Cursed Comprehension

Abena trudged begrudgingly towards Kweku's hut, the slumped figure of Ato resing on her back.

The young man in question had been unconscious for way longer than She had anticipated, which was probably an expected result.

I must have used too much force.

As it turned out, military issued charms packed much more of a punch than she thought.

She entered the hut, seeing as its door was left ajar, and plopped the still unconscious Ato onto his bamboo bed.

Not that she knew which one was his.

Abena turned to leave.

"Going so soon?"

She spun round, coming face to face with the one person she wished to see the least.

Kweku sat in the corner of the room, busily fiddling with a large, circular object that seemed to be made of gold, though Abena knew very well the difference between gold and clay.

"A soulwasher?" She aked, a look of intrigue painting her face. "Who gave it to you?"

Kweku ignared her, instead focusing his attention on the soulwasher in his hands. His fingers glided over the object, expertly shifting and rearranging its components into an intricate image, which resembled a mural of sorts.

Kweku let out a sigh of relief, gently placing the now shimmering Soulwasher onto an ornamental stool.

"Seriously, where the hell do you get this stuff?"

Kweku sighed yet again, taking a large gulp of water.

"I broke through." He stated simply.

"Broke through!?" Abena's eyes widened in shock, becoming as large as saucers.

"Dont' be so loud..." He raised his arms up to his ears. "The arrangement took a toll on me."

He was referring to the arrangement of the Soulwasher pieces, a daunting task that could take upwards of three hours to complete, as such, the work was only given to people like the shrinekeepers or Okomfo.

Yet somehow, Kweku had gotten his hands on one.

"The old man."

Kweku gave her a confused glance.

"What?"

"The old man," she repeated. "He's the one who gave it to you—the soulwasher."

Kweku's face remained impassive, a quality which she found quite annoying.

"Say something, will you? My god, you're so annoying..."

Kwkeu turned to her, finally adressing her.

"When did you join the army?"

Abena felt like punching something.