Tambika 

*Originates from Kenya* 

 

While at work one Friday morning, Tambika, who had recently been promoted to the position of Housekeeping manager, intimated to Katana, one of her colleagues of her intention to move houses. It made sense that she would want to live in a home that reflected her new position. 

 

The mystical

Always cautious, Katana warned her to be careful in her selection. Aside from the usual fears of majini, many more social unrest such as drug trafficking had lately taken root on the island.

Disbelieving of Tambika’s careless attitude he pointed out that people had come across cats that cried like people at night! Katana even narrated a recent account of a very healthy group of goats, who roamed the town freely, unwatched.

Every day at noon, he said, they’d be seen moving across the small town towards the beach, where they’d graze on some shrubs and bushes, then mysteriously disappear. At exactly four in the afternoon, they’d once again reappear and head back inland from whence they came.

Due to the mystical tales surrounding the goats, no one dared follow them to find out who their owners were or where they lived.

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However, one day, a man watched these goats and thought he could make quick money from their sale upcountry. He bundled the dozen or so animals onto a pick-up truck and on his merry way he went.

As he sped along the highway, he heard a whisper. A voice… ‘mbuzi wazitakiani?’ it chanted. Someone wanted to know what he wanted to do with the goats. Chalking it up to his imagination and guilty conscience, he ignored the question. More voices soon joined in the chant, which grew more intense by the second.

Convinced he was losing his mind due to fatigue, the thief decided to pull over and rest. Just as he stopped the car in the middle of nowhere, there was a soft tap to his rear window. Glancing back, he was shocked to find no goats in sight!

Instead, piled onto his truck, seated, was collective of men, all dressed in black robes intently staring back at him. The chant was at a crescendo now. Without breaking their stare, the men rose up…

At this point, Tambika had heard enough and sharply told Katana to quit his ridiculous narrative. 

 

The house search

In any event, she said, his foreboding was unnecessary because none of the houses she had viewed so far held much promise anyway. She wanted as much space as a stadium, from the American football odds, but so far all houses were too tiny.

Always the gentleman, Katana offered to accompany Tambika on her next round of house hunting. You see, Katana was one of those guys who, ironically, no matter how good they were, never quite seem to get lucky with the ladies. Given his bachelorhood, and Tambika’s beauty and youth, why not go along for the house hunt? Perhaps their destinies were more intertwined than they realized.

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At every house they visited, Tambika rejected it saying there wasn't enough good energy’. His romantic aspirations aside, Katana began growing tired.

He luckily remembered seeing someone in his neighborhood move out weeks prior. Though he felt he should do some due diligence on the owner first, he reminded himself that Tambika did not believe in conspiracy. In fact, he thought that perhaps it was about time he too shrugged off his overly suspicious nature. Besides, the prospect of having Tambika even closer was most enticing. What is the worst that could happen anyway?

So it was that they checked out the said house. Things were looking good for Katana since it seemed Tambika  loved it! She moved in and all seemed to be good with the world. Though their friendship thrived, she refused to get romantically involved. Katana on the other hand fell more and more in love

One evening, following a particularly bad workday, they had dinner together at a restaurant and Katana headed home and straight to sleep. At night, however, he felt like something was in his room. Opening his eyes, he could only see what was illuminated by the moonlight through his window. Seeing nothing, he tried to go back to sleep but the feeling continued.

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Then he saw it. Next to his bed was a luminous white figure. Hovering. Weightless. The figure pointed to Katana’s bed. Turning his head, he saw Tambika’s image. Fast asleep on the other side of his bed. Katana’s blood ran cold. Tambika was a jini? The figure then whispered in a familiar chilling voice ‘mbuzi wazitakiani'?

’

At which point Katana woke with a start and in a cold sweat. The room was once again in darkness. Perhaps it was a bad dream. It was dark except for the moonlight and the curtains. Wait, had he not shut the windows the night before? Why were they open?

He tried his hardest to forget all these fears. On the next morning, he was strangely afraid of running into Tambika at work. He did not know what to make of her. He kept thinking if sending her a text message but soon decided against it.

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In any event, his phone had gone off the previous evening due to lack of power. All these decisions were however taken out of his hands when he got to the resort; for he was informed that Tambika had died in an accident to work when the matatu she was travelling in out of nowhere went off the road.

Disbelieving, he spent his morning in confused. Ultimately, one of his workmates suggested they should inform Tambika’s kin. Katana had to recharge his phone in order to call the family. When he eventually switched on the phone, a cryptic text from Tambika lay in wait…

‘Your twelve goats just crossed the road’

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Original source: https://theghostdiaries.com/tambika-a-ghost-story-from-the-heart-of-kenya/