He does not run no more. He says his life has changed. He does not like talking about it, he says, because the memories are too painful to bear. Yet, he calls her almost every day. They seem to want to talk, at least to each other, although he insists their discussions are neutral. It is hard his parents say to ignore his pain, that of a young man bent on fulfilling his avowed mission, that is, by himself.
At twenty, he says he has lived twice as many, ensconced in a soul transformed many times over to reach its final form. He sounds contrived many say, in particular when he is calling them to hear him out, convinced perhaps that some still doubt his credulity, which many insist they do not, even if they offer no reason not to, or indeed, to believe he has a mission, to start with, what he claims is his driving force.
His family is large, by the village’s standards. With his immediate and extended kith and kin just minutes away, it does not take long for a noticeable crowd to gather in front of his parents’ home when he dispatches his summons. Moreover, being the only family member to have gone past elementary school, which itself is outside the village, albeit not just as far away as his secondary school, and nowhere near expensive, they want to listen.
To be sure, he tells them things that they say matter to them, such as how to improve their health and well-being, ensure bountiful harvests, raise their children, and maintain amity with their spouses. He seems knowledgeable on a broad spectrum of issues and has been tipped for membership of the village council. Not that he openly covets it, but he has not shown any disinterest in being on the council either.
A body of much older men and a woman, who is even older than the men, the council has authority over the villagers, and its decisions on matters over which it adjudicates are final. The villagers respect its members although a few critics argue that perhaps it is overvalued, if not downright tyrannical. But as the proposed new member would soon find out, there is a lot more to the council than known to many of the villagers.
His best friend as he says is the granddaughter of the only woman on the council. In fact, this woman is the head of the council, a position she assumed on the death of her husband, the hitherto council head, believed by some the victim of a vicious in-house conspiracy, of which allegedly he was aware, yet defied, attending the council meeting the very day some warned he would be poisoned.
The council’s current chair is not in good health. She misses the weekly council meetings more now and word has started to go round that another plot is in the offing, this time, to prevent her from nominating the next council chair, which according to custom, is her prerogative. The issue though seems not just that she is going to nominate the next boss, but also that she is allegedly going to nominate a young man to the council, who happens to be her granddaughter’s best friend.
With many in the village apparently pleased with that decision, some being openly in favour of younger people being on the council as they argue, for the village to make progress in what they say are fast moving times, it is no news it seems that the rest of the council members seem to be seeking ways to derail the imminent transition.
Rudolph tells Riana he fears something awful would happen, but he does not to whom and when. She says he should relax and enjoy the glory soon to be bestowed upon him. She keeps him informed about the plans her grandmother has to make the announcement of his membership and leadership of the council simultaneously at the next council meeting.
Indeed, her grandmother not only plans to attend the meeting this time, but also to finalize her plans. Riana says she would wait for him outside the village hall the night of the next council meeting so that they could celebrate what she calls his noble achievement. He agrees.
The few days before the event appear routine. His parents say they are proud of him and would support him every step of the way. They say that they like Riana, and hope that their friendship would blossom into marriage at the right time. His extended family is planning to fete the villagers the day after the ceremonies, which happens to be a weekend. Everything seems to be going on as planned.
Riana’s grandmother meanwhile is more ill. She fears her friend may not make it to the council let alone its chair after all. However, she does not tell him about the downturn in her grandmother’s health. Rather, she keeps reassuring him that there have been no changes in the plans for him to join the council.
Indeed, the council chief attends on the appointed day, albeit literally carried to the meeting. An hour into the deliberations its scribe emerges, a sword in his left hand, beckoning to Rudolph, his right hand seemingly tucked away under his flowing gown. Something drips from beneath the gown. Rudolph glances at Riana clearly curious, gets off the bench and hugs her before walking briskly toward the man.
Riana looks on in horror as Rudolph, in evident panic, runs past her moments later towards his home. She runs behind him, frantically urging him to stop but he does not. She does not follow him home, and soon apparently heads back to the venue of the council meeting only to discover her grandmother has expired.
Rumours start their rounds right away. Some say he is simply lily-livered. Others contend he is too young for the rituals. Yet, others absolve him of any blame, arguing that such barbarities have no place in today’s world. All agree that someone, particularly Riana, should have warned him, even as they do that the ceremonies are secret.
Rudolph says that he would not have even considered the position knowing what he knows now. At first he says he thinks Riana should know, then admits to being certain she is just as naïve as he is, to know that the council chief is in fact more than a mere mortal, a said interstellar enigma, shrouded in an atavistic culture of exsiccation, and silence, something he says he is now on a mission to change ostensibly even if as some warn at his own peril.
