AncilChapter 30: Anansi The Trickster
The giant spider hadn’t caught on to us yet as he strolled merrily along a pathway through the dark forest with his cane singing old Calypso songs, unafraid of anything. It was relatively late at night and it was pretty dark outside but Anansi was prepared. It was probably a pathway that he was accustomed to walking along because it was too well prepared to be makeshift. There were cocoon-like web structures hanging from the trees that lit up a pathway and the grass was also lower and neatly trimmed on the path where he walked.
He did look back sometimes but Sara and I kept out of sight by hiding in the darker areas of the forest. It was a great way for us to keep our eyes on him without being seen.
I kept telling Sara that we should turn back but she completely ignored me every time, keeping her sights on Anansi who could easily pummel her with one spray of his powerful web. She occasionally grabbed some FuzGrainz from her pocket and threw them into her mouth in order to keep her energy up. For a sick girl she was really strong and persistent. She ate just enough food to keep her body weight in check. She wasn’t fat like she used to be but she wasn’t a skinny twig blowing in the wind either. I admired her strength and persistence. You would think that as a sick girl she would be bedridden but on the contrary; I don’t think she had slept since we got to Caura. You could see the lack of sleep in her face and movements however: baggy eyed, wrinkled face and staggered movements. She needed sleep. I contemplated grabbing her against her will and dragging her back to the house. She would definitely have hated me for it, but I was strongly considering it nonetheless. While I was contemplating whether or not I should grab her, Anansi stopped walking.
He had stopped on the bank of the Caura River which meandered through the forest. There was only a small part of the river that was lit and there were obvious movements in that area of the river. The movements were small but I could clearly see the water circling and bubbling.
“Mama Glow!!! Oh Mama Glow!!” Anansi shouted.
The movements in the river increased and the large head of a snake emerged from the water. The head, which was about the size of two human heads came out first and the long body of the snake which was a bit thicker than its head came out afterwards. At first glance it looked like a really big and slimy Macajuel. However, as the river water fell from the snake’s body it began to change into something else. A human. A woman. A woman with long silky black hair, bronze skin and a long dress that seemed to be made of some sort of snake skin fabric. She had completely bare feet and her dress stopped about two inches above the knees. Her apparel was exquisite, but it was the woman herself who caught my attention. She was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life and I had seen a lot of beautiful women, especially on the television and internet. Her long hair, well-shaped body and blood red lipstick made it almost impossible to look away.
“You call my dear?” Mama Glow asked.
“Yes yes. I need your help.”
“Anything for you Ananssssi,” she hissed, her voice slow, suave and seductive.
“I have some kids and a couple adults in my house.”
Mama Glow licked her lips and I cringed.
“I fear that is only a matter of hours before HE finds them.”
“By HE you mean…….”
“Shhhhh!!” Anansi said. “Don’t say HE name. The forest have ears and it will hear and tell HIM that we talking about him.”
“Who you think HE is?” I asked Sara softly.
“Shhhhh!!” She shushed me impatiently.
“Ssssso you want me to protect them from HE?” Mama Glow asked as though she was really intrigued by Anansi’s request.
“Yes, only for the night. Keep HE busy,” Anansi answered.
“Asss I said, anything for you my dear. I’m very good at keeping men busssy,” she hissed seductively.
“Thank you. I’d check you tomorrow night again,” Anansi said before turning to walk back to the house.
“On one condition?” Mama Glow shouted out to Anansi who was already walking away.
He turned around. “And what is that?”
