They ate with pleasure and thanked the Hagas, then Tamura took Mama Haga to the side and asked her if they could stay the night as Mara looked worse for wear and that he needed time to go visit the parents’ grave to clear the weeds.
“You can stay for as long as you wish as this is your home, as I have already mentioned earlier, the grave is being taken care of by Mabige. As you know the farm you gave him is attached to the grave, he tends them every time the weeds overgrow.”
Tamura shed a silent tear and went to hug Mabige as a thank you gesture and fought back tears and said, “Thank you so much for looking after my parents’ resting place, I will eternally be grateful to you for that.”
Mabige responded, “That’s quite all right, I don’t mind doing it. I wouldn’t leave an overgrown island in a neatly tilled farm, could I? Besides it’s disrespectful to the dead if I did that!”
It was late afternoon when the three men, Papa Haga, Mabige and Tamura went to sit around a fire outside the house to talk and Mama Haga went into the guest room with Mara to prepare where they would sleep. She arranged to share the room with Mara while Tamura would decide to share with either Papa Haga or with Mabige.
Mama Haga found it a perfect excuse to sleeping in another room away from her husband, who had for many years hardly slept at night with Papa Haga’s infamous snoring, to which Tamura quickly remembered and opted to share with Mabige instead.
Besides Mabige wanted to ask Tamura more questions in private about Beko whom he was growing to like before he even met her. He also told him that he would make an effort to go and see her one of these days if he would be welcomed.
Tamura had warned him about how the men of Goza were very protective of their women folk, but he reassured him that they might accept him in time, if he proved himself to be worthy of Beko’s hand in marriage.
No doubt Mabige was also fascinated with Tamura’s description of his love for Leona, which had come up in conversation more than ten times already since his arrival in Nengara this afternoon. While the men laughed heartily outside.
Chapter 15
Mara felt this was the perfect opportunity to tell Mama Haga of her mission.
She started by saying, “Mama Haga, I have a big secret to tell you and you have to promise me you will not breathe a word to anyone including Papa Haga.”
“Ooh, sounds ominous, my child, whatever is the matter with you? What’s troubling your spirit? You know you can trust me with your life, don’t you?”
Mara replied hesitantly, “I know I can trust you, but I don’t know how you would react when I tell you, this is huge and you might think that I have gone mad or something or that it’s one of my weird dreams when I used to have nightmares. This is really real, so you have to promise to believe me and not to say anything to anyone until I tell you to.” Mara gasped.
“Trust me, I promise you with my life, just tell it, child, you know my nerves are not very good,” Mama Haga grimaced.
“Okay, I really have to whisper in case the wind carries it away to the evil ones,” Mara replied nervously and she went on to tell all to Mama Haga.
Evil ones, Mama Haga thought to herself, taken aback, but could not dare ask Mara what she meant and instead listened attentively to what she was about to say.
“I was in my bed sleeping and yet I was awake, so it wasn’t a dream, when I heard a ‘voice’ telling me to wake up and listen, it was the voice of an Angel of God telling me to pray and to teach everyone to pray as protection against the evil that is coming to destroy our land. He said it was a command from God in heaven to watch and pray.”
She paused for a reaction from Mama Haga, but Mama Haga had her mouth wide open and nothing was coming out of it, and she just nudged her to continue. Mara continued, “Well, I said to the angel how do I know what to do and how to pray, I am only but a child? And he said he knew who I was and that he would teach me how to pray, and then I would teach everybody to pray for their protection.”
Mara continued further to say, “I have told you first because I want you to help me pray and to fast, for God’s people to be saved from destruction. In return, he promised me that we will have eternal life and that I will see my parents again in heaven. I believe in him and the God who sent him to me, why would he want to lie to a child anyway, after all, I didn’t ask him to come to me, Did I?” Mara said, shrugging her shoulders.
Mama Haga, finally gathered the courage to speak and said, “Eer, I have never heard anything so profound in my entire life. You really are a special child from the day you were born, I knew there was something about you which was different from any ordinary child. And, yes, I do believe you and this God.”
“But are you sure, my child, that this wasn’t one of your frequent dreams?” Mama Haga asked inquisitively.
“Oh no, Mama Haga,” retorted Mara, “I was wide awake and heard the voice quite clearly just as you can hear the sound of my voice now. It sure wasn’t a dream and I would not lie to you one bit, please tell
