Ayida-Weddo and the Tales of Heroes

The monk responded back "That is because I was born in Pakistan, my child. It is far east of here."

She did not know enough geography to know where that nation was, but she did understand the fact that he was not European. It would explain his complexion and looks to her.

She put her hand to her head as horrible thoughts entered into her head. The day before came back to her to haunt her. She closed her eyes as she tried to shake off the thoughts. The pain served as a constant reminder as well. All was watching her as she was trying to shake her bad thoughts away.

"There is much suffering in you, child," All commented to her. "Let me try to help you out. Let us meditate together; it will help clear your mind of your thoughts."

"They......they did......," were her only words. She didn't cry, she kept her composure, but she was acting like she was in physical pain.

All nodded to her. "I know what it's like, my child. I have seen plenty of it. You seem to be handling it better than most. Let me help you."

The monk extended his hand to her. Finally, she opened her eyes to see his hand outstretched to her to take. She reached out her hand and felt his. Again there was some sort of energy that was coming from him. It was that warm energy she felt before. She paused for a bit as she looked again at him. The aura was still there, but she had no idea what it was that she was seeing.

"Come to my shrine," The monk explained. "We will kneel to the statue of Buddha. I know you don't believe in it, my child, but getting a chance to meditate will help you out nonetheless. You are in a safe place; no harm will come to you while you are with me. Remember that."

"......ok," were her only words as she got up and walked with him with their hands interlocked. They walked around the small table and up to the small shrine. There in front of them was the small golden statue of a man. The Buddhist statue depicted a rather skinny man in a relaxed sitting pose. Her thoughts changed as they transfixed on the figure.

All released her hand as he went and sat down by the statue. She went and followed suit as well.

"Where is that.....music coming from that I hear? Those sounds of......chimes?" she asked.

All simply looked at her. "Do you feel better hearing it? I can stop it if it is causing problems for you."

She shook her head. "It's ok.....I heard it all night. It felt.....nice."

"You were fighting nightmares last night," the monk commented. "I know you are in pain, my child. It does not take much to know you are suffering." All's eyes transfixed on the statue as he sat cross-legged. "You know Buddhists always got it wrong about him. He was never fat. He was, but a simple man in a world that is much like it is around us. He was skinny at times, near death because he ate so little. When I first met him, he surprised me so much."

Zoe's eyes looked at the statue. "Who is he? I never seen a shrine dedicated to this person before."

"I imagine you haven't. I have only been here for so long. I am not here to spread the word about him. I came here to meditate and enjoy your wonderful environment."

"A world of violence and bloodshed," she commented.

The monk turned to look at her. "Have you looked at your forests? Have you looked at the animals here? Have you looked at the good individuals around you? I know what it is like to live in those environments. I have seen the violence and suffering inflicted by people. Even in these times around you, there is still harmony."

Zoe was a bit dismissive. It was understandable from her perspective as she was used to her environment. She had been running, escaping her captors the day before, and here she was in this sanctuary of some sort.

"I still don't feel safe.....nothing feels truly safe," she added.

All put his hand on her shoulder. "I will teach you how to relax, my child. Through meditation, I can help put your mind at ease even after what they did to you."

"I shot and killed a man yesterday. He tried......he tried to force himself on me. I ran as fast as I could to this small village not far from here."

"You were both suffering. You were trying to escape from all of it. You are safe here, my child," All replied.

"You keep saying that. What is stopping them from kicking the door in and shooting us dead in the spot?"

"Themselves."

She gave a questioning look at him. "What is stopping that child that slept here from slitting our throats while we sleep?"

"Himself. He was not committed to those actions. He wanted to relax and not worry about others trying to hurt his family. His grandmother is all that is left. He was trying to protect her in this mostly abandoned village."

"I don't have my gun," she remarked.

"You won't need a weapon of violence here. I promise you that."

She kept quiet unconvinced of his words. She still felt the calming effects of the atmosphere around her.

All focused his attention on the statue as he spoke to her. "What if we live in a world where myths were real?"

She focused her attention on the statue as well. She had no reply to the question. She did, however, decide to follow suit and sit cross-legged like he was doing.

"What if we lived in a world where the gods exist, Zoe?"

Again she had no honest answer to his question. She had her own beliefs, and she was not ready to share them. His aura was still there, with a never-ending light to her eyes.

"What do you believe?"

"I believe.....no.....I can't answer that, All. Who are you? I have been to this village before and I never seen you before. How did you get past not getting killed or harmed by the others? This village is mostly empty now, yet here you are."

All's eyes were closed. "Relax, my child. Close your eyes."

Zoe almost sighed as she followed his words. She closed her eyes. Within a few seconds, all she could hear were the distant wind chimes. She saw nothing but blackness.

"Good," he said very calmly. "Now take a deep breath."

She took a deep breath. She felt her lungs be filled with air as her lungs took every amount of oxygen that she could.

"Now.....exhale."

She did as she was instructed as she breathed outward. She exhaled fully.

"Again."

She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

"In and out, my child. Let the sounds of the distant chimes fill your mind with ease."

She repeated the steps several times. Her mind would sometimes be filled with bad thoughts, but she slowly began to calm down each time she did.

The monk put his hands together and watched her as she was putting her mind at ease.

"Picture your mind in the forest, picture a deep wind hitting you. You smell the forest, the wildlife; there is nothing there but you."

Zoe tried to picture being outside. She imagined the trees, sitting on the grass, listening to the animal life out there.

All took his clasped hands and aimed his palm towards her body. He began to focus.

"Open your eyes, Zoe."

She opened her eyes, and she was precisely where she pictured. It almost startled her. She was in the deep forests. She could feel the heavy wind hitting her body. She could hear the distant signs of wildlife. She stood up as she looked around her.

"How is this possible?" she asked.

<You are the one doing this, my child,> he said as he continued his focus on her. The palm of his hand was still focused on her in the monastery of his home. She was still there next to him. She, on the other hand, was somewhere else.

He was nowhere present, yet she felt that he was nearby. The words she heard filled her environment.

<Behold the power of the human mind, Zoe,> All explained to her. <You were the one that put yourself here. No one is here but you. This is you.>

She smiled as she looked around. "It feels real. I feel everything around me like I am here."

<Do you enjoy the chimes earlier?> he asked.

"Yes."

<Picture those chimes. Think of the harmonic sounds you heard earlier.>

She did as she was instructed. She focused her thoughts, and she started to listen to the chimes in the distance.

<You control this environment. This is your place. Nothing can bring harm to you. You are safe here. This is the world of Zoe, a place of peace and tranquility.>

"You are not human......to have such power as this."

<I am doing very little, my child.>

"I see this glow come from you. I feel something going into me. I just don't know what it is."

<Your abilities are very good, Zoe. So few humans have this ability, the ability of "sight" and being able to see who we really are.>

"Then.....who are you really? You have been so kind to me. You fed me and sheltered me last night. I can never thank you enough for your kindness."

<Hmmm....it has been some time since I have told anyone who I really am. I am a traveling Buddhist monk that has found the beautiful countryside of Liberia. I have found peace to meditate and think of the environment around me.>

She cocked her head. "That still does not explain to me who you are. I wish I knew who you are."

<Would that make you feel better? To know who I am?>

She nodded, "Yes. I don't mean to dig into you or cause you displeasure for your kindness."

<You will, my child. You will learn who I am. For now, focus your thoughts on this environment. Put your mind at ease.>

She sighed as she walked up to a tree, turned around, and sat down cross-legged. She put her back to the tree as she could feel the bark press against her back.

<Now close your eyes and breathe deeply again. Exhale as before. Do it again and again.>

She did as she was instructed. Her vision went black as her eyelids closed again. She began to take her deep breaths and exhaled as before. She felt her mind and body began to relax. The distant sounds of the chimes could still be heard.

All took the palm of his hand and put both of them together again in a meditative stance next to Zoe. He focused his mind as he closed his eyes.

<Open your eyes again, Zoe.>

She opened her eyes to see All in a meditative sitting position similar to hers in the forest. The monk himself was sitting calmly as she was.

"I always put myself here when I meditate," the monk told her.

She watched as he took his hands and turned his palms up, and rested them on his knees. He then took his index and middle finger and put them on his thumbs for each hand as he straightened his back.

"Rest here, Zoe. This is your sanctuary. You are safe here."

She looked at him as she began to breathe and exhale deeply. "Thank you for everything."

The monk that kept his eyes closed simply smiled in return.

Chapter 5: Gbarnga

Thomas came to a stop at the far outskirts of Gbarnga. It was the center point of Liberia. He knew where he was at. He could see the edge of the town. It was the second-largest city in Liberia if one would call it that. It was like comparing an elephant to a dog. The population was that of almost 40 to 50 thousand people. He could see the activity of people coming and going from house to house. Armed trucks and individuals lined the place. Rustic rooftops of houses lined its exterior of the town, much like the other towns.

"This is where I have the biggest problem," he said to himself.

This town was supposedly controlled by Charles Taylor's forces. He knew that if they saw his jeep with the brown stripe on it, then he risked getting shot. If he could simply try to get past this town, he should make it to Yekepa. Hopefully, the cease-fire message reached these folks, or otherwise, he could be dead. He could try to go around it, but the small dirt roads were dangerous not by the people but because of the hazards. Single lane dirt roads not taken care of due to war and collapsed infrastructure made for hazardous travel. Makeshift bridges could barely even hold a car, and whatever untold hazards made that choice a poor one. He could already feel how bad the main dirt road was just getting to here. The jeep was taking a beating, and he didn't know if it can continue going into areas that were not even really mapped. He was going to have to do this. He had to drive into Gbarnga. Negotiation was the only hope in getting through.

He kept an eye on his pistol on his seat. He knew that he was going into a hornet's nest. He put his foot on the gas pedal and shifted it into forward gear.

The jeep drove up to the outer city limits. The green forests surrounded the town, much like the other towns, he drove by. He approached slowly so as not to aggravate anyone or have anyone make the wrong choice.

As he got closer and closer at a twenty mile an hour speed, he could see men with assault rifles looking at him. One of the trucks had a machine gun on it with a person pointing it at him. There was a small makeshift barricade at the front leading into the town.

He had one hand on his steering wheel and the other hand holding it up to indicate that he wanted to talk and to signal to them to "hold their fire" at him.

A man with a dark complexion, much like all the Liberians, approached him. He wore sunglasses, a brown ribbed hat, a redshirt, and blue jeans. He was holding an AK-47 in his hand as he held up his hand to signal him to stop. By now, Thomas's jeep came to a crawl as he was staring down multiple gun barrels. One wrong move and he would be riddled with gunshot wounds.

"What are you doing out here, white man?" he asked with a thick West African accent. By now, he was used to hearing the accent.

"I need to get past," Thomas explained as his jeep was at a dead stop. He did not turn the engine off as the engine made a small hum. "I work for LAMCO, and I came to investigate if the mining could be resumed and made operational."

The man with the sunglasses was looking at the gunner on the truck as he briefly lifted them to look at his hood. Thomas noted that part of his left eye was slashed but healed. He turned his head to look at a small home that had dead bodies that flowed out from its entrances. Flies circled the corpses. Some were stripped bare of clothing, beheaded, or mutilated in one way or another. The house was some sort of dumping spot. He did not have time to think about what happened to those people.

The man shook his head. "Turn around and go back while you can."

"I swear to you that I am just trying to get past......"

The man interrupted Thomas as he slammed his hand on his hood. "Liar, you work for the Rebels. You are trying to recon this area! Turn around now!" The machine gunner had both of his hands on the gun, ready to fire at him.

Thomas took a quick look at the trucks and where they were at. They were perched by the walls of the houses. The barricade, while it covered up the road, was still open enough for him to drive around it if need be.

He thought quickly to himself as he watched the man with the rifle. He didn't have time for this. He needed to reach his destination. He knew this was a suicide mission. If he floored it and went around the barricade, he might still get the surprise on them. The barricade and the house walls could temporarily shield him from the trucks. The one catch, though, is the machine gunner. He needed to do something about it.

Thomas began to sweat hard; his blood began to pump hard. He knew what was going to happen next as the man by the barricade held his machine gun relaxed. He knew that Thomas was going to turn around, but he was absolutely wrong on this. No sane man would do what he would do, but this was a world turned upside down, and Thomas was a man on a mission.

"Fuck this!" as Thomas grabbed his M9, aimed it at the machine gunner, and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out as Thomas's foot hit the gas pedal of the jeep almost in rapid succession. The bullet hit the machine gunner's shoulder as he recoiled away from his machine gun. It took the man with the sunglasses by surprise.

"Kill him! Kill the......," the guard yelled. Thomas's jeep sped quickly driving around the barricade as the man with the sunglasses jumped out of the way or risked getting run over. He dove into the dirt as sand and dust were kicked into the air from the jeep's fast-spinning tires. The thrown-up dust helped served as a minor smoke screen for Thomas as the jeep gained speed quicker and quicker down the road. People ran into their homes and closed their doors as the jeep sped through the area.

A commotion broke out throughout the town. The man that dove from cover got up and aimed his rifle, and started to unleash a hail of bullets onto Thomas and his jeep. The dust was making it hard to aim, but he had luck on his side. No one was manning the inside of the truck with the machine gunner while the gunner was attending to his gunshot wound.

The jeep was moving as fast as Thomas's abilities could carry him. The town was not extensive. The man that was taking care of the gate stopped firing and picked up his radio. He immediately radioed the others.

He would need less than thirty seconds to get out of the town. They would prove to be the longest half a minute in his life. Houses zipped past him as the jeep was going as fast as he could down the road.

There was confusion as this was happening so fast that none of the other armed men had much time to react. Thomas, meanwhile, drove past them. That was until the guard radioed in for the men in the town that a rogue man stormed past their barricade.

Twenty seconds........Eighteen seconds.......Sixteen seconds......Thomas could see the edge of the town and beyond the road past the town's limits.

Gunfire erupted as an armed man from one of the houses fired four rounds into the jeep as he drove past. Two of the bullets struck the jeep but missed Thomas.

Thomas's adrenaline was through the roof. He was focused on one thing, and that was getting through the town. If he stopped now, he would be dead for sure.

Ten seconds.......Eight seconds....Six seconds.......then disaster. A truck appeared from behind the edge of the town, obscured by one of the houses. Manned by two armed gunmen, they drove the vehicle almost near the center of the road to block his escape.

Thomas had to make a decision then and there. He swerved hard to the left to avoid slamming into the truck, or he himself would get injured in the wreck. More dust and dirt were thrown into the air. He still had his pistol in his hand as he came to a complete stop. Two men got out of the truck. It was literally down to split seconds as Thomas aimed his pistol at the first man. The dust-obscured each other's views as Thomas saw the first gunman lift his rifle and aimed it straight at him. The moment that the gun was raised to the man's head, Thomas pulled the trigger twice. Two bullets struck him in the chest. He fell down to the ground, never to get up again. He then aimed his pistol at the next gunman as the dust made it hard to see who it was.

There was a small brief moment as the dust started to clear just enough to see who the next gunman was. It was a boy the age of ten with an assault rifle.

The boy lifted up his rifle and aimed it at Thomas.

"Hell!" he said to himself. No training in the military could ever get him past what to do if you were fighting children.

He made sure that he aimed his pistol away from the boy's chest and at the gun. The boy was mere split seconds from pulling the trigger. Thomas squeezed the trigger as a bullet flew from his pistol. The first shot missed and hit the dirt. He pulled the trigger again as the next round struck the rifle but did no real damage. The boy started to recoil back as his rifle started to go up in the air. Thomas pulled the trigger again, and the next round went into the boy's hand. The boy screamed in pain as the rifle fell from his hand and into the dirt.