The Unfolding 6

Meisie led the way up a small hill, to an area that was a bit secluded from the rest of the village. ‘This’, she explained slowly, ‘Is our cemetery.’ It was different from any cemetery Risa had seen before. Instead of clean, proper graves with flowers or similar things, there were simply endless rows of grey tombstones without any names on them. It was an incredibly sad and depressing view, and Risa started to feel slightly sick when she just thought about why there were so many graves. ‘Is this….’ Meisie nodded in silence. ‘… it’s where all the people who disappeared ended up.’ Risa could only shake her head in disbelief, impossible. ‘How?’ How is that possible? So many people…they all died here? By the hands of the people who live here?’ ‘Yes.’ Meisie closed her eyes for a moment. ‘That’s right. That’s what happened to them. Are you happy now that you know?’ ‘No, of course not …why? Why did they have to die? So many innocent people …’ ‘For the gods!’ Meisie blurted out, and now she almost looked desperate. ‘They were sacrificed to the gods. The villagers believe that whenever an Outsider comes here, the gods are asking for a sacrifice. They think that if the gods don’t get their sacrifices, the ‘Modern World’ will take over the village, so the Outsiders had to die.’ A gust of wind blew towards them, sending a cold shiver down Risa’s spine. ‘That’s cruel, that’s far too cruel. Don’t they feel guilty about killing so many people?’ A bitter laugh left Meisie’s lips. ‘I feel guilty, even though I’ve never participated in their rites. But they’re happy as long as they feel protected by the gods, no matter how many innocent people they have to kill for it.’ That’s so sick, Risa’s hands clenched to fists. ‘That’s crazy,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Want to hear something even crazier?’ At this point, Meisie’s voice sounded bleak and almost lifeless. She gestured at the grey rows of grave below them. ‘One of these graves is my mum’s. I don’t even know which one it is.’ ‘….What?’ That explained why the villager didn’t like Meisie, at least, but it made Risa feel even sicker about this whole situation. ‘She came here about twenty years ago,’ Meisie started explaining. ‘The plan was to kill her right away, but Dad Kinda liked her. I was born nine months later, and they let her live for one or two more years because there was no other woman whose breast milk I could have drunk….and as soon as I could live without that, she was made a sacrifice. I have no memory of her.’ Risa couldn’t resist the urge to pull the younger woman into a hug. ‘I’m sorry that happened to you.’ Meisie slowly brought her arms up and returned the hug. She hadn’t been hugged in a long time, so she felt kind of awkward; but Risa’s warmth was very comforting. ‘Thank you.’ ‘Your father seems like a horrible person,’ Risa mumbled, a certain feeling of possessiveness overcoming her. ‘I won’t let you die for him and his religion.’ ‘But…I have to. He’s the only family I have left, And besides, it’s either you or me. You’re innocent, I want you to go home…’ She fell silent, resting her forehead against Risa’s shoulder for a moment. And then, the Detective had an idea. ‘What if you leave with me?’ Meisie’s eyes widened in surprise, she hadn’t even thought about this. ‘Leave? ME?’ ‘Yeah. You’re curious, right? About what life outside of this village is like. You could live with me, if you want. I could teach you everything you need to know, and if you don’t want to live with me anymore, you can move out.’ It sounded like the perfect solution to Risa, although it probably wasn’t very professional. Meisie hesitated. It sounded so very tempting; she didn’t want to die, and she wanted to know what her mother’s life had been like. This would be the perfect way to satisfy her curiosity. But still …’But he’s my Dad. I can’t just leave …and besides, they won’t let us leave just like that. If we both leave, they won’t have anyone to sacrifice anymore…’ ‘I don’t care.’ Risa’s voice was sharp now. ‘You have no reason to die for them. You’ve spent twenty years of your life here watching them kill people for a religion you don’t believe in ---don’t you think it’s enough now?’ Meisie fell silent and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, she finally nodded. ‘You’re right,’ she replied, sounding a bit more decisive now. ‘I don’t want this to continue. Even if he’s my Dad, I can’t let him keep doing all this.’ A sigh of relief left Risa’s lips, She had already been worried, thinking Meisie might reject her offer purely due to some kind of ‘familiar connection’ she felt with her father. Hearing the younger woman’s agreement made Risa weirdly happy, even though this wasn’t the right time for such feelings. ‘Let’s go, then,’ she suggested, ‘I guess the sooner we get away from here, the better.’ Meisie lowered her head in agreement. ‘But …can we say goodbye to Katy? She asked quietly. ‘She’s always treated me well, so…’ ‘….alright.’ Risa tried to give Meisie an encouraging smile, but then she decided that this was still a rather serious situation. She led the way to Katy’s house and knocked at the door. The elderly woman opened the door for them and Meisie entered the house first, looking like she was suffering a bit. ‘Katy,’ she spoke up hesitantly. ‘I’m here to say goodbye….’ There was a solemn smile on the woman’s face as she answered. ‘I thought so. Ever since Witbooi arrived here, you’ve changed, Shida. I figured you’d choose her over the village in the end.’ ‘I…’