The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town (15 page)

But when the keeper of this Hall of Assembly saw that the Mother was coming, he hastily opened the large doors. As she entered, the rest of us followed her. Then she went direct to the altar where there was a strange mighty organ. The organist who sat ready before the organ was a very short and
corpulent
man, but he seemed in his uniform exactly like a very big red bird with a large comb on his head. So the Mother sat at the right of the organist who was just like a big red bird, her Covenanter sat at the right as well. The paramount chiefs sat on well-stuffed long benches opposite the Mother. The
attendants
sat at their back, while I sat at the back of the attendants.

Then as soon as every one was seated, I continued to look at the “bird-like organist” and also at many other fearful things which were in this worshipping hall or Hall of Assembly. So in this HALL OF ASSEMBLY OF THE
WITCH-HERBALIST
OR THE OMNISCIENT MOTHER, there were
more than one million big racks. Each of the racks contained thousands of large pigeon-holes. It was in these pigeon-holes that different kinds of medicine were kept ready for use by the people of her Remote Town, and also for use by the whole people who brought their burdens to her. All of these
miraculous
medicines were prepared from herbs, etc. The dispensers of the Mother who worked in the dispensary were more than two thousand. But to my surprise, when I looked at the “bird-like organist” of the Mother very well, I saw that he had a beak which was about one metre long and it was curved inward so that it was thick in a strange way. He had large wings, claws, etc. like that of a bird of prey. He was banned from playing the organ if he was not in his uniform.

It was in this hall that the Mother, her paramount chiefs, her attendants, the whole people of the town and all the burdensome people were worshipping every morning and evening. But if one of the burdensome people failed to attend the service even once during the period of one year that he or she would stay there, the Mother would send him or her away from her town without helping him or her to take his or her burdens away.

As I continued to look at all the wonders which were in this hall, the whole people of the town, and all the
burdensome
people who were more than three thousand, entered the hall. And every one sat on benches and then kept quiet. Then I saw that the Mother stood up suddenly. She walked into one small dressing room which was at a little distance from the strange organist. After a while, she came out in a very fearful dress. To my fear, this Mother had changed to another terrible thing—a monster? This I could not confirm yet. Her head was exactly like that of her “bird-like organist”, but her powerful eyes remained as they were and her frock was as it was, although she had wings like that of her “bird-like organist” and both were deep red as well. This was her normal dress this evening.

As soon as she walked out from that small dressing room,
all of her paramount chiefs, the attendants, the Covenanter, the people of the town and the whole of the burdensome people hastily stood up and waited in attention until the Mother walked gently to the altar. Then she sat down on the high and large chair which was close to the altar and the mighty organ. Then we bowed for her before we sat down. So I continued to look at every part of this hall with wonder. But as I was still looking at the strange objects which were hung on the walls, the noble men and women of the Witch walked in procession from outside to the hall. All sat on the special chairs which were next to the right of the Mother. It was at this time I knew that the Mother and paramount chiefs, etc. were waiting for the other members.

These noble men and women of the Witch were dressed in very costly garments, which were their uniform. Each of them was very old and both men and women were bald. But as I still fastened eyes on these noble men and women with great wonder, for they were terrible, I heard suddenly the sound of a mighty bell from the outside of the hall. The sound of this bell was like that of the church. Then as soon as the sound of the bell was heard, the “bird-like organist” of the Mother first swelled out his large wings and both nearly covered the mighty organ. But as he was ready to start to play the organ, the Mother, her paramount chiefs, Covenanter, attendants, the noble men and women stood up. I too stood up later, when I saw that all the people of the town and the other burdensome people like myself stood up.

Then without hesitation, the Mother together with her chiefs etc. began to sing the song of praise with one voice as the “bird-like organist” began to play the organ to the anthem in different tones such as treble, alto, bass, etc. And it was at this time I understood that this “bird-like organist” was the organist of this worshipping Hall of Assembly. To my surprise, as soon as each verse of the song was sung to the end there was a great applause. Although the song of praise was long, it was so fascinating that the Witch-Mother and the
rest of the people left their seats, they mixed up and then they began to dance, and they were clapping with great joy as they were jumping here and there in the hall.

But after a while that I had listened to this fascinating song and the fascinating music which the “bird-like organist” was playing to it, I did not know when I joined them to dance with great joy. At this time I had forgotten my burden which I brought to the Mother. This meant for me that: “The
drunkard
has forgotten his poverty and sorrow. But he comes back to his usual sadness as soon as he is conscious.”

It was so that the whole of us danced with great applause for about one hundred and twenty twinklings like a mad man. But as soon as the Mother announced loudly that every one should stop dancing and go back to his or her seat, we did as she ordered us to do and she too went back to her seat. Then she announced loudly again that we should kneel down and close our eyes. When we did so, she praised the God Almighty for about twenty twinklings. Then she told us to sit back on our seats. But I wondered greatly that all of the songs which we sang were from the Gospel Hymn Book. Although the people called her Witch-Mother, she did not pray to the witches but to the God Almighty. It was not idols, gods, images or witches that they worshipped in this Hall of Assembly.

So having rested for a few twinklings, hundreds of waiters brought delicious food and drinks of various kinds from the kitchens which were not too far from the Hall of Assembly. They served the food, drinks and cold water to every one of us. So after we had eaten and drunk to our entire satisfaction, we rested for a while. The Mother and her Covenanter, in his uniform of crimson, stood up. And at the same time the other people including myself stood up as well. As soon as all of us had bowed low for them, both of them walked into the dressing room. After a while, both of them walked out from the room with a very slow step. The Covenanter, who had now dressed in another kind of uniform, was in front of the
Mother. He held up one long mace. This mace was a complete skeleton of a human and he himself was dressed in the skin of a lion which covered his neck down to a half-part of his body.

The skull of the lion was on his head and it was just like a helmet. So his head downward to the half-part of his body was not visible. But the Mother who was following him with a slow step was also more terrible to see at this time. As they walked out from the dressing room, the whole of us stood up and we bowed for them until they walked slowly to the altar. But when the Mother sat on her seat, and her Covenanter stood up with the mace of the skeleton of a human in his hands in front of the “bird-like organist”, then we sat back. After the whole of the people and the Mother had kept quiet for some twinklings as if we paid respect for one who was dead, the Mother stood up again. She told us to kneel down, and then she prayed to the God Almighty for more than sixty twinklings.

After the prayer, she told us to stand up and every one of us did so. Then we sang and danced together for some
twinklings
as the “bird-like organist” played fascinating music to the song. After that, the service came to an end at midnight. And then the Witch-Mother told one of her servants to take me to one of the vacant guest houses which was at a distance of about three-eighths of a kilometre from the Hall of Assembly. So as the servant began to lead me to the guest house, the Mother and the other people returned to their houses. But to my surprise, the “bird-like organist” did not leave the Hall of Assembly as all of the other people did, but I believe he lived there.

After some twinklings, the servant led me to the vacant guest house and he told me to put up in one of the rooms. But he warned me seriously before he left that I must take great care of the cruse in which the Mother was going to prepare the juju-soup which would make my barren wife pregnant. As this room had already been equipped with
sufficient amenities, I lay down on the soft bed and then I slept, as soon as the servant had left.

When I woke in the morning, I went to the Hall, and I was shocked to see that the whole people of the Remote Town and thousands of the burdened people had gathered in the Hall and all were ready for the morning service. So I thanked my “Supreme Second” greatly for helping me not to be late for the service, otherwise the Mother would drive me away from her town that morning, because it was against her law. If one or more of the burdensome people failed to attend the morning and evening services even once for the period of one year that he or she was staying there, the witch-mother would not take his or her burdens away.

Then after the morning prayer, we ate and drank to our entire satisfaction. After that, all of the burdensome people returned to their guest houses. And the Mother, her paramount chiefs, noble men and women and the attendants with the Mother’s two tigers, went to the palace. They kept themselves there ready to receive the new burdened people who would arrive that day.

When I returned to my room, I sat on the back of one large image of an eagle. But I had hardly sat down when I raised my head up and I saw the images of various kinds of birds which were hung on the walls of the room. These images were so carefully carved from superior wood that one who did not fasten his or her eyes on them well would take them as living birds. Having looked at them with wonder for a few twinklings, I stood up, I walked to the outside of the room. So when I saw that hundreds of guest houses were on the same lines as the one in which I was put up, then without hesitation, I walked into one which was next to mine. In that house I met more than one hundred people who brought their burdens to the Omniscient Mother as well as to myself, and they were waiting for the period of one year after which the mother would attend to them. As I met these burdensome people in that guest house, I greeted them with a cheerful
voice. But only a few of them answered and the rest only shook their heads. They could not answer my greetings
because
their burdens were so severe that they were unable to open their mouths and reply. I left them at the same time and I walked to the front of the house, when I saw that their burdens were more than my own. Then I entered another one of the houses. Although I met several hundreds of the
burdensome
people in it, there was none of them who answered my salutation at all. Their burdens had paralysed every one of them. So having seen them in this condition, I returned to my room. I sat on the usual image of an eagle, and then I began to recount all the punishments, difficulties, hardships, etc. which I had encountered before I reached the Remote Town.

But my first “mind” and second “mind” who were my partners and advisers, hastily consoled me as soon as I wanted to become sad when I thought of these things. Of course, my “memory” recorded this down for both “minds” as “a good behaviour”, although it did not overlook their past offences.

One day, two days, three days, it was like that I began to count the days on and on until one year was reached. But when there were two days away from reaching one year, the Mother announced to all of the burdensome people, as soon as the morning service was ended, that she would attend to all of the burdensome people who would have completed one year in two days’ time. She told us further that we must be in the hall at the eighth hour of the morning.

But it was hardly the eighth hour of the morning when the whole of us who had completed one year rushed to the hall and sat quietly before the arrival of the Omniscient Witch-Herbalist, her paramount chiefs, noble men and women,
attendants, servants and her dispensers who were more than two thousand, her “bird-like organist” and her Covenanter. So as soon as they had arrived in the hall in their special fearful uniforms which were for this important day, but excluding the Mother and her Covenanter who were not yet in their uniforms, the Mother and her Covenanter stood up and walked into the small dressing room. Then both of them dressed in their special uniforms which were for this important day. But their dresses this morning were so hideous that many of us who were burdensome people nearly fainted for fear. Then as soon as she sat on her seat she rested each of her feet on the back of each of the two living tigers. And her Covenanter who held high up the mace of the complete skeleton of a human stood near her, and the “bird-like organist” got ready to play his usual fascinating music.

Then without hesitation the Mother and her Covenanter sang a kind of fascinating song, while the organist played very lovely music to it. After, the Mother called loudly the surname of a man who sat near me. She told him to come before the altar. Then the man stood up with fear and wonder, because he was extremely surprised how the Witch-Mother knew his name. But when this man stood up and started to walk to the altar with the noises which the bones of his body were making, the rest of us shook heads with great pity because he had already dried up to the bones. But as every one of us still fastened eyes on him with wonder for his appearance, which was too gruesome, the Mother who was omniscient asked him to tell her the type of his burdens.

Then this skeleton man explained to her: “Since I attained the age of ten, it has happened that the more I eat the more I feel terrible hunger. Having seen this, I began to eat every five twinklings but this did not help at all. Instead, I began to get lean gradually until I became lean to the bone. So when the people of my village saw this my dreadful appearance, they drove me away from the village. So I began to live in the bush with the bush animals. And it was when I was fifty
years of age, I heard from one man who advised me to come to you to help me!”

When this skeleton man had told the story of his burden to the Witch-Herbalist like that, and all of the paramount chiefs, and the rest of her members saw the hideous
appearance
of this man, they breathed out heavily with grief. The Mother and her members and the rest of us who were the burdensome people fastened eyes on him for more than ten twinklings. Then the Mother told him to come nearer to the platform of the altar. So this skeleton man began to struggle to climb the platform on which the Mother sat near the altar. But alas! this skeleton man could not climb it at all because he had become a real skeleton, although he was breathing.

Having struggled with the great noise which his dried
skeleton
was making, and having reached the place where the hands of the Mother could reach him, he stopped. But when the Mother examined him, she found in fact that he had already dried to the bone. So the Mother and her members condoled with him upon the loss of his muscles for many twinklings.

Then the Mother performed a certain expiation for him first. After that she told one of her dispensers to bring from the rack a certain red ointment. When the ointment was brought, she gave it to the skeleton man and she told him to rub all his skeleton body with it. But to the great surprise of the rest of us who were the burdensome people, this skeleton man had very fresh muscle all over his body and he became fat as well at the same time. But when this man saw that he had become as a man should be, he did not know when he jumped high up and down, and then began to dance and sing with great happiness which could not be described. Having done this for a few twinklings, the Mother stopped him. She told him to return to his village at the same time. Then this happy man prostrated before the altar and praised the
Omniscient
Mother for bringing him back to the man who had
muscle on his body. But the Mother hastily told him not to praise her but God Almighty.

As he wanted to start his journey back to his village, the Covenanter of the Mother told him to promulgate to the people of his village who had saved him from his burden. Then this man bowed for him and the Mother and also for the members of the Mother with great respect and happiness, and then he left the Hall of Assembly.