"Tarana' wake up" came the voice of a thirteen year old girl. The six-year-old girl she was in fact speaking to was lying in her bed in the boiling African hut. The girl opened her blue green eyes. Rare for an African girl but oh so pretty it made her. "Tarana we've got work to do."
"No!" came her sisters yell. She sank back into bed 'No' was her sisters first word. They had told her to do to something and she yelled back 'NO' as the response.
"Tarana I don't know whats wrong with you! We all have to work. We're poor, not ladies of luxury now get up!"
"I want to be a lady of luxury" her sister whined, "Addi I want to be one"
"Well you won't become one if you sit laying in bed, come on get up"
Addi had never been as pretty as her little sister; in fact she had been quite plain. Her sole purpose in life was to work on the farm, then when the time had come, to marry, a man of her father's choice, and have babies. As many boys as possible! Then she would continue to work, until the day she died. Just like her late mother.
Tarana was a rebellious little girl. She believed herself born of higher things. Addi wondered where her little sister got these crazy ideas. Tarana was a strange little girl. She was able to make strange things happen. Like the time when Addi had asked her to milk the cows, Addi, in the many hundreds of times she had milked cows had never seen them give so much milk. Then the time when the goat chased some of the village children, how Tarana managed to get up the hill and out of the way long before any one else was a strange mystery. Especially as the fact nobody had actually seen Tarana running up the hill in the first place.
Addi had asked her sister all these things but all Tarana would say in answer was
"Maybe its magic" then she was flick her long curly black hair behind her and skip away without a care in the world.
Addi hoed the soil. Her sister was supposed to be doing it too but of course she was daydreaming happily and leaning against the hoe.
"Tarana stop daydreaming!" said Addi
"I'm not…I'm planning" she replied arrogantly
"Planning what exactly?"
Tarana shrugged "Besides its too hot to work Addi" she moaned wiping her brow and looking up at the hot Somalian sun
Suddenly Addi noticed a tall skinny local boy in simple brown trousers and shirt wandering up the farm heading to the hut.
"Hello Aferworki!" called out Addi. He raised a hand in a wave
"Hello Addi, Hello Tarana he said more tenderly to Addi's sister. Tarana grinned happily. Addi sometimes she wished she were as pretty as her sister. "Addi, Is your father in?"
"Yes, but he's about to go out and take the cows to the water hole…so you better catch him quickly"
Aferworki nodded and knocked on the door of the hut.
Aferworki was in the hut for a while. Addi had hoed a rather large amount of the soil, Tarana very little, before he came out. He did not come out alone though, her father was with him. He was patting him on the back, as if congratulating him. Wide grins spread over their dark skin.
Addi looked at Tale' bemusedly. Tarana shrugged. Suddenly their father turned and looked at them.
"Addi, Tarana come I must tell you something, Aferworki stay." He said "My daughters, Aferworki has asked to marry Addi, isn't that wonderful"
Addi gasped, so did Tarana. It was true Addi had a crush on Aferworki and was lucky to be engaged to such a boy. It could have been a total stranger. But she was only thirteen.
"Married?" repeated Addi
"Yes, see Aferworki she is so happy, there will be a feast in both your honour tonight. Invite as many people as you can and bring as much food as you can"
When Aferworki was out of sight Addi burst into tears, right in front of her father and sister
"Eh? Why are you crying? You should feel proud Addi"
Addi shook her head hopelessly
"Do you know, he asked for Tarana hand first" he said, Tarana shrieked, "I said no she is too young. But I would not let him go until he had you! So feel happy you have someone you Aferworki! You so ugly you'd never get better"
He stormed off into the hut. Tarana tried to comfort her bawling sister the best she could, without much good.
The flames whipped up in the bomb-fire. People sang and danced around it, eating the fine food they had brought with them. Aferworki and Addi sat next to each other. Aferworki grinning, a strange grin. Addi sat in silent looking at the floor. And Tarana sat beside Addi.
The evening went by like years
Flames
On the roof and on the floor
Everything burning
Who started it
There father was dead
Addi was dead
Where would she go?
Alone