Blood Pact

Blood Pact

The ground was becoming sticky, and Josiane had to wade between the rushes and reeds of the marsh, the cutting plants that ripped like razors. She did not feel the sting. She was talking to herself, reciting to herself in a whisper, in the murmuring of the night.

“I will walk to the end of the green glow of the stars. Then I will have to climb again, climb that small, steep cliff. We will cling to the sharp peaks and ridges with our fingers, so we won’t slip: even if we scrape our feet. We only have to brace ourselves, hold on. Hold still to keep from falling. We will have to bandage the muscles. And then make a last effort. Then we will arrive at the great plain, flooded with blue and red lights. You will see, my child! The moon is beautiful tonight. It shines just for us; for you, and for Sanga: because Sanga is in you; because Sanga is in me.”

Nkashama Pius NGANDU is from the City of Mbujimayi (D. Republic of Congo) and has been a Professor of literature in Algeria (Annaba-Constantine), France (Limoges, Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle), and is currently at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He wrote novels and poems in cilubà, his maternal language. He was Granted for the Excellence of his Commitment and contribution to the Francophone Caucus (“African Literature Association,” Yale University, 2017).