Lalani of the Distant Sea

by Erin Entrada Kelly

Come closer. Nestle deep.

In my mind, birdsong sounds like the sweetest drip of nectar. It sounds like the shining sun of all the island’s daughters. It sounds like light in the darkness. A rising moon. It sounds like calm after a peaceful sleep, just before you open your eyes.

“The menyoro’s only interested in two things—being adored and being obeyed. And it seems you don’t need knowledge for people to do either of those. You just need the right words.”

Sometimes you must feel pain, she’d said, stroking their hair. But when you tire from it, tell yourself: I will be okay. I will survive. Even if you don’t believe it. Eventually, you will. Because it was never a lie to begin with. You will. We all will.