(For example, for the letter A it was the 26th word on the list, for Z it was the 1st word on the list)
“Isn’t she striking?” Charlotte pointed out the ancient statue of a warrior women standing beside a zebra to her BFF, Analise, who shrugged. It hadn’t been Analise’s idea of a good way to spend an afternoon but it had been Charlotte’s turn to choose an activity.
Museums made Analise queasy. The strange items, the unusual smells combined to make her dizzy. “I need to go sit for a minute. Can I meet you in the next exhibit room?”
Charlotte couldn’t tear her eyes off the figurine but responded, “Sure, go ahead.” I wonder what life was like for her? Maybe she was a princess, or a queen. I mean, she had her own zebra. How cool is that?
Someone behind her cleared their throat and she turned to face a wizened old man, skin as dark as the night, with a smile as charming as any she’d ever seen. She smiled in return.
“You like Queen Amina?” he asked.
She turned back to the display case and sighed. “Oh yes. I want to learn more about her. She is magnificent.”
“You are interested in African history?”
She nodded. “I recently did my DNA and discovered I have roots there. I need to learn more about my ancestry.”
“The good or the bad?”
She thought for a moment. “I guess I’d have to say both. After all, you can’t live life with just one of those.”
“Agreed.” He muttered a few words she didn’t understand, swirled twice and then stamped his right foot. “It is done. Walk through that door.”
She looked in the direction he pointed and when she looked back, he was gone. With a shrug she walked over, grasped the doorknob and inhaled. Closing her eyes she opened it and stepped through.
She looked down at her strange garments, then up to a new past.
Thank you.