Momo lived in a little village. She had special powers and people were scared of her. They believed she was a witch.
Last year, she had prayed for plenty of rain when the drought had become unbearable. It came. The crops grew and the cattle fed. When people were sick she helped heal them. When the children were injured she helped heal them. She once told her parents that as long as the people were safe, she was happy. Momo loved everyone.
She thought about all this as she sat cradled against the dirty wall in a very dark room. The people had locked her up. She thought about her father. He sometimes behaved like he was afraid of her. He had stopped hugging her. She wished he would just touch her. Her mother told her that her father just needed time. She could hear the voices of her parents pleading with the villagers to let her out. She remembered how it had all started. How the darkness had come to the village.
Momo had been chasing butterflies in the grassy fields just near the village when she saw a scary-looking old man seated with two drums in front of him. The man was beating the drums gently with his hands and looking at her with a mischievous grin. She did not like the old man at all. She was about to walk away when the old man called her name and told her that the villagers would never love her, and that she should stop wishing for their love. Then she saw the old man wave his huge stick in the air, and the sky became very dark. She ran back to the village. As she was running powerful winds were blowing in every direction. She reached the village just in time to find an angry mob surrounding her parents. When her mother saw her she quickly ran to protect her but her father remained. Momo cried out to her father, but he just stood there. This had hurt her more than anything. All she wanted was to feel her father’s touch. To know that he loved her.
Momo could hear the angry voices from the people outside. They blamed her for the darkness. She felt so afraid and alone. It was then that she heard a strange laughter. All the people became quiet and then the voice of the evil old man spoke. “Kill the girl! That is the only way light will enter your village.” The people seemed to agree because Momo heard them all chanting, “Kill her! Kill her!” Her mother was pleading and crying. Momo too began to cry. She prayed for someone to help her, and that was when she heard loud shouting. It was her father.
The door was kicked wide open. Her father stood in the doorway. He quickly ran to her and lifted her. He hugged her tightly. Momo was so happy to finally have her father touch her. It gave her new strength. Her father kissed her on her cheek and told her that he loved her and that he was sorry. It was all Momo had ever wanted. She could feel her power getting stronger. They walked outside together. Her mother was overjoyed to see them. She quickly ran to join them by their side.
The evil old man did not look pleased at all. Momo raised her hands towards the sky. A voice spoke to her, “you are complete.” The darkness that filled the sky began to disappear. It was bright again. The evil old man screamed in anger and everyone watched as his body changed into many different people and animals. Then he was gone. The village was free once again. Momo felt strong, but gentle hands lifted her. She giggled as her father proudly looked at her. Things were going to be different from now on.
Read – A Letter to Daddy – A Children’s Story by Grace Tendo, Uganda
