Kofi's Dream
In one takienta—a traditional Togolese mud house—in Koutammakou, a man lay sleeping. His name was Kofi Batara. Last year, when a lion came down from Burkina Faso and attacked the village, he had charged at it bare-handed, shouting and hurling stones until he drove the beast away. Afterward, the villagers called him "Hero Kofi."
He was dreaming.
Deep into the night. Kofi stood in a meadow a little ways from the village, gazing toward a distant hill to the east. It seemed like he was keeping watch to make sure no dangerous animals approached the village.
'Last time with that lion, so many people got hurt. To prevent that from happening again, I need to keep a close eye on whether any such beasts are heading our way.'
Kofi looked around. The meadow was eerily silent and still.
"Pak pabak shuuk~ Pak pabak shuuk~"
Two lights rose into the air one after the other, shattering the silence with sharp sounds.
'Huh? What's that?'
Kofi stared at the two lights. They were intense and iridescent, colors he'd never seen in his life—impossible to describe in words.
"Shuuk~"
The first light, which had risen earlier, fell back to the ground. The second one, rising later, spun in place.
"Shuuuuwuuung~"
'Huh? What's going on? That light's coming this way...'
The light shot toward the village from the distant east at tremendous speed. Kofi felt a mix of wonder and fear as it approached.
'Wh-whoa~'
"Shuuuuk~ Pabang!"
"Gah—!"
The light crashed down before Kofi in a blinding flash and thunderous boom he'd never heard before. Overwhelmed by the intense light and deafening roar, Kofi lost consciousness.
"Shiiiik~"
A short while later, Kofi came to. The light was gone from where it had fallen, replaced by a hissing sound as a cow slowly materialized amid escaping wisps of air.
It was a pure, shimmering white unlike any cow raised in the village.
"Whoa—"
An exclamation of awe escaped Kofi's lips. In his twenty years, he'd never seen a cow with such a hue.
Kofi approached the cow. It was a female, with udders full of milk.
"This scar... it's like the ones Grandma and Mom have..."
On the cow's hindquarters was the ritual scar that women of Koutammakou bore after marriage—a mark never given to animals. Kofi stared in even greater fascination.
He touched the cow all over: her back, her hindquarters, her belly, even her udders... He explored every inch, feeling the texture. It wasn't the coarse hair of a normal cow but something silky, like human flesh.
Kofi probed even more intimately. Each time, the cow offered slight resistance but soon relented.
Suddenly, rain poured down on the meadow—a torrential downpour. The cow's legs trembled faintly.
Kofi led her back to his takienta. As soon as she entered, she knelt and collapsed.
Kofi stripped off all his clothes and draped them over her. In that instant, a brilliant light enveloped his entire body.
Panicking, Kofi didn't know what to do. Minutes later, the light faded from him, and he had become a black bull.
'What the hell?'
Kofi couldn't hide his shock at his bovine form. He had no idea what was happening.
He looked around. He was still inside his takienta. The white cow stood before him. The clothes he'd covered her with were gone.
The black bull glanced at the white cow's hindquarters. Her vulva was visible, swollen and secreting mucus. She was in heat.
The black bull sniffed her scent. His massive penis between his hind legs began to swell with arousal.
The black bull slowly mounted the white cow. He positioned his enormous member at her entrance.
In that moment, the two transformed into lights: the white cow into white light, the black bull into black. The lights merged, creating an even greater brilliance.
The massive light leaked out from the takienta, illuminating the entire village.
Perhaps thirty minutes passed. The light, which had seemed to engulf the takienta, finally dimmed. Inside remained the white cow and Kofi, restored to human form.
'What... what just happened?....'
Kofi stood there in bewilderment. He looked around once more. Still inside his takienta, and the white cow was fine.
Suddenly, the white cow rose and began to bellow.
"Moooo~ Moooo~ Moooo~"
Her cries shook the village. They were so loud Kofi's ears rang.
After about five minutes, she stopped. Then her belly began to swell. It kept expanding, growing taut as if it might burst.
"Moooo~ Moooo~"
In pain from the swelling, tears streamed from her eyes as she lowed.
"Moooo~ Moooo~"
Pitying her, Kofi stroked her belly. Suddenly, it deflated, and a light emanated from her hindquarters. The glow filled the entire takienta before slowly fading.
Where the light had been stood the white cow, her ancient scar-brand completely erased, serene and quiet.
Around 6:10 a.m., Kofi woke up drenched in cold sweat.
'What a vivid dream. Huff huff. Lights...'
The dream had been so real he still felt like he was in it.
'Lights, a white cow, me turning into a bull... lights merging... My head's spinning...'
He wanted to interpret it, but his mind was too muddled, so he gave up.
'Hmm... It feels like it means something.... Ah, I'll go see Halmeom.'
By 6:30 a.m., Kofi grabbed one of his fattest chickens and headed to Halmeom's.
Halmeom was a renowned voodoo priestess, famous beyond Koutammakou across Togo. Her powers were so potent the rumors had reached the capital, Lomé. Occasionally, high-ranking officials from Lomé visited her shrine.
"Halmeom~ Halmeom! Grandma! Graaandmaa!!"
Kofi called out.
"You brat! I'm not deaf! What is it?"
Halmeom emerged, barking at him.
"Halmeom, I had this weird, complicated dream today.... I think you need to hear it and interpret it for me..."
"Quit stalling and spit it out.... And you brat, you think you can summon Loa with just your mouth?"
"When did I say empty-handed? I brought the plumpest one from my flock—take it."
"Oho, nice. Alright, let's hear it."
Halmeom led Kofi into the shrine. Its walls were covered in mysterious symbols and wooden idols.
"Sit here and talk, you brat."
Halmeom sat first and gestured for Kofi to join her.
"Halmeom, I had this amazing dream today..."
Kofi began recounting it: the two lights rising from the east, one falling immediately, the other approaching him, the white cow, him becoming a black bull, the creation and merging of the two lights, the cow's bellowing and swelling belly, the light emerging... He described every detail.
"Heh heh... What a strange dream... Alright, let's summon Loa. Give me that chicken, brat."
"Sure, Halmeom."
Kofi handed her the chicken. Halmeom grabbed a knife and slit its throat. Blood spurted out.
She caught the blood in a bowl.
"Whiik chwi whiik chwi"
Halmeom sprinkled the blood on the symbols—a spiritual ritual to call the Loa, agents of the gods.
"Hurala uchacha huhahuha ugahuha huruhara"
"Hirururu hararara koharуха"
⟨ Voodoo Ritual Chant ⟩
Halmeom danced with her staff, chanting invocations to the Loa.
A while later, she sat back down before Kofi.
"Listen, brat. A noble person will come from the east."
"A noble person?"
"Yes, a very important one. The lights represent nobility. Two of them, but only one will come."
"Then what about the cow?"
"Aigoo, be patient, brat. This is a divine revelation. Haste will ruin it. Now, let's see."
Halmeom stood and rummaged for something.
"Yes, these will do. Quit gaping and take them, brat."
She handed Kofi a bottle of oil, unknown tree bark, dried leaves, and a wooden stick shaped like a human phallus.
"Halmeom, what about the other stuff besides the lights?"
Kofi asked as he accepted the items.
"Brat, your impatience could ruin everything. When the time comes, I'll give you tasks—do exactly as I say! Now go. Keep those safe at your house."
"Halmeom!"
"What? Get going!"
Kofi was shoved out of the shrine.
'Halmeom's always like this. Why do those big shots from Lomé bother coming all the way here?'
Kofi kicked a rock in front of the shrine.
'Ow ow ow!'
The rock didn't budge; only his foot hurt.
By 8 a.m., Kofi limped back to his takienta on his sore leg. He set down the items from Halmeom and flopped onto the floor.
'Damn that Halmeom. Why all the suspense.'
Kofi grumbled inwardly, still fuming.
"Kofi! Hero Kofi of our village!"
An elderly man's voice called from outside. Kofi got up and went out. It was his grandfather and village chief, Mansah.
"Grandpa, what's up?"
"Well, two people from that far eastern country, South Korea, are coming to stay in our village for three months. I called you because there's something you need to do."
"South Korea?...."
Chills ran down Kofi's spine as the first piece of his dream clicked into reality.
"Yeah. You know South Korea, right? You know it better than me~ You've watched all those Korean dramas since you were little, heh heh heh."
"Yeah... Grandpa..."
"Then follow me. We need to clean out that unused takienta."
And so Kofi followed Mansah.