'It's the witch. What is she doing here?' Rati said pointing at the girl, 'She has cursed our marriage, seize her!' she prompted her guards.

'No!'

Everyone gasped. They gawked at Ori as they could not believe the word he had bellowed or fathom the consequences of defending a witch. As if that was not shocking enough, Ori rushed to her side and shielded her.

'She's not a witch. She's a humble maiden of this village and you shall not harm her,' he beamed, his voice cracking with emotion.

'He's under a strong spell. Burn the witch!' the spiritualist commanded.

The sound of Ori's giant feet rung in her ears as she tried to keep up with his pace. She endured a few more strides before she stopped and held on to a tree while she caught her breath.

'We have to keep going, they'll catch us and kill us,' he said before he grabbed her arm once more.

They heard murmurs a short distance behind them and they went even faster. Ori only stopped when he saw the girl fall to the ground and as he crouched down to lift her up, a spear struck him in his back and he felt everything slowly fade away around him.