The Crocodile-Factor, Stories-Enigmas, around an African Tree: EPISODE III-PART A

BEFORE THE CROCODILE STARTS TO LAUGH...

(It's the named 'Young Shaman KaKo', who's speaking:)

-… So the strange crocodile that is likely to be yours that I've seen some days ago in my dream, started to speak; and through many words, he asked me : if I'd rather have him winged and chasing after me, wearing a pair of wings to be well able to raise me up and make me fly; or if I would prefer to be chased by him naturally, willingly, on all fours like a dog...!? » Before KaKo went on, some Elders were already trying to calm an interrogative murmur, rising all over, inside this WE-Village-Chief's living room...

« ... And in that dream of mine, I tried to explain to this speaking Croco-Beast, that I preferred to be chased by him willingly on all fours; and, he asked me WHY...? So, I kept on explaining to him that: I will start to run on all fours as a dog; and behind me, if he was approaching faster and close to catching me, then by sheer willpower, I will stand up like a real human being on my feet and start running; as any time I will act that way, I will run faster than him and he won't be able to catch me!... »

***

… After another murmur had been calmed down, KaKo went on: « So, as I told him, even if both of us try to repeat that race experience twice or more, the speaking crocodile likely yours will not be able to catch me; because every time he will come nearer to seize me, I’ll do the same! Meaning, I will stand up on my two feet and start to run differently, yes differently and faster than him; so he will never catch me! Not even my shadow!...» It takes some energy for KaKo to bear another deep and long murmur from all the Elders around...
(Kaaaaakoooo! KaaaaKo! Soôome will try to learn how to fly as differently as possible, while being chased above any skies… Soôo KaaaaaaKoooo! KaaaKooo can you see all around some pyramids…? Really KaKo was like hearing all these types of questions as thoughts rising from his remembrances; but he knew he has to be calm and…)

So after all these eminent Elders of WE-Village calmed down again in the Chief's living room, KaKo continued:
« ...And as I stuck to my reasoning in front of your speaking crocodile, it seemed to me that: while opening his two jaws and moving his nostrils as a small hidden pair of jagged wings, he started to… to… to laugh; yes to laugh; and as to entitle it ‘When The Crocodile Starts To Laugh’; because he was really laughing, thence slowly and surely his image faded away from my dream... » Again, KaKo silenced himself in front of all...

***

The WE-Village-Chief, as anyone else, was quickly trying to see, from all of KaKo’s possibilities, if his choice was right or wrong in answering that way... to the single-Eyed Croco-Beast which successfully infiltrated one of KaKo's dreams...! as a speaking 'winged-nostrils' powerful crocodile.

… Still surrounded by all these eminent Elders, Elders who were sitting on different animals skins and others not on animals skin carpets lying on the ground, KaKo was silent in front of the WE-Village-Chief; all of them waiting; when suddenly this WE-Village-Chief starts to sing: A loôong and mournful crocodile-lapping-resonance was strangely rising from his throat; and as suddenly, all together as one, all the Elders started to chorus... All the singers lapping so mysteriously on this day, in this living room...! One by one, while chorusing, they started to stand up and to leave the place; from the colored veil of the Chief's door, to reach the outside compound where the large one eyed-crocodile was; they were singing; singing; better to say they were strangely harmonizing their looong, long lappings all together...

***

Some children, as usual, on the lookout for an event, from outside the trees of their Chief's compound, were silently observing this group of Elders which rapidly circled the old crocodile before breaking their line but not their singing, almost pushing one another, getting out of this Chief's compound...
The unmoved crocodile was still resting in the middle of the compound…

… It was like the WE-Village-Chief wanted it to be: be alone again with KaKo muna Kali-You na ‘The Bones of Tears’ of I-Koooooonè… He was alone with KaKo in his living room; and through some traditional rules, he could at last, in this same day, start to speak to KaKo about all his final levels of initiation to take as the youngest Shaman of ShoeSoul-Village...

***

« Always wait for any I-Man-Chief to speak first...! » KaKo was simply concentrating on that determined motto he has imposed to himself all along that important day for him to… to... (to do what?)
The WE-Village-Chief was still murmuring, accompanying the last Elders' voices slowly fading out...
The crocodile outside seemed to be in a resting mood...
Outside no more lappings were heard from this Chief's compound...
Even the usual noisy kids around seemed to have joined their parents settling down in each family's compound...

Finally, after silencing all of his strange lapping murmurs, this astonishing Chief started to talk by asking a question, a ticklish question, to the young Shaman KaKo :
- … My dear KaKo, muna Kali-You na Ewass’a Mbemba-Konè! Before this 'crocodile laugh' happened to be heard around your dreaming ears, what was the other dream you had about a crocodile? »
“Hum!?... Hum!...? » (All these Shum-de-Shum-lappings!-from KaKo; as-long-lappings- inspirations-emitting and all coming from his throat!)… KaKo was concentrating hard; but he could not remember; just to concentrate about one wasn’t easy. He knew for sure he had already dreamt about crocodiles; about some croco's teeth appearing; or it may have been the one where he and a crocodile were turning around some eggs that had eyes… Was it about how all these new scenes could have appeared to him…? Or how all those new images could have worth to him now…(!?) KaKo and a crocodile turning in a circle around some twins-eyed-crocodiles’ eggs…!? But as for how this one special! dream ended, or where all of it was happening…? He couldn’t recall… Even trying to concentrate…

***

He tried hard to recall; so after some few minutes it appears to him that: once upon a time as well, he had the smell of a Croco-Beast stuck in his mind for a long time... So all KaKo has in mind is remembering the fuzzy view of a lot of eggs from a nest but only with two eyed-eggs he was supposed to run around, and a strong smell coming from the nest to talk about… and, many others parts of other dreams he couldn't fully remember concerning crocodiles...

…He preferred to take it easy; and, prudently, he started to answer to the WE-Village-Chief:
- … Hum!... My dear Chief! Diso La Sanka from WE-Village! I cannot remember exactly where I have been rolling down with a crocodile in this dream; but what I can recall and say is that : something like an obliging chalky smell of crocodile stuck in my nose and mind for several days after I ran and circled around a strange lot of crocodile eggs’ in that dream; and for now, I can't remember any other dream I might have had about crocodiles!...>> He went on lapping briefly before easing up and continuing: <

- So, talking about life, real life; and as you know : you are about to take another step of the last three levels of your study and initiation of Shamanism; and, for these last three levels, the WE-Village-Chief continued, two of them leading to the last level will be concluded in your own village and will be set up under my supervision. So I will be the Supervisor of two of your three last proofs to overcome... » Except from his strange murmur rising again, the WE-Village-Chief seemed to be concentrating himself again voicelessly... And all the Young Shaman KaKo could do was to blink; to watch him and blink; until the WE-Village-Chief stopped murmuring and goes on with his deep voice...:
- So as you understand my dear friend KaKo, I'm here today to help, and to tell you the first and the second fulfillment your clan of Shamans from SoulShoe-Village are waiting to hear from you; to overcome in good ways the end of your initiation.. »

As the WE-Village-Chief was reflecting again in murmuring, Young Shaman KaKo densely sighed; he knew it was his day in this WE-Village...

He knew also that the first meeting, inside this same living room, he had some days ago with all the Shamans of his native village, was about to define the last steps or proofs he'll have to challenge; to become definitively one of them and be allowed to open and to enter more of the other Shamans Elders' Doors...

At this present time, now that he had dreamt about the WE-Village Chief's croc, the 'Young Shaman KaKo' felt he was ready to challenge all next steps of his initiation...
Yes! He really felt like he was totally ready to take on any kind of tasks; and to return safely for the last one to take in his own village...

He missed SoulShoe-Village: a place where he was born and where he lived without wife nor kids...

***

… My dear I-Friend-Shaman-Traveler, YOU may have to tell some people what YOU know about SOULSHOE-VILLAGE? OR SHOESOUL-VILLAGE? Or sooner admit that a lot of lapping of crocodiles coming from different stories or dreams-enigma of different villagers around us can be all mingled to help us understand more about KaKo’s choices and way of life…

TO BE CONTINUED…