"I'm so glad that you've decided to give our relationship a second chance," my mother gushes as I sit before her in the dimly lit living room. I've decided to make good on my promise with Kwamé, despite the high level of discomfort that I feel when in a room alone with this woman. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekLFlq2Hwu
"I don't want to hate you anymore, and I'm trying to be a good example to Kwamé." When her eyebrows come together in confusion, I further explain the situation.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPfZvJhyMv
"I want him to forgive himself."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRCRZE6lLi
"I wouldn't put much faith into that," she replies warily, as if it is not possible. This concerns me, seeing that she knows him much better than I do. So why would he promise... 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMckQkxzXz
"Why?" I ask her, eager to understand. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3q5ZEG0UwV
"Because I've been trying to get him to do that for years," she informs me in a grave voice. "He's as stubborn as an ass. Nothing will get him to let that go."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VMneDY2Xc
"Well, we made a pact." She looks at me as if the notion of a pact to change his mind is utterly idiotic. "Anyway," I say, changing the subject before I get upset with him, "I'm here now. So how about you elaborate on that tale you were telling me?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19oMy5029S
Her face shuts down as she desperately tries to hide her emotions. Always hiding something from me. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7pG4vtxiG
"I told you a lot. Honestly, what else could you want to know? And aren't you curious about unlocking your powers?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCP0F7JZvG9
No, I'm actually much more concerned with the truth. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQwWV3bHFo
"Stop trying to change the subject," I demand. "I want to know more about this person who wanted me when I was a baby." I almost laugh out loud, remembering the ridiculous, pathetic excuse of an origin story that she fed me the last time we spoke. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KNU0NWcii
"She's evil and she's in the past." 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusjzDYRiGm
Past my ass. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ1lQfg1ZU
I stomp my foot on the ground and then throw myself further back into the couch, like a small child. Something caused by me not getting what I want, because I'm so used to getting what I want. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme6eqmiRhD
"Why are you still afraid of her?" I demand. "What is she gonna do? Come and kill you?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIbpVvl41N
"She might," my mother responds under her breath. I don't think that I was meant to hear that.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6Op8qw7Uw
"So she's not in the past, then?" I challenge. I refuse to let this go. I have every right to know the truth. And the way she's contradicting herself means that she's obviously lying about something. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7fvk3FVnh
"Yes, she is. I just don't think—"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEQVb70n81
"That I'm ready for it?" I ask. I swear, this us getting very old, very quickly. "Because I assure you, I am. I don't think that there's anything that you could tell me—"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1RaP6cmqc
"She was a River Mumma," my mother rushed out, only to look as if she regrets it right after. Regrets telling me the truth. On the inside, I'm shaking my head. I am surprised (I thought that she would be human), but I'm not freaking out like last time. I'm not surprised that River Mummas exist. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6dCTwTcZ1
River Mummas are mythical — well, apparently not so mythical after all — creatures that live in Jamaica's rivers. If I were to compare them to another creature, I'd go with the siren. They often sit on rocks and comb their hair with a golden comb. They say that if you see one, you'll fall into a magical trance and that she'll drag you into the river. Some say that she'll force you to live with her for eternity.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaq1j9Co0mG
There is also the legend of a golden table that they can use to lure the greedy.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdIi5BMAF1
"The golden table—"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkaSTxr8VF
"Isn't a myth. It's real. Is that really the first thought that comes to your mind? I tell you that you were almost abducted by a River Mumma and you ask about a Golden Table?" She's not trying to goad me into asking questions — I know that she doesn't want to talk about this — but I think she's just incapable of keeping her surprise to herself. I'd be surprised, too. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoAWMibd78
I sit and think of a better question to ask her, but one that she won't refuse to answer. If she does that again I might jump her. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuIYoraeup
"Um... if I'm human, how would she have gotten me?" What did she plan on doing? 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6q3kuarpT
"Turn you into one." I'm beginning to realise that the answers to a lot of my questions are far simpler than I originally thought. I still have to ask, though. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU2fwmHSkw
"And our rivers aren't exactly wide or long," I continue. "They aren't all interconnected either. How come there aren't any news reports of sightings?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPZ8vIxCqR
"We have underground rivers. Remember that Black River especially is deep. And they know how to not be seen." That's a good point. "Additionally, they're water spirits. They are connected to the rivers of Jamaica. They can teleport." Still, in such a tiny country, I would have expected someone to have seen one in recent history. I've heard lots of stories about Rolling Calves, but no one has ever told me that they, or someone they know has seen a River Mumma.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWzPjCHvaT
I sit and think of anything else that I would like to know about in this situation.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSslCSIXAQ7
"What deal did you have with her?" This is important. This, I have to know., but I also know that there's a possibility of her clamping up. Therefore, it's no surprise that as soon as the words leave my mouth, her face screws up.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESA1OUD3Yp
"Uh..."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYF2YEeHhRT
"You have to tell me that. It's important." My voice sounds demanding, and I can see that she registers it on her face. She looks at me uncomfortably with the expression of someone who badly wants to shit. I would laugh if I weren't so on edge. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVFQapP28M
"It's complicated," she responds lamely. I have to fight myself to not roll my eyes at her. They do move, though, just a tad. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfgzAjoR5j
"That's the worst excuse in the history of life. You're starting to sound like Kwamé." When her face stays the same, I decide to let it go. "It's complicated" should probably be the new slogan for my life. Surprisingly, I don't feel like jumping her. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XXjTB5Nq3
"So about my abilities," I begin, "what exactly can I do?" I guess it's only fair that we switch to something that she's more comfortable with. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uf1TITnMo
"A lot," she answers, becoming animated, glad to be speaking of something other than her dealings with some water creature. "You must have already figured out that you can manipulate situations."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZoqFvkF7g
"Yes." Except for my getting sick the last time we met. "I've noticed that since I was a small child. It's worked to my advantage since."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkcJ8MEdjQ
"Well, you can manipulate more than that. You can make prophecies, and change them. The future is never set in stone."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStizRw5Vwf
Shit. That's a lot of power... the kind of power that I don't know that I want. I don't know if that's good for me — for anyone. That only makes me more interested.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCbs2FjvbH
"Kwamé said... that you can move things with your mind."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQb54seM4l
"Did he now?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47gBsFAWpS
"It was implied." He didn't actually tell me that, after all. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6xV0jBdJw
She looks off to the side pensively as if trying to decide how to phrase her thoughts.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBRaLC68x6
"I'm completely at one with the universe," she begins, sounding more like a monk than anything else. "When that happens, you can feel everything around you — living and non-living. Then, with time, you can learn to... influence things. Without spells."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyiObaSZtP
"So in order for me to do that—"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CNH9MCXDT
"You must first be at one with the universe," she answers. What the hell is this now? Avatar the Last Airbender? It sounds like something she just made up, pulled out of her ass, and knowing her, she probably did. On top of that, that sounds like a lot of work and effort. In other words, it sounds like something that I probably won't do.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoV0i2p6MuT
"I understand if you're reluctant," she tells me, guessing my thoughts correctly, "but it's best if you at least get to understand some of your basic powers better, don't you think?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKaxq5nZp3
I don't know. I honestly don't know how to feel about this. I mean, I'm now interested in learning, but I'm still unsure. It feels partly real, and partly like a scam. Let's say I do this: what if I can't handle the power? Too much power is never a good thing. Or what if I get sucked into some crazy war that's going on among the supernatural? Somehow, I get the feeling that this river mumma isn't done with us yet.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuRfFSa3yr
Isn't done with me yet.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur6vxlGY0p
In other words, I need to learn how to defend myself.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL35e6wBUZk
But if that is the case... then I'm going to need Akatua.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMS8bUSoGs
I feel so conflicted, a feeling that I am no stranger to, a feeling that I've been drowning in recently. It's probably because decisions and such usually come to me with an unnatural ease, but now I'm struggling to figure my life out.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulDNzB4F6Z
But shouldn't this, of all things, come naturally? 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzNwlZrHtj
Damnit.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyP8AgAQnH
"Listen. Don't hurt your head about this right now. Just come back when you are ready to learn."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZeWkwmBrd
When she says this, I don't feel as conflicted anymore. I start to relax, and all thoughts of this river mumma fly out of my head. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5AUMG96fm
"Yes. I will," I tell her, feeling myself relax already. See? I tell myself. No need to worry.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMOEQCyu7S
I lean back into the couch and let my mind wonder — not about magic, but about the possibility of finally having a mother — someone who cares for me. Strangely, the thought makes me smile to myself for the first time, resentment taking a back seat. I've always heard the other children at school talk about the wonders of having parents, and the idea never appealed to me. Now, though, it seems rather... intriguing. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzocSNwqxt
"Nya," she calls, pulling me back to reality. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiVeM9Fqe9
"Yes?" I ask, looking her in the eye. I see my own brown eyes looking back at me, smiling. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF2wl2woMy
Her face smiles warmly at me. "Thank you for coming."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnz1XSloQs
It is in this moment that I realise how much this means to her, how unfair, how selfish I was being for letting my feelings get in the way of making the only person on this earth who possibly loves me happy. It's not even as if it's something hard. She just wanted me to give her a chance, and it is in that moment that I feel a guilt like no other bind up in my chest, making me feel sick. Additionally, everything that she's done — that I've hated her for has been in the name of protecting me. Still, I turned her away. I feel tears sting my eyes as I fight to keep them at bay.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIhxIaGZyx
And Kwamé thinks that he is the selfish one.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQz9y7NNdp
"You're welcome," I tell her, my voice filled with newfound friendliness, and wobbling slightly because of my guilt. Its not just my voice that has changed; my entire mindset is now different. I will not be selfish anymore. I will give this woman a chance, even if she tells lies of omission in a misguided attempt to protect me.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhT8SKnW20
"Awe, Nya," she murmurs, "don't cry, hun." She wraps her arms around me and I return the gesture, tears still threatening.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEzrjAZenA
"It's just, you know," I begin,"I'm sorry," I rasp.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQT65Z74Uz
"Your feelings are completely understandable, dear," she reassures me, rubbing my back.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHtVz50oyJ
This is another thing that I'm not used to: affection. I've been hugged by people before, but it always felt so... unnatural. Akatua's warm embrace, however, is different. Hugging her feels natural. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMh4bbUhB2
At least something feels natural around her.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMECLHArg79
When it's over, I pull back and look at her. I have one request, one thing I need to ask of her.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPZMg5OY7W
"Akatua?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBAGbmTegI
"Hmm?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSRzx3dSRf
I chew my bottom lip for a second as my eyes dry, trying to find the best way to word my thoughts.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr978WYNpOX
"When it comes to telling me things," I begin,"if it's absolutely necessary, for example, if this woman — river mumma — is coming back... stuff like that," I clarify as she nods her head, but still, I have to say it out loud.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAENfgFC1zb
"Please tell me," I ask as she continues to nod her head solemnly. I'm not even asking her to tell me everything, just the important bits.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2NH8wisgy
"That's fair," she agrees. "I will try my best to be honest with you about things like that from hear on out."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrqJJjG9N5
"Thank you, Akatua," I say genuinely. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHrqWXdlR0
"You're welcome, Nya," she replies. It is while looking into this woman's face that I think to myself:718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte46GbPgKJ
Hey, I guess family can be fun after all.
ns3.143.213.242da2
