Fragrance in the Valley Again

Kore valley is nicely trapped between mountains, forests and rivers. The climate is generally wet and dry all year round and the soil well suited for vegetable farming.

The inhabitants of Kore live in hamlets. Toshu hamlet is one of the seven hamlets found in that valley and it is surrounded by plots of vegetables in the front and river at the back towards the forest. A damsel by the name of Dianne, lives with her grand mother and relatives in Toshu. She was an orphan when her grand mother took care of her twenty years ago when she was eight. Being the only daughter to the landlord of Mafu, she gracefully established herself as one of the three owners of Mafu Gold Mine.

Dianne is slim and tall with black hair and fair skin. Her smile often reveals dimples that capture everyone's heart. She loves people and even though she keeps her private life to herself, she opens up to anyone who crosses her path.

She often takes 30 days on 30 days off work routine to supervise the staff at the mining site, which is about 15 minutes by air in helicopter and around 3 hours by bus. Bulk vegetables get airlifted out from Kore into the mining site every month and Dianne would often get on with bags of clean sheets and pillow cases. Whenever she returns after 30 days, she would bring with her new laundry to wash in the river.

The sweet smell of fabric softener, that leaves the hamlet of Toshu and permeates the neighbourhood on windy days, always stop farmers in their plots. With arms wide open they would take deep breathes in and out with smiles not only because of the fragrance but also because of Dianne's presence at home. They always look forward to the helicopter trips when Dianne would come home and whenever she returns to work, they always miss her.

One day, after a week of her return, the community smelled a foul smell being blown from the hamlets of Toshu towards the valley. It was strange and unusual. The smell of sulphur kept coming week after week for almost three weeks and one day Sorum, a young warlord from one of the hamlets enquired about the smell. He was on his way home from the jungle after hunting when he met Dianne's grandmother, who was gathering woods in the forest. She told him that Dianne had lost motivation to do laundry and kept procrastinating things. She and the girls had been changing smelly water from the laundry dishes every now and then for three weeks. They couldn't help her to do the laundry too because she stopped them.

Sorum found it hard to believe because when he spotted her few times in the past weeks she seemed happy talking with people, and smiling and laughing away as if everything was ok.

He put the wild pig, which he had killed, down on the ground and began making plans with the grandmother on how they could help her. That evening, the community learnt about the plan and Dianne was informed that there would be a party at her river bank on the next day in the evening.

Very early morning on the next day, the inhabitants of the valley woke up with smiles as Kore was once more filled with sweet fragrance. Although the timing was too early in the morning than from the usual midday breeze, they were so happy that at least the valley was visited once more with the sweet distinct fragrance. When evening came, Dianne was in her long jeans dancing and eating with her community along her river bank. There was so much food and drinks and good music. Dianne was so blessed by the love and care that her community showed that night.

After all the speeches were made, a young man, very handsome with dreadlocks and well built, stepped forward to give his remarks. Dianne quickly recognized him as the young warlord from the seventh hamlet further down the river. He always hangs around with his group of young warriors and is the most desired man that many young women in Kore often wished for. As he was talking Dianne learnt from her grandmother that Sorum was the main organiser of that event. She couldn't believe but just sat there speechless as he continued to exhort the community to look out for one another and be each other's keeper. When he said that he looked at Dianne and locked his gaze with hers. Dianne's heart leaped as the cold layer of hurt that waxed her heart for almost two months melted like ice and with more gazes towards her direction, she felt her heart rising to meet his warmth and to know him more. When her turn came to speak she stood up and thanked everyone for the support as she was going through a very difficult situation and didn't know how to handle it. She thanked Sorum for his sensitivity and courage to organize that party and almost felt like a chocolate melting under his steady gaze and hot smile of approval.

The party ended and everyone got up to leave after cleaning up. The young warlord and his men came up to Dianne to bid her good night before heading back to their hamlets. They shook her hands and walked ahead one after another leaving Sorum and Dianne alone. Sorum held her hands tightly in his and Dianne found herself captivated in his warmth, much more closer than ever before, and the rest is history. Their love grew and became the fragrance in the valley again.