Nnedi Okorafor
Akata Witch
© 2011
AKATA WITCH
NSIBIDI FOR “THIS IS ALL MINE”
To Sandra Marume, the spunky Igbo girl with the sharp tongue and mysterious ways, who just happened to be albino.
It’s been awhile, but I hope I captured you well.
*
And to my mother, who was terrified of masquerades as a kid and still is. This book dances with them. Enjoy.
Here, in the new venture, the extraordinary, the magical, the wonderful, and even the strange come out of the ordinary and the familiar.
– Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
PROLOGUE
The CandleI’ve always been fascinated by candles. Looking into the flame calms me down. Here in Nigeria, PHC is always taking the lights, so I keep candles in my room just in case.
PHC stands for “Power Holding Company of Nigeria,” but people like to say it really stands for “Please Hold Candles in Nigeria.” Back in Chicago we had ComEd, and the electricity was always working. Not here, though. Not yet. Maybe in the future.
One night, after the power went out, I lit a candle as usual. Then, also as usual, I got down on the floor and just gazed at its flame.
My candle was white and thick, like the ones in church. I lay on my belly and just stared and stared into it. So orange, like the abdomen of a firefly. It was nice and soothing until… it started flickering.