Return-path: Envelope-to: lojban@lojban.org Delivery-date: Wed, 06 Oct 2021 08:46:46 -0700 Received: from mail.codytaylorofficial.com ([193.124.7.28]:58875) by 40c903596c50 with esmtp (Exim 4.94.2) (envelope-from ) id 1mY97q-0001ph-US for lojban@lojban.org; Wed, 06 Oct 2021 08:46:43 -0700 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; s=dkim; d=codytaylorofficial.com; h=Date:From:To:Subject:MIME-Version:Content-Type:List-Unsubscribe:Message-ID; i=jamie-hicks@codytaylorofficial.com; bh=BMZggQlsQasgMCnY+klb2HQWWHo=; b=NdgzKJ5NhACeKYxo0aRInI/cqiXSUqxA3H7AwSI0PvKXbvOFLokiI7wMnL1o1YMComiBmo/S6xPj 2GxpBH3FVqv9ssQaDSQjYGG3BeZNmwVgwk/yZgiD2KSCAA4EAzjZ8B85VgTQVErn+j8kdfjtEYPJ KlEWlbaclvpC8jCq7t0= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; q=dns; s=dkim; d=codytaylorofficial.com; b=hxjKX7qjQqhAx6qY93CkO76kfkmnKgVe3UvCLrabLJ7pkIVPPtoSYbG1xE3xJ2a7LvMgjO7wf6Iv MbJXhafbtVjRahrutlE9uOftGdNL4d11dm4nV04xuC8qhlz/uW/YFTNWMcayNxezF0l2jATmzLfr um8zrSKgz2MA4QosIDA=; Received: by mail.codytaylorofficial.com id hbn2t60001g5 for ; Wed, 6 Oct 2021 11:45:43 -0400 (envelope-from ) Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2021 11:45:43 -0400 From: "Jamie Hicks" To: Subject: Receive A Free Fitness Weight Tracker Today- Just Pay For Shipping MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_355_605904636.1633534568615" List-Unsubscribe: Message-ID: <0.0.0.3B.1D7BAC93909650A.4CF16C@mail.codytaylorofficial.com> X-Spam-Score: 4.7 (++++) X-Spam_score: 4.7 X-Spam_score_int: 47 X-Spam_bar: ++++ X-Spam-Report: Spam detection software, running on the system "43876b25e8e2", has NOT identified this incoming email as spam. The original message has been attached to this so you can view it or label similar future email. If you have any questions, see @@CONTACT_ADDRESS@@ for details. Content preview: ** FITNESS PRO BRACELET ** Track your step count, calories burned, sleep quality, and more with a single device. The Fitness Pro Bracelet lets you track your heart rate and caloric burn live, through every second of your workou [...] Content analysis details: (4.7 points, 5.0 required) pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 0.0 URIBL_BLOCKED ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE: The query to URIBL was blocked. See http://wiki.apache.org/spamassassin/DnsBlocklists#dnsbl-block for more information. [URIs: codytaylorofficial.com] -0.0 SPF_PASS SPF: sender matches SPF record 0.0 SPF_HELO_NONE SPF: HELO does not publish an SPF Record 0.7 MPART_ALT_DIFF BODY: HTML and text parts are different 0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message 0.0 HTML_FONT_LOW_CONTRAST BODY: HTML font color similar or identical to background 0.0 MIME_QP_LONG_LINE RAW: Quoted-printable line longer than 76 chars -0.1 DKIM_VALID Message has at least one valid DKIM or DK signature -0.1 DKIM_VALID_AU Message has a valid DKIM or DK signature from author's domain -0.1 DKIM_VALID_EF Message has a valid DKIM or DK signature from envelope-from domain 0.1 DKIM_SIGNED Message has a DKIM or DK signature, not necessarily valid 2.4 RAZOR2_CF_RANGE_51_100 Razor2 gives confidence level above 50% [cf: 100] 1.7 RAZOR2_CHECK Listed in Razor2 (http://razor.sf.net/) 0.0 T_REMOTE_IMAGE Message contains an external image ------=_Part_355_605904636.1633534568615 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ** FITNESS PRO BRACELET ** ------------------------------------------- Track your step count, calories burned, sleep quality, and more with a sing= le device. The Fitness Pro Bracelet lets you track your heart rate and cal= oric burn live, through every second of your workout.=20 Concerned about being sedentary while working at home? Use the built in = =E2=80=9CGet Up And Move=E2=80=9D reminder. The Fitness Pro Bracelet will = gently vibrate and remind you to get up and walk around throughout the day.= =20 Get the Bracelet for FREE -> http://www.codytaylorofficial.com/4a35G23u95pVo8610e5b70v9eet18qhscFDrfhscFDrEsvZ7FQ3oQQe5tG1p05Q@Wsv/basting-deserts Cranston Illumindated Publishing Technology, 4375 Ireland Street, Denver, C= O 80249-6913 Click here to end further messaging. http://www.codytaylorofficial.com/3954h2395gW8R610N5b71Q9eeX18yhscFDrfhscFDrEsvZ7hQ3oQQe6MHO10K6t@Uysv/vicious-conspiracies ------=_Part_355_605904636.1633534568615 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =20 =20 =20 = =20

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There's a t= ree in the middle of the woods. The tree is a beautiful creation of nature.= No one that lives knows how she got there, but that didn't stop them from = making myths about her.

=20

They call h= er Mother. The people that live in Arveria believed that all life comes fro= m the tree. And so, the tree needs to be protected from the ones that might= want to cause it harm. Because of that, the people built a castle around t= he tree. No one lives there except her.

=20

Years went = by and eventually the people of Arveria stopped going to the tree and stopp= ed believing that the tree gave life. And so, the Mother was forgotten, som= ewhere in the middle of the woods.

=20

In the year= of 2021, three people came to Arveria.

=20

One of them= was a woman named Alana, she was majoring in History and for her final pro= ject she decided to do a study on the origin of the names of cities and vil= lages. But why should she choose Arveria? Nothing more can answer this ques= tion except for chance. She picked a map and throw darts, only one stayed a= nd so she went there.

=20

The other w= as a man named Dean, he was majoring in Environmental Sciences and for his = final project he decided to choose a city or a village and figure out what = went wrong and why the pollution levels went up. He used the same technique= as Alana, and by chance it landed on Arveria.

=20

The last pe= rson was named Alex and when they finished college, they decided to go back= packing through forgotten places. And you probably guessed, they used the s= ame technique as Alana and Dean and the darts landed on Arveria.

= =20

Alana arriv= ed at Arveria and stayed at the motel in the room 23. A few hours later Dea= n arrived and stayed in the same motel in the room 24. And lastly, already = when the moon was up, arrived Alex and stayed in the same motel as the othe= r two in the room 25.

=20

In the morn= ing Alex was the first one to leave, they went to the woods, because usuall= y the thing people forget are where people don't usually go. And so, they w= alked, for hours, until they saw something that looked like ruins and went = in that direction.

=20

A few hours= after Alex, Alana got up and headed out to the public library to try to fi= nd something about this place. First, she searched the internet, but she di= dn't find anything about the town except for the fact that it existed. When= she arrived at the library, she searched for the oldest thing there. All s= he found was a sketch of a gigantic tree surrounded by a castle, it looked = like it was in the middle of the woods so that's where she went, maybe she = would find more there.

=20

The last on= e to get out of the motel was Dean, the first thing he did was go to the lo= cal coffee place and ask around about the environment and what people did t= o protect it. Nobody seemed to care that much about it. However, when he go= t to an old lady's house, she told him about a book her great great grandmo= ther wrote about a unique tree that lives in the middle of the forest, it w= as a fairytale, but it seemed interesting enough to check out.

= =20

When the ot= hers went looking for it Alex was already near the tree and she was majesti= c. A stone was at the bottom and only said Mother, they thought that maybe = it was to honor someone's mother. They liked it there, it was peaceful= and welcoming. So, they just rested their head and slept.  =20

Alana arriv= ed a little later, she found the same stone. Mother. Who is mother= ? She searched the whole place to find something about Arveria bu= t found nothing, except for somethings that looked like gifts but no docume= nts for her project. Maybe throwing darts isn't the best way to ch= oose things. She didn't see Alex at first, but then she saw someo= ne sleeping near the tree and thought that maybe they could help. Of course= , Alana didn't know that Alex was in the same knowledge range about the tre= e as her. She couldn't wake them up, so she took a deep breath and sat down= next to them. And then a wave of calm and peace hit her, and she fell asle= ep.

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After going= after his fairytale Dean also arrived to see the ruins and the tree. He wa= s amazed by it. Right now, it didn't matter if somehow a tree from a fairyt= ale was real or not, what mattered was that this tree in front of him was u= nique. He studied trees and he never saw anything like this one, ever. It w= asn't even recorded in the ones that went extinct. Mother. It make= s since, a tree in a way gives life. He also sat down and then no= ticed the other two just sleeping he would try to wake them up, but the wav= e of peace hit, and he also fell asleep.

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After the t= hree were sleeping, they started to dream. It seemed like a dream, but it w= as more of an astral projecting sort of thing.

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They all sa= w each other for the first time, and we could see that they were just reall= y confused about what was going on.

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Then a woma= n wearing a white flowy dress came to them and showed them the story of thi= s place. She showed them what Alana wanted, the history of this place.

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?A long tim= e ago,? she started ?three kids found this tree and because they thought th= at she was so beautiful they decided to play around it and when they felt t= oo tired to play, they slept and, in their dreams, they saw the Mother. The= woman taught them about life and beauty and the world and kindness, and th= ey shared their knowledge with their families. The families thought that th= ey were crazy, ?What kind of a kid talks to trees?? and so the grown ups we= nt to see the famous tree and when they got there they were hit with the wa= ve of peace and they also saw her, the Mother and so they worshiped and pro= tected her from the ones that may want to cause it harm.? She continued ?Th= e tree gave the people knowledge and they prospered. The three kids grew an= d had children and those children had children and eventually one of the ki= ds became greedy and wanted the tree all to himself and his friends and sin= ce they were seen as kings the people didn't stopped them and so they barri= caded the knowledge and the rest of the people of Arveria could no longer a= ccess it.?

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?After losi= ng the knowledge the tree gave, they still believed in her, but they stoppe= d caring about the environment and then the industrial revolution came, and= she became sick and could no longer give anything to anyone and so the des= cendants stopped going there and moved away.?

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?And so, th= e tree was forgotten, she got a little better, but she is still sick, still= dying bit by bit.?

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What were t= hey supposed to do with this information?

=20

?I called y= ou three here because I hope that you can do what your ancestors once did a= nd remember the people of this world that nature is alive, and it can help.= ?

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?What do yo= u mean you called us here? I darted a map and it landed here,? said Alana.<= /span>

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?I did the = same,? said Dean.

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?I also did= the same. But my question, which I think is more important, is what do you= mean by our ancestors? Do we descend from those three kids?? questioned Al= ex.

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?First, it = wasn't by chance that the three of you choose the exact same method for com= ing here. I used energy that I've been saving for years to contact you. And= to answer Alex, yes, you all descend from those three kids? said the Mothe= r shining a light on the subject.

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?All you ne= ed to do is say something.? she continued ?Go and tell the world?.=20

?For someon= e with all the knowledge you've obviously haven't been paying attention. Pe= ople know the Earth is dying, people know the environment needs help, they = just don't care? Dean was clearly talking about something dear to him.

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?I want you= to tell the world to come and see me. Through the years even in this weak = form I've changed many minds. As soon as people know that the Earth and the= environment has feelings, when they discover that it's something that can = breathe, they start changing habits?, the Mother keeps going, ?Dean. You ca= me to the woods because of a book written by a woman that I also asked to c= hange the world and that tiny book that you hold and never heard of did cha= nge the world. Not everyone read it but the ones that did felt something an= d decided to change.?

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It was sile= nt right now.

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?All that I= 'm asking is that you try and change something. Alana. Go write your thesis= about this place, the history I told you?

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?They'll th= ink I'm crazy if I use a tree as a source.?

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?That's tru= e, but you can just say that you got all of this from the library and an ol= d book? said Alex.

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?Dean, you = are already on the path, write your paper and remember the world that the N= ature is dying. And Alex, write a memory journal about your travels, what y= ou saw, what you felt. Tell the world.?

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They though= t about it.

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?I just wan= t you to spread the message. All I ask of you is to say something and never= shut up about it.?

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After this = last plead the Mother let them go.

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When they w= oke up, they were really confused. What had just happened? They asked.

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Nobody had = an answer for it.

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They decide= d to go to a coffee shop and get to know each other and talk about what had= just happened.

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?Love the c= offee here.? Said Alex with a soft smile in their face.

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?What just = happened?? asked Alana and she seemed worried.

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?Starting w= ith that I see?

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?What do yo= u suggest we start with Dean? I am freaked out.?

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?Here's wha= t I think? started Alex ?I think we should do what ?the Mother? told us to = do. We were already going to do those things anyway now it's just a little = bit more of work.?

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?That works= , but only for you? said Alana ?Me and Dean need actual sources to do our j= obs and like I said before we can't exactly quote a tree?

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?You could = just lie? suggested Alex.

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?You want m= e to lie on an academic paper??

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?I see the = problem? said Alex, ?But honestly all you need to do is attribute the story= the tree told and give her a name. It goes like this: insert academic begi= nning here and to quote Mary Sholer or whatever name you choose, or as she = is more known in Arveria, the Mother, Arveria was once a place of knowledge= and stuff, until people became greedy and stopped sharing. There was a tre= e there that the old locals believed to be the font of all knowledge a tree= that I looked at and realized that they might have had a point, and blah, = blah, blah.? Alex continued "And for the origin of the name, I realize= d that Arveria has similarities with the name Árvore, which translat= ed from portuguese means tree."

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?It could w= ork, but I still don't like it. It does make sense. Maybe I'll do it.?

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?See. I'm a= mazing at fixing things.?

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?Such a mod= est person our Alex is,? said Dean

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?Now, Dean,= what is your issue??

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?The same a= nd I can't say some old lady said it?

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?Just searc= h the data and connect it to the humans forgetting to take care of nature a= nd yada, yada, yada.?

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?What about= you??

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?I'll just = write what happened. I won't name names don't worry. Except for the town an= d the tree?

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They all ag= reed and decided to go their own way and meet back there every year.=

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A year late= r one they arrived at Arveria they did what they had done before. It wasn't= planned, they just did. Alana arrived first and went to the motel room 23,= Dean was next and went to the room 24 and Alex was last and went to the ro= om 25.

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The next da= y they met each other in the doors while getting out. They went for a cup o= f coffee and after that they went into the woods.

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While they = walked, they started talking.

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?Alex, I se= e your book is a bestseller?

=20

?I know rig= ht? It's so cool that people are reading it and they think it's fantasy. Th= e good news is that it changed some minds. People come up to me all the tim= e and tell how they decided to change their habits to help out the earth ev= en if it is just not using plastic, it's something more than what they were= doing before. They also tell me they came here to try and find the tree an= d some actually found it?

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?That's gre= at.? Said Dean all excited. ?Alana, I hear that you started a course about = environmental history. Not saying that I'm offended for not being invited t= o do a talk but you could've asked?

=20

Alana laugh= ed. ?Maybe next year. But yes, it's going great, a lot a people join in to = watch and learn. And everybody loves the field trip here?

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?What do yo= u teach?? asked Dean

=20

?I just tell people something that th= ey hadn't thought about. I ask them what they think this is about. Usually = no one knows and they choose the course because their curious and I tell th= em this is the story of how we destroyed the planet. And just teach them hi= story.?

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?And you Dean, what have you been up = to?? asked Alex because they hadn't heard anything from him in a while.=

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?Well, I finished college and decided= to create an organization that helps the environment. If you want o can jo= in.?

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A unison ?yes? was heard and without = realizing they were already near the Mother.

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They felt peace and slept.=

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Hurt muscles, along with a head that rung, accompanied me to reg= ain consciousness, waves of visual distortion slowly brought into focus a s= mall strange old-fashioned room. Beneath me, a terra cotta tiled floor, for= med from a previous visual patch of red. Next to my make-shift bed, large A= frican ornaments surrounded me. As my senses returned pungent smells of bur= ning fire, dust, dark wood, cats, and a caged bird, hit my nose. Looking ar= ound, within an antique stone hearth, dancing flames accompanied a staccato= of cracking wood, hissing embers and swirling smoke. I began to notice a L= oud ticking of an antique clock, which serenaded a large old valve radio, t= hat whispered a BBC program into the dusky room where I lay, confused and f= earful. Where was I? It was difficult to know, as little light penetrated f= rom thickly painted small square off-white windows. I kept thinking the bui= lding must be old, as it had deep window sills.

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The area where I had slept, was an oasis of semidarkness, howeve= r, in an adjacent corner standing against a dark wall, an orange hue emanat= ed from a broad shaded Victorian pedestal lamp. As I stirred to rise, = beneath me creaked a dark-brown leather couch that smelt of cat.=

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Sitting up, an African print slid towards the dusty tiled floor.= As I tried to pick it up, a strange woman's voice rang from somewhere outs= ide the room. Rising to meet the owner of the voice, shoeless feet touched = the cold floor. An attractive middle-class-looking lady with a stock of sho= ulder-length blonde hair entered, her open smile met my bemused eyes.

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My throat went lumpy as I realized, this woman is who most villa= gers call the witch! As she walked into the room, my hands clawed into her = leather settee, I kept shifting backward trying to move away from her, obli= vious of how my ridiculous behavior must have looked.

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All the time my mind scraped through recent memories, searching = for a reason for me to be in the witch's house. She stopped in front of me = and smiled openly.

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?You've decided to come back to us. You were out for quite a= while. Call me Mrs. T.?

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Inside my head felt like a hand-grenad= e had exploded. Instantly a swoon surged through me.

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?Calm down, and lay back down, you fel= l off your motorbike in the woods outside my drive. You were concussed, don= 't worry I was a field nurse for years, so far nothing of your condition wo= rries me. You need time to recover.?   

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I was just about to spit out ?My Mothe= r.?

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?I've rung your mothers' school, John.= She will pick you up after work, by then you'll probably feel ok to be dri= ven home. I know what you're thinking, how do I know your name and your mot= her's? Do I have superpowers? Or I'm in league with the Devil? You decide.?=

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Mrs. T, laughed wickedly. I flinched i= n shock; a deep sense of emptiness filled me, in my weak state, all I could= think was, what will be my fate, then Mrs. T, leaned into me to feel my ne= ck pulse, her ample bosom pushed against me.

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I winced involuntary, ignoring my reac= tion, she hummed and began talking.

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?The other reason could be I have taug= ht supply in the same school like your mother, and have known her for quite= some time. You choose which scenario suits you best, in the interim would = you like some herbal tea??

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A kitten jumped onto the couch, reliev= ed by such a pretty distraction. My hand gently stroked its fluffy fur. Mrs= T sang some kind of African song while clattering cupboards and utensils.= She reentered the room. In a flash, my feline companion exited, to a hurl = of African and English abuse.

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?She knows not to come in! They have a= warm barn and plenty of food.

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 Sorry I ?didn't know.

= =20

It's ok. That kitten is really pushy.?=

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Mrs. T, sat opposite me on a chintz de= corated footstool, and passed over a glass of red tea, we exchanged the nic= eties associated with tea etiquette. On sipping the offered brew, it held a= sharp gingery taste, which made my face frown.

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?The ginger is good for concussion, ma= y I ask why are you so frightened??

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Shifting nervously, I looked to the fl= oor not wanting to answer, Mrs. T, raised her eyebrows, supporting her arms= that supinated imploring an answer. I gave in to her charming manner and b= lurted out.

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?Everyone in the village says you're a= witch.?

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She laughed uncontrollably.

= =20

?Seriously! That's what they're saying. So, you think I will tur= n you into a frog, or something.?

=20

Feeling embarrassed, at how absurd my behavior, and postulations= must have appeared. My eyes fell to the floor looking for a hole to crawl = down. I tried to save face, by pointing to the African figures. 

=20

?Ok, I will explain why the figures adorn my room. My husband is= an engineer, he was offered a contract in Kenya. We had small children, I = wanted them to see different parts of the world, moreover, there was more t= han enough work for me as a nurse the hours were great! I even had time to = pass my teaching certificate. Then tragedy struck. My husband contracted ma= laria. He was dying. Nothing could be done for him. The priest read him his= last rights; all the medical staff told me to say my goodbyes.<= /p>=20

 

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As the medical staff left my room, in = an unprecedented move, Kolbe, Mr. T's driver pulled me aside to tell me he = knew a Yoruba Priestess who was Sangoma, (Healer) who can cure my husband. = I was desperate and begged him to fetch her.     <= /span>

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The empty private room, felt so final = for my husband, however, being a nurse, I kept reassuring myself that I did= n't require anyone to help me. Alone and expecting the worse, in a palliati= ve care room, I waited for the Sangoma. Tears flooded over both cheeks as I= held my unconscious husband's hand. It was awful feeling him becoming weak= er; his strong hands twitched and fluttered like a dying bird. =

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 Half an hour later, Kolbe arrive= d with the healer. She wore white. A face covering of string and shells hun= g from a headband obscuring her face.

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 The Sangoma moved me to sit with= Kolbe behind her, genuflecting, she shouted at something that seemed to be= near my husband's bed. Kolbe told me she was banishing the bad spirits, ne= xt she cast bones and shells, started singing and waving a fly-whisk, after= a while, strange red powder became mixed with water.

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 Both of us held my partner's hea= d up while he weakly sipped the red drink. I felt the Sangoma hold my arm. = She hugged me, saying, ?He sleeps, then be good.? I looked at my lifeless h= usband. Rage built up in me; I kept thinking ?How could I be so stupid!? An= gry and crying I shouted at everyone to get out, pulling up the chair and f= linging my arms around him, in desperation, I cried myself to sleep.=

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At three AM, a hand-rubbed my head. I dreamily asked, ?Is he dea= d?? a familiar voice replied, ?I hope not.? A weight left my body and = heart, like a teenager meeting her crush. It was kiss after kiss. I've neve= r been so happy, checking it wasn't a dream. A quick pull on a string switc= h flooded light everywhere, much to T's annoyance.?

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?I kept repeating You're back! Thank God, you are alive. We read= you your last writes.?

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?What happened Mrs. T?

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You were dying T, in fact, you almost died. However, a Sangoma b= rought you back to life.

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You don't believe in such nonsense, Mr= s. T.

=20

I do now Mr. T. I do now.?

= =20

I was speechless Mrs. T, seemed educat= ed and middle class. This story stirred me. One question remained unanswere= d. ?What happend to the Sangoma Mrs. T? You had scalded her and sent her aw= ay.?

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Mrs. T, looked at me her eyes welled w= ith tears, and restarted her dialog.

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?The next day T, woke up like he'd nev= er been ill. I asked him if Kolbe could take me to the Sangoma, we dropped = my husband home to rest, in reality, he didn't need one. Then Kolbe and I d= rove to his village.?

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I knew nothing of Africa; however, I h= ad heard it was dangerous for white women. I burst out. ?Weren't you scared= Mrs. T?? She Laughed.

=20

?No John, I had Kolbe and my Webley re= volver.?

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My mouth dropped! She looked like a nice teacher, not a trained = killer.

=20

?Don't look so shocked John, carrying a gun was part of everyday= life in fifties Kenya. We were some of the last to leave due to us being a= rmed. However, we are digressing. On reaching her village, Kolbe took me do= wn a path into a lush jungle. He left me before I entered the circle, appar= ently, men were not allowed.

=20

 I entered a horseshoe-shaped clearing. Their alter seemed = to be an old blackened stump. Many women dressed in white, sat on mats= in a circle. Finding a space at the back, a nice woman gave me a mat, afte= r which I cautiously joined in prayer with the Sangoma.

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I burst out excitedly, ?you attended a= real witchcraft ceremony! Did you understand, can you speak Swahili??

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?Yes John, we lived there over fifteen= years.?

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So many questions flooded my head; I h= ad seen old Black & White films of witchcraft ceremonies, read books as= well as seen exhibitions on witchcraft in museums. Nevertheless, all I cou= ld muster was a primitive- ?What Happened?? Mrs. T, held my excited hand an= d continued.

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?John, Yoruba isn't witchcraft, it's a= type of earth and ancestor worship. They don't curse or animal sacrifice. = After the ceremony, many people spoke to the Sangoma, I waited patiently, e= ventually, she came to me and hugged telling me, good to have my husband ho= me. How did she know, Mr. = T, was now at home resting? I stopped thinking and burst out with teach me = Yoruba. I want to be Sangoma.

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Anxiety built in my chest as the words, ?so, you really are a wi= tch!? fell from my dry lips. Her eyes fell on mine.

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?John, I've told you, it's not witchcraft. Yoruba is a relig= ion that heals, and wants balance with our earth, and talks to ancestral be= ings. These gentle creatures helped you heal.?

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Mrs. T, pointed to the black primitive= ly carved statues and began to introduce them, this is Olodumare - the Yoru= ba Lord God, seen as the Source of all Creation, next to him is Ologun - th= e Lord God of Heaven, and Nàná Bùkùú ? o= risha/ goddess of the river and of the earth.

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In disbelief, I clumsily asked, did th= ey help me heal Mrs. T?

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She paused, before speaking.=20

?Have you been listening to me?=

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  I meant to say, you used those statues to heal me.?<= /a>

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Mrs. T, put the statues back on a primitive alter, muttering som= ething I presumed was Swahili when she stopped singing and arranging her st= atues. I fired another question.

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?How long did it take to become a Sang= oma??

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 We returned to our seating arran= gements. She looked wistfully into her fire like it spoke to her. Without l= ooking at me, she continued her story.

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 ?I felt stupid when I eventually= spoke to the priestess, she did not bat an eyelid concerning my atrocious = behavior, of course, I apologized. Then she told me, you have the gift. ?Yo= ur easy be Sangoma.?

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?As she presented her hand, the name M= akena became whispered into my ears, instinct told me to ask my question ag= ain. I whispered back can you train me Makena? A solemn nod followed; it's = was like she knew what I was thinking. Hooking my arm, a gentle pull d= irected me towards a large burnt stump.

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This is our ancestor tree; men wearing crosses axed it and burnt= it, they said, ?Bad Juju!? They know nothing. This tree still Live's, her = roots strong like a Sangoma, listen, she speaks. At first, I felt nothing t= hen a slight buzzing occurred, followed by many intermingled visions, what = was strange Makena saw them too? When you're ready to be Sangoma Mrs. T, if= you are powerful? A small piece of this tree will be carved into your tote= m, you only get a small carving if you not powerful. If you no good, you ge= t stone. She laughed, making me giggle.

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 I eagerly began my training in secret, five years after my= initiation Makena gave me my secret name. During that time, we became grea= t friends, being with her was like being a child again. Unfortunately, a cl= oud of bad juju came through our lives. Makena's village was suspected of s= upporting the Mau-Mau. It became difficult for us to meet, soldiers fol= lowed us everywhere.

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 In the sixties it became too dan= gerous to stay, as I prepared to leave Makena sneaked to our bungalow to gi= ve me a large freshly carved statue of Olodumare, telling me our souls and = ancestors will be always bound. Kolbe drove my family to the Airport, on ar= rival we got out and said our goodbyes. Kolbe asked me to speak privately. = I was a little taken aback, aswe had said our farewells, but said sure. The= n he dropped the bombshell, Olodumare, which had been made from half the wo= od of the ancestral tree.

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