Bride Prize

Ten: A secret plan to take the the bride

A thin streak of lighting split the thick clouds preparatory to the emerging sun. It was a cool break of dawn as Iveren, Ape and two other girls, walked briskly to the nearby stream to draw water.

Ape was gossiping with another girl.

 “Just because it is her wedding day tomorrow look how radiant Iveren is looking today.”

 “I don’t blame her,” the girl said, envious, “if it is you how would you look?”

The four girls walked in a single file along the sloppy, narrow winding footpath to the gently flowing stream. 

As they neared the stream, Iveren stopped short. It couldn’t be her ears alone? She thought that she had heard a rustle in the bushes. She pointed in the direction from which she had heard the sound. 

 “I think there is somebody moving in those bushes,” she said.

Ape stopped close beside her. She looked, puzzled, but saw no one. 

“I don’t see anybody anywhere,” she said.

“Iveren,” one of the girls, said with a voice full of surprise, “I hope this your wedding is not making you see things?”

 The other girls laughed, and they continued on the narrow path. The stream was bounded on either side by tall grass and short trees.

“Me, it is drinking water that I came to fetch,” Iveren said when they had arrived at the stream.  

Ape walked knee deep into the stream and the two other girls followed her.  They had collected drinking water for their households the previous evening and now only needed water for washing. Using small calabashes, they began to draw water into their various pots. 

One of the girls dropped her wrapper and walked deeper into the stream as water splashed against her naked breasts.

“Ohhh, this water is so warm!” she said, throwing water on her face. 

 Leaving the rest of the girls, Iveren walked a few yards from yhe main stream to a spot surrounded by tall grass, where they had dug out a small shallow well for collecting spring water.

She placed her pot on the edge of the well and went down on her knees scooping at arm’s legth, clean, clear spring water which she turned into her pot beside her. She scooped several times until her pot was filled. 

It was while she was turning the scooped water into her pot that she again heard the rustle in the bush. She looked up and, this time, saw a definite fleeting movement of black cloth. This time she did not bother to alert the other girls, partly because they wouldn’t believe her and partly because whoever it was did not appear to pose any danger to her, so she let it ride.

              

 *   *   *

Not quite twenty yards from where the girls were bathing and collecting in their pots, Venda and his friend Bem were sitting by the stream side, having followed the girls – or rather Iveren, and consequently the rest of the girls,  thru the bush all the way to the steam.

“That was very reckless of you to let her catch a glimpse of you,” Bem said accusingly.  Venda smiled wickedly and shook his head. 

 “It’s not my fault, Bem. The sight of that girl is driving me crazy. Why couldn’t we just take her on the way?”

 “No,” Bem shook his head. “Too risky with all those girls present,” 

Venda looked disappointed. “What about the girls. Who gives a damn? You mean two of us cannot handle them or what?”