“Okay!” they both echoed and retired to bed with great excitement and joy.
The following day when they woke up, they busied themselves with putting their belongings together including pots, pans, cups, blankets and clothes among other things, before bathing and getting ready for breakfast. At midday, Tamura took the youngsters to their parents’ graves to clear any weeds and to say goodbye.
After spending a sombre hour at their parents’ graves, the children headed back home to continue with their packing. They spent the rest of the day playing and chasing each other happily while Tamura went over to talk to the Hagas at length about his and his siblings’ future plans.
“It’s amazing how fast you have grown, acting all mature and wise. Are you sure there in no damsel who caught your eye while you were on your journey?” Mama Haga enquired suspiciously.
Tamura knew her too well not to beat about the bush. He said, “How did you guess? As a matter of fact, there is, Leona, the king’s daughter, she is enchanting!”
“Ooh, dear, you don’t say, and what does the king have to say about that?” enquired Mama Haga with a worried look on her face.
Tamura sighed and said, “He doesn’t know yet, but he will soon enough, he seemed already suspicious about us, and again if he minded, he wouldn’t have offered me the job, would he?”
“I sure hope you are right young man, just tread carefully and don’t rush into anything or you will be sent back packing before your first pay!” added Mama Haga with a giggle.
Tamura also spoke at length with Papa Haga about how he intended the fields and the house to be looked after until his return. Papa Haga’s brother, Mabige, had welcomed the news of taking care of the field and grow his own crops for business for as long as Tamura was willing to let him have it and to look after the house as well.
That settled, Tamura was pleased as he was worried that the field might become a bush and hard work to bring it back to its usefulness if left untilled for years to come.
Tamura asked Mama Haga if he and the children could have dinner at theirs as their utensils were all packed and ready to carry tomorrow morning. Mama Haga laughed and added, “Of course, that’s what I intended to do anyway, I couldn’t miss the last dinner with you lot for the world!” She chuckled.
Tamura said, “Ooh, thank you so much, Mama Haga, we really do appreciate it, thank you.” They supped at the Hagas and decided to have an early night for their long journey tomorrow. At first, Mara kept talking, she was too excited to sleep, until the boys decided not to answer back and finally, she fell asleep.
Since their parents died, Mara moved into the boys’ room and had a tiny bed of her own at the other end of the room. They used a big old sheet to separate the room with the boys, to have some sort of privacy. She had had bad dreams and nightmares and the boys thought it wise to share their room with her to keep a closer eye on her and to ensure her security as well.
She hadn’t taken too well to losing their parents and was traumatised by it for a long while. Of late she had begun to come to terms with the fact that they were not coming back as she had expected for months and months before.
Until Tamura took her to see the graves and assured her they were sleeping and were in heaven waiting for them to come and join them one day. She thought it was a brilliant idea and began to be more relaxed about it and the nightmares had ceased, except the ones she claimed she saw Mama Haga threatening to put her in a big saucepan over a big fire.
Tamura had shared this earlier in the day with Mama Haga, and she promised to gently talk Mara out of this notion before she left. Mama Haga had taken it lightly and laughed hysterically about the nightmares when Tamura told her. But somehow, she thought this explained why Mara had found it difficult when Mama Haga sat beside her as she tucked her into bed. She remembered Mara cringing and cowering under the blanket whenever Mama Haga drew close to her.
She had put it down to the trauma Mara had suffered over the loss of her parents and wanted something to redirect this pain to, something like a blanket for her pain, and Mama Haga was the perfect excuse. Tamura agreed with her.
Later on, Mama Haga had discussed Mara’s nightmares with her and reassured her that she would never do anything to hurt her. She also reminded her that if she intended her any harm, she could have done so successfully when her big brother was away. She also added that she could have had her for dinner without anyone rescuing her as her other brother is too small to fight off the big Mama Haga.
Mara promised Mama Haga never to doubt her again and apologised but insisted that it was not her fault and that her bad dreams were to blame. Mama Haga burst out laughing and told her, “Not to worry, sweetheart, that’s why they are called bad dreams, they really are bad, aren’t they?”
Mara responded, “Yes, but I am going away now, I will never have them again, I guess.”
“I am sure you won’t, dear, but I am sure going to miss you, you know. You are like the daughter that I never had,” Mama Haga said sorrowfully.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to worry, we will be coming to visit every year and you can come and visit us too and you can sleep in my bed, we are now friends right?” screamed Mara with delight.
“Right!” said Mama Haga
