The water was cold. Aisha loved it. She and her friends ran out the water in a game of hide and seek. Their laughter filled the air. Aisha hid behind a rock. She closed her eyes and waited to be caught. She counted to fifty and opened them but there was no one.
‘I’m getting good at this game.’
She thought pleased with herself. She closed it again and listened. She heard nothing but the flow of water in the river and the birds chirping. Aisha ran to the stream, it was empty. Her friends were gone; the other children that were washing and swimming were gone too.
‘Halima! Amina!’
No one answered. Tears streamed down her face as she continued screaming their names.
Aisha woke up with a scream. She looked round the room. Her friends were really gone. Her mother had told her,
‘Aisha, you can’t play in the stream with your friends anymore. You are a woman now.’
She had wanted to tell her uwa, she was just nine years old. How could she be nine and be a woman like her.
Yesterday morning, uwa had dressed her in expensive beautiful lace. uwa said she looked like her.
Aisha tried not to think about the snake. The evil alhaji, uba said was her husband had put a long huge snake inside her. The pain had been unbearable. She had screamed for help but no one came. He had removed the snake and told her she was very sweet as he laughed.
She hated the snake. She brought out the dagger she found in the room. Her heart beat faster. She looked out the window, it was night. She heard the door handle turn. He had said he’d come again tonight. Aisha was ready. The snake must die!