Zukala

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'I kept running without looking back, as long as I could hear the sounds of their drums it meant they were close to me. I was tired but I couldn't been caught by these men'.

"My dear Lara, you know you are going to a place where you know no one, mum said over phone. She never lacked these kind of advices every single time I was about to go to a new place. I am tv journalist and I run my own show. My job requires I travel to new places, learn their way of life and a few things about them. It wasn't just work for me but the adventure, sometimes light gets to meet some of the people with the archaic lifestyle and really far from development and you would be shocked to know how many of these class of people existed.
No boyfriend, no husband, no children and really few friends so I really didn't have anyone to bother me about my long travels asides my mother.
No no no my life wasn't boring or lonely, I just wanted something quiet with few person's around simply because I loved my space, I loved reading and I met and knew alot of persons but I'd rather stay alone.

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This time I was to visit Zukala, read about them in a story with nothing substantial on the internet. This was my specialization, discovering a place and bringing to light such places, hence my choice of location. I set out to travel usually alone with my phones and cameras, wasn't exactly a smooth one as I spent an entire week driving. I was fortunate too to get a place to stay, a hut made from sticks, sand and palm fonds. This was the only type of house around the area. As a traveller I could easily settle in. I had barely two weeks to stay here so I quickly rested to commence my gathering of information the next day. I had my bath behind my hut with the water I paid one of the boys to help me get from the stream. It was only 5am and I wanted to capture images of the sunrise. The roads where empty although I expected the villagers to be early risers. I followed my map and found my way to the stream where I was able to get exceptional shots.
It was 7am, still no sign of life at the stream. I decided to return back to my hut as my tummy began to rumble. I heard drums and singing behind me, well I couldn't understand the words and my first thought was to take pictures of the singers. Immediately the leader stopped and said something I didn't understand, simultaneously two men started running my direction. I don't know why I felt that way but my instincts gave me the run signal, I ran as far as my feet could carry me but the men didn't stop chasing all the way from the forest to the settlement. I almost lost balance when I heard a whisper 'run in here'. I didn't think twice when I ducked into the hut heavily panting.
It was the boy whom I paid to help me get water.
'the masquerade dance, today
nobody outside' he was patching these words in English but I understood what he meant 'its the masquerade dance and nobody should be seen outside'.
'Thankyou so much for saving my life' I replied. So what if the masquerade sees me outside, I asked?
'A woman marry masquerade ( a woman would marry the masquerade)
A man follow masquerade dance ( a man would join the masquerade cult)'
Wow, I said as I jotted this facts down.
Zukala was getting interesting already. At sunset I returned to my hut after having a long conversation with the lad. I had my shower that evening and went in to rest. It was one of my best nights as it was amazingly comfortable not until I woke by 6am to see a huge snake coiled beneath my head.
A snake formed my pillow, I let out a loud scream that might have probably woken up the nearby village.

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My neighbors ran into my hut trying to find out what was wrong as I pointed at the snake, they simply bowed at the snake and left the room. I joined them to leave as well and my small friend was amongst them.
' Why aren't you scared of the snake?, as I showed him goosebumps on my body from the shock I had'
' You good person, it come to make sleep well (you are a person with good intent, so it came to make you have a comfortable sleep)' he replied
This was no longer funny to me, yesterday masquerade, today snake. I wanted to return home.
I returned to my room and the snake was gone, I didn't need a seer to tell me my time was up here, immediately I grabbed my stuffs into my car and set back on the road to return home. I wasn't ready for any more dramas.

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