Numberias
SUMMARY: After her mother is brutally murdered by poachers, Numberias fearlessly takes on the role of Bista's gorilla protector. When she is diagnosed with Lupis, she goes on a terrifying hourny to ask the father she'd never met for help in saving her life…
WORD COUNT: 750
2016
Numberias woke up to her mother frantically dressing. A small lantern shone dim light into the homey room, and the nine year old sat up.
"Mama, what is happening?" the young girl asked softly, drawing her mother's attention over to her.
"Nothing, go back to sleep, my little darling." Even with the smile on her face, Numberias could still see the worry shining brightly in her mother's eyes.
"Alright," mumbled the sleepy child, laying back down to go to sleep once more. She didn't see her mother pause to glance at her daughter one last time before leaving the hut, taking the lantern with her.
But try as she might, young Numberias just couldn't fall back asleep. She tossed and turned, pushed the blanket off of her then pulled it back on. Finally, she sat up, dread curling in her stomach. She rubbed at her eyes and willed herself to fully waken.
Numberias heard a sudden ruckus outside the small hut that she shared with her mother, and a bright light shined into the bedroom, making her gasp and flop back down onto the bed. Numberias feigned sleep, closing her eyes and trying to breathe easily.
"Is she in there?"
"No, only the little brat."
"Goddamnit. Someone must've given her words that we were coming."
"There's no time to lose- come on, let's go bag us some gorillas!"
Numberias' heart jumped into her throat as she scrambled to dress herself in the dark- she threw on a t- shirt from the laundry basket and a pair of shorts that was lying on the floor. Ignoring her hairbrush, she threw her dark curls into a loose bun before stuffing her feet into a random pair of boots by the front door.
She flung open the door and took off sprinting, the small flashlight in her hand bobbing with her running steps.
Not the gorillas, not the gorillas! Numberias' mind was screaming as she raced towards where the beloved animals of Bista habituated.
She soon reached the forest and fearlessly entered, being enveloped by the blackest of darknesses. Fear pounded inside of her heart- not for herself, but rather for the gentle, loving creatures who had helped shaped her into becoming who she was.
A loud gunshot made her freeze, dropping the flashlight, where the little ball of light vanished into a leafy bush.
"We got one, we got one!" Numberias heard one of the poachers shouting gleefully as the ten year old girl fell to the ground and tried to look for the flashlight.
A soft sound made her leap back; her fear was erased by one of the gorillas- a young mother, who handed her the flashlight.
"Thanks," Numberias whispered softly. "Go now- I'll try to distract them!"
The gorilla hooted softly before turning and running off, leaving the girl.
Numberias opened her mouth to start screaming when another gunshot echoed from the trees.
"Goddamnit all," swore one of the men from outside of Numberias' bedroom window. "Can't you idiots do anything right? I specifically ordered you imbeciles to hunt gorillas, not humans! Can't you pathetic lot do anything right? My God!"
Numberias followed the yellings' she rounded a tree and froze at what she saw.
Her beloved mother was lying on the ground, blood seeping from her stomach.
Numberias pressed herself to the bark of the tree and willed herself not to start screaming. Something shifted near her feet and she felt tiny fingers pressing themselves into her hand. She gently squeezed them as she watched the poachers quickly leaving; much to her joy, they hadn't caught anything.
"Mama!" Numberias screamed, scrambling from where she had hidden herself, and burrowing herself into her mother's arms. "Mama, I'm here!"
"Numberias…" The woman frowned as tears of pain trickled down her cheeks. "You shouldn't be here…"
"Don't die, Mama, please don't die!" Numberias wasn't aware that she was crying until her mother shakily wiped her cheek.
"Imba wimbo
Wa upepo"
"Don't make me sing alone," she smiled sadly at her daughter as the gorillas came closer, sensing that one of their own was dying. Even though the two humans were mostly furless and walked on two legs, the troop of gorillas still considered the humans as being a part of their band.
Family.
Numberias sniffled as she curled into her mother's side, softly singing along with her's dying breath.
"Wakati unajiwa na
Imba wimbo wa upepo
Wakati ndoto tamu
Lala mpaka usiku uisheni
Upepo wa usiku
Wimbo wanko na
Wimbo wangu inaendelea milele"
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