The Apex Book of World SF 2 by Lavie Tidhar Read Free Book Online Page B

There were
twelve couples in total. Some were barefoot and almost naked, while others were
adorned with tinted cloths, beads and bangles. Most of them were young but
there was a grey-haired couple hugging each other near the bride and groom. It
was not only images that were Wakened. The air was suddenly full with the sound
of lovers' giggles and frenzied exhalations. Scents of perfume, coconut and
crushed flower petals tickled every nostril
    One or two of the
guests began to weep. Wakings were intense because everyone watching
experienced a measure of the action. That is why young boys and girls were
chased away. Every guest, for a minute, felt the passion and desire of the
distant past. Katulo's gaze focused on one couple. The woman was wearing an
elaborate headdress that denoted her as a storyteller, and the young man with
her had a proud, regal face and a thick moustache. It was strange to see the
younger version of himself. No matter how many times he performed Wakings, it
was the hardest part to get used to. His younger self was smirking with
self-confidence. Owuro looked so young and so beautiful. Katulo wished he could
step forwards and touch her. She looked so real.
    And then, in a
breath, she and the rest of the spectres were gone.
    The father of the
bride was the first to snap out of the silent awe that enshrouded everyone in the
grove. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Waker."
    4
Katulo did not stay
for the rest of the reception. He wanted to get to Bujumbura by nightfall. He
said his good-byes and summoned Eyo. If the boy was disappointed at having to
leave the festivities, it did not show. He obeyed immediately and a little
nervously. He seemed frightened. At first Katulo was sure he was imagining it
but, as they walked, Eyo continued to glance at him from time to time. He would
look away whenever Katulo looked back. At first Katulo ignored it but, after
they had been walking for an hour, he lost his patience. "I am the same person
I was yesterday?"
     
    "I know," was the
timid reply.
    "You are looking at
me like I am not human."
    "I'm sorry."
    "I'm not angry with
you, Eyo. What is on your mind?"
    "Nothing"
    Nothing? This from
the boy who usually asked "why" with irritating consistency after every
statement Katulo made. "If the Waking is bothering you, you can ask me about
it."
    Eyo hesitated.
Katulo did not insist. He waited.
    "Th… Those were g…ghosts?"
    "Yes," Katulo
replied. "But they were not ghosts of dead people. They were ghosts of past
moments. Everything is changed by the passage of time. When a river passes over
rocks it wears them down in a unique pattern. A man who knows how to look can
tell you many things about the river and the rocks because the mark they leave
is unique. It is the same for actions. Everything we do changes the land. When
we sang at the wedding, when we danced, even now as we walk, our steps are
changing the earth. The land remembers."
    "So they were not
real ghosts?"
    "They were echoes of
the past."
    "It was amazing."
    Katulo smiled and
then felt a tide of sadness. "Yes it was. But I may be the last Waker in
Burundi."
    "How can that be?"
    "Waking is not a
skill that is easy to pass on. A person can only be taught to bring the past
back to life if they can already feel the echoes left in the land."
    "How did you learn?"
    "I learnt in secret,
back in the days of the white outsiders. Worse than the things they did to our
governments were the things they did to our beliefs. They forced our people to
worship their God and learn their ceremonies. They called our ways devilry and
superstition. My father was a spirit speaker. There had once been many like
him, but the white outsiders killed many of them. My father kept the old ways
alive by hiding, and people would travel far to ask him for advice or to see
him when they were sick. He taught me how to Wake and begged me to pass on the
skill."
    Shame threaded
through Katulo. He and Owuro had never been able to have children and he had
not