ENTWINED DESTINY (BLANK WORLD)

She spaced into the sky from a wooden bridge, watching the yellow sun set. A gentle breeze slightly blew up her gown and hair, reminding her that there was a flowing river below the bridge. She was only fourteen years old with a lot of questions in her mind. Right from childhood, she had done nothing but to be inquisitively enthusiastic about everything around her because she was isolated from the real world to the blank world where nobody exist except animals. No form of education whether formal or informal. The young girl folded a thick paper in the form of a canoe without knowing what it was then lowered it to the river with a rope, watching it sail with the current of the river. Suddenly, footsteps came from behind to her side. She glanced at the owner then concentrated again before breaking the silence.

"Jessica, why does the sun move?"

The old woman hesitated for a while to find a convincing explanation. She smiled at her saying, "The sun doesn't move, Amaya, rather the earth moves around the sun."

"Who made the sun?" Amaya was still inquisitive.

Jessica held one of her shoulders. "I've told you, everything you see come naturally."

"Even us the humans?"

"Certainly but not really. Soon you'll know how humans are formed so you can form yours."

They kept quiet while Amaya roamed her eyes around the environment to see a few male and female workers hired by Jessica to do some domestic and farm work which was mostly the source of their daily bread in the blank world. She turned to Jessica for the last time saying, "Why are we the only humans in this world?"

"It's a long story, Amaya."

Amaya glanced at the sun-set again. "Jessica, I have a feeling that where the sun is going are other humans like us."

"No, Amaya. I've told you the sun...." she paused when the young girl raised her gown up for the woman to see not only her pant but the blood-stain on it. That was the first time Amaya experienced it, hence, she had no idea what it was or the cause of the blood flow from her private part. Therefore she began to panic.

"What's happening to me, Jessica?" She obnoxiously became more inquisitive, shedding tears.

"Amaya, pull down your cloth. There is no cause for alarm. You're just witnessing your first..." once again Jessica was interrupted by Cynthia, a young lady, who just arrived.

"Jacob is here to see you, Jessica." she announced, instantly, presumed Amaya's state of being. Cynthia was like a Nanny to Amaya, the closest maid who guides her on basic activities. So she didn't need a susayer to inform her that Amaya needed to be cleaned up. She held her by the hand, "Come on, Amaya, let's go inside"

Jessica silently watched them as they were leaving. At the end of the bridge was Jacob, an old man, coming to meet her. "Cynthia!" Jessica called the lady who turned immediately. "Calm her down and teach her how to use a sanitary pad" she ordered.

Jacob's movement on the wooden bridge was like that of a bride walking down the aisle according to the sound of a trumpet. He critically observed Amaya with a smile when they passed him before proceeding to Jessica. He wore a black hat, a jacket over a strib longsleeve shirt and a bogus trouser. On his feet were hard shoes too, an addendum to his 'cow boy' appearance. When he speaks, his deep voice overshadows any other sound from creepy insects like a croaking frog. He stopped before the old woman, staring at her intensively.

"It's time, Jacob." Jessica broke the silence, turning her back on him and walking towards the other end of the bridge, while Jacob followed her side by side as she continued. "The long awaited day has come. Amaya is sexually ready. She just experienced her first menstruation"

Jecob glanced. "So early?"

"It's already late. I expected her to develop this sign earlier before now. We must start arranging how she must meet her twin brother and naturally fall in love with him."

"We should give them more time. At least let them come of age like sixteen or seventeen."

Jessica stopped walking and looked straight into the old man's eyes. "There is no time, Jacob! Her sexual hormones are ready. Or is Sunday, the twin brother, at fourteen, unable to produce sperm that can fertilize an ovum?"

Jacob remained quiet.

"Listen Jacob" Jessica continued, taking a few step closer to him. "These twins must fall in love, have sex and born for this ritual to be successfully completed. The idea of bringing them to this blank world is to deprive them the knowledge of a family, the knowledge that family members, especially twins can't be sexually attracted. I've done nothing in the past ten years but to answer hilarious questions from Amaya just to cover the truth of life..."

"So am I from Sunday, Jesaica" Jacob interrupted.

"Then let the main purpose of this ritual begin coz we're left with only six years."

Jacob groaned, taking a walk out from Jesaica in a way he turned his back on her, took off his hat and rubbed his hair haphazardly. He turned to her after taking a deep breath. "Before Amaya meets her twin brother, don't you think both should have a sex education first? Let it be the only education and truth we have ever told them because they need it for a successful sexual intercourse."

Jessica was pleased by the idea. It could be seen from the smile on her face. "Well said." She concluded.

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Amaya stood stack naked before Cynthia in her room like Eve before Adam in the garden of Eden. One could see her sprouting breast and pubic hair around her erogenous zone. There was no electricity thoughtless of an electronic device. The source of illumination was a candle light and lamp. The young girl watched Cynthia open a sanitary pad, getting ready for an application. She never hesitated to ask her what it's use for. Of course the lady told her, though absentmindedly. "..it will help absorb the blood to prevent stain from your underwear." she added.

"Why do I bleed from there?"

"Because you're a female. Every female bleeds from there a few days in a month unlike the males."

"Unlike males?"

"Yes, sexual organs differs according to their purposes."

"I don't understand, Cynthia."

"You'll soon understand, Amaya" she began to teach her how to apply the pad starting with her underwear. She Stick the pad in the underwear using the sticky strip on the back, stretched it to her to wear, making sure the surface elapses with her vagina. Amaya did exactly as she said. Apparently, Cynthia surged forward to leave the room but Amaya's voice stopped her, though never turned.

"Why do I have this feelings that everyeone is lying to me especially Jessica?"

Cynthia turned. "Nobody is lying to you. Mother Jessica can't lie to us"

"Who is a Mother? I mean why did you call her that?"

Hearing the question, Cynthia began to tremble, knowing very well she had broken the rules of the blank world which says that you must call everybody by their names. Now, forcefully, Cynthia had to explain the meaning of 'mother' to Amaya. She swallowed hard, turned to clutch the doorknob but Amaya couldn't let her go.

"This is what I just said, Cynthia: lies upon lies. Why are you neglecting the question?" She quietly observed her to see one of her legs quivering. So she lowered her voice. "You're exhibiting a sign of fear. It happens to me when I think I've done something wrong which could provoke Jessica to hit me. What are you afraid of?"

Cynthia exhaled deeply to stabilize the rate of her heartbeat, slowly turning around like a controlled robot. "Listen, Amaya, a Mother is... is... uh.. an older female.. hu.. who takes care of others"

"What of older male?"

"Father"

"Like Jacob?"

Cynthia nodded her head then left the room instantly. The punishment of her action is death. She knew it, even though she fed Amaya with the wrong answer. 

Just as Amaya was cleverly putting the two words together to make more meaning, she screamed and fell down due to menstrual cramps.

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Same evening In the blank world, at Azra, a bit far from Kezra, Amaya's residence, Sunday rushed out from the house like a rat on a life race. The building was a storey one, made with woods but strong and beautiful. Jacob had not come back, therefore Lucky, a young male who is also the closest to Sunday the way Cynthia is to Amaya, ran after him.

"Sunday!" He exclaimed his name coz he couldn't risk to have something happen to the young boy otherwise punished severely by Jacob. During the unexpected race, he saw Sunday running into the river which flows from Kezra through the wooden bridge where Amaya lowered the paper. Now you can tell what the young boy was running after: the paper. Bravery, he jumped into the river and was able to get the paper before Lucky arrived.

"Sunday, what was that for?"

The young boy didn't reply rather gazed at the paper critically like he could make out something from it. He was as smart as his twins sister whom he had never seen or even know that he's closely related to her. How could he had known when the kids don't know what it is to be a blood relation and the tradition guiding a blood family relationship? No, they couldn't because the truth was hidden from them.

"Sunday, go inside and dry yourself" Lucky commanded.

He looked at him and stretched the paper to his face saying, "What comes to your mind when you see this?"

"Danger for you and i. Throw that away and lete's get out of here" Lucky held him by the hand. He knew what he was preventing: the wrath of Jacob. Though Sunday followed him but never let go of the paper.

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REAL WORLD

This is a modernized and technological world, geographically surrounding the blank world. But the blank world is almost impossible to be located as if it's invisible.

Mrs Kate drove along a road with Valentine, her seventeen years old weird son who hardly talks rather exhibit strange behaviour that can't be explained by any professional doctor, be it medical or native. She hastily applied the break-pad of the car when she once again saw the son quivering in the front seat with his his eyes closed. She pulled over.

"Val!" She yelled his name. "Val, what is wrong with you? Open your eyes!"

The teenage boy open his eyes, sweating like a Christmas goat. He looked at his Mother saying, " They stay here"

"Who?"

Valentine rushed out of the car, running to a house found by the roadside, followed by his mother. He briskly entered into the house without knocking at the door to see an old woman knitting in the living room.

"Who are you?" the woman startled up, dropping the wool and spock. Yet, Valentine never answered as he looked around the house like a god suspecting a sudden attack.

"You cried bitterly in the forest with the pregnancy" he began like a prophet while the woman listened carefully with Mrs Kate who just arrived. "You cried out to God for a saviour who would help you deliver. Though God answered your prayer, but your children were taken." He looked at the woman to see her shedding tears.

"Val, what are you saying?" The mother whispered.

"Please, how do you know this?" The woman walked closer to Valentine with tears. "I never saw my baby..."

"Babies" Val interrupted. "They are alive but the chances of seeing them lies with them. It isn't gonna be easy. It might even cause a war." he concluded while the woman fainted....