swaddled in a blanket ushered by Delila. Aliya steps back, her eyes widen as she realizes she is standing in a graveyard.
Kennen mixes cement in a bucket as they approach. He pauses to receive the boy. Mama won’t let go. She wails to the heavens in Swahili: “My baby is missing pieces. My baby is not whole. How can my baby rest in peace?” Her grasp is tight and fingers clenched. Delila rests her hands on the Mama’s shoulders to give her strength. She releases him into Jengo’s hands and he places the baby in the ground so that his body faces right, toward the sun.
Delila says a small prayer over the little body as Mama places the hide of a slaughtered goat over him. Then, Delila escorts her, both of them weeping, back to the hut. Kennen and the guard pour the cement over the corpse, filling in the hole.
“You alright, Aliya?”
“Cement?”
Kennen nods as he wipes cement from his fingers with a rag and tears from his cheeks with the back of his wrist. He and the guards look sharp at the perimeter for any unfriendly faces. “Grave robbers.” They will stand watch until after the cement dries. Guards here protect the living and the dead.
15
Lucidity
July 27
Another clear hot day, Aliya is sitting with Bashima near the fance and is showing her flash cards at different distances, testing her vision. She’s testing her theory that Bashima’s week eyesight is why she isn’t participating in class. She holds up the W card. “Come on, Bashima. You know this letter. I know you do.”
Bashima makes her best guess, “N?”
“Try this one.” Aliya steps closer and flips to the Z card.
“X?”
Aliya steps yet closer and turns to the A card.
“N?”
Aliya goes to her. She takes off her glasses and puts them on Bashima. Bashima can’t believe this gift of glasses and sight. “Now.” Aliya holds the C card.
“C.”
The T card.
“T.”
“Very good!”
Bashima smiles and bounces, proud of getting the right answer and for being able to see. She tries to give the glasses back to her, but Aliya won’t take them. Bashima insists.
Aliya leads Bashima into her hut with her. From her bag, she fishes out an old pair of glasses, taped together at the bridge but usable and puts them on.
“You help see.” Bashima says, pointing to her heart, in broken English.
Aliya takes a moment to translate her words into English, You help me see. She responds without hesitation, “Kunisaidia kuona zaidi. You help me see more.”
Bashima smiles and hugs her.
As they go back out to the yard, both sporting their glasses, Bashima sees a suspicious man on the other side of the gate, some distance out. He is leering threateningly at them. She cowers behind Aliya and eventually flees into her hut.
Aliya stares at him, pushing up the glasses that slid down her nose to better see.
He is dark and staring wide-eyed at her, a hunter.
“Kuondoka! Leave! Kunisaidia kuona. Get out of here!” She yells at him.
Jengo comes from the other side of the fence with his rifle drawn. He puts himself between them as he approaches the hunter. The hunter walks away slowly, still staring at Aliya, who won’t take her eyes off him. Jengo won’t either.
Once he is out of sight, Jengo turns to see that Aliya is okay. “I will watch for him.”
She wants to thank him, but can’t find her voice. She was moving with protective adrenaline and anger, but now that the hunter is gone, fear stole her voice. She musters a slight nod.
Delila and another volunteer come running around the corner to see what is going on. No words need explain. Delila can tell by Jengo’s defensive stance, what transpired. It’s not the first time. This is why Jengo and the other guards are armed.
Aliya goes to Bashima. She finds her in a ball in the corner of the sleeping quarters. The glasses are on the floor, clearly thrown there. Aliya picks them up and hands them to her, but she won’t accept them. “I see bad. No want.”
Aliya is
Kennen mixes cement in a bucket as they approach. He pauses to receive the boy. Mama won’t let go. She wails to the heavens in Swahili: “My baby is missing pieces. My baby is not whole. How can my baby rest in peace?” Her grasp is tight and fingers clenched. Delila rests her hands on the Mama’s shoulders to give her strength. She releases him into Jengo’s hands and he places the baby in the ground so that his body faces right, toward the sun.
Delila says a small prayer over the little body as Mama places the hide of a slaughtered goat over him. Then, Delila escorts her, both of them weeping, back to the hut. Kennen and the guard pour the cement over the corpse, filling in the hole.
“You alright, Aliya?”
“Cement?”
Kennen nods as he wipes cement from his fingers with a rag and tears from his cheeks with the back of his wrist. He and the guards look sharp at the perimeter for any unfriendly faces. “Grave robbers.” They will stand watch until after the cement dries. Guards here protect the living and the dead.
15
Lucidity
July 27
Another clear hot day, Aliya is sitting with Bashima near the fance and is showing her flash cards at different distances, testing her vision. She’s testing her theory that Bashima’s week eyesight is why she isn’t participating in class. She holds up the W card. “Come on, Bashima. You know this letter. I know you do.”
Bashima makes her best guess, “N?”
“Try this one.” Aliya steps closer and flips to the Z card.
“X?”
Aliya steps yet closer and turns to the A card.
“N?”
Aliya goes to her. She takes off her glasses and puts them on Bashima. Bashima can’t believe this gift of glasses and sight. “Now.” Aliya holds the C card.
“C.”
The T card.
“T.”
“Very good!”
Bashima smiles and bounces, proud of getting the right answer and for being able to see. She tries to give the glasses back to her, but Aliya won’t take them. Bashima insists.
Aliya leads Bashima into her hut with her. From her bag, she fishes out an old pair of glasses, taped together at the bridge but usable and puts them on.
“You help see.” Bashima says, pointing to her heart, in broken English.
Aliya takes a moment to translate her words into English, You help me see. She responds without hesitation, “Kunisaidia kuona zaidi. You help me see more.”
Bashima smiles and hugs her.
As they go back out to the yard, both sporting their glasses, Bashima sees a suspicious man on the other side of the gate, some distance out. He is leering threateningly at them. She cowers behind Aliya and eventually flees into her hut.
Aliya stares at him, pushing up the glasses that slid down her nose to better see.
He is dark and staring wide-eyed at her, a hunter.
“Kuondoka! Leave! Kunisaidia kuona. Get out of here!” She yells at him.
Jengo comes from the other side of the fence with his rifle drawn. He puts himself between them as he approaches the hunter. The hunter walks away slowly, still staring at Aliya, who won’t take her eyes off him. Jengo won’t either.
Once he is out of sight, Jengo turns to see that Aliya is okay. “I will watch for him.”
She wants to thank him, but can’t find her voice. She was moving with protective adrenaline and anger, but now that the hunter is gone, fear stole her voice. She musters a slight nod.
Delila and another volunteer come running around the corner to see what is going on. No words need explain. Delila can tell by Jengo’s defensive stance, what transpired. It’s not the first time. This is why Jengo and the other guards are armed.
Aliya goes to Bashima. She finds her in a ball in the corner of the sleeping quarters. The glasses are on the floor, clearly thrown there. Aliya picks them up and hands them to her, but she won’t accept them. “I see bad. No want.”
Aliya is
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