Dana Arches and the Secret of the Monarch's Mask

Set in the rust belt of Cleveland, Ohio, a depressed young woman with a tragic past is haunted by an African mask from 1825. It brings light to the owner, a young West African girl who was stolen from her home and forced into American slavery where she finds forbidden love, an underground railroad going south, and a talking Monarch Butterfly who brings hope, faith, self-awareness, and redemption into the present. Excerpts She sat—thinking, sometimes you got ta go backwards ta find forward. Sometimes, you just do! * A butterfly flit off the rig shouting to Nyama. “My name is Moriah Nyoko Wa, special kind of wind but some call me Ngewo Wa, the creator of the universe and everything in it. Try to remember me.” She darted over Nyama’s head, which was so bowed down, that Moriah Ngewo Wa didn’t see at first the rolling rivers etched into the child’s dust caked cheeks. “It’s me, Nyama, we played in the fields from dawn to dusk many times. I lit on your hand, remember, and you kissed my wing. Oh what a marvel that day was. * There, some drank rum while others drank blood, but all were bound by the restless nature of the sea. So when the waves surrendered to a shiver, everyone from the hull to the deck breathed a sigh of relief. Down below the captain ordered his crew to unchain some of the cargo and bring several up at a time to be cleaned and exercised. It was the first time she saw him. It was the first time he saw her. The sun glistened off of his black skin, and when their eyes met it was the first time they had managed a slight smile since horror had swallowed up their former lives. They turned their smiles inward and watched in abhorrence as the world on this ship turned them into dirt that their captors walked upon, smashing their spirits without regard. The whipping took precedence over the drumming. This was a dance that delighted the rum but curdled the blood. Moaning was not allowed, cries were quickly wedged between full lips forced to become a thin line like the distant horizon, and terror raped violence, mixing it with blood rage that turned into a human stew. When the ocean settled, when they were forced below, they had decided to live. She fell asleep for the first time in days holding tight to his chained hand. For a moment the girl’s dreams were sweet ones. For a moment she saw herself back in the field playing. Then the men came and brought with them the terror— the blood, the rope, the rank, the boat, the blackness—she woke up screaming. * Dana was drenched with perspiration as she sat up in the stillness of her dark apartment. She scared herself awake. Dana's scream had jolted her; forced her into the present. She wiped the sweat from her brow as her hands traveled down her face. She could taste her tears. She felt her wrists then moved her hands down her body feeling for constraints of any kind. There were none. She let out a deep, quick sigh of relief then began to slow down her breathing. * Dana looked at her play aunt as her tears froze. She could’ve flicked them off her face. Here stood this woman, the best friend of her dead mother, whom she hardly knew. She was spewing enough sweetness to rot out all her teeth. She wondered how she was going to transport her newfound treasure without throwing up all over the side of the frigid; icy road in total disgust. * Super religious folks make me so sick— all God and no gas! Dana thought cynically as her aunt kept the praise ship floating from her mouth. She was moving past being overly happy about seeing her Aunt Carol into feelings of suspicion, cynicism, and regret. * “Just let me buy you a cup of hot coffee, tea, or cocoa. And when we’re done, you can drop me off. And, if you wish, I’ll be out of your life forever. Oh please, Dana it’s the only wish I’ve ever wished for in decades. It’s the only thing this old woman will ever ask of you again. Don’t judge me, yet. And there’s something,” she hesitated, “else.”
ASIN: 099837900X
VSKU: BVV.099837900X.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Lee, Ms. Angelia B
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.