The Royal Caravan
Seth was a tough cookie to crack, he would listen and listen from chapter to chapter until it was said: “it’s now time to sleep”. At the crack of dawn the cock crowed Seth was awoken to take a bath, bags were already packed and stacked. Even today was a sad day for this close-knit family, heads were hanging low and eyes were filled with tears, just like yesterday, everyone noticed as the helpers were back to help prepare Seth for his venture. His bags were saddled onto donkeys. His father had marinated half of the sheep and tucked it into a trunk filled with grass straw. Great was the convoy of donkeys laden with many things that would make Seth remember where he came from, he even had maize seeds, beans and plenty of other seedlings to plant his own garden.
These were very remote villages without even a gravel road; people etched their own paths from walking the same route every day. Down the slanted hill proceeded the caravan as if they were off to pay tribute to a mighty king. The sun was not yet out, only its glare threatened to disperse the fog which rose from the river and clothed the mountain white. People in the villages beyond the river and at the foothill of the mountain to those on distant the flat plains all wondered and inquired about this mighty procession.
Families came by the dozens, some leaving their children unattended with hot early morning porridge; some who were taking cattle to graze on the outskirts forgot all their duties. Children were burnt, while the cattle took a detour into neighboring gardens while the shepherds turned into spectators. People could not believe their eyes, it was like witnessing an eclipse, many had heard about the Rhadebe’s who lived on the mountain but few had ever seen them.
Many myths and legends were created around them and their paradise island, everyone greeted them with a smile while some had faces marred with evil. Little children ran alongside the long trail of donkeys as if they had received a presidential visit but for some, they just wanted to see and greet Seth for it was the first time seeing him. Most people never believed that he existed because he never left the mountain ever since he was born, on it. Seth was very shy on his father’s white towering stallion; this was unprecedented even for his parents.
So shy was Seth that he often refused to hold some people's hands in greeting this was politely justified by either parent from one person to the other from one village to the next until they reached distant villages where different tribes lived and knew them not. After a very long and sunny journey, they finally arrived at the bus stop where there was no one let alone a passing car.
There they sat for a good hour and a couple of minutes thinking that maybe all the buses to the nearest town were gone and no passenger vehicle would want to load all that they had. The donkeys by now were offloaded and given a chance to graze along the side of the road. This was all too much for Seth he had never gone so far off the mountain but only his parents took turns to go to town and draw their social grants which were all saved for Seth’s future and education.
His parents were content with eating food from the garden, and slaughtering fowls now and then; big animals were rarely slaughtered only on birthdays and Jewish holidays, were they slaughtered. Seth’s parents wanted him to never love money and that is why they never bought him anything fancy like shoes or toys but all his clothes were knitted and sewn by his mom and since Seth didn’t play around too much his clothes rarely got torn and should they, they would be sown back again.
His parents were content with eating food from the garden, and slaughtering fowls now and then; big animals were rarely slaughtered only on birthdays and Jewish holidays, were they slaughtered. Seth’s parents wanted him to never love money and that is why they never bought him anything fancy like shoes or toys but all his clothes were knitted and sewn by his mom and since Seth didn’t play around too much his clothes rarely got torn and should they, they would be sown back again.
All his parents thought about was how would he take this new world they had so strictly hidden from him, hopefully, he would not become like his brothers who had unjustifiable wealth beyond their means. They had always wished Seth would never meet his brothers and by reason of their guilt, Seth’s brothers had spent over 20 years without coming back home.
While everyone was busy consumed in thought, there came a bus up and down the distant hills like an insignificant bug and as it got closer it's growling sound shook off everyone’s feathers. Everyone was in awe looking at the direction of the throttling engine sound which got louder and louder by every minute. As it emerged and conquered its last dune slowly piercing its forehead, the young one was all eyes and ears anxious to see what was it that made this unusually dreadful sound and the more it revealed itself the more inquisitive Seth was, but he held his silence. Panting and puffing smoke the bus came to a halt at the bus stop, it was filled with people and luggage and Seth could see that just like a donkey the bus transported goods and people from one place to another.
To be continued...
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