The Unaffected Resolve is an ongoing fantasy/action graphic novel series that takes you into the mind of Lisa Sagini, a lieutenant in the Kenyan army, her apprentice ,Orville Mukau, and the mysterious cat creature that accompanies them through their adventures as they try to survive the horrors thrown against them, and to do that, they must have a resolve stronger than steel. It must be …Unaffected. Follow the saga to find out what happens.
Humphrey draws a tale about Lisa Sagini, who is in the Kenyan Army. The story starts with a bang, a cat creature carries Lisa on it’s back, and that had me going what’s next. Very strong strokes on the art, Osoro clearly defines each of his characters. The tone is a bit darker than I’d like, but still it does not take out from the story, which leaves me waiting to see what more is in store for Lisa Sagini.
I have mad love for the otaku culture! There was a time I thought I might start drawing a manga, but writing is more exciting for me. Instead, I read comics and manga avidly. I was excited to get to know this little gem, and from our 254 region. I hope to see more from Humphrey, soon!
People don’t realize the earth is…alive, her grandmother would say.
Before…when her grandmother was young, the world was lush green. Thick trees grew tall, so tall, one couldn’t see the highest branch. Green grass in fields, vast and wide, as far as the eye could see. Her grandmother would run down the hill, to the valley where the fresh spring flowed. The water sweet, cool and clear. So clear, the rocks in the riverbed were visible.
Those days, her grandmother would say that all she needed to do was scoop water in her hand and take a sip, drink a gulp, dunk her face in the fresh spring water and drink her fill.
There was no need for machines to clean water.
Not like now, Mira thought, her gaze on the clear glass of water on the table.
All her water came in bottles sold at the supermarket. She was thirty and had yet to see a clear spring or river, one safe for her to dunk her head into the precious water and drink her fill. Mira gagged at the thought of dunking her head into the Nairobi River for a drink. The river was sick with muck, garbage, waste….God knew what else…one sip and she’d end up in the hospital with poisoning.
Her grandmother’s stories sometimes sounded like lies. Yet she knew, her grandmother would never lie to her. Mira believed her when she spoke of lush green fields and tall trees.
On days like this, she wanted a taste of the water in a clear fresh spring. Mira took the glass and drank deep. It was hot outside, and she still needed to go to the market.
Letting a sigh escape, she got up, wore her hat and took her purse and a light bag she used for shopping. She stopped at her door to wear the nose mask that had turned essential in the past year, then left her apartment.
The sun was hot. Scorching hot. Mira walked along Ngong rd heading to the junction mall. Pedestrians she passed wore similar nose masks, their heads covered with hats and dark eyeglasses.
The masks were for the dust. In a frenzy of progress, the country had lost eighty percent of its tree cover. Forests, fields of green and lush valleys replaced with forests of sky scrapers, apartment buildings and factory buildings. The rivers had turned to muck-filled waters thanks to the factories dumping at will without regulation. The streets became filled with trash, as the population increased and no garbage regulations were imposed. Garbage, muck, chemicals in the air…no trees, the air changed, the soil changed…the earth started dying and so did the people.
She was lucky.
Mira worked in one of the factories that manufactured portable home-water cleansers for those who could afford them. Water was an essential commodity. One that the entire nation needed to live. The water cleansers brought in enough revenue to keep the factory going. It was a good job, a secure one.
Her job allowed her to afford an apartment that provided clean water, air conditioning to escape the relentless heat and sealed doors to keep out those who couldn’t afford it.
Her people were killing the planet with progress. The reduction of trees had led to a drastic rise in temperatures. Summer weather turned deadly, those living in the semi-arid areas suffered first. The heat spread through the nation like wildfire, it dried the rivers and lakes. By the time the government started responding to the crisis, essentials like water had turned into a precious commodity peddled by opportunists. Water was the new Oil. Oxygen, the second highest money-making commodity.
Air conditioned houses were an essential now. No living soul could withstand the heat at midday. Unfortunate souls caught in the daily heat wave met their deaths within the hour if they couldn’t find air conditioned shelters. It wasn’t easy as the government commissioned shelters got overcrowded. This daily scramble to get into these shelters was even more deadly.
Mira shivered. She made a conscious effort never to be outside at midday. Once, the newspapers were filled with stories on politics, now they were filled with the death toll numbers from the daily heat wave, the severity of water shortages, and what to do to escape the heat.
Mira reached the supermarket. She stowed away her nose mask, just as she saw customers running to the vegetable stands. Vegetables were a rare commodity. She caught a glimpse of leafy greens and found her self running too. Slipping in to the throng of struggling bodies, she slipped under a thin man’s arm and reached out her hand to the shelf. Her fingers searching, searching, then they closed over a bunch. She gripped it tight and fought hard to pull out of the human scramble.
When her hand was free, she hugged her bundle tight against her chest in case an opportunist tried to take it away from her. She kept walking and didn’t stop until she was in the canned food section.
A smile escaped when she saw the bunch of fresh green spinach in her hand. She hadn’t seen one of this in three months. The price on it was high. One thousand shillings. More expensive than chocolate. Lord knew how long it would take until she could get her hands on another one like this.
Fresh fruits and vegetables were hard to come by. Mira headed to the water aisle and got a ten bottles which she put in her cart for the week. She took one bottle and stared at the label. The ice-caped mountain, with flowing streams and green trees on it’s hills seemed surreal. She doubted anyone in her generation had ever seen anything so beautiful.
No wonder her grandmother insisted that the earth was alive.
‘If we had only stopped killing the trees, stopped abusing the earth by dumping garbage, pumping gases into the sky at will…my dear Mira, you might have seen how clear a spring can be,’ her grandmother would say. ‘I miss that sweet water I tasted, my girl. Nothing like this garbage you drink.’
Mira sighed and placed the bottle into her cart.
She too wished for that sweet spring in her grandmother’s past. If only she could heal the earth…
***
Thanks for reading!
Days go on, this week a prompt on writing for the earth. Collect the garbage, don’t cut your trees, and ride a bicycle or walk to the bus stop. Love the Earth as she’s alive.
Prompt: Three children are sitting on a log near a stream. One of them looks up at the sky and says…
The Hyena’s Marriage
Three children sat on a log near a stream eating sweet ripe mangoes from their grandmother’s garden. Mango juice ran down their chins, but none of them stopped to wipe it away, too eager to savor the taste. The sweet delicious feast was oddly exciting, as they had to climb the tree to get the mangoes. After their grandmother explicitly told them not to climb the tree.
The fact that they had not listened to her, and had then gone to climb that mango tree, with the threat of her finding out, made the mangoes all the more sweeter.
Now, one of them looked up at the sky and saw an old hawk fly by in a hurry.
“Where do you think Kito is going?” the boy asked.
“To cause trouble no doubt. Why?” the girl in the middle asked.
The boy wiped his chin on his sleeve and stared at the mangled mango seed in his hand.
“Kito was carrying a sweet potato vine in his beak. Where do you suppose he is taking it?”
“You’re seeing things, Munya. Why would a hawk carry a vine?”
“I don’t know.” Munya shrugged, licking on the mango juice escaping between his fingers. “Aren’t you curious, Lena?”
“No.
Munya sighed. He was the curious one. Everyone in his home knew it. He asked too many questions and got into trouble because of his curiosity. Once, he asked his mother if being curious was a bad thing, but she smiled and said it was the best way to learn.
Oh well, Munya threw away the mango seed and stood. He went to the edge of the stream to wash his hands, otherwise he would be sticky all day. Besides, their grandmother would take one look at their sticky fingers and know they stole her precious mangoes.
“Lena, Karua, don’t forget to wash your hands,” Munya said. “Grandmother might really beat us with that cooking stick she waves this time.”
“Yesterday, she wanted to hit me with it when I forgot to close the chicken coop,” Lena said with a giggle as she rushed to his side.
Karua moved slower, he was the youngest in the family and often followed Munya and Lena on their adventures. Munya worried about Karua more than Lena, because Karua was slower. He didn’t like running as much as Lena did. Lena was a tomboy, or so their mother said. Whatever that meant.
“I want to know where Kito was going,” Munya said, looking above the trees near the stream.
The small forest near the stream bordered their family’s farm. Their mother and grandmother often sent them to collect firewood. That was how they met Kito, the old hawk that lived deep inside the forest.
“Let’s take Karua home first,” Lena said, watching their youngest brother splash water in the stream.
“That will take too long,” Munya complained. “Kito moves too fast. Please, I’ll look out for him.”
“You said that last time, and I ended up falling behind taking care of Karua.”
“Lena, I promise I won’t leave you alone,” Munya said. To convince her, Munya went to Karua, took his left hand, and led him toward the forest. “See, he’ll walk with me. Let’s go, Kito is surely going to cause trouble. I want to know.”
“You’re going to get us in trouble,” Lena complained even as she followed them.
Munya ignored her and with determined footsteps, led them into the forest. Sunrays from the sun shone in intervals, breaking through the tall, tall trees with leaves that sang when the wind blew. Soon, Munya noticed they weren’t the only ones in the forest heading in the direction Kito had gone. Rabbits raced by, each carrying a gift in its mouth. Monkeys laughed overhead, swinging from tree to tree. More birds flew by, and the great big elephant who sometimes came by the stream for water stomped by.
Each animal carried a small gift, and Munya wondered if he’d been wrong about Kito going to make trouble. They soon came to a clearing and Munya clutched Karua’s hand tight when he started tripping over a stone. Lena took Karua’s left hand and together they steadied him. They looked up to find the animals waiting in a circle in the clearing.
The silence was unusual, even the chattering monkeys sat in silence on the edge of the circle. Munya glanced above and saw Kito resting on a low tree branch next to them.
“Old Kito,” Munya said, his voice in a loud whisper.
“Shh…” Kito answered, not looking at him.
“But…” Munya started only for Kito to fly off his branch to land on Kito’s right shoulder.
“Stop making noise,” Kito said, dropping his sweet potato vine.
Munya caught it before it touched the ground.
“What is going on? Why have the animals in the forest gathered?” Munya asked, trying to keep his voice low.
“You’ll see,” Kito answered. “Here it comes. Look to the sky, my noisy friend.”
Munya and his siblings all looked up in time to see the sun’s rays dance into the middle of the clearing. Bright and pretty, they were golden yellow and almost blinding. Munya gaped when he saw two hyenas walk into the clearing from opposite sides. They moved slowly, and only stopped when they met in the middle of the clearing.
Before Munya could ask what the hyenas were doing staring at each other in the middle of the clearing, a light rain started and all the animals cheered.
“Munya,” Lena said, her tone amazed. “Look, it is raining and sunny at the same time.”
“Yes,” Kito answered, his voice too pleased. “The Hyenas are getting married.”
Munya smiled in wonder as each animal walked to the two hyenas in the middle and left an offering close to them. Munya lifted the sweet potato vine he held, looking at the old hawk.
“Why did you bring a sweet potato vine for the hyenas?”
“So they may have a prosperous and long life together,” Kito answered.
Munya gave the sweet potato vine to the hawk and watched him take it to the new family. The animals then included them in celebration and Munya and his siblings had a fun and exciting afternoon celebrating the hyena’s marriage.
***
This post is part of the East Africa Friday Feature entry. Still going with the writing challenge. I went out last week and it started raining while the sun was out and I remembered this story my grandmother used to tell us.
Funny ha-ha
Do you consider yourself funny? What role does humor play
in your life? Who’s the funniest person you know?
6- Laughing until my stomach hurts
When was the last time you laughed until you felt you’ll pee your pants?
Think about it. Really stop and remember that moment, and why you laughed until your stomach hurt and tears filled your eyes. Laughter is the best medicine in any situation, yet it is so rare. Sure, you can chuckle or give a small laugh when you think something is amusing. However, honest to goodness, laugh-out-loud laughing is precious. An awesome laugh is spontaneous and when it happens, gosh-darn, I fall in love with the person who made me laugh that way. Why? Coz, I remember that laugh for days, weeks, hell even months, because it was just so good laughing that way.
The funniest person I know is a cousin I consider our big brother. I’ll name him J. J is one of those guys who can get you to laugh until you pee your pants. I love it when he visits us because he always has the best stories to tell. He’s lively and genuine. I appreciate him because he has seen my family go through some tough times, and strange times, and no matter the situation, he always manages to make you feel like it will be okay. I have had some amazing laughs thanks to J, so this post is my small shout-out to him.
Geez, I think it is important to laugh often. If you’re not genuinely laughing, find a cat video if you have to and laugh. #Be happy.
***
Day 6 – On the importance of a good laugh….our society these days is so serious, unforgiving, and downright mean at times. We need to focus on the smiles, and laughs…the genuine kind.
5 – Moments that leave you like “I can’t believe I said that!”
There are times when conversations replay in the head days later and embarrassment hits like a ton of bricks. Of course, if you have never had these moments, then you are super confident. Plenty of these flashbacks happen when you least expect it. When it happens to me, I just laugh and people sitting next to me think I’ve gone crazy.
For this challenge, my flashback conversation is not a conversation but a scenario. Excitement often takes over during group activities. I had the privilege of finding myself in a group setting lately. I always think, ‘wow, we could do so well with this.’ My imagination can start scenarios and complete them in a minute, the end result, perfect. I often forget imagination is often not in sync with reality. At a meeting with this group of people, we came up with an activity of sorts. Everyone got an individual’s number and you had to call your partner between meetings. Sort of like a ‘big brother-small brother thing‘ I thought it was a fabulous idea. The excitement was high, being one of the people advocating for this partnership project, I was all about getting to know your partner.
“Call your partner, get to know them,” I’d say every time we met in the group setting.
Weeks later, I meet up with a few people in the group and I ask how the partnership thing is going.
“Are you guys calling each other, maybe even meeting?”
A scoff came in answer and to my eternal shock, I find out a chunk of people in the group don’t want to participate in the project. The chunk is greater than half, almost three-quarters….wow! I was tooting a horn no one wanted to hear. Standing in this same group weeks later after this discovery, I had nothing to say…cheeks flaming…nothing came to mind.
When I think about it now, it’s probably not a moment to be embarrassed about, but that I completely misunderstood the group vibe with this activity hits me at odds time.
Day 5 – Forced to dig deep and talk about moments I would prefer to forget. These challenges are turning into therapy. Still interesting to continue…
Leave a Post-it note in a secret place. One sentence only. What do you say? How does the placement affect the message?
Day 4 – Nostalgic Adventures
When I was young, my family would visit my maternal grandmother every holiday. My siblings and I would spend one whole week running down luscious green hills, getting thoroughly muddy, and in the evening, grandma would entertain us all. It was a carefree time, we all loved how close we were then. This closeness dissipated with time though: growing up pulled us apart as distances increased. My grandma passed away, and the magic of visiting her highlands seemed to disappear.
My Nephew photo bombed us from the back ^_^
This weekend, we went back there, and it was amazing looking at that place now. The hills are still as beautiful as I remember, flowing straight down to a gorgeous river. I went walking with my nephews and nieces, we had a good time running up and down, enjoying ourselves. Almost like old times. So, my post-it-note: I would leave it in that place. It would read, #NeverForgetOurDaysHere.
Day 4 – This was all fun and games, loved every minute of it.
If I could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be and why?
3 – Featured Bananas
My word would be the phrase, ‘I can’t.’
This phrase is the source of unhappiness, discontent, anger, discouragement, hate, and all negative scenarios that come to mind. When people say ‘I can’t’, they block the way to what can happen. A lot of time is wasted on this phrase, so a future, and a present without the word ‘I can’t’, would lead to wondrous possibilities.
The bananas in the picture are a counter to this phrase and challenge. Since I told someone I can’t feature bananas on a writing blog. Voila! Here is a bunch of bananas hanging on string, and I ate two of them on the way home after taking this picture.
***
My Day 3 is task-oriented, and required an opinion and an action. I enjoyed some bananas thanks to Day 3. May you have a wonderful weekend ahead!
My sister woke me at the crack of dawn today. I don’t do well with mornings without coffee. This determined fire cracker got me out of bed, dressed, and out the door…all these without a cup of coffee. I give her props for the feat. I’m incredibly unsociable without coffee. The world always seems like a serious battle zone, and everyone talking is the enemy racing it at me with battle axes, arrows, swords and machetes. I was a disgruntled zombie. My focus only on what I have to do to get to point B, and anything extra turned into an annoyance.
We were heading to a finance master class my sister runs, the venue today was along Ngong Rd. The matatu driver was plugged to the loudest reggae music I’ve heard yet. The treble in that joint turned into a small torture device. I was a tad disoriented when we arrived at our destination.
Of course, my little task master knows me well. We ended up in the lovely Cakes & Muffins restaurant along Ngong road. Minutes later, I got my hit of house coffee, and the world righted. I’m starting to think coffee can be used as a weapon against me.
The master class started an hour later than we had planned and in the short span of time it ran, the ladies in attendance turned into my inspiration. Women in business inspire me on most days. These ladies were no exception. Starting a small business is often the most difficult task one can take up. The challenges always out weigh the merits, but meeting these group of ladies, the waking up was worth it.
The talk on managing cash flow ensued. You would think the topic would be enough to get them sleeping, but everyone was wide-eyed, and taking notes. Then, the conversation started, and I got a first class seat to women facing real struggles in their businesses. The baking industry has grown in Kenya. Breaking into the industry requires more than bravery. Contenders face stiff competition from fellow bakers, and consumers who are well educated in the type of products they want. Despite the challenges, these ladies are focused, and determined to keep going despite these struggles.
When the class was over, one of the ladies comes up and says, “Thank you, so much. Thank you for doing this, it keeps us going.”
I smiled at my sister, because she’s the determined firecracker who made this day worth it for a half-dozen women, and there is nothing more powerful than that for inspiration.
***
*matatu – public PSV
Day 2, the goal today was to hit 400 words talking about what happened during my day. I had a good time meeting the ladies today at the masterclass, and their stories truly made me smile. Fighting!
A bird whistles in the distance, melodious beauty cuts through the heavy veil of sleep. Senses alert, the freezer in the living room hums to life. A series of mechanical whirls fill the silence of the house. They said the thing would be silent that first day at the showroom. The humming continues, the sound low but hardly silent…score for the sales man. The humming cuts off five minutes later, the silence is surprising…welcome. Once again, the bird living in the tree right outside the house whistles…or was he still whistling?
Sleep beckons, that sweet delicious wave of sleep only found at six in the morning. A glance at the clock—that square-faced, faux-gold piece that is now twenty-five years old, still faithfully counting away the minutes— shows that it’s twenty-five minutes until six-thirty. Eyes close, stubborn will clings to the comfort of warm blankets. Nose buried in the wool-rich blankets, fingers clutching tight to the edges, contentment fills as once again I’m caught in the magical world between awake and dreams.
A heavy weight drops on my legs, and a sigh escapes. Four paws trail a massage up my back, and loud purring fills the quiet. Suki, the cat, is awake…
When the purring doesn’t work, she proceeds to dig her paws into the blankets.
Step, step, dig, dig…Suki’s purring volume increases…wake up, wake up.
Suki steps a rhythm on my back.
I hold the blankets closer. A peek at the clock, and it’s only six fifteen…not time yet. Ignoring Suki’s vicious alarm clock, I close my eyes and desperately cling to that sweet sleep. How was that dream going again…?
Ah yes—
A heavy weight drops on my head, enough to grab me away from sweet bliss. I push the covers away and raise my head slightly. Suki sits on the floor, her dark irises round and large in the morning light. Her gaze is expectant. She thinks she’s won with her hit and run…I smirk.
My head finds the pillow again, this time I turn away from her, and make sure to cover my head well with the blankets. The faithful clock says it is six twenty-five. I’m getting my five minutes in.
My nose is cold. The temperatures are their usual low this early in August. The thought of a shower is not appealing. Closing my eyes, I seek that delicious sleep again…five minutes and then I will wake up.
Two minutes in, the blankets are warm again…the dreams right on the fringe.
Suki jumps on me, again. Her purr is soothing, her weight on my arm friendly. She lulls me further into sleep…and then, she’s pawing at the blankets covering my head. Her claws sink into the heavy blanket and the tips meet skin, I sit up in a hurry and she jumps off fast.
She sits on the floor…smirking at me.
My blankets are thrown aside, the warmth sucked away by the frigid room temperature. There’s no getting that back now. Damn minx has won this round.
I glance at the clock and scowl, Suki won at six twenty-seven. She meows, the sound of it urgent. She’s hungry and wants food, now. I feel robbed of three delicious minutes of sleep. Giving a loud yawn in answer, I get up and chuckle when Suki leads the way to the kitchen.
***
This is Day One of the writing challenge…came up with this in fifteen minutes. I think it went ok. Will see how it goes tomorrow. ^_^
graphic novel series that takes you into the mind of Lisa Sagini, a lieutenant in the Kenyan army, her apprentice ,Orville Mukau, and the mysterious cat creature that accompanies them through their adventures as they try to survive the horrors thrown against them, and to do that, they must have a resolve stronger than steel. It must be …Unaffected. Follow the saga to find out what happens.
Humphrey draws a tale about Lisa Sagini, who is in the Kenyan Army. The story starts with a bang, a cat creature carries Lisa on it’s back, and that had me going what’s next. Very strong strokes on the art, Osoro clearly defines each of his characters. The tone is a bit darker than I’d like, but still it does not take out from the story, which leaves me waiting to see what more is in store for Lisa Sagini.
Stories and Book Talk 