“Wait!! I have someone,” King Julius, ruler of our world spoke.
The Alien King, Korra turned to him with mild disinterest. “Oh, do you?”
“Yes, we do. But you must promise to free us if you’re impressed with her abilities.”
Korra gave a long, throaty laugh, the long antennas on the side of his head that looked like suction tubes wobbled with every movement he made. From my quiet corner at the back of the cell, I shuddered in revulsion.
How did we get here?
How did these creatures hold out fates in their hands like this?
Top terrified to join the other earthlings in their whisperings, I made an earnest prayer to God that whoever the King had in mind could truly rescue us.
“Drizella!” The King boomed. His voice softened immediately. “Please, come forward.”
If it was ever possible for a person’s heart to crumble to smithereens, that’s what was happening to me. Could the King really be calling me? I was the only Drizella in the Kingdom. Did he want us all to perish?
“And who is the insolent one named Drizella who can’t answer her King’s call?”
I swallowed and came to the front. The murmurings and gasps of despair around me had tripled. Everyone in Earthano and even some of its environs knew that cooking was the last thing I loved to do. They constantly teased me about it. The King himself had laughed once or twice at my unhidden resentment towards kitchen activities. Now here I was, with the fate of my entire universe resting on me.
I walked slowly towards the aliens with my head bowed. I think the saddest thing about the whole thing was that if I didn’t perform up to expectations, scratch that, when(cause it was a certainty) I didn’t perform up to expectations, I would be killed first. The tentacled aliens weren’t going to spare me for any reason.
Before they dragged me away to the kitchen where my fate and that of millions was to be decided, King Julius called me aside.
“I know you must probably think I’ve sent the entire universe into obscurity with this choice, Drizella,” he whispered. I remained quiet. It was against tradition to argue with the King and I’d rather be damned than let him and the others who were watching me keenly from the cells see the tears already streaming down my cheeks.
Sensing that I wasn’t going to say a word, he continued. “Others may be better in the kitchen, but you have a witty mind, an engaging spirit and above all, a good heart. They’ll already be taken with your charm before they even taste your food.”
Interesting. My King was banking on my witty mind when our universe was at stake.
I only nodded. And when he pronounced the blessings of the Kingdom to go with me, I went away, the seven-foot aliens flanking me at the sides.
I quickly scooped the washed rice into the boiling pot of water and tried not to let the fact that Aliens were boring their eyes into my back affect me.
“I would appreciate it if you guys didn’t tear my back to shreds with your eyes,” I said without looking back. A grunt from behind answered me. I shook my head mentally and concentrated on cooking the jollof rice I made up my mind to cook. It was the simplest dish I knew that I was sure wouldn’t waste time and they wouldn’t throw up in my face.
I wished it was because there was some traditional reason tied to the dish I was preparing for the people that held my universe in their hands but it was as simple as I said. A simple dish with lots of heart and not an ounce of any matter from my mouth. Not like I could have anyway with their eyes on me like hawks.
As the rice parboiled, I got to chop carrots and other veggies I was going to put in the rice. While I did that, I started sharing funny stories of my experiences in my Kingdom. As at the time I began speaking, the Aliens were chatting to themselves in their language but I knew when they stopped and started listening to me.
Spurred on, I regaled them with stories of my people and spoke like I was saying a monologue. I worked with my mouth just the way I worked with my hands, dexterously and with precision. “And when he came towards me....” I stopped and went on cooking like I was no longer continuing the story.
“What happened, Earth girl??” Korra demanded.
I smirked inwardly and turned to him, plastering an innocent look on my face. “Oh, I didn’t think you were interested.”
He chuckled with the others. “You got us there, earth one. Now finish the story.”
“Oh. Of course, I gave him an uppercut that had him sprawling on the floor.” When they fell into their usual, throaty laughs, I daintily placed the plates of now-finished jollof rice in front of them. And watched them, still with laughter on their lips, as they lifted handfuls of the steaming rice into their mouths. I held a breath and tried to steady the rapid pounding of my heart.
They didn’t speak and I consoled myself with the fact that if it was trash, they wouldn’t be munching on the food like this. But immediately, Korra stood up. To one of his men, he boomed. “Tell the Earth King that we need to talk.” Turning to me, he said. “This weirdly talkative woman may have just saved her people.”
Jhymi🖤
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