CHAPTER 33

Mmiri (water), yes, that's the word. The notorious word that has circulated the village since time immemorial. It has even become a swear word and used by angry parents to scare their children away from the claws of weakness. The reason was still a mystery to Ugo. Even though her mother has repeated the story countless times, it still did not make any sense. Live to fight another day. That was another side of the puzzle that appears not to fit. Yes, it made no sense, because the one man that had taken those words into action had been labeled a coward. The people had called him a fool for saving his life. His own life. Ah, what else is more precious than life itself? Honor? No, only the living speak of honor. The grave yearns and longs for the chaplet, but indeed, only the living are worthy enough to wear the festoon and perceive its marvelous fragrance. Well, here they are. According to her mother, it was twenty years since the incident. The 'blessed twenty', as mother always puts it.