My Mother Died Three Years Ago—But Every Night She Appeared in My Dreams Begging Me to Find Her in a Forgotten Village Called Medanna… Then I Discovered the Truth

Chapter 5

I told him everything. About my mother. About my uncle saying she died three years ago. About her spirit disturbing my sleep every single night, begging me to come rescue her from Medanna.

As I spoke, the old man’s face changed from curiosity to deep sadness and fear. He breathed heavily and told me this village had become a place where kidnapping cases happened, and it was never like this in years past.

“Ah, my son,” he groaned, shaking his head. “You have entered a very dangerous land. Medanna used to be a peaceful place of fishermen and farmers. We loved strangers. But now? It is a den of lions.”

“What happened, Baba?” I asked, my heart beating fast. “Why did everything change?”

He leaned closer, dropping his voice to a low whisper. “Ever since this ruler started governing this village, insecurity and problems have been happening here. The new king is a wicked, greedy man. He protects the bad guys, and anyone who talks disappears into thin air.”

If the village was this dangerous, what had they done to my poor mother for three long years? Was she locked in some dark room somewhere, hungry and bleeding?

I buried my face in my hands and began to shake. “Baba, please, I don’t have anyone else. If they catch me, they might kill me. But I cannot leave without my mother.”

The old man’s eyes softened with deep pity. He reached across the small wooden table and patted my trembling shoulder. He assured me he would look for her, and we would get into action immediately.

“Do not cry, my son,” he said, with a strange, powerful confidence. “You came to my house for shelter, and I will not let you fail. I know every corner of this land, both physically and spiritually. Sleep now. Let me find out where she is hidden.”

I guessed he used his sorcery. Later that night, he came back to me, saying he had found where she was.

The old man opened his eyes suddenly, gasping for breath. Sweat poured down his face, even though the night was cold. He walked quickly back to the table, his hands shaking as he put out the small flame of incense.

“Joshua! Wake up!” he whispered urgently. “I have seen her. She is alive, but she is in great danger. They are keeping her in the palace, guarded by the ruler’s men.”

“So she is truly alive?!” I screamed. “Since three years, they told me she was dead.”

The realization hit me like a physical blow. My uncle had lied to me. My aunt had lied to me. My whole family had buried an empty casket and told me my mother was gone, just to keep me away from the truth. While I was living comfortably in the city, my mother was suffering in a strange village, praying for her eighteen-year-old son to find her.

I completely lost control of my emotions. I cried bitterly in that hut. My tears soaked the dirty floor as I wailed, my voice filled with anger, pain, and joy all at once. “Why did they do this to her? What did she do to deserve this cruelty?”

I wiped my face and a new wave of hot courage rushed through me. I looked at the old man with absolute determination.

“Take me to the place,” I said.

Baba took me secretly to the place where my mother was kept, working. It was the king’s palace.

My jaw dropped in shock. The palace was huge, with big metal gates and heavy security. I wanted to run forward, to break down the gates and shout her name, but Baba grabbed my arm with surprising strength and pulled me behind a thick bush.

“Stop!” he hissed. “Are you mad? Look at those guards with heavy cutlasses and guns. If they catch you, you are a dead man.”