A MOTHER’S SACRIFICE WOULD DETERMINE THE FATE OF THE FUTURE

Fantasy Fiction: A Date With Destiny

Inspired by imagination, I was motivated to write this short story by women [my age] who have written novels in the YA genre.

The toddler couldn’t have known he was being watched. Did he sense the recording?

Wait… was that a dragon?

Abel paused the image projected in front of him. How far back had he gone? Could this be the place where it all began?

Barely audible, the ancestors’ irrefutable instructions wafted in on the wind. Hearing their whispered words woke Saira. Bolting upright, a cold sweat covered her tiny body. Saira inhaled and peered into the black foreboding veil of darkness.

Instinctively, Saira reached out to tenderly stroke her sleeping toddler’s back with a feathery touch, so light, that it would not rouse him. “Not now,” she silently pleaded. “It’s much too soon.” Saira’s heart was breaking. It beat so loudly, that she thought it might wake her baby boy.

“Please!” the young mother implored. “Let me have him a bit longer.” All at once resignation set in. Feeling like she was carrying the world’s weight, Saira reticently rose to her knees. Tears flowed like monsoon rains as she cast her eyes toward the thatched roof of her hut.

Arms outstretched, Saira signaled her acquiescence. It took every ounce of energy in her lithe body to rise. Anchoring her feet in the soft earth, Saira fought the urge to ignore the message.

Yet, she couldn’t if she tried. Every fiber in her body conspired against it. It was as if Saira was being lifted by invisible arms. Exhaling a looming sense of fear, Saira set her mind on the difficult task ahead. Lovingly, Saira shifted her gaze to her precious son.

Breaking her trance, the ancestors’ insistent voice issued a dire warning. “Saira, you know what you must do. You will be reunited with Adebowale. Take him now. His purpose is great. The dragon awaits. If you stay here, he will not survive.”

Nodding in recognition of the truth, Saira bent down and in one fluid movement scooped up her son. Looking down on Adebowale triggered a fresh torrent of tears.

“Go Now!” An unseen chorus of ancestors chanted in unison. A sense of urgency lit a fire under Saira. She adeptly wrapped Adebowale in a capulana, crossed the threshold of her hut, and crept out into the mist.

The ancestors’ message replayed with each step forward, willing her to walk. “Young one. Follow the white rock in the sky. It will shine the way. You must deliver Adebowale to the dragon to fulfill the prophecy.”

Beads of sweat gathered and dotted Saira’s brow. One drop trailed from her forehead to the arch of her full quivering upper lip.

Saira looked skyward. Moonlight cast silvery shadows through the trees. They fell at oblique angles, creating a silhouette that pointed the way.

Saira felt the fingers of Adebowale’s right-hand caressed the tip of her shoulder. He was awake. He was comforting her. It was as if the boy knew he was being drawn to the place the mystic foretold.

Saira memorized the touch of Adebowale’s delicate fingers and relished the feeling of warmth against her back. Saira didn’t need to see Adebowale’s face to know he was smiling. Her precious baby boy was always smiling.

Adebowale was a blessing. Saira had never known a love like this. A rush of emotion pierced her heart and threatened to shatter it.

A multitude of thoughts simultaneously flooded Saira’s consciousness. How would she find the courage to leave the boy alone? How could she just walk away? Saira prayed to the ancestors for strength to complete her task.

Adebowale’s arrival foretold at Saira’s naming ceremony, was legendary. Kinsmen religiously recited the story about the dragon who would come for the boy Saira would bring into the world.

As a child, the story always seemed more fiction than fact. Yet, the prognostication by Ndeye Keita, the Village’s spiritual marabout was coming to fruition.

Now, the story felt less like a blessing and more like a curse. Saira had not asked for this honor, nor did she want it. All she wanted was to raise Adebowale and watch him grow to be a strong man.

Saira realized the folly of her desire. Adebowale’s fate was set long before his birth. Their lives intertwined in an outcome that would impact billions of earth dwellers.

Adebowale would lead the revolution and change the course of the planet. He would aid in vanquishing the demonic forces of evil. Adebowale would successively, shine a light into the darkest corners of many worlds.

Slowing her pace, Saira spotted the dragon effortlessly hovering in front of the rock in the sky. Sensing her presence, the dragon shifted his body.

Saira stood transfixed as he spread his massive wings. Ancient mysticism connected their minds, unleashing the dragon’s innermost thoughts.

Waves of calm washed away Saira’s fears. “He’s safe now.” The dragon telepathically signaled. “The spirits are pleased. I will transport him to them. It is my destiny to watch over Adebowale as he grows into a man. No harm will ever befall him while he is in my care.”

Words loosened anxiety’s grip on Saira’s heart. Skillfully unwrapping the capulana, she set her son down on the moist grass. Smiling broadly, Adebowale grabbed a clump of dirt, then joyfully tossed it in the air.

“My love,” Saira hopefully uttered. “It is a time of celebration. Today marks the beginning of your journey to become who you were born to be.”

Saira embraced the toddler and stared tenderly into his eyes. “My son we will be reunited… just not in this lifetime.” Love reflected in Adebowale’s big brown eyes, helped her find peace in the midst of a difficult situation.

Saira leaned in and pressed her lips to Adebowale’s ear. “Never forget who you are my son. No matter how many lives you live. No matter, where you go. No matter what name you are called.”

Saira trailed her fingertips along the curves of Adebowale’s cherubic face. Staring into his eyes for the last time, she solemnly spoke in hushed tones.

“My love, you will always be Adebowale. The spirits named you. It means the return of the crown. You are royalty. Hear my voice and remember.”

Puzzled, Adebowale listened, internalizing words he did not understand, yet would unconsciously draw on in times of duress.

There was no way, Adebowale could know the difficulties that lie ahead of him. Nor, the value of his mother’s message, which would echo across time.

Saira’s sentiments served as an anchor. They would unknowingly, sustain Adebowale for many lifetimes. Carried in his subconscious, the words would emerge in dire circumstances.

The resonant words Saira spoke were permanently woven into the fabric of Adebowale’s being; stored in the annuals of collective memory.

Saira’s eyes never left her son’s face. Slowly… deliberately, she backed away from the boy. Adebowale bounced on his haunches, waving and giggling loudly.

All of a sudden, Adebowale’s attention was distracted as his keen sense of hearing, detected a strange noise. Quizzically glancing over his shoulder, the boy scanned the brush in search of the source of the sound.

Abel stepped closer to the frame. Adebowale was face to face with Abel. He seemed to be looking right at him. The toddler couldn’t have known he was being watched. Did he sense the recording?

Wait… was that a dragon?

Abel paused the image projected in front of him. “My God!” He whispered. How far back had he gone?

Abel’s thoughts were ablaze as he peered into the mist. Could this be the place where it all began?

Eyes glued to the screen, Abel gingerly pressed play. He heard the dragon’s low-grade roar. He watched, in horror, as the toddler wobbled directly in the path of the beast as the dragon descended from the sky.

Abel’s unobscured view captured the majesty of the dragon. He gasped. What happened next defied words.

The dragon gracefully unfolded its’ massive wings, landing inches from the toddler. The beast and the boy locked eyes. It was as if Adebowale instinctively understood where to place his hands.

Adebowale hoisted his tiny body up onto the dragon’s back. Just outside the frame, Saira was also watching. Obscured on the sidelines, Abel had no idea his mother was there.

Saira had similarly heard the click. Her eyes trailed Adebowale’s, as he scoured the darkness for the source of the sound. Saira watched her baby mount the dragon’s back from her vantage point shrouded in the mist.

Fresh tears filled the young mother’s eyes. There was no way for Saira to know that her son was watching the scene unfold on a screen in another dimension.

Sobbing softly, Saira said a wordless farewell to Adebowale as she watched her son ascend to his destiny.

Note to Readers:

Saira is an African girl whose name means princess. It’s associated with great beauty and faithfulness. Saira’s name mirrored Adebowale’s. It was also assigned to royalty. Adebowale means the return of the crown.

🔹About Me ➖ Toni Greathouse 👉🏾Toni the Talker💬 I write to recall who I was created to be. I write to rectify problems. I write to heal old hurts. I write to reinvent my reality. I write about chasing the best version of myself. I write because I’ve chosen to pursue my passion for writing with the same tenacity as if it were my profession.