(Part II)
In the verdant hills of Gojam, where rivers hummed lullabies and trees whispered secrets to the wind, there lived a maiden named Almaz. Her beauty was famed across the valleys—not for the roses in her cheeks, but for the sacred cross tattooed upon her brow, glowing like stardust spun by angels. By her side danced Abe, a shepherd whose flute could coax even the grumpiest goats to leap. Their laughter wove through the barley fields, until the day shadows crept into their golden world.
One evening, as fireflies lit the dusk, Almaz’s mother’s friend, Beletu, arrived with a smile sharp as a sickle. “Come, child,” she purred, pressing a frothy drink into Almaz’s hands. “A sip to sweeten your dreams.” But the drink was poison. Almaz slumped into sleep, and Beletu sold her to shadowy men who spirited her away to Addis Ababa, a city of concrete jungles and smoke. There, Almaz was caged in a mansion, scrubbing floors until her hands bled, her starlit cross dimmed beneath soot.
When Almaz’s laughter vanished from Gojam, Abe shouldered his shepherd’s crook and vowed, “I will find her, though the mountains crumble.” Her parents scattered barley grains as prayers, their tears watering the soil. But Addis Ababa swallowed Abe whole. Its streets snarled like wolves; its alleys lied. Weeks passed, his hope wilting, until he stumbled into a church, its candles flickering like timid stars.
An old priest, his beard as white as lamb’s wool, found Abe weeping. “Child,” he murmured, “the heavens hear even the smallest cries. Speak her name in every chapel, and let the people’s eyes become your lanterns.” He pressed a silver cross pendant into Abe’s palm. “Faith will light your path.”
Abe obeyed. From church to church he wandered, chanting Almaz’s tale: “A maiden with eyes like midnight and a cross of starlight!” Folk murmured, but none had seen her—until a boy tugged his sleeve. “At dawn, by Saint Mary’s altar, I saw her! A ghost with a glowing brow!”
Three mornings Abe waited, breath fogging the cold. On the third, she appeared—thin as a reed, her cross still flickering. “Almaz!” he cried. They fled toward Gojam, but Fate’s wheel snapped. Their old land rover groaned and stalled, its axle shattered. Almaz squeezed into a creaking bus; Abe stayed, cursing the broken bones of machinery.
Almaz reached Merawi at twilight, her heart fluttering like a trapped bird. But as she neared home, a figure seized her—Atalye, the constable, his grin dripping greed. “Mine!” he crowed, twisting her wrist. “Your parents will bless us!” Her mother and father, blind with joy, rushed to anoint him, bridal henna in hand. “Our hero!” they wept.
But hooves thundered. Astride a stranger’s mule, Abe galloped into the square, the priest’s pendant blazing at his throat. “Release her!” he roared. The crowd gasped. Atalye’s lies unraveled like rotten thread, and he slunk away, hissed at by the wind.
When Almaz’s parents clasped Abe, their tears washed clean their sight. “Forgive us,” they begged. “You are our true son.” Villagers lit bonfires, their flames licking the sky, while word of Beletu’s treachery spread. The viper fled to Gojam’s barren crags, where jackals sang her shame.
Under a moon ripe as a melon, Almaz and Abe danced, their shadows one. The starlit cross blazed anew, and the priest’s letter soared to the heavens: “To the shepherd who moved mountains—love is the truest compass.”
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Epilogue:
And so, when children of Gojam spot a shooting star, they whisper, “There goes Abe’s flute, serenading the night!” For in those hills, they know: even the darkest storms bow to love’s unyielding light.
Propp’s Formula in the Tale:
– Hero: Abe, the devoted shepherd.
– Villain: Beletu, the envious betrayer.
– Donor: The wise priest, bestower of wisdom.
– False Hero: Atalye, the fraudulent suitor.
– Magical Agent: The silver cross pendant.
– Struggle/Victory: Abe’s perseverance against urban chaos and deceit.
– Wedding: The triumph of true love, celebrated by the community.
Metaphors & Literary Flourishes:
– Starlit Cross: Almaz’s tattoo symbolizes divine protection and identity.
– Concrete Beast: Merkato as an antagonist devouring innocence.
– Shepherd’s Crook: Abe’s unwavering loyalty, rooted in humble beginnings.
Editor’s Note:
When you want to contribute, communicate the editor of this column. He can be reached at hailualem42@yahoo.com
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL 2025
