Morani – 1. Genesis

A huge venomous snake was slowly coiling around him, trapping him on the bed.

He fought to break free, and as he tried to bite the snake to escape its grip, it menacingly threatened to strike his face.

Undeterred, he defiantly decided to sink his teeth into the snake, unaware that it was the nurse’s hand he was about to bite. The nurse let out a piercing scream and slapped him, abruptly awakening him from his nightmare.

He woke up sweaty and panting heavily, just as the doctor hurriedly entered the room.

Weak and disoriented, he had spent the weekend fighting for his life in the district hospital bed before finally getting up.

The doctor supported him and helped him sit on the bed. “I understand you want to leave, but I strongly advise you to rest for at least another six hours,” the doctor insisted.

However, he discharged himself from the hospital that very Sunday morning. His memories of the past two days were hazy, except for the image of a dead dog in a grave…

…Once upon a time in Arusha, there lived a man named Dishon in his farmhouse, located 51 kilometres away from the city.

The vast land surrounding his farmhouse was mostly covered in tall trees, and a few cows and chickens roamed freely. He shared his home with Pipo, a fawn Belgian shepherd dog who he considered part of his family. Pipo protected the farm from wild creatures that ventured onto the property in search of an easy meal.

On Friday morning, Dishon returned to the farm after a three-day safari in the Serengeti. He parked his 4WD, stepped out, and entered the house.

He casually threw his black leather bag onto the brown leather couch before heading to the barnyard.

To his dismay, he found Pipo lying lifelessly on the ground. He rushed to her side and examined her body, discovering multiple snake bites. Checking her pulse, he realized Pipo was no more.

He searched the barns and discovered a black mamba lazily resting inside the chicken barn, having consumed an entire chicken. Filled with fear, the remaining chickens huddled together in a corner.

Determined to take action, he grabbed a metal rake and pressed the snake’s head to the ground, eventually picking it up with his bare hands. The snake could barely move, and it showed signs of being attacked by the dog.

While inspecting the snake as it wriggled in his hands, he suddenly felt a sharp, painful bite on his left leg, causing him to drop the snake. The baby snake had come to rescue its mother.

Dishon limped back inside the house, reached for a snake stone on the wall shelf in the living room, and placed it on the bitten area, cursing away the pain.

The snake stone drew out most of the venom from his body as he wiped his feverish sweat with his shirt.

He retrieved a syringe and antivenom from the first aid box on the wall shelf. Filling the needle with the antivenom, he administered a shot to his leg. Exhausted, he collapsed on the couch and later regained consciousness in the afternoon.

Slowly making his way to the barnyard, he noticed that the snakes had disappeared, and he realized Pipo needed to be given a proper burial.

He grabbed a shovel, placed Pipo’s body in the wheelbarrow, and went to the woods to dig a grave. The blazing sun intensified his pounding headache, and dizziness overcame him. Helplessly, he blacked out and collapsed into the open grave.

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