Zhandalee And The First Metamorphosis

-- Put it on the table, so my father knows where we are if he come back before us --

-- Ok—He go to deposit it inside.

--Are you not blind at all?,-- Zandi asked.

--No, I see a little bad, I can distinguish things -- said Efia with a smile.

--Sorry for the question,-- Zandi said.

--Quiet, come on, let's go, --Efia said.

Biko stood behind Efia to push the wheelchair and they began to walk.

After about thirty minutes of road, they could see the destination house, it gradually became closer and closer, when they arrived in front of the gate Biko stopped.

--Attention, there should be Yao, let's be careful – Biko murmured scrutinizing the inside of the house’s gate.

--I do not see and I do not hear anybody here –Efia said then she continued.. -- Maybe it will be running around chasing someone or some passing animal.

-- Who is Yao?-- Zandi said.

--Yao is Mrs. Clara's watchdog,-- Efia replied.

--It is good even if its size is so big to scare, it has never bitten anyone even if it always barks, and Biko has a great fear – Ima ended with a big smile to which Zandi and Efia joined smiling.

--You laugh, but for me it is not a normal dog, it like a horse and with a bite it swallows us all even without chewing. However strangely I do not hear it, I think it is not here. Let's hurry up before it returns -- so very quickly he pushed the wheelchair inside the gate in front of the house’s entrance, the other two girls followed him just a few steps behind, as soon as they were in front of the entrance, they knocked entering.

--Is it allowed? Can we get in? Mrs. Clara? -- Efia and Ima asked.

-- Yes, who's so early riser to visit me?—Clara said.

Clara is a about sixty miss, she came from England, she had been working there for about thirty years, her hair was white with curls, she was chubby and she was the only person who managed the correspondence in that area, she was very kind and she knew everything and everyone, thanks to her work having to do with many people, she had remained Miss but everyone called her Mrs. Clara in sign of respect.

--Come on, but Why has not Yao announced you? Usually it makes himself heard when someone enters --Clara said, arranging a few letters in her desk full of envelopes to be fixed.

--It must have come out, we did not even see it,-- Biko said.

-- It cannot be, I have seen it through the window 5 minutes ago in front of its dog’s bed as always next to the gate -- Clara said getting up from the chair and heading to the window.

--You see where it is, right there where I told you, why did not you see it? -- Clara added opening the window and calling Yao, it replied, getting up and barking, wagging its tail.

--It is strange, ok it’s nothing, it will be distracted, after all age goes also for it, it is becoming old too, -- Clara said, closing the window and heading in front of the boys.

Biko was speechless with a vague and unexplained look, it was the first time that Yao did not chase him.

--I'm here, but who is your host? Wait, do not tell me, you are the divinity that all the inhabitants of Zebenjo are talking about. I do not know whether or not to believe to these rumours, in fact it has been the first news I received this morning. What's your name? And what can I do for you? -- Clara said.

-- Mrs. Clara, my name is Zhandalee Niversa, I came here with them because I would like to call my parents, and they told me that here I could find a phone, I wanted to warn them that I am here and that I am well--

--Zandi, help me get up, I can stretch a bit my legs,-- Efia asked.

--Come on, guys, come with me,-- Clara suggested.

Together they went into the room behind the desk, and as they entered they saw a telephone near some stools on a small table.

-- I put this phone here because when some family comes to phone I leave privacy. Zandi, give me the number, I ask the switchboard to connect with the phone of your parents' house -- Clara concluded.

Zandi communicated the number expecting that Miss Clara succeeded in her intent, but after several attempts and various tests discussed with the operator of the switchboard Mrs. Clara closed the phone and turning to Zandi said:

--Dear girl, I'm sorry but I have to give you a bad news: the number you gave me does not match the name you told me, at that house number, at that phone number does not live any Niversa family, an old gentleman called Cardelli lives there, are you sure about the number? -- Miss Clara asked.

--Yes, I’m very sure, how is it possible?-- Zandi answered casually.

- Be quiet, you will see there will be an explanation to everything, and everything will work out for the best, you must have patience – Efia said embracing Zandi and comforting her, then she added:

-- The miss of the switchboard has done some mistaks- - turning the face to Mrs. Clara, the elderly lady not making notice of her gesture to Zandi nodded to the boys it was not wrong, then she sat down.

--I have seen strange things but everything was comprehensible explainable. I have a strange feeling, something "magical" is happening, I have always been sceptical but in the face of the facts I cannot accept it, -- Clara said.

- Which are these strange things? If you refer to the dog, it can happen that it is distracted and it not for this reason I have some kind of strange powers, I am a simple girl, do you want to convince of it?-- Zandi answered crying.

- I was not referring only to the fact of the dog, I was referring to the fact that you can speak perfectly the English, my language of origin, and the dialect of Zebenjo so perfect that after thirty years I have not been able to learn here, can you explain this? I know we're in 1999, and believing these things sounds incredible, but the facts show the opposite,-- Clara said.

Zandi stopped crying instantly and with a wide-eyed look, she turned her face to Clara.

--What did she say? What date do we have today? Would you please repeat it? –Zandi asked.

--Of course, today is August 16, 1999 -- the old lady replied, showing with her finger the calendar hanging on the wall.

Zandi watched the calendar and ran out, she stopped her run in the middle of the small courtyard getting down on her knees with her hands on the ground and looked down. Immediately Ima and Biko ran behind her stopping at a few meters from her, while Efia and Clara watched from the door.

Zandi felt licked hands resting on the ground, it was Yao who wanted to comfort her. She slowly raised the glance and she saw the big eyes of the dog looking at her full of love towards her, Zandi hug it giving back to its face a shy smile, then Biko arrived with a wary gaze towards the dog and gradually all the others arrived.

--What's the matter with you? -- Clara asked in a loving voice.

--Madam, in the place where I live today should be August 16, 2011. It is the year of my finding on the beach by my adoptive parents, I should be about two years old, believe it or not, I do not think I'm crazy, so what's going on? – Zandi answered getting up.

--There is certainly a reason to all this, I do not think you're crazy, you're here because in my opinion you have to fulfil a task that you'll have to find out, and I think you'll find out very soon – Clara said tightening the girl to herself.

--We do not believe you're not crazy too, and we're here to help you find your way, -- Efia said.

Biko and Ima nodded and all five joined in one hug. After a few minutes Mrs. Clara told to the boys:

--I have to go to my job now, later I will try again to contact that number and if I have news I'll let you know right away --

The four boys lined up with a smile waved goodbye and came out of the gate as they entered, while Mrs. Clara looked at them as long as she could see them and then she returned to her desk to continue her work.

--Can we go to see where those trucks are going?-- Zandi said, breaking the silence between the boys.

--Ok! -- Efia and Biko said, while Ima nodded.

-- It's not very far from here, it's right behind that little hill -- Biko continued.

-- But do not let us see, those people do not like to have intruders in the area,-- Ima said.

After a few minutes they began to see the first trucks that came from another street in front them, they parted just above the hill where they had a good view without making any effort to climb, with a wheelchair it would be difficult. So they climbed slowly on the observation point laying down on the ground not to be noticed. From that point they could see the entrance of the large field enclosed by high walls with barbed wire placed above, they can see the entrance where the lorries entered, there was a large open gate, in the middle there was a bar that rose at the passage of the trucks, at the ends of the bar there were two armed men and another one in a sentry box that controlled documents taken from the trucks. On the backside behind the sentry there was a kind of greyish and malodorous little river that with a series of channels was rising in the source.

--You see Zandi, they do not let strangers enter, that is the poison that they throw in our source, the same thing has reduced in this way Efia – Biko said in a low voice.

--What do they do inside? –Zandi asked.

-- From the land of our sacred mountain we get a yellow metal that they call gold, it is useless, it decorates the wearer, but it is expensive, because they are destroying our mountain, our trees, our life, -- Ima said.

--Do someone try to rebel? -- Zandi said.

--No one, they're all scared, only Demetrio tries to give them a hard time, but he's often punished, poor man -- Efia said.

--Demetrio? And who is he? – Zandi asked.

-- He is a boy who lives in the forest, he does not speak well our language, he lives wild like monkeys, he does not like live in the village, someone said he was born in the forest and he does not want to stay in another place, he is very grumpy towards everyone, and he tries to resist to the invaders, but his rudimentary weapons cannot do anything against them and at the end they hurt him, luckily he's a hard bone, not like my brother, -- Ima said looking at Biko.

--I will do it too but I know when I cannot go any further,-- Biko replied

-- Yes, your “further” is fear,-- Ima said.

--Stop it! – Efia admonished.

--Can we look for him and talk to this Demetrio?-- Zandi proposed.

--What do you want to do?—Efia asked.

--One man is not much but if we join we can do something,-- Zandi said, getting up and going down the hill.

The others followed her, when they were all on the ground, Efia sat in the carriage and Zandi continued:

-- If we find him, we can know something more about these people, what they do etc etc, he certainly knows more than what we could discover, he risked fighting and certainly he saw.

--But he's inside the forest, there it's very dangerous, there are scorpion, snakes, leopards and black panthers, we will not get out of there alive,-- Biko said.

--You are always the usual fearful,-- Ima said.

---Biko is not all wrong, no one dares to enter them since several years, and those who did not 'ever came back -- Efia added.

- I know, but if I'm here it's definitely for a reason and I think if I'm holding hands I will not solve anything, and someone has to do something. Look, everything's dying, first he's going to die what surrounds us and then we will die. No one is obliged to follow me, after all I have nothing to lose. Tell me where I have to continue and I will go there, I will have five hours of light or maybe more, if everything is okay I'll be back when the sun has not set yet,-- Zandi said.

-- The road is there! It starts right from those trees over there, from there you can get to the heart of the forest, but do you will really go there? -. Biko said.

--Yes!-- Zandi said starting to move but she was stopped by Efia.

--Stop! --

--Efia, I must go, maybe I'll find out the reason I'm here,-- Zandi said

--I do not want to stop you, I'm coming with you,--Efia said with a smile.

--Well, I come too,--Ima said.

-- Me too, otherwise who will push the wheelchair? You are girls -- Biko said starting to push the wheelchair taking the lead of the expedition, the other two girls with a smile moved in that direction.

After not even five minutes of travel, they heard a big roar and a cloud of smoke came forward on the road they were following, they accelerated their pace and after making a couple of bends they arrived at the scene, there was a dozens of people who watched, Mosi too. Immediately the boys approached the old father of Efia, they watched what everyone was seeing, from outside the enclosure where they were, they were able to see well the scene: there was a large pile of rubble that before were a house, there was a big bulldozer, the architect of this disaster, on the right side the fence had been thrown down by the entrance of the bulldozer, on the opposite side the thick woods began bordering to the plot of land of the unfortunate lord, behind the destroyed house there was another plot with a house near to the destruction, scattered near the mechanical means there were three soldiers armed with a machine gun, near the house a woman with her two young children watched her house destroyed crying in silence, her husband with Nassor (the chief tribe of Zebenjo) spoke with despair with one who seemed the higher than the three soldiers.

--Father, what has happened? -- Efia asked.

--Those bad people, those invaders have destroyed their home,-- Mosi said.

--Why do they these abuse of power?,-- Zandi asked.

--If I have well understood, another way must pass here to facilitate the arrival of trucks coming from the sacred mountain -- the old man answered.

--Why does the general state allow them to do that? Should not it intervene? -- Biko asked

--It cannot, because they are all corrupt, in exchange for gold they concede everything, they are selling our land to the stranger, they told me they are very powerful, this mine is managed by a very powerful international multinational -- Mosi answered.

Meanwhile, the animated conversation of the soldiers was heard.

-- Where will I go with my family? What can I bring them to eat? I had my field here, I cultivated it and with its fruits we lived in peace – the owner shouted crying.

--Our street must pass here, we have had the concessions, so you have to go away --the highest soldier answered.

--It cannot be that one morning you destroy a family, without telling anyone, and without an adequate compensation, this is steal –Nassor admonished in the direction of the soldiers.

--Silence! Do not you dare talk to us in this way!,-- the second soldier replied, threatening with the weapon.

--What problem is there?, he and his family can come and work with us, we will treat them well -- the first soldier answered looking at the others and bursting into a laughter.

--Yes, of course, work 16 hours a day, whipped, for a cup of rice just to make you enrich with our stolen land – Nassor made clear.

Meanwhile, Zandi began to feel a tingling that came from her chest. But it did not attract her attention, she made her way through the people present and she went in the middle of the dispute. Slowly everyone's eyes focused on her, when she was among the soldiers and the oppressed people ..

--Why do not you leave these people alone? Why do not you make pass your road more distant lengthening a bit the way? - Zandi said warning to the soldiers.

--Go away baby, these things for big people, go back to play with dolls--a soldier replied after a brief laugh.

-- Someone should make you pay for it!- the girl said.

-- Who? maybe you, insolent child -- the soldier replied pushing her and making her fall to the ground, and while he is trying to hit her with the butt of the rifle the soldier stopped saying:

--Hey! But what is shining under your shirt? what is that bright led?

Immediately from the adjacent forest a sort of boomerang came composed of ropes with two rotating stones that wrapped around his neck and knocked him to the ground, another soldier was hit by a dart on his neck and fell to the ground unconscious, the third man saw his companions dropped and threw the rifle into the air escaping, the bulldozer driver did the same..

Zandi turned towards the forest and from a thick tree behind a branch she saw in the distance the silhouette of a boy about her age, he was completely undressed except for the central part covered by a sort of garment that enveloped the abdomen until above his knees, it was made by small bright green leaves, he was not so dark, he watched Zandi for a few seconds and then he disappeared into the forest. The light of the medallion coming from his chest went out in the same instant, Zandi memorized the scene but she said nothing.

Biko and Ima immediately came to Zandi.

--Are you fine? – Ima asked.

--Yes, I have nothing,-- Zandi answered, getting up.

--That man was Demetrio, he's a smart guy, isn’t he?-- Biko added.

In the meantime, Efia arrived with her father.

-- You have risked a lot, you are unconscious even if you are a deity – Mosi admonished.

Nassor and the family of the house approached.

--You have a lot of courage, but if it were not for Demetrio I do not know how you would be now. We hoped you had some power after your magical coming, but maybe it is as we expected. However now the situation is more complicated because the soldier will report to general Kruken, furious. However I have to thank you the same. – Nassor ended shaking Zandi’s hands and she took the thanks of the oppressed family.

--Now What it happen to them?--Efia asked to Nassor.

--Do not worry! We will find a hidden place in the village, they will be able to stay calm for a while, afterwards I will find them a destination – the chief tribe explained.

People were starting to leave but Zandi remained pensive with her gaze fixed in the forest.

--What are you thinking?—Biko asked.

--There should be a connection between the medallions I wear around my neck and the boy of the forest, but I do not know exactly,-- Zandi replied.

--Let's all eat at my house,-- Mosi suggested.

--When we have finished we will go to the three essays on the sacred mountain, they will be able to reveal something to us, it is said that they know everything and they are centennials. Now let's go with Mosi – Biko proposed.

--It's right, let's do so—Ima confirmed.

Zandi nodded and they walked towards the village of Zebenjo.

Meanwhile, the soldier arrived at the mine field after passing the armed entrance, he immediately went to the command building, a sort of cube with countless mirrored glass also square, in front of the entrance there were two other soldiers that stopped him.

--Where do you want to go, soldier,-- one of them asked.

-- I had to inform the General Kruken about the order that had placed me this morning, a problem had happened -- the soldier answered without breath for the race.

--It's ok, come with me!-- The military manat the entrance answered.

They went together to the main hall where Kruken was with his three bodyguards.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the hall, they found two other guards, the picket soldier said he should bring news to the general through the first soldier, then the one who was at the door came inside to announce and after having received the consent of the general he let them in.

The general kruken was wearing a stiff red uniform with black trimmings, he sat in a sort of throne placed on a dozen steps, at his side there were three other small thrones, at his right and at his left, where the three chosen guards took place, all three wore a huge black cloak that covered their clothing, and they were seated according to their allegedly combative strength. As soon as he sat he beckoned to a waiter who brought him a glass of gold in a golden tray and while he sipped a drink...

--What's wrong with my land?-- General Kruken asked, looking at the glass.

The soldier was on his knees, he raised his head saying:

--My sir, we have been attacked and we could not continue the eviction we had to do for the new road, we also lost two men --

--Who did dare attack you? Who did dare to interrupt my order? – Kruken asked with an almost surreal calm.

The soldier realizes the answer he will give him will made him angry, so he starts shaking and sweating, the general understands and placing the glass in the tray and sacking the waiter gets up and approaches the window looking out.

--Then?!?—Kruken pronounced with a dry and authoritative tone.

--Mister Demetrio, he took us by surprise, forgive us,--the trembling soldier replied resting his head on the ground.

--A little boy, a boy is opposed to me, a little boy opposes my soldiers, hahahaha -- and he exploded into sarcastic laughter, then turns seriously, stares at the soldier and says:

--Stand up! - the soldier gets up and Kruken starts to turn around him, until he puts next to him and says:

--Take 20 men, take the dogs too, go immediately to the forest, take his life or I will take your life—he ended to speak very calmly.

-- My lord, I will not disappoint you -- the soldier made a typical salute, bringing his fist to the breast and then with a back he fired himself by closing the door.

Kruken slowly approached his third guard who was sitting.

--Sword, make sure he does not disappoint me – Kruken pronounced almost impeccably.

Sword stood up nodding his head and he went out of the room from another door to the right of the throne. The general went again at the window and looking at the poor people who worked in desperate conditions, he turned to a lieutenant placed in the corner of the great hall:

-- We have to increase the work turns, we have to obtain more gold for our organization, the president does not admit unforeseen, we must be the flagship so he will be grateful.--

--But sir, the workers are on their utmost, they are working 16 hours a day,-- the lieutenant replied weakly

--Are you discussing my orders?-- He said in a warning tone and staring into his eyes

--No, my lord, I'll do it now,-- the subordinate replied saluting and going out of the room, while Kruken watched from the window with a wicked smile.

In the meantime, in the cabin of Mosi they were making preparations for the table, the twins had gone to their home to eat with their family, so there were only three, the good old Mosi was intent to control the cooking of the rice in a large clay pot heated on a fire just outside the hut, while Efia and Zandi were busy, Efia cut a little salad and the other set the table.

--Zandi, can you help me to cut the salad, I find it a difficult task because I do not see very well and I to cut me, so I can then wash fruit --Efia asked with a smile.

-- Sure -- Zandi answered. --I'm a guest, helping you is the least I can do -- and she began to clean the salad and cut it with a knife, but from her silent face a tear slowly descended.

--What did you have Zandi? I did not give you some onions to cut -- Ima asked with an ironic tone, then she approached to her and with a serious tone embraced her saying:

--What do you think? Have I said something wrong? --

--Preparing lunch reminds me of my family, you know I miss them a lot even if I do not see them for a few days, and the thing that makes me more sad is the fact I do not know how to return to them -- Zandi answered with a muffled voice.

- I know what it means when you stay away from your parents, and especially when you cannot see them again, and it is like a part of you that disappears because we are their fruit – Efia answere.