She could hear the other Caretakers’ heated discussion about decorating the chariots. It was almost time for the parade and there was still much work to do to get them ready, so she joined the others to help out.
The chariot wheels were quite large, to make it easier for people to pull them through the market square, so the Caretakers had to help the Twins climb into them. When Aifa held Ama’s hand to help her up, the latter left another folded message in the palm of her hand.
The chariots advanced slowly through the crowds, in the middle of cheerful exaltation, and dancing for joy. The people of Cré loved to see the Twins paraded through town in their full regalia, as the living, breathing embodiments of the divine that they were.
The market square was so saturated by color and emotion there didn’t seem to be any room for anything else, so much human emotion it overwhelmed the soul: joy, sadness, elation, longing, all melted into a thick, heavy blanket that weighed the Twins’ spirit down like lead. The people of Cré didn’t notice, each one of them focused on bringing their portion of this gigantic shared public emotion to the square, impervious to the others’, in a communal outpouring of the soul.
The Twins’ faces were impenetrable, like stone. One couldn’t read any emotions on them, as it was fitting for living deities, they seemed so far removed from the daily concerns and tribulations of the people, but as the burden of emotion became heavier and heavier to bear, the smallest teardrop gathered in the corner of Jal’s eye and made its way down his cheek, slowly losing its own substance in the process.
As if waiting for a sign, the clouds gathered over the horizon, so thick and waterlogged it felt like they were dragging on the ground. Jal looked at them, like he expected them to come, and his relief allowed a second tear to follow the first. Deafening thunder shook the heavens, echoing between the old stone walls before it retreated in a low rumble. Another tear flowed down Jal’s cheek. That’s when the rain started.
Music Lagos by Ian Kelosky
