A BLESSING IN THE SHADOWS

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

As the years passed, Amina grew accustomed to a life of secrecy, where each day was a delicate dance of protecting Odeny from the outside world. She taught him everything he needed to survive without the village’s support—how to gather herbs for healing, how to find food in the wild, and how to remain hidden. Yet, the more he learned, the more questions Odeny began to ask.

One evening, Odeny, now old enough to understand the world around him, sat by the dim firelight in their hut. The shadows danced across the walls, casting eerie shapes, and the only sound was the crackling of burning wood. He looked up at his mother, eyes filled with an earnest curiosity that Amina had seen growing day by day.

"Mother," he began cautiously, "why do we live like this? Why can’t I go to the village like other children? Are we cursed?"

Amina’s heart tightened. She had known this day would come, the day when she would have to explain the cruel truth to her son. She took a deep breath, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached out to brush a stray hair from Odeny’s forehead.

"It’s not because of a curse, my son," she said softly, choosing her words carefully. "You are a blessing. A blessing hidden in the shadows, away from those who don’t understand."

"But…why don’t they understand?" Odeny pressed. "Why do we have to hide from them?"

Amina sighed, feeling the weight of her past mistakes and the village’s unyielding traditions bearing down on her. "Our people have rules, very old rules, and they believe that breaking them brings misfortune. When you were born, they… they believed you would bring a curse upon them. They wanted to hurt you, to protect themselves."

Odeny’s face contorted in confusion and hurt. "But I haven’t done anything wrong! Why would they think that?"

Amina wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "I know, my dear. You’ve done nothing wrong. You are innocent, and you are loved. But sometimes, people fear what they don’t understand. They cling to beliefs that were handed down to them, and they don’t always see the truth."

The young boy sat quietly in her embrace, absorbing her words. Even at a young age, he could sense the sadness and frustration in his mother’s voice. He felt a pang of anger toward those who would reject him for reasons he couldn’t control, but he also felt a strange resolve building inside him—a desire to prove them wrong, somehow.

That night, as Odeny lay in bed, he looked up at the small cracks in the roof through which faint starlight poured. He felt a new, restless energy in his heart, a yearning to be seen and accepted by the world beyond their small, hidden life.

---

Over the following weeks, Amina noticed a change in Odeny. He was becoming more inquisitive, asking about the people in the village, their customs, and his place in it all. Amina knew that she couldn’t hold him back forever; one day, he would have to make his way in the world, and she dreaded that day. But she also knew that he was growing into a brave young man, one who would one day carry the strength to face the trials that awaited him.