The Life of Koru, Chapter 36
(you can donate to https://donate.nifty.org/)
Moving at a steady speed of 6 km per hour, the soldiers of Captain Toure were bound to reach Base 23 in just a few weeks. They were forced to maintain the swift military cadence, so they barely had the chance to admire the world around them, but the landscapes of Province Nigeria were truly beautiful. Verdant forests sprawled in luxurious abundance, interspersed with vibrant green plantations and vast expanses of grassy savannas, each exuding its own unique allure. And the sun, the glorious African sun, casting its golden rays upon the rugged terrain, bestowed an ethereal glow upon the picturesque vistas, enveloping the soldiers' path with radiant warmth.
Soon Captain Toure was joined by other columns of slave soldiers. Each group represented a soldier division and had a Black Lord as their Captain.
Officer Toure had a division of 104 slaves, half of whom were former members of the chain gang of Chief Tariq, so they were referred to as the "Hukunta Squad", because they had a Hukunta brand on their buttocks.
As they moved more and more towards the Northern border, they started seeing sand, then more sand, then only sand. The koru struggled with the incredible heat and their throats were parched as they tried to sing the hymn. These slaves had never been to a desert before and to them it felt like stepping on a completely different planet.
"What's this? What's this?" Mulo asked himself while shuffling his feet through the sand.
Is this where they will all be fighting? No drop of water around, not even a root in the ground to eat!
Up in his saddle, Captain Toure discussed with another Black officer, called Captain Adeyemi.
"How are the things going on the front?" Captain Toure asked.
"Stagnating, really stagnating! We need some young vigorous koru on the field to move things up!"
"My soldiers are ready to die for the Empire, aren't you soldiers?
"SUH, YESSUH, SUH CAPTAIN SUH!" the Hukunta Squad answered.
"Your brutes look very muscular!" Captain Adeyemi noticed.
"They are from Brazil! Plantation beasts, most of them!"
"And so many scars on their backs!"
"They are not very well-behaved, but I assure you, they will fight well!"
With unwavering enthusiasm, the soldiers marched on. Water was scarce in this region and whenever they saw a well, the koru blessed the Black Man in the Sky. A bucket was thrown inside the well and each slave was allowed a few mouthfuls, but not before the horses were watered.
"This place is duller than ye, `bossuh'!" Sleaze told Mulo, looking at the desert.
"And so fuckin' hot!" Mulo said.
"Not hotter than yer mom though!"
"I'se never saw my mom, or I'se don't remember, so..."
"She's a hottie, trust me!" Sleaze winked.
They cuddled in the warm sand ready to sleep after an entire day of walking. Captain Toure and the other Black Lords had luxurious tents to sleep in. The slaves slept outside. Mulo and Sleaze watched the celestial canopy overhead, a breathtaking display of shimmering stars and swirling galaxies. They listened to the shifting sands whispering in the distance. Soon enough, the gentle breeze of the night lulled them into a peaceful slumber.
Getting rid of Tucky was not a great victory. The palace was full of house servants that looked almost like him and they were dressed in the same lederhosen outfit. Also Tucky himself was still to be seen around the palace, although he was only in the gardens.
Tucky was now completely naked, which was way worse because Jared could unwillingly visualize the reasons why Miss Faraja had been attracted to this slave. The cock of this koru was enormous!
And the way Tucky worked with dedication and care seemed suspicious. It almost looked like he tried to reach back to his Missuh through hard work and good deeds.
Sir Jared didn't want that to happen, so when no one else was looking, he jumped with his boots on the patches of flowers that Tucky was working on. He damaged the bushes that Tucky was trimming and broke the branches of the trees that Tucky was pruning. At the end of the day, Tucky was scolded and beaten by the Garden Overseer, for what was perceived as a really bad work output.
It didn't take too much time before the Garden Overseer decided to send him to backbreaking work on the plantations. This happened exactly on the same day that Faraja ordered her future wedding dress.
Faraja spared no expense to ensure she looked absolutely stunning on her wedding day with Jared. She invested a staggering seventy thousand shillings in her dress alone, and a whopping three million shillings to orchestrate the entire event.
Among the cherished guests were her closest friends, the bridesmaids, and her beloved grandmother, Mrs. Nefertari. The enchanting old mother of Governor Hayatudeen stole the spotlight with her captivating attire inspired by Ancient Egyptian fashion, a style she adored emulating.
On his part, Jared invited a lot of friends and relatives and even sent an invitation to Sir Reginald Nnamani, his employer, in order to show him that he was in the grand league now and could be considered an aristocrat, just like Reginald himself.
As for Governor Hayatudeen, he wanted a lot of the high-ranking officials of the Empire to be present. One of his guests was Judge Sayid who seemed a bit shy and elusive, knowing that Faraja had discovered his affiliation with the Hukunta.
"Now where is that goofy boy Tucky?" Mrs. Nefertari asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, grandma!" Faraja said. "I had to punish him for lying, so he is no longer our butler!"
"Lying? What a bad boy! That's not the Tucky I used to know!"
"It's a demented world we live in!" Judge Sayid said. "The koru lie and misbehave like never before, while we, the Black people, are expected to tolerate all of that!"
Nevertheless, the night promised to be fun and optimistic. Sir Jared and Miss Faraja's wedding unfolded in a symphony of opulence and romance. The air was filled with the vibrant melodies of samba and the rich aroma of exotic blooms that adorned every corner of the Governor's palace.
Underneath a canopy of tropical foliage, Sir Jared and Miss Faraja exchanged vows, their words echoing with sincerity and devotion. As they sealed their union with a tender kiss, cheers erupted from the gathered crowd, mingling with the jubilant sounds of jazz and piano music.
Following the ceremony, guests were invited in the gardens to indulge in a lavish feast, featuring an array of delicacies from traditional African cuisine. Tables groaned under the weight of fresh seafood, succulent meats, and an abundance of tropical fruits, while the air was filled with the tantalizing aromas of spices and herbs.
The house servants of the Governor, young handsome koru dressed in impeccable lederhosen outfits, ran back and forth bringing plates of food, glasses of wine or different extravagant desserts.
Some of them were asked to entertain the spectators with dances and acrobatics. They had to take their clothes off and perform in the nude, very happy to hear the cheers, the applause and their muscles being praised.
When the bride tossed the bouquet, none of the bridesmaids could catch it. Instead it landed on a chocolate mousse that Judge Sayid intended to enjoy, but couldn't, so it made him swear in his comical distinctive lisp.
Then, at the very end of the wedding, when it was already morning, there was the so-called "throwing the scraps" ceremony. A large group of plantation slaves was brought from the field under the balcony of the palace and they had to kneel and bless the wedding while the bride threw some food scraps at them.
"Thank ye, Great Missuh! Praise ye, Great Missuh! Bless the wedding, suhs!" they said.
The plantation slaves were the typical brutes, primitive, ugly and as dirty as you would expect, but among them, Faraja saw a familiar face -- Tucky.
The spoiled boy had changed a lot ever since he was taken to the plantations. He had an unkempt beard and the wild eyes of a hunted animal. He had bruises, cuts, he was covered in grime from head to toe. It was clear that he had been beaten and possibly raped by the other koru and it was also clear that the overseers had whipped him hard for being inexperienced in the fields.
"Tucky! Why are you in this crowd? I thought I sent you to work in the gardens!" Faraja said.
"He has been moved to the plantations for disciplinary reasons!" an overseer explained.
"Without my permission? Look how beaten-up he is! That's it! I am taking him back in the house! I am sure he has learnt his lesson!"
But Sir Jared was not of the same opinion. He took his gun out of its sheath, pointed it to Tucky's chest and shot, a terrible quick bullet that made its way into Tucky's vulnerable flesh.
"Jared, what the actual fuck...?" Mrs. Faraja said, unable to finish her sentence.