PART ~3~ (THE DREAM)

Sundaygar lies motionless for few hours pretending to be asleep; when he is convinced that Gbezonmar is sound asleep, he wakes up and sneaks outside to meet the gang in the forest. Trying not to be seen, he hides behind the palava hut and tiptoe between couple of huts before dashing into the woods. It is dark and cold, and the moon light is hardly visible, but he is determined to meet the team or they might get suspicious of him. The squeaking sound of crickets and moos of owls could be heard echoing throughout the forest. Sundaygar knows that he has to be back in time before someone notices that he is not in his hut. It is clear that has to meet with his buddies, or they would grow suspicious of him, and he could not afford that. As he manages to find his way through the dark woods, his path is light up by couples of fireflies. He finally finds the footpath leading to where his gang members are camping. He was just on time to listen to some of their conversation. Matthew appears suspicious of him as he has suspected. Sundaygar could not figure out what exactly they were saying but he felt that something is not right about their composure.

“Gentleman yor halo, oo, he greeted. Sorry we cannot leave tonight because la chief say it was too late, so we will leave early in la morning. I left Gbezonmar sleeping but, I na satisfy with la chief son, Monnie. I tin he remembers me so yor mon na come near la town, Sundaygar recounted”--- I blame you Sundaygar, said Matthew… I told you leh kill la geh but yor na listen, so when anything happen da you we will hold”. The other two gang members watches in silence as Sundaygar and Matthew went back and forth... Later, they are interrupted by the Zuopo, the eldest member of the Kawaka gang. He orders them to remain calm and assures Sundaygar that everything would be fine and advise that he head back to the village before someone notices that he was out. They tap their hands and feet and bids each other goodnight and excuses Sundaygar from the group. On his way back, he is thinking hard about the altercation with his buddy, Matthew. The new attitude of the gang towards him made him nervous. 

As he emerges from the forest, Sundaygar is startle by the presence of Monnie, standing in the shadows. “So weh you coming from this time of the night?, you think I na remember you... My Papay think I am crazy, but you know that I know you... be careful with me, because I will catch you one day”.---Sundaygar didn’t say a word as he walks past Monnie and went to the hut.On his way, he hears Monnie shout after him “I will catch you, Sundaygar”. He still did not respond until he is finally in the hut and then breathes a sigh of relief. He knows that he has to get out of the town first thing in the morning or Monnie would attack him.
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At this time, Gbezonmar is sound asleep; he looks at her for a minute as she lays motionless on the mat with her breast and thigh partly visible from under the lappa. She is no doubt a beauty queen. Not only that she is a virgin, she is also stunningly beautiful. This fact about her just couldn’t go unnoticed by anyone. He scans her innocent body one more time before lying few inches away from her. He is trying hard not to think; this was not the time to be thinking in that direction, he told himself. Few minutes later, he is snoring. As he sleeps, he finds himself in a forest…

He is walking toward the entrance of a forest. It has a raised mud wall about 8 ft high on either side leading up into the forest like a pathway. It looks as though a gate should be there but there is none. Sitting right at the entrance is a bearded old man with legs cross surrounded by several ornaments and pots. Sundaygar approaches the man and greets him then walks past him into the forest. When he enters the dark forest, he sees a couple of corpses lying on the floor; one is a male and the other a female along with two dogs. The odor is unbearable, it seems like they have been murder for days. The dogs are lying on their backs with their legs thrown up in the air as though they have been electrocuted. It seems obvious the old man may have murder them. As he turns to ask the man whether he had killed them, he noticed blood coming from his mouth. Curious to know what is going on, he tries to wipe the blood from his lips only to have both front teeth fall off.

Frighten by what he has just seen, he tries to attack to the old man who blew dust in the air follow a horse like squeak. Sundaygar is now dumbfounded and almost immobile; when he tries to move, he hear the voice of the female corpse lying on the floor. “Sundaygar, yor ma dying oo... please don’t leh me dye like this. I la only person da can save you my child”—“Who are you? You na my ma.. My ma die long time ago and my step may raise me, said Sundaygar .Go away!, you na my ma”—by this time almost all his teeth is falling from his mouth. When he tries to stop the bleeding, he starts to choke on his own blood and screams for help..

“Sundaygar! Sundaygar! Sundaygar! Wakeup, wakeup, shouts Gbezonmar”. --Sundaygar is shaken but fully awake by Gbezonma'r's scream. Now he is sitting on the mat still in shock from the dream, when Gbezonmar ask him “what happen my love, you was fighting in your sleep and jeh crying, said Gbezonmar”. ---“I had a terrible dream, Gbezonmar, he replies”. --- “Please teh me la dream my love, Gbezonmar pleads”. He just sat there looking at her. “It time for us to go, we geh long way to go, he said, he murmurs”.

He then rose to his feet and left the hut. Outside he is greeted by the king who invites him for breakfast and a shot of cane juice for the road. They went to the king quarter, while Gbezonmar and the other women when to make breakfast for the men. At the king’s hut, Sundaygar tries to explain his dream to the king. “Papay, last night I had a dream, and it na look like a good dream, said Sundaygar”.—“Weh happen in yor dream, ask the King?” Sundaygar explains the dream to the king and upon hearing the dream, the king summons his Ziai-Zoe(chief-psyche) to interpret Sundaygar’s dream...---The Zoe tells Sundaygar “My son,’ if you close your eyes to la true, you will learn through accident’. ‘Shine yor eye my son’ says the chief-psyche; the gods has spoken. ‘If you geh bad mind for anybody, you mon forgeh la now. ‘With that said the chief-psyche rises to his feet and ask to leave. 

Minutes later came a giant bowl of cassava and country soup for the men. The king did not join in, only Sundaygar and the other three village elders ate in silence. When they are done, Sundaygar goes into his hut to gather their belonging for the trip. He then signals Gbezonmar that it was time to leave. While going to the hut, Sundaygar is thinking about the kings’ recent change in mood. He certainly doesn't know what to make of it, but it was obvious that it had something to do with his dream. Whatever it was, he didn't care at this time... All he wanted to do was leave. After gathering their belongings, they went to the king quarter and bids him and the rest of the villagers goodbye. They are escorted about half mile by few men of the town and left to continue their journey. WATCH OUT FOR PART 4