I can touch but I know you don't feel a thing

Nadia

I stroke the back of my friend, the cheverny roh. It’s warm and soft, like a huge blanket. His steps are slow, swaying gently, rocking us.

Laila’s head, heavy as a stone, rests on mine. “Ugh, it’s heavy,” I think, but I don’t move her. I feel the cool wind on my face. Her drool, sticky and cold, drips onto my head. “Gross! Gross! Gross!” I frantically wipe my hair with one hand. I glance at my hand and wipe it on the cheverny roh. “I wonder how much longer this will last.”

I look at Søren. He walks alone, far from us, never turning around. He seems sad. “Did I do something to him?” He’s been traveling alone ever since we left that cave. I just want him to come back closer to us.

Søren stops, and my swaying halts. I make my friend disappear, and when I turn, I see Laila fall to the ground. «Hey!» she exclaims.

Through the trees ahead of us, a strange little house appears. It’s round, like a giant mushroom, with a roof of dry straw. The walls look like earth and mud, with a small wooden door. There are no glass windows, only holes. It scares me a little.

«Beautiful, isn't it?!» We all three turn sharply toward the voice. It’s a tall, smiling girl. Her skin isn’t pink or pale like mine or Laila’s, but the color of earth in daylight. The only person with skin like that was the tired man with the mask. “Was she also cursed by my father?”

But the strangest thing is the odd white markings on her skin. They start on the right side of her face and continue down her neck to her arm. “It looks like a tree.” And her eyes are strange — one is fire-colored where the markings are, the other matches her skin tone.

«My name is Akanke,» she says with a smile that lights up her eyes. «It’s so nice to finally have visitors. Come in, I’ll prepare something to eat.» She gestures vaguely with her hand toward her hut.

Søren steps forward, gripping his greatsword. «We can’t stop,» he says, his voice full of exhaustion. «We have to get out of these borders.»

Akanke’s smile doesn’t fade. She pats him on the back a few times, pushing him gently toward the hut. «Don’t worry, let me handle everything!» she exclaims loudly. The straw around her ankles and arms rustles with every step.

Laila and I follow them inside. Inside, branches tied with ropes hold up all kinds of strange objects. On two ceiling beams, a cloth is tied for some reason, and strange masks hang on the walls.

The door slams, everything begins to shake, then sway. I try to peek out the window, jump, but I can’t reach. Someone grabs me by the waist. I look up and see it’s the strange woman. «Need a hand?» she asks kindly.

«Mm,» I nod. She lifts me, helping me lean out of the window. I barely see two huge wooden legs emerging from below it. «The house… it walks!» I exclaim, astonished.

Laila leans out too, pushing me. «This house… it’s a Haab-shu, isn’t it?»

«Impressive, you can recognize your own kind immediately.»

«How do you know I’m a Haab-shu?!» she asks, surprised.

«Nyumba told me.»

«When did he tell you?» Søren asks, wary.

I pat her hand a few times. «Down.»

She smiles at me, setting me gently on the floor. «Before you arrived,» she answers Søren.

«So Haab-shu can sense each other… Laila, why didn’t you say anything?»

«What do you want from me?» Laila snaps.

«Haab-shu cannot sense each other,» Akanke interrupts. «We were walking much higher up when we saw you in the distance.»

«If you saw us and knew Laila was a Haab-shu, why didn’t you move away? We could have been enemies.»

«But you aren’t, right?» Søren doesn’t answer, just lowers his gaze.

«Good!» she exclaims, clapping her hands. «If you have no more questions…»

«I do have one — how did you come into possession of this house?» Laila interrupts Akanke.

«It’s been in my family for generations.»

«What kind of contract did you make?» Søren asks. “Contract?” I wonder, looking at him confused.

«A contract that unfortunately only affected Nyumba,» she replies, caressing a wall with a slightly sad look. «He is forced to serve my family, following our bloodline, and grants us one wish upon turning eighteen.»

«And what did you wish for?» Laila and Søren ask in unison.

She smiles, closing her eyes. «This!» she exclaims, throwing a powder at them. Both collapse to the ground immediately. I prepare to call a friend, but she throws the powder at me too. «Sorry,» my body slumps, everything goes dark.

I wake up. The house looks the same, but the windows and door are gone. The swaying and the thudding of footsteps have disappeared.

«I knew we shouldn’t trust her,» Søren warns.

«If you knew, then you could’ve done something, my dear black warrior,» Laila replies with her old smile, trailing a finger across Søren’s chest.

He steps back and resumes scanning the surroundings. «What could have happened?» he murmurs.

«You are in the dream realm of your minds,» Akanke replies, her voice seeming to come from everywhere. «Don’t worry, I won’t leave you to yourselves. I’ll help you follow your path.»

«What are you talking about?» Søren asks, taking a defensive stance.

«If you want to continue your journey, you must first solve your problems, or a fate worse than death will await you.»

«Are you threatening us?»

She emerges from the ground like water, placing a gentle hand on the tip of the greatsword and lowering it. «Not at all, trust me!» she replies with a kind smile.