The Dance

Excitement filled the air as the drums sounded and the flute could be heard once more, signifying that a very important announcement was about to be made by the Chief Town Crier. People rushed forward and children scampered to get as close as possible to the city hall where the Town Crier was expected to give the announcement. Tears ran down my face from the pain of exerting and pushing my worn-out limbs as I anxiously sought to avoid being left out. I imagined how the Town Crier would stand with majesty and pride to deliver words directly from the lips of our Dear King, who watched over us daily even whilst not physically in our midst. Half a mile or less from the hall, my strength gave way. I dropped to the ground with a sharp gasp and was too tired and distressed to get back on my feet. Villagers, strangers, family and even foes all passed by indifferently, making me wonder if they even saw me. I guessed their eagerness for the Town Crier must have taken up all of their attention. On seeing the last villager enter the hall, I proceeded to drag myself the rest of the way.

“Beloved people of our great King El,” I miraculously heard the Chief Town Crier‘s voice say, making me feel thankful to whoever or whatever had given strength to it — which possibly was the King. “Our great King has heard our cry for Him and has declared a three-day celebration in His Presence, starting two fortnights from today. The main feature will be dance presentations by every clan. As a mark of His goodness, the King has planned that the whole event would culminate in the presentation of unique treasures to the Clans that please Him at the Dance. Families have been nominated to handle various chores and a specific member of the family has been chosen to supervise the others in the chores. The list is as follows…”

I had been able to drag myself to the mat at the entrance of the city hall by the time the Chief Town Crier started reading the list. I could feel the anxiety in the air as each family listened. The importance of being specially chosen by the King resulted in some commotion as some families were omitted and some others got called. The pride of being nominated reflected in the expressions of the supervisors called out by the Chief Town Crier for recognition. After hearing the names of a few more families, I realized a trend. Only four families were picked from a clan.

I mentally ticked off four prospective choices of families in my clan and smiled as it got to the turn of my clan to be addressed by the Chief Town Crier. The first and second families were called in the order I had guessed. The third family brought a sad smile to my face and made me remember ‘Grandmother’. She was the midwife who handled my delivery and brought me up after my Father died. The third family called by the Chief Town Crier was Grandmother’s family. The tension mounted when it was the turn of the fourth family to be called. Amazingly, two new names were called. Five families were chosen from my clan and, they included the Josiah Family, which was my family!

Dazed, I pushed aside the mat covering the entrance of the city hall and limped indoors to avoid missing anything. I saw an uncle who was the eldest person in my family move towards the Chief Town Crier. I felt excited, clueless about why our family had made the list.

I heard the Chief Town Crier speak harshly, “NO!” and wondered if the announcement of my family name must have been a mistake. After all, we were the smallest family in the clan.

“Who is Amaris?” the Chief Town Crier asked. “The King specifically asked that Amaris of the Josiah Family handle the outfits of the Dancers! WHO IS AMARIS?!”

The shock of hearing my name called before the entire village and learning that the King had specifically asked for me caused me to freeze.

“AMARIS!”

I shivered and moved on hearing my name hollered from the Chief Town Crier’s throat. The shock and consciousness of the fact that all eyes were on me increased my limp as I walked to join the Supervisors of the other chosen families. I kept from looking at my uncle, appreciating how embarrassed he must have felt being turned back from the line of Supervisors and getting replaced by a young woman. I was sure he would vent his frustration on me afterwards when we were alone. The Chief Town Crier, satisfied with seeing me among the Supervisors, continued with the list.