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Amber awoke to the sound of the morning news and the smell of sausages and pancakes. She dragged herself into the kitchen just as Grandma placed a plate stacked with steaming hot pancakes on the table. Fat hotel sausages hung on the edge of the plate.
“Morning, Grandma,” she croaked.
“Hey baby! Breakfast is ready.”
Amber sat at the table, picked up her knife and fork then cut her pancakes into small cubes. She yawned as she picked up the pure maple syrup bottle Grandma always served then drenched her pancake squares.
“I’m glad you’re taking me shopping today Grandma,” Amber said. “I’m eating my way out of my clothes.”
Grandma looked at Amber and shook her head. “What are you talking about? You look like you been on a prison diet. I’m just trying to put some meat on them bones.”
“Please stop, Grandma,” Amber mumbled, her mouth filled with pancake. “I can’t take it!”
“So stop eating.”
“Not a chance!”
Javan met them later that morning, his ever-present smile adding to the bright warm sunshine. They loaded into the jeep then traveled to Shelter Cove, where Grandma spent way too much money on a few items that Amber loved but was afraid to ask for. The next stop was Sea Pines for a leisurely lunch in Harbor Town and souvenir shopping. Amber bought a few more shells to add to her collection and a big stuffed starfish to give to Jasmine as a joke. From there they rode bikes to the South Marina, where to Amber’s delight the ice cream shop was still selling the hot brownies and ice cream with chocolate topping she loved so much. After a quick jaunt to Beaufort for a few special groceries they were back at Sea Pines, catching a local cruise for a sunset dinner and dolphin watching.
Amber leaned over the side of the boat, scanning the waterways for dolphin fins. She saw a grey image break the surface and jumped up and down.
“Grandma, look! I see one!”
Amber searched but couldn’t find Grandma. She walked to the bow and found Grandma sitting near the railing. She gazed into the distance, tear tracks on her cheeks. Amber hurried to her side.
“Grandma, what’s wrong?”
Grandma looked into Amber’s eyes and smiled. “Nothing, baby. I was just thinking that’s all.”
Amber mustered up her strength, squeezing Grandma’s hand tight.
“Grandma, are you dying?”
Grandma kissed her cheek. “No, baby, Grandma isn’t going anywhere just yet. But you and I need to have an important conversation.”
Amber was confused. What would Grandma need to talk to her about that was so important? She had the required womanhood conversation with her mom, which was embarrassing, and her dad, which was downright creepy. She was sure Grandma had nothing to add to those discussions.
Grandma seemed to sense her confusion. “Don’t worry, baby. It will be alright. We’ll talk tonight.”
The cruise lasted two hours but Amber couldn’t relax. She kept trying to figure out what Grandma wanted to discuss that was so important. Maybe she wasn’t dying but wanted to talk about her will. Amber frowned; that was another conversation she didn’t want to have. Besides, that was a discussion for Mama, not her. Maybe she wanted to set her straight about Javan. That thought made her smile. She thought Javan was the perfect man, but she was realistic. She was thirteen; Javan was at least twenty, practically an old man. Every boy she met was held to his standards and so far all of them failed. Now when she turned twenty-one, Javan would be twenty-eight; that wasn’t so bad if she could just hold out.
She giggled; she was thinking like Jasmine. The thought lightened her mood though, so she sat back and enjoyed the setting sun over the marshlands, barely anticipating the talk with Grandma later that evening.
She was tired by the time they settled in at the bungalow but she refused to fall asleep. Grandma seemed to be dragging it out, puttering around the kitchen and doing all kinds of little things as she avoided Amber’s questioning eyes. Finally, at almost midnight, Grandma called Amber to her room.
She lay in her bed, her hair resting on her shoulders and Bean in her arms. She stroked the dog absently, her eyes settling on Amber as she entered the room. Amber sat at the foot of the bed, blinking her eyes as she wrung her hands.
“Yes, Grandma?”
“What I’m about to tell you I’ve never told anyone, not your mother, your grandfather, anyone.”
Amber leaned in closer. “What is it, Grandma?”
Grandma cleared her throat. “I am not from here. I’m from Africa.”
“Africa’s a big continent Grandma,” Amber replied.
Grandma grinned. “These days the land is called Chad. When I lived there it had no name, for no country existed. The land was divided among city-states controlling the trade routes between the north and the south. There were many cities, but my home was the greatest of all.”
There was something familiar about Grandma’s confession. It didn’t take long for Amber to figure out what.
“This sounds just like the stories you used to tell me.”
Grandma’s expression became serious. “Those were not stories, Amber. Everything I told you was the truth. I was telling you about my life.”
Amber sat stunned. “Those were fairy tales, Grandma. Gleaming cities, magic people...” She smiled. “Quit playing with me, Grandma.”
“She tells the truth,” a man’s voice said from behind her.
Amber jumped to her feet then scurried to the head of Grandma’s bed. She turned to see the man from her dream in Grandma’s dresser mirror. He wore a loose fitting white shirt that draped to his knees, covering most of his pants. A white beaded necklace circled his neck and a golden band rested on his clean-shaven head. He bowed slightly and smiled.
“Amber, this is your great-grandfather Jakada, Grand Jele of Marai,” Grandma said.
“Hello Amber,” Jakada said.
Amber’s eye shot back and forth between the image in the mirror and her grandmother’s serene smile.
“This is crazy,” she managed to say. “Grandma, this isn’t funny anymore. Stop it.”
“You know this is real,” Jakada said. “Look into your grandmother like you did her neighbors and you’ll see the truth.”
“But that was a game!” Amber protested.
“Everything you said was true,” Grandma said. “The game was a test to see if you possessed the gift.”
Amber reached her hands out to steady herself. “Okay, okay, this is enough. I want to go home, Grandma. I want to go home now!”
“Baby, look at me,” Grandma said.
Amber cut a suspicious glance at Grandma. “Why?”
“Just look at me.”
Amber stared into Grandma’s eyes. A feeling of calm overcame her as a procession of images flooded her mind. Verdant savanna appeared, teeming with antelopes, giraffes, elephants and other creatures familiar to the African continent. Moments later a small group of people entered from the south, settling near a winding river then building a collection of conical huts. The village expanded quickly, transforming from huts to homes to tower compounds encased by brightly colored walls and separated by wide avenues. She watched fascinated as a grand wall rose around the compounds, becoming the boundary of what was now a thriving city. Her view narrowed as she soared over the city streets, watching the grandeur of the city increase as she drew nearer to its heart. Then she followed a young girl in a bright blue dress and bouncing braids running into a grand tower then into the arms of a man who lifted her high. They turned to face her; it was Grandma and her father.
Amber shook her head and the image faded. Her grandmother could be tricking her; this man in the mirror might just be a hoax or a swindler. No, she decided. Grandma was telling the truth and so was this man who claimed to be her great-grandfather. She returned to the bed, curling up against Grandma but keeping her eyes on Grandma’s father.
“Why did you leave?” Amber asked Grandma.
Grandma sighed. “I was young. I didn’t want the responsibility of my position. I wanted to be like the children I saw in the market place, running free and playing with no thought of their future. I knew I could never have that type of life in Marai, so I stole my father’s Key and escaped the city. Or so I thought.”
“Alake’s life was in danger,” Jakada continued.
“Alake?” Amber’s was confused. “Who is Alake?”
“That is my name,” Grandma explained. “It is my oriki, my pet name used only by those close to me.”
“Your grandmother was destined to select the next Sana,” her great grandfather continued. “Even when she was young it was common knowledge that the Sana was seeing his final days. There were those that wished to take his place but knew she would not select them for their hearts were not true. If she was eliminated the task would fall on the Elders’ council. Many of the Elders have loyalties that have nothing to do with choosing the best Sana.”
“The time has come to choose a new Sana,” Grandma said. “This may not mean much to you and the people of this world, but to the Maraibu this is the most important of decisions. It rests in your hands.”
“Grandma I don’t know,” Amber said. “What if I choose the wrong person?”
“You won’t,” Grandma replied. “It’s not possible. The Seer always makes the right choice.”
“But we have to go to Africa, I mean Marai. What are we going to tell Mama and Daddy?”
“We won’t tell them anything,” Grandma answered. “I have the plane tickets and you have new clothes. We can be there and back before summer break is over.”
“What if I don’t want to do it?” Amber finally said. “What if I don’t want to go?”
Grandma looked at her father and his smile faded.
“It is your decision, Amber,” he answered. “I cannot force it upon you. If I had been wiser we would not need you. If you refuse we will speak no more of this. I will make you forget this conversation ever occurred. But you must know what your decision will beget. If you do not select the next Sana a council of elders will do so. They will select a man named Bagule, a powerful man who had vowed to lift the Veil between Marai and the world. Your world will suffer far beyond anything you can imagine if this happens.”
Amber looked at her grandmother for help and she smiled.
“You know what he says is true,” she said. “You see it in his heart.”
“We’ll be back before Mama and Daddy knows?”
Jakada’s face brightened. “Yes.”
Amber took Grandma’s hand. “I’ll do it.”