Tribe Rules - S01 E06

Story 2 months ago

Tribe Rules - S01 E06

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 6

Episode 6: Tribe Rules

Jide ran through the garden as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart was thumping so hard it felt like it might jump out of his chest. The words of the silver snake were still ringing in his ears. A tree with no roots cannot grow fruit. He did not know what it meant exactly, but he knew it was a warning. He needed to find Elena. He needed to make sure she was safe. The garden, which usually felt like a happy place, now felt cold and dark. The colorful flowers seemed to lean away from him as he passed. The sweet smell of the roses now felt thick and hard to breathe.

He found Elena sitting on a stone bench near the middle of the garden. She was surrounded by her favorite red roses. But she did not look happy. She was staring at a single rose she held in her hand. Jide stopped and watched her for a second. Her face was very pale, and her eyes were wide with fear. As Jide walked closer, he saw something that made him freeze. The rose in Elena’s hand was not red anymore. Right before his eyes, the petals turned as black as soot. It looked like the flower had been dipped in ink. Then, the black rose began to fall apart. It crumbled into tiny pieces of dust and blew away in the wind.

Jide, she said, her voice trembling like a small leaf. Something is very wrong. I can feel it in the air.

Jide sat down beside her and took her hands. Her fingers were as cold as ice. He tried to tell her about the silver snake, but Elena spoke first. She looked at the empty spot in her hand where the rose used to be.

I had a dream last night, Jide, she whispered. It was a very scary dream. I saw our two tribes, the Sun Tribe and the Rain Tribe. They were not living in peace. They were in a giant field, and everything was on fire. The sky was red, and the grass was burning. I saw people shouting and fighting. Then, I saw a woman I did not know. She was dressed in old, dusty clothes and she was crying. Her tears were like heavy raindrops. She walked up to me and she did not say a word. She just reached out and placed a heavy iron chain around my waist. The chain was so heavy I could not move. I felt like I was being pulled down into the hot, burning earth.

Jide felt a deep worry in his stomach. He tried to comfort her. He put his arm around her shoulders and told her it was just a bad dream. He told her that dreams are not real. But even as he said the words, he did not believe them. He remembered the black water of the river. He remembered the booming sky. He remembered the silver snake. All these things were signs, and he knew it.

He stood up and looked out at his beautiful fields. The corn was very tall. The wheat was golden and bright. From far away, it looked like the most successful farm in the world. But Jide felt a strange urge to check his plants. He walked out to the nearest field of corn. He reached out and pulled a large, heavy ear of corn from the stalk. It felt full and healthy in his hand. He began to peel back the green leaves.

When he got to the center, Jide let out a gasp of horror. There was no corn. The inside was completely empty. It was just a hollow cob with nothing on it. He ran to the wheat field and grabbed a handful of golden wheat. He rubbed the heads of the wheat between his palms. Instead of grain, only dust fell out. The plants looked perfect on the outside, but they had no seeds inside. The Golden Harvest was empty. It was a beautiful lie.

Jide and Elena were terrified. They realized that their wealth and their big house were not enough to protect them from whatever was happening. They decided they needed help. They sent their servants to all the surrounding lands to find the best doctors and the cleverest men. Jide promised to pay any amount of gold to the person who could tell them why their life was falling apart.

Soon, the big house was full of people. Many clever men came with big bags of herbs and shiny bottles of medicine. Some doctors wore long robes and carried books full of ancient secrets. They stayed in the big house for many weeks. They checked Elena’s heartbeat. They looked at the soil in the garden. They gave Jide bitter teas to drink and told him to burn special candles at night.

But nothing helped. The herbs did not make the house feel less lonely. The medicine did not bring back the seeds to the corn. The empty bedrooms stayed empty, and the silence in the hallways became even louder. One by one, the doctors shook their heads and left. They took their gold and went home, leaving Jide and Elena alone with their fear.

Only one doctor stayed behind. He was a very old man with a long white beard that reached all the way to his belt. He did not carry a bag of herbs. He only carried a simple wooden walking stick. He spent a lot of time just sitting in the garden and watching the wind move through the trees. He did not ask for gold. He only asked for a cup of cool water and a place to sit.

One afternoon, the old doctor asked to speak with Jide alone. They went into a small room near the back of the house. The sun was starting to set, and the room was filled with long shadows. Jide lit a few candles to chase away the dark, but the air still felt heavy.

Prince Jide, the old man said. His voice was very soft, but it sounded like he was speaking from deep underground.

Jide flinched. He had not been called a prince in a very long time. I am not a prince anymore, he said. I am just a farmer.

The old man smiled sadly. You can take off the crown, but the blood of a king still flows in your veins. That is why your medicine is not working. This is not a sickness of the body. Your wife is not ill because of a germ or a cold wind. This is something much older than that.

Jide sat down, his knees feeling weak. What do you mean?

The old man pointed out the window. In the far distance, beyond the green hills and the thick forest, there was a mountain. It was called the Black Mountain. It was always covered in dark clouds, and no one from the village ever went there. People said the mountain was made of shadows.

There is a wise High Priest who lives in a cave at the very top of that mountain, the doctor said. He has lived there for a hundred years. He remembers the things that everyone else has forgotten. He knows why the river turned black. He knows why the snake spoke to you. If anyone knows the truth about your life and how to fix your roots, it is him.

Jide looked at the dark mountain. It looked scary and cold. He thought about the long journey he would have to take. He thought about leaving Elena alone in the big house with the crumbling roses.

But before Jide could ask another question, something happened. The room was very still. There was no wind outside. But suddenly, a sudden and powerful gust of wind blew through the closed windows. It was an icy cold wind that smelled like old earth and wet stone.

The wind whirled around the room like a ghost. It was so strong that it knocked a picture off the wall. Then, with a loud WHOOSH, the wind blew all the candles out at the same time. The room went pitch black. Jide could not see his own hand in front of his face. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the old man’s steady breathing and the distant, lonely cry of an owl.

Elena had a dream about a field of fire and a heavy chain. What do you think the woman in the dream was trying to tell her?

The crops looked perfect on the outside but were empty on the inside. Do you think this is a symbol of Jide’s life without his tribe?

The old doctor says this is "something much older" than a normal sickness. What kind of ancient secret do you think is affecting Jide and Elena?

Jide has to go to the top of the Black Mountain. Do you think he will find the answers he needs, or will he find more danger?

The lights have gone out and the darkness is here! Jide has been told the truth, but the path to the High Priest is dangerous and full of shadows. Will our Prince find a way to save his home and his wife? The secrets of the past are finally coming to light.