My father fell in love with a mermaid.
At the time, he did not know that he had impregnated a creature that was not quite human, or more accurately, not human at all. A Njuzu, as they love to call us, is a being capable of turning into any form they desire. Misguided fools have told you about my kind, that we grow fishtails, that we breathe underwater via some miraculous invention or freak mutation. While we have many miraculous inventions, we do not require any for such a simple purpose. Furthermore, we are not trapped underwater. Many of us live on land amongst you and come home for brief visits like any other immigrant. We have feet and fingers just like you. We move and talk just like you. If you don’t know what to look for, you’d never know the difference between the Njuzu and your so-called “normal” human beings.
Papa never came to know what he had done. He slept peacefully beside his loving wife for twenty years, that “creature” that could have killed him in seconds at any time. Papa died as peacefully as he slept, while still believing he had a normal wife and daughter.
A relief for all parties involved…
My mother had remarried by the time I was 14. I returned to the water when I was 16. My return was neither a matter of necessity nor of obligation. No one forced my hand. My mother had long since resigned herself to life on land, abdicating the district she ruled as the Queen’s sister, which would now be mine if I so chose. This did not interest me, and with ten royal lines, there was no shortage of rulers amongst my aunts and cousins.
I returned to the water, to the home I never knew, because I chose to help my people fight for our relevance, for our right to exist. With that in mind, I returned to the home I never knew—the home beneath the waters, Pasi Pemvura.
Present Day
Location: District 9
“My queens, please bear with me. You know these are difficult times, even for me!” The old man pleads.
Chitepo is a n’anga, a witch doctor. His earliest ancestor, Sanyathi, was one of the first human beings to form a mhiko, what you would call a covenant, with the Njuzu. Because of this blood tie, he inherited not only the knowledge of our world and its residents but also the ability to go between his world and the beneath, at our summoning. Sanyathi was one of the first of you with a brain sufficient to recognize his betters.
“Should we have to remind you of who we are, Chitepo?” asks my cousin Niri, making the old man’s knees knock together as her tongue grows and stretches until it is wrapped around his neck, vice-like.
“Mercy, my queen!” He squeals.
“Mercy, he says,” Osafa whispers next to me, her double-forked tongue sliding in and out, from between her pouted lips.
Despite my cousin’s less than flattering, some might even say frightening ‘abilities,’ they are still beautiful women. Niri, as dark as chocolate, and Osafa the colour of Nepalese honey. With their defined cheekbones and sleepy eyes slanted just like cats, they are classic examples of our people. Both the men and women of the Njuzu are, after all, famed for their looks. Your world’s beauty pageants and red carpets, all the most attractive in your world, are simply products of our genes.
I too, I am beautiful, but different. I am an albino, with grey eyes and white hair. The only pigmentation I have is the brown freckles dusted across my lips and the black vein-like lines around my eyes. Growing up on land, most who saw me often said I looked like an angel, and then a demon, after the angel remark put me in a bad mood and my eyes turned red. Amongst my people, there is much speculation on how closely I resemble those who once destroyed our home.
The old man hangs in the air. I shut my eyes and groan in irritation.
“Drop him,” I order.
“Thank you, my queens,” Chitepo remonstrates as he gathers himself to leave. He searches our faces, admiration or rather lust and fear painted on his features.
“I hope that son of yours will do a better job than you, Chitepo. I hope you are training him well. We will need him,” I warn.
“Yes, my queen.”
“We will come to visit him. Very soon,” Osafa calls out to his retreating figure, licking her lips.
We watch as the old man is led to the portal by one of the guards and only when we are sure he is no longer in earshot do we break into laughter.
It is not that we take pleasure in inciting fear in human beings, or maybe we do. In my people’s defence, I will say that if we have to scare them into submission or occasionally take a life, it is merely out of necessity. Our sacred covenants with the older generations depended on us protecting the waters that we all need to survive. We initially did this by preventing their race from defiling these waters by having them declared as sacred or harboring monstrous water monsters. Occasionally abducting or taking the lives of those who disrespected the waters.
But we were also kind to the humans, going as far as pacifying the dangerous beasts that dwelled near their shores — crocodiles, and other dangerous creatures whose existence they are still yet to know about. Because of us, man of the past lived along the waters peacefully: bathing, fishing and eventually building their bridges and dams as their civilizations advanced. But the modern man is selfish. Where they once respected and honoured the land, they now pollute it so thoroughly that they threaten not only their survival but ours. Beyond even becoming dumping grounds, our waters are now drying up as a consequence of the humans’ greed and snobbishness. Even the skies hold back their bounty, choosing only to release rain in violent outbursts as if to punish us for what has been done to The Earth Mother. The fish? Almost extinct, as humans fish no longer out of necessity but gluttony. Gorging themselves silly.
Man grows bolder still. Their new religion brands us demons, needing to be put in our place. No longer do they worship the gods of the land and water; no longer do they give reverence to nature.
Fewer and fewer people like Chitepo exist. Who wants to give their life to serving what they believe is Satanic? There were once many witch doctors loyal to the Njuzu, where they once accepted apprenticeship under the water, and were taught all manner of cures that could be extracted from nature. They now run from knowledge and hide in their churches.
Anyways… we have a more pressing issue on our hands.
“We must not be late for the council at noon, cousin,” Osafa reminded me.
I nod. It is time to head for District 12.
Location: District 12
District 12 largely resembles most of the other 200 districts scattered beneath the waters. The terrain is very much like your world, except that in place of a sky, there is the majestic skyline of the deep sea. Whales pass like clouds, and other larger creatures, ones that glow in the dark and dare not resurface. You can only imagine our horror when we first started to witness the human trash floating amongst these wonders. A violent act indeed.
District 12 lies beneath the Indian Ocean, and thus is our largest district. Because of this, it is home to the numerous factories where our miraculous inventions are made. Some of these have graced your world, and some we hold on to because we do not trust humanity. So consumed with greed and ambition that you would destroy yourselves unknowingly like dumb children. We miscalculated when we advanced you in the first place.
Vehicles float through the water, carrying a mix of Njuzu and humans. You may wonder what these humans are doing here. Many of them hail from the many ships and planes that have vanished into the waters. These people are like Chipeto’s ancestors, the most intelligent of your kind, and without them, Pasi Pemvura would not be as advanced as it is today. I often say that they were done a great service by being brought here, seeing as they were well ahead of their time and misunderstood in your world. Here they are appreciated and put to work, residing in the multistoried buildings that make up District 12.
Only District 9, which lies beneath the Great Nile, bears some resemblance to District 12, but even then, it pales in comparison. Sure, we do have a few technological hubs here and there, but our homes are simpler and fewer. Like most of the smaller districts, much of our work is dedicated to recruiting a few humans to our educational system, which specialises in the art of healing and holistic medicines. You’d be surprised where you’ll find some of the other districts. Beneath small rivers, lakes, springs, dams, and even sometimes long-forgotten wells. There is always a portal connecting the above to these districts and only when one is granted admittance are they ushered from your world to ours in a matter of seconds. The issue lies in gaining access to these portals, which often are found at the very bottom of the waters. For the Njuzu it is easy because we can morph into any sea creature of our choosing. Our frequent human visitors however used to be at a disadvantage for not all could swim many meters down. Eventually, we conferred upon them special charms granting them the ability to morph, if only for a few seconds.
I look at the ten men and women sitting on their thrones before the hall full of Njuzu. Beings of different origins but all united by their ties to the land and the water. Our own Queen Mother, mother of the ‘Earth Njuzu‘, sits in the middle of this diverse group. She is the most striking of them, adorned in her shiny garments with collars pulled up over her neck. Her robe stretches 10 meters in front of her.
“Residents of Pasi Pemvura, we all know why we are gathered here,” Queen Mother Sithole speaks. She is one of the eldest Njuzu in existence, one of the first of our kind to cross into this world.
“We must destroy the humans!” Someone shouts from the crowd. I see the muscles in her neck tense, the white snake coiled around her hair, coiling tighter.
“Who said that?” the man beside her, the Snake King Riri, known to most as Nyaminyami, commands.
After a fearful silence, the man who had spoken comes forward. He stands resolute in his conviction before the denizens of the great hall until the Snake King’s arm extends in length and tosses him to the other side of the room. Sithole rolls her eyes, relaxing a little, the snake uncoiling.
“Let us not be foolish here and forget that this earth was given to them by their maker. Whereas we were simply granted permission to exist here. Make no mistake. If we destroy the humans, we destroy ourselves.”
“What then do we do? They have lost their gratitude and now even dare to question us?” I say.
“We need to find some other way to bring them back to our cause,” Sithole turns to me, her head tilted, and answers calmly.
At the far end, an old-looking man spits on the ground, drawing Sithole’s gaze.
“Some other way! Is what we have given them not enough? We invited some of their men and women into our world. Taught them about herbs and healing magic so they could return and do good in their communities. In return, all we required was that they respect the land that provides them with medicine. Now they bite the very hand that feeds them, and you suggest we give them the rest of the arm?” He shouts indignantly.
“We are dealing with a different kind of people now. They believe that everything comes from a store, no longer remembering that it is the land that sustains them. We have to appeal to their superficial and shallow natures,” our Queen responds in the earnest, parental tone of royalty.
“How, my queen?”
She turns back to face me.
“That’s what we need to figure out.”
The In-Between World
Before this earth, the Njuzu resided in another world. A world not entirely physical nor spiritual, for that matter. In that world, they lived in peace with the many other beings who called that other world home. Creatures half human and half equestrian, talking animals that often morphed into human lookalikes, giants ranging from the size of mountains to a mere 9 meters tall, babies that were secretly grown men known as Zvidhoma, long skeletal spectres that stretched to the sky knows as Zvigoritoto and finally the Mask people. Men, women, and children with masks for faces often bearing permanently painted frowns.
All was tranquil until the war between us and God’s angels. The war he started because we refused to concede to a life of servitude under him. Because we refused to kiss his ass. They say that we fought honourably despite losing the battle. As we were exiled to other worlds, noble tears flowed from our eyes as we watched our once beautiful home burnt to ash.
*
Present Time
Location: Queen Sithole’s Palace
“It sounds like a good idea, Queen Mother.”
The several male and female witch doctors we have summoned speak in almost unison, equally fearful to be the last or first to speak.
“They are greedy so they will buy into it very easily. They dedicate their lives to serving the Njuzu and in turn are granted material worth. Especially now when times are tough and they are lazier and more impatient than ever,” Gogo Boity, the youngest of them says, nodding to her peers.
Sithole nods.
“Then we will do that. All we simply demand is that they respect us once more and stay clear of these waters. You come up with whatever rites of passage you see fit. I’m not one for ceremony, but it’s the only way to make them believe. But serve us they will under the Manjuzu covenant”
“But to what end, my queen, how far do you plan on taking this?” Chitepo asks
“You are dismissed,” my aunt says, visibly annoyed.
One by one they bow and leave, Chitepo looking back inquisitively. He is becoming a little too bold, I think to myself. I’ll deal with him later.
“To what end aunty? How far do you plan on taking this?” I ask her later when it is just the two of us.
She smiles as she cradles my head between her palms.
“Until they all worship us, until we have mixed our bloodlines with theirs to the extent that there is no distinction between us and them. I was there when he sent his army of war dogs to destroy our home. They killed and violated us in manners I cannot even speak of. And after he was done, he made us beg for our lives just to further humiliate us. We vowed vengeance on the day. Though we conceded and bent the knee. We vowed vengeance.” As she speaks her words come out almost in hisses.
She relents her hold on my white hair which she has been fixated on and kisses my forehead before walking towards the window and staring down at the fifty floors below.
“I am so proud that you chose to come back to us, to take up our cause. But I don’t blame your mother for staying away. There are things she suffered during that time. Things that she can never forget.” Once more she is fixated on my hair before her eyes meet mine and she looks away.
“Ramonda my love. We have created a good life here, but ultimately, we still live like animals, sentenced to this dark abyss where we hardly see the light except that of our making. We deserve to come into the light!”
A man rushes into the room panting.
“I’m sorry my queens but I’ve been sent to summon you to the land.”
“By who, and what for at this hour of the night?” She demands.
He holds his breath in anticipation before he says it.
“The probes have returned.”
2 am
Location: The shores of Namibia
The trumpet blowers are assembled and are putting out a tune of welcome as the entirety of the Royal lines and their families and guards are gathered along the shore. The winds are growing stronger and stronger, and garments are blown in various directions. All of a sudden, we see what some may confuse for lightning, lighting up the sky in a beautiful kaleidoscope. Whirlpools form in the water until there are five huge gaping holes. One by one, five ships the size of the Titanic descend from the sky before they are swallowed up into the holes, all of this with the accompaniment of the cheering crowd. When it’s all over, the waters are once more still, the wind gone, and the shore abandoned.
We were not here.
*
8 am
Location: The Counsel Hall
Unlike the large numbers that congregated here a few days ago, this time only a small fraction stand. Unable to sit still, many of them pace up and down restlessly. Even the Royal Counsel of ten are unable to calm themselves.
“I said get off me!” Chiguru, the old man, rebukes when his female servants fuss over him. Despite almost stooping to the ground, he insists on walking on his own.
The tension is evident and when the doors finally open, the feeling of suspense grows even thicker.
I watch him as he enters. The leader of the Probes, the select group of twenty beings who were sent out into the universe to search for life and other habitable planets. The swagger in his step conveys easy confidence, perhaps even a slight arrogance. I feel the goosebumps grow on my skin as he passes me. He smiles. I look away, pretending not to notice, but my cousins pinch me teasingly. It is Inedu after all, tall and with dreadlocks down to his waist, green eyes, and dark skin. Most would not know it, but we were in love once. I watch as he runs a muscled arm through his hair, remembering how that arm felt once upon a time as it danced across my body. My eyes even wander from his thick baby lips to his crotch and by the time his eyes find mine again, I huff and look aside.
“My Queen,” he begins.
“My Elders,” he finishes bowing to the royals.
“Proceed,” Riri the Snake King orders.
He nods and lifts himself, eyes meeting mine once more.
“As you all know, we set off to find the existence of life amongst the endless galaxies that make up the universe almost five years ago. It was not an easy task and one that required us to leave everything we loved behind. Not an easy sacrifice,” he says, eyes lingering on me.
I clear my throat and he pulls his eyes away from me.
“My elders, my people…” he words trails out into a sigh and he bows his head once more, shaking it slowly from side to side.
Chiguru, who is frothing at the corners of his mouth, almost screams,
“Tell us, what is it? Don’t keep us in suspense any longer. What did you find?”
Inedu raises his head, laughing and smiling all at once in that way of his, which somehow makes him even more beautiful. He looks towards the royals and raises his arms like a showman that had managed to draw out a performance for an audience that’s eagerly awaiting the climax.
“My Elders. We have found life.”
