The Wasting

Chapter 13: Bimisi

It was nightfall by the time the Tower emptied. Many people stayed, taking rooms throughout the large structure. After all, no one wanted to be left out of any back-end dealings that might happen.

By the time Bimisi retired to her room, her face hurt from the smiles she'd kept on and her brain swirled with too much information. They were going to have their expedition, though, and that was all that mattered to her as she sank onto her bed and started to unstrap herself from the intricate clothing she wore. It had been a long day and she was ready to curl up and sleep for hours. Nothing short of a fire breaking out in the Tower could pull her away now.

That night she dreamed of home.

The sounds of drums echoed through the village and beneath the deep thrum sounded a hum of wooden flutes. Today was a day of celebration. Ten of the villagers were taking their first steps into adulthood, and Bimisi was one of them.

She stood in her aunt's house as the woman brushed her hair. Bimisi wore the traditional garb of the Hunter, but her aunt insisted on making her stand out, to look beautiful on such an important day. It was only Bimisi and Ogima now as the rest of the Kewanee had passed. Bimisi knew how much it all meant to Ogima, but she couldn't find the same type of enthusiasm. Today she would become an adult and forge her own name.

As the smell of cooking meats and baking sweets wafted into Ogima's home, Bimisi found her stomach grumbling. She'd been too nervous to eat breakfast and that was showing now. "Are we done yet, Ogima?

Her aunt ran the brush through her hair a few more times and then stepped back. "Almost. I wanted to give you something."

She turned away and scurried to a trunk where she kept some of her things. When she returned, she held out a beautiful headpiece. It would lay flat in Bimisi's hair, tying back her locks from her face, and exposing the intricate beadwork design on top. Ogima reached out to put it on Bimisi, but Bimisi stopped her hand.

"What is that?"

"It belonged to my sister, your mother. She wore it at her ceremony, and I think she'd like for you to do the same."

Bimisi shook her head. "I can't," she whispered.

And then things changed. Ogima gripped the headband and Bimisi tensed for her next words, for the yelling to start. Instead, her aunt's face started to shimmer like water was passing over it. She bared her teeth, but they were the fanged teeth of some wild predator. Her eyes became those yellow eyes of the forest cat she'd killed in Anishinabek.

"You've left us, Bimisi. You've forsaken your people and for what?" Her aunt's mouth began to foam, and Bimisi tried to get away. She pressed herself against the back of the house and was trapped.

Her aunt's face shifted again, her nose becoming a strong, black beak. Her skin molted black and then feathers sprouted, sleek black that shone purple with each movement. Bimisi knew. She couldn't say how she knew, but she knew not to look in the bird's eyes. This was Bineshii, the goddess cast from these realms by the other gods. To look in her eyes was to invite death. Bimisi kept her face down and shut her eyes tightly.

"You've all abandoned me. What do you hope to find in the Isles, little one? There is no cure, only death."

Bimisi woke with a cry, springing upright in bed with a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. Tears were streaming down her face, and most of the dream started slipping away like water from her hands. The more she tried to focus on the figure of Bineshii standing before her, the faster the images faded. Soon she was only left with the echoing of 'abandoned, death' ringing in her mind.