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Dedicated to the roots of the tree from which a flower blossomed.
“Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey, vanquished in the light of day.”
beasts of prey represent our worldly troubles,” Brother Ugo explained. “Often, we run from painful things and hope that they will tire of chasing us. But in truth, avoiding our troubles simply gives them more sustenance, allowing them to eventually consume us whole. Only when we cast light on them and acknowledge them can they truly be vanquished, allowing our spirits to be free.”
“A wise man keeps his weapons sharp, but his mind sharper.”
It was as though the jungle was feverish, trying to sweat them out of its depths like a sickness.
“Maybe there’s a beauty in the scars,” she said. “Because they’re a reminder of what’s been faced, and what’s been survived.”
Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey, vanquished in the light of day. The light of day. Brother Ugo had told him that the only way to make problems go away was to face them,
“The umdhlebi’s fruit can be eaten and consumed, but not without the tree’s consent; otherwise it becomes poisonous. It is meant to be a lesson. Man is not always entitled to take what does not belong to it.”
“You can’t change what’s already happened,” said Koffi quietly. “You can only change what will happen.”
He wouldn’t be sad to leave the Temple of Lkossa behind, but he would be sad to leave behind what he’d once thought it was.
When the tears welled and fell, he didn’t stop them; he was too tired. All his life, he’d been taught the same things. Men didn’t cry. Warriors didn’t cry. He’d wanted to a warrior, believed that the title and rank would give him something he wanted, needed. Emotion had been a thing to bury without remorse because that was how to show strength. So, he’d buried his pain. He’d spent years burying anything that made him uncomfortable, upset, or nervous, and he’d run from his own nightmares until they’d hunted him down like beasts of prey. He was tired of running too.
