MUKUNDA Chapter 15–The Day We Celebrated the Inheritance That Would Never End

Magodo was filled with the sun that was shining, the kind of sun that comes when the night has passed, when the darkness that was waiting has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side is shining in a way that it has never shone before, when the land that has been saved is ready to be the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. The wind was moving softly, the way that the wind moves when it is carrying the peace that comes after a long battle, after the darkness has been met and the light has been shown, after the prophecy has been fulfilled and the land has been saved, after the inheritance has been strengthened and the Death of Darkness has been destroyed, after the women and the warriors have risen and the young people have learned, after the light that shines brightest has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. The people were filled with the joy that comes when they know that their inheritance has been strengthened, that the strength of the daughter Mukunda has been protected, that the thing that was built, that was protected, that was saved, that was taught, that was passed, will be there when they are gone, will be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, will be the thing that the children will learn, that the young people will carry, that the ones who come after them will hold, that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes again and they are not sure which way to go.

That morning, the people began to gather in front of the great palace, the place where the decisions that shaped the land were made, the place where the king had sat on the stone chair that had been carved from the rock that was at the center of the land, the place where the counselors and the elders and the leaders of the warriors had gathered to hear the things that needed to be heard, to speak the words that needed to be spoken, to make the choices that would determine what would happen to the land that had been passed down from generation to generation. They came from all the villages, from the places that had been scattered, from the homes that had been left, from the land that had been given to them to protect. They came filled with the thanks that comes when the people who have been saved, who have been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, who have learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, come to give thanks to the one who carried the fire, who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, who saved the land that had been given to them to protect, who taught the women, who strengthened the warriors, who built the inheritance, who passed the light from her hand to theirs. They came filled with the respect that comes when the people who have been taught, who have learned, who have become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after, come to show the respect that is due to the one who carried the fire, who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, who saved the land that had been given to them to protect. And they came filled with the desire to celebrate, to sing the songs that had been sung by the ancestors, to dance the dances that had been danced by the ones who came before, to be the people that the land had been waiting for, to be the thing that the prophecy had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

I stood at the top of the mountains, the place where I had stood so many times before, the place where I had looked out at the land that had been given to me to protect, the place where I had felt the weight of the prophecy pressing down on me, the place where I had wondered whether I was strong enough, whether I was brave enough, whether I was the daughter that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I looked at the land that was filled with the people who had learned, who were at peace, and who were strong, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I looked at the women who had learned to use their spirit and their strength in a way that was wise, who had become the thing that the land needed them to be. I looked at the warriors who had learned to use their strength in the right way, who had learned that the strength that is used to protect is not the strength that is used to dominate, who had become the thing that the land needed them to be. I looked at the young people who had learned the ways of protecting the darkness, who had learned that the darkness is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. And I knew that today, we would celebrate our inheritance, our love, and our strength. I knew that Magodo would always be a land of shining, of peace, and of unity, that it would be the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after.

Taru came to stand beside me, the way that she had been standing beside me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. Her eyes were filled with the pride that comes when the person you love has become the thing that you knew they could become, the thing that you hoped they would become, the thing that you were afraid they would become, because the thing that they had become was the thing that would take them away from you, would take them to the place where the fire was burning, would take them to the place where the darkness was waiting, would take them to the place where the prophecy would be fulfilled and they would be the one who saved the land or the one who destroyed it, the one who lived or the one who died, the one who carried the fire or the one who was consumed by it. But now, the fire had been carried, the darkness had been shown that it was not the enemy, the land had been saved, the inheritance had been strengthened, the Death of Darkness had been destroyed, the women had risen, the warriors had learned, the young people had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for, and the thing that she was seeing was not the thing that was taking me away, but the thing that was the celebration that was beginning, the joy that was filling the land, the people who were gathering, the songs that were being sung, the dances that were being danced, the inheritance that was being celebrated.

"Today we will celebrate our inheritance, our love, and our strength," I said, and I heard in my voice the peace that comes when the thing that has been carried has been passed, when the thing that has been protected has been given, when the thing that has been saved has been taught, when the people who will be there when you are gone have learned, have become, have taken the inheritance that was given to them and made it their own. "Magodo will always be a land of shining, of peace, and of unity, a land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after, a land that will be there for the children and the children's children, a land that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes again and they are not sure which way to go."

The people began to sing the songs of the old, the songs that had been sung by the ancestors, the songs that had been sung by the ones who came before, the songs that had been waiting for this moment, for this time, for the celebration that was beginning, for the joy that was filling the land, for the inheritance that was being celebrated. Their voices joined, joined with my voice, joined with Taru's voice, joined with the voices of the women who had learned, joined with the voices of the warriors who had been taught, joined with the voices of the young people who were becoming, joined with the voices of the children who would carry the inheritance when we were gone, and the sound that came out of them, the sound that was the joining of all their spirits, the sound that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the sound that was the light that showed the people where to go, the sound that was the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the sound that was the love that had been released, the sound that was the inheritance that had been passed, was the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. It was the sound of the land that had been saved, the sound of the people who had become the thing that the land needed them to be, the sound of the inheritance that would never end.

The women came carrying the laws of the old, the laws that had been passed down from the ancestors, the laws that had been written in the hearts of the people long before any paper was ever brought to this land, the laws that had been the thing that held the people together when the darkness was coming and they were not sure which way to go. They carried the laws that said that the land belongs to the people, that the people belong to the land, that the fire that is in each of them is the light that shows them where to go, that the water that is in each of them is the life that makes the land grow, that the stone that is in each of them is the foundation that holds them, that the wind that is in each of them is the breath that moves through them, that the darkness is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. The warriors came carrying their weapons of water and fire, the weapons that had been given to them by the spirits, the weapons that were not the weapons that destroy, but the weapons that protect, the weapons that are the fire that is the light that shows the people where to go, the water that is the life that makes the land grow, the stone that is the foundation that holds them, the wind that is the breath that moves through them. And the young people came close, being taught the ways of protecting the darkness, being shown that the darkness is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

I walked among them, the way that I had walked among them when the teaching was being given, when the inheritance was being passed, when the women and the warriors were learning, when the young people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I showed them the ways of joining the spirit with the love, the ways that the love that had been given to them, that had been waiting for them, that would be there for them when the darkness came and they were not sure which way to go, could be the thing that was the fire that was in them, the water that was in them, the stone that was in them, the wind that was in them, the thing that made them the light that showed the people where to go, the thing that made them the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to them to protect. I helped the young people to understand the strength of peace, to know that the peace that had been built, that had been protected, that had been saved, was not the peace that would be broken when the darkness came again, but the peace that would be there, that would hold, that would be the thing that would show the darkness that it was not the enemy, that would be the thing that would make the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

In the middle of these things, in the place where the celebration was happening, in the place where the songs were being sung, the dances were being danced, the inheritance was being celebrated, the people began to share the stories of their families, the histories of the ancestors, and their desire to protect the inheritance that had been given to them, that had been passed to them, that they would pass to the ones who would come after. They told the stories of the mothers who had carried the fire before I was born, of the fathers who had held the stone before the stone was placed under my skin, of the ancestors who had walked this land and claimed it for the people who would come after, of the prophecy that had been waiting, of the fire that had been lit, of the water that had risen, of the stone that had been placed, of the wind that had released, of the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, of the light that had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I felt a joy that never ends, seeing that my inheritance had entered the hearts of all the people, that the thing that I had carried, that I had protected, that I had saved, that I had taught, that I had passed, was not just in me, was not just in the fire that I carried, was not just in the water that I joined, was not just in the stone that was placed under my skin, was not just in the wind that I released, but was in the hearts of the women who had learned, the warriors who had been taught, the young people who were becoming, the children who would carry it when I was gone.

"The success of Magodo is not for one person alone, is not for the one who carried the fire, is not for the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed. It is for the unity of the people, the strength, and the love, the fire that is in each of you, the water that is in each of you, the stone that is in each of you, the wind that is in each of you, the love that has been given to you, that has been waiting for you, that will be there for you when the darkness comes and you are not sure which way to go. If we hold these things, if we protect these things, if we teach these things, Magodo will always be a land of shining, of peace, and of unity, a land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after, a land that will be there for the children and the children's children, a land that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes again and they are not sure which way to go."

Taru took my hand, the way that she had taken my hand when we were children, when we sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, when the light rose from the earth and the elder Vengai said that the second spirit had joined, when we stood on the stone at the River of Stones and the spirit of the stone asked if we were the ones who could carry the courage of the stones, when we stood on the hill where the sky falls and the wind released the love that had been carried, when we walked through the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and the darkness fell on me and the light came out of me and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the caves where the ancestors had gone to meet the darkness and be tested and be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side, when we stood on the top of the mountains and looked at the land that had been saved and knew that the time had come to promote the women, the warriors, and the young children, when we stood in the celebration that was filling the land and saw that the inheritance had entered the hearts of all the people. She showed her support, the support that had been the thing that made her stand beside me, that made her promise to protect me, that made her say that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that made her the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She told me that I was the true Mukunda, the leader who has a clean heart, that my inheritance would always be taught from generation to generation, that the thing that I had built, that I had protected, that I had saved, that I had taught, that I had passed, would be the thing that would be there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

The people began to lift the wind with their feet, the way that people lift the wind when they are dancing, when they are celebrating, when they are showing their strength and their unity, when they are being the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. They danced the dances that had been danced by the ancestors, the dances that had been waiting for this moment, for this time, for the celebration that was beginning, for the joy that was filling the land, for the inheritance that was being celebrated. The strength of love, the spirit, and the inheritance were joined, making Magodo shine more than it had ever shone before, making the land be the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after, making the light that had passed through the darkness and come out the other side shine in a way that it had never shone before.

I began to plan the ways of protecting the inheritance, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to protect, to build, to be the thing that the land needed them to be, to be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I taught the warriors, the women, and the young children the ways of joining the spirit, of protecting the darkness, and of promoting peace, the ways that the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy could be the thing that was the other half of the light, the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the ways that the love that had been given to them, that had been waiting for them, that would be there for them when the darkness came and they were not sure which way to go, could be the thing that was the fire that was in them, the water that was in them, the stone that was in them, the wind that was in them, the thing that made them the light that showed the people where to go.

At the end of that day, the people sat down, they rested, and they felt a great joy, the kind of joy that comes when the thing that has been carried has been passed, when the thing that has been protected has been given, when the thing that has been saved has been taught, when the people who will be there when you are gone have learned, have become, have taken the inheritance that was given to them and made it their own. I looked at the land that was filled with the people who had learned, who were happy, and who were strong, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I knew that today, Magodo had been filled with joy, unity, and the strength of love, that our inheritance had been strengthened, and that the darkness would never be able to control our land again, would never be able to take the thing that had been built, that had been protected, that had been saved, that had been taught, that had been passed, that would be there when we were gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after us would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

The night was full, the wind was calm, the land was bursting with joy, and the people learned that strength, love, and unity are the things that give Magodo the strength and the peace that will last, that will be there when the darkness comes again, that will be the thing that shows the darkness that it is not the enemy, that will be the thing that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I sat at the top of the mountains, looking at the stars that were shining in the sky, the stars that had been watching this land since before the first people came, the stars that had seen the things that the people of this land had done, the things that they had carried, the things that they had passed down to the ones who came after. I felt my spirit joining with the spirits of all the people, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. And I knew that today, my inheritance had been strengthened completely, that the land had entered a new part of the true shining, of peace, and of the love that never ends, that would be there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go. The land was safe. The people were strong. The inheritance was being celebrated. The joy was filling the land. The light had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. And I was Mukunda, the child who was freed by the Spirit, the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to her to protect, the one who taught the women, who strengthened the warriors, who built the inheritance, who passed the light from her hand to theirs, who watched as they became the ones who would carry it when she was gone, who celebrated with them when the inheritance was strengthened, who knew that the darkness would never be able to control the land again, who was Mukunda, and who would be remembered when the stories of this time were told to the children and the children's children, when the fire was lit and the prophecy was told and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.