A SHORT STORY: The Gift of Colour

My entry into the Hello Hello Group Activity

The villagers were growing more and more anxious; in just over a month’s time they would be celebrating the eightieth birthday of their beloved chief, Okanu. The gradual loss of sight had now ended. Okanu was completely blind.

The village elders met in secret council to determine their leaders’ fate. “Let us consult the ancestral spirits,” suggested Thabo. A special ceremony was held; and sacrifices made to the ancestors. For three days the spirits were silent.

On the fourth morning, Okanu called a meeting of the elders. “The ancestral spirits spoke to me in a dream last night, “They have told me - a wise man will come to our village and he will give me the gift of colour again.” The buzz of excitement was tangible. The excitement soon waned, when nothing happened for two weeks. The villagers soon feared their leader was cursed. Why else would the ancestral spirits forsake him? Morale was at an all time low.

The morning silence was shattered when two of the village boys hurried back to the village, yelling, “Come see! Come see! There is a man lying in the forest.” Their call was immediately responded to by Shembu and Utalo, two of the bravest hunters in the village. The boys led Shembu and Utalo to the spot where they saw the strange man. He was badly dehydrated and violently shivering. The warriors quickly wove a stretcher from branches and strong vines, and carried the man back to the village.

The village wise men and the herbalists discussed the matter. They agreed that the man had taken in the spirit of the mosquito; this made him shiver violently and have high temperatures. They crucially decided to care for the stranger. The herbalist performed a cleansing ritual inviting the spirit of the mosquito to leave in peace. They also prepared a drink for him from the bark of a special tree. This secret had been passed down through many generations of the tribe. The delirious patient knew little of this goings on.

When three days had passed, Dr Yebu Santu felt strong enough to lift his head; he tried to communicate with his young carer, “Where am I?” he asked her. Her blank stare told him his words could not be understood. She left the hut and returned a short while later with a burly man who was able to understand; although his English was broken and further smothered with a heavy tribal accent. The men communicated for hours through single words, short sentences, pictures in the sand, hand gestures and sound effects. Santu soon understood that he had contracted Malaria, and that he had gotten lost in the jungle, where he was found and subsequently taken care of. He tried to communicate that he was an eye specialist, doing research on jungle plants with the emphasis on ocular health. Temvu, the interpreter soon spread the word in the village. The village was alive with optimism again.

Dr Santu examined Chief Okanu’s eyes. “Cataracts,” he said, “and there doesn’t seem to be any complications associated.” Santu explained to Temvu that if the Chief returned to the city with him, he would soon be able to see again. The following morning Dr Santu, Chief Okanu and Temvu, accompanied by the two warriors Shembu and Utalo, left for the city.

After two days the weary travellers reached the city. Dr Santu would perform the surgery in the morning.

Dr Santu instructed Shevita, his assistant to prepare the surgery for an intraocular lens implant. Cataracts are the result of proteins in the lens losing their normal formation, causing a cloudy film to form across the eye. This prevents images from reaching the retina; in effect blinding the individual. In the procedure local anaesthetic needed to be applied to both Chief Okanu’s eyes. The following step was to break down the existing bad lens with an ultrasound probe, followed by a one to two millimetre incision in the cornea by laser to insert the new synthetic lenses. A hydrogel sealant would be used to suture the incision once the lenses had been inserted.

The procedure was completed within twenty minutes, even though it took just over an hour for the effects of the anaesthetic to wear off. Dr Santu advised the chief to avoid any activity that would add pressure to the eye, such as sudden movement or sneezing. Within hours Chief Okanu could see again; even though not perfectly. He had dark spots and blurry vision occasionally; this was normal while the eyes adjusted to the new lenses. Initially his eyes were dry and blood shot, but Santu had given drops to deal with these issues. A week later when it was time to leave the city and return to the Village, the Chief could see perfectly.

Dr Santu reflected to himself – there are nearly twenty million people worldwide that go blind due to cataracts that never receive treatment, either due to ignorance, lack of information or limited access to facilities. In some parts of the world, sight can be restored for as little as six dollars per procedure.

On his way home the Chief saw colour in a new light. He noticed how the large yellow sand dunes contrasted well against the blue sky. The blue lakes danced and shimmered marvellously at the foot of the large green mountains. He enjoyed the streaks of sunlight breaking through the canopy, creating a dappled effect on the jungle floor. He loved the shade and he loved the direct sunlight. He enjoyed each subtle variation on the carpet of fallen leaves; each part of the jungle floor was woven with different leaves – some brown and red, yet others in green, red, brown and yellow. The patterns of nature came to him from everywhere. He enjoyed the all the sights and he loved having his eyesight back.

When they entered the village there were cheers of jubilation. There were great celebrations all through the night into the next day, which was the Chiefs’ birthday.

https://goo.gl/images/BMcPMq

Also in this Colour Challenge Series:
Fun Facts About Colour
My Top 5 - Colourful Candies during Childhood
An Original Haiku: Kaleidoscope

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