Escape from the Ever Present: Imaginings of Chachaura and Kobijumbah: Sankofa Nyame Dua Tree Trilogy, #1

By P.D. Casely-Hayford

The story is set in a parallel universe in a bustling city where Gramdah Flora, an Ancient from the Time Before, tells Chachaura and Kobijumbah about the legend of the Singing Tree from the Time Before. One morning, Chachaura and Kobijumbah head to the Wharf of the Forgotten where they met Rubberberto who takes them high above the clouds away from the city shores to mysterious lands. On their journey, they meet strange creatures, and harness their new powers of imagination and venture to exciting worlds and beyond as they search for the elusive Singing Tree.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laterally Creative, Qld
• Release date: Feb 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9780980514520

P.D. Casely-Hayford

P.D. Casely-Hayford's artistic practice includes the creative writing, cultural animation and film. After years of extensive travel and cultural and creative interchanges, Ghana, the home of her maternal family and its culture remain her key inspiration. "I explore the ways in which people from the global south have been historically represented in text, images, and sound and the legacies associated with these interpretations. My stories inspired by the journeys of our Ancestors, the cultural landscapes we inhabit, and the worlds we imagine." Learn more at:  laterallycreative.com.

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Copyright

© P.D. CASELY-HAYFORD 2017: Published by Laterally Creative, Qld: Enquiries: laterallycreative.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, copies, recoding in or otherwise, without prior the written permission of the author, except in the case of a brief 100 word passage embodied in articles and reviews with the consent of the author. This is a a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidences are fictitious. Any resemblance, suggestion, or same, or similar names and perceived representations are co-incidental.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry Details

Title: Escape from the Ever Present: Imaginings of Chachaura & Kobijumbah: 

Book One of the Sankofa Nyame Dua Tree Trilogy.

Edition: e-book - first edition. 2017

ISBN-13: 978-0-9805145-2-0

Notes: Author P.D. Casely-Hayford © 2017

Cover Design: P.D. Casely-Hayford. © 2017

Notes to Reader

NYAME DUA IS AN ADINKRA symbol that represents the presence and protection of God consciousness. Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol that encourages us to embrace the wisdom of the Ancestors to guide us through our life experience.

In the tradition of oral storytelling, this story has been written to read out aloud so the listeners can enjoy the voice and expressions of the reader. The story can also be enjoyed by a reader who finds a quiet place to read and Escape from the Ever Present through the Imaginings of Chachaura & Kobijumbah.

It is the elders’ or parents’ responsibility to read this story and to determine whether or not the story and themes are suitable for their children.

Once Upon a Time Before

ONCE UPON AN EVER PRESENT time, a big, strong girl and a small, frail boy, sat at the end of the Wharf of the Forgotten. As its wooden planks creaked and sodden moss wept into the sea, they dangled their toes over the edge and cast their eyes into the rolling mist that floated over the megatropolis of Plastacitika. To arrive at their secret destination, they boarded the train to Ngangikanna Station via the 29328 Kambamassa Line, scurried through the turnstiles, rushed across the busy walkways, and slipped into a narrow alley that was as dark as a blackboard sky when the moon resists her calling. At the end of the alley, tucked behind the rubble of concrete, wires, and plastic pipes was a rusty iron door from the Time Before.

The small boy and the big strong girl didn’t understand why they were always drawn to the Wharf of the Forgotten. There was nothing on sale; there were no new gadgets; in fact there was nothing new at all. However, the pier was a place where they could experience Plastacitikan life without censor. They saw ferries dipping in and out of the mist; towers of plastic and concrete; tiny flickering lights following people through apartment rooms; and layers of the smog that tinted the sky grey. As the sun smudged over the horizon, they counted the cargo ships sailing out of the harbour to the mythical Somewhere where Stuff was exported to Plastacitika. After two or three obsolete cycles, the citizens of Plastacitika returned Stuff to the burial grounds of Somewhere.

Ever wondered where it all goes? said the big strong girl.

Her name was Chachaura.

What’s that? said the small frail boy. His name was Kobijumbah.

Stuff; they say the people of Somewhere change it into things we can use, said Chachaura,Gramdah Flora says it goes to the Swirling Island.

Oh, Gramdah Flora, said Kobijumbah, "she’s always full of stories. Always going