Read Online Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu - Free Book Online
Authors: Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
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your dada hair?" I asked.
"Why don't you cut yours?" Nsibidi replied.
"No!" I said. "I would never ... you didn't answer my question."
"You haven't asked your real question," she said. "I can tell."
"But Iâ"
"I cut it because it grew too heavy to bear," Nsibidi finally said, her voice lowering. "The funny thing was that, for me, it wasn't really about being dada. The hair was just a symptom."
"S-s-symptom of what?" I asked.
Nsibidi looked away.
"What is your question, Zahrah? What is it you came back here to find out?" Nsibidi suddenly snapped, looking me right in the eye. Normally, I'd have clammed up in that moment.
The caged parrots all stopped chattering, looking at Nsibidi. And the man selling them spoke more loudly to keep the attention of an interested customer. He'd found someone willing to buy a multicolored parrot, and he didn't want to lose his chance to be rid of the belligerent bird.
I unconsciously stood up straighter at the sound of Nsibidi's commanding voice. Suddenly Nsibidi looked ten feet tall, tall as a tree.
"I ... I ... oh." I glanced at Dari, who nodded for me to continue. I took a deep breath, and then my words came like water through a bursting dam. "I think I can fly or something, I can float, it happened when I got my menses, I was near the ceiling, oh I am
terrified
of heights. Am I a Windseeker? I think I am. Do you know the word? We read about it in the library. What do I do? What do I
do?
"
I stood there, tears in my eyes, terribly embarrassed at my babbling. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding hard. I wanted answers so badly, but I was so nervous.
"Practice. Nothing good comes easy," Nsibidi whispered, her eyes wide with shock. Then she nodded, looked up at the tarp, and smiled. "Learn to love the place up there. The rest will come when you want it to. " She paused, her dark eyes burrowing into mine. "You understand?"
I just stared at her. It was all too much information to process so fast.
"You
understand,
" Nsibidi said more loudly and sternly.
I blinked and then nodded slowly. Nsibidi and I stared at each other for several moments. It was the strangest feeling. She knew what I was talking about. She must have lived it all, and she had answers. I felt stunned, speechless. All I could do was just stand there. I wanted to remember her face clearly for when I was home thinking about all she said.
"Can your parents fly, too?" Nsibidi finally asked.
"No," I said. "Just me."
"Both my mother and father are Windseekers, as I and my brother. I've
never
met any others. And you have no idea just how much I have traveled. It's funny. You're afraid of heights," Nsibidi said with a laugh. "How ironic."
She paused for a moment.
"I first cut my hair when I was sixteen because I didn't understand what it was to be a Windseeker," Nsibidi said. "Didn't change what I was, thank goodness. It was just hair and vines. Zahrah, there are things about being a Windseeker that are tough to handle, but that's for when you're a little older. For now, just know that you shouldn't bother resisting the urges you'll have. Now that you know what you are, be ready for things to start."
Obax tapped Nsibidi on the shoulder and handed her a piece of paper on which he'd written many symbols. Then the baboon pointed at the necklaces around her arm. Nsibidi read the paper.
She frowned. Then she plucked one of the necklaces from her arm. It had a green leaf pendant. She looked from me to Dari and back to me. She then reread the paper.
"Great Joukoujou," she whispered, placing her hand on her forehead.
"What?" I asked.
She only shook her head.
"It's best that you don't know," she said. "You two ... hmm ... Obax wants you to have this charm, Dari. You'll need it."
I wanted to ask why again but decided against it. I didn't think she'd answer me anyway.
"Um, OK," Dari said with an uncertain smile. He looked at the charm as it twinkled in the dim light. It was very pretty. "Thankyou very
"Why don't you cut yours?" Nsibidi replied.
"No!" I said. "I would never ... you didn't answer my question."
"You haven't asked your real question," she said. "I can tell."
"But Iâ"
"I cut it because it grew too heavy to bear," Nsibidi finally said, her voice lowering. "The funny thing was that, for me, it wasn't really about being dada. The hair was just a symptom."
"S-s-symptom of what?" I asked.
Nsibidi looked away.
"What is your question, Zahrah? What is it you came back here to find out?" Nsibidi suddenly snapped, looking me right in the eye. Normally, I'd have clammed up in that moment.
The caged parrots all stopped chattering, looking at Nsibidi. And the man selling them spoke more loudly to keep the attention of an interested customer. He'd found someone willing to buy a multicolored parrot, and he didn't want to lose his chance to be rid of the belligerent bird.
I unconsciously stood up straighter at the sound of Nsibidi's commanding voice. Suddenly Nsibidi looked ten feet tall, tall as a tree.
"I ... I ... oh." I glanced at Dari, who nodded for me to continue. I took a deep breath, and then my words came like water through a bursting dam. "I think I can fly or something, I can float, it happened when I got my menses, I was near the ceiling, oh I am
terrified
of heights. Am I a Windseeker? I think I am. Do you know the word? We read about it in the library. What do I do? What do I
do?
"
I stood there, tears in my eyes, terribly embarrassed at my babbling. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding hard. I wanted answers so badly, but I was so nervous.
"Practice. Nothing good comes easy," Nsibidi whispered, her eyes wide with shock. Then she nodded, looked up at the tarp, and smiled. "Learn to love the place up there. The rest will come when you want it to. " She paused, her dark eyes burrowing into mine. "You understand?"
I just stared at her. It was all too much information to process so fast.
"You
understand,
" Nsibidi said more loudly and sternly.
I blinked and then nodded slowly. Nsibidi and I stared at each other for several moments. It was the strangest feeling. She knew what I was talking about. She must have lived it all, and she had answers. I felt stunned, speechless. All I could do was just stand there. I wanted to remember her face clearly for when I was home thinking about all she said.
"Can your parents fly, too?" Nsibidi finally asked.
"No," I said. "Just me."
"Both my mother and father are Windseekers, as I and my brother. I've
never
met any others. And you have no idea just how much I have traveled. It's funny. You're afraid of heights," Nsibidi said with a laugh. "How ironic."
She paused for a moment.
"I first cut my hair when I was sixteen because I didn't understand what it was to be a Windseeker," Nsibidi said. "Didn't change what I was, thank goodness. It was just hair and vines. Zahrah, there are things about being a Windseeker that are tough to handle, but that's for when you're a little older. For now, just know that you shouldn't bother resisting the urges you'll have. Now that you know what you are, be ready for things to start."
Obax tapped Nsibidi on the shoulder and handed her a piece of paper on which he'd written many symbols. Then the baboon pointed at the necklaces around her arm. Nsibidi read the paper.
She frowned. Then she plucked one of the necklaces from her arm. It had a green leaf pendant. She looked from me to Dari and back to me. She then reread the paper.
"Great Joukoujou," she whispered, placing her hand on her forehead.
"What?" I asked.
She only shook her head.
"It's best that you don't know," she said. "You two ... hmm ... Obax wants you to have this charm, Dari. You'll need it."
I wanted to ask why again but decided against it. I didn't think she'd answer me anyway.
"Um, OK," Dari said with an uncertain smile. He looked at the charm as it twinkled in the dim light. It was very pretty. "Thankyou very
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