Interview with an Omnist: Maia

We knew that the Owners of the Chi (OotC) office had been broken into. It was not rummaged and nothing had been stolen, but we knew because she had broken into it, and she is still seated there in her earthy dress with a frilly skirt, her brown leggings and wedges, and velveteen cardigan. The beautiful Maia swings her chair to face us, her frizzy afro bouncing to the motion, and smiles at us knowingly.

Maia: It’s about time.

OotC: How did you even get in here?

Maia: Through the door. I think it had been left open for me.

OotC: We only decided to do an interview of you a few days ago. How did you hear about this?

Maia: (Shrugs) It was expected. I am an important character in Orisha, am I not?

OotC: Do you often do this... force your ideals onto people?

Maia: (Smiles slyly) Only to motivate. It is something I realized some time ago that I had to do. I have to be the catalyst that pushed people out of their dormant states.

OotC: Is that what you do in Orisha?

Maia: (Her eyes dart away in thought) Yes and no. All I do is introduce one small thing, and fate does the rest. I might be a reincarnated goddess, but the control of fate is beyond my reach.

OotC: Speaking of goddesses, what are you a patron of?

Maia: Earth.

OotC: Oh... thus your green eyes –

Maia: Not really. There are many other Earth goddesses out there who have brown, blue or even grey eyes. And asking me why my eyes are green is like asking why girls are born female, why winged creatures fly. I have green eyes because that is who I am... who I have always been even in my past lives.

OotC: During a previous interview, we noticed that Zen also has oddly coloured eyes –

Maia: (Sits up, hair quivers) Oddly coloured? There is nothing odd about an African man or woman having eyes a colour other than brown. Blue eyes are a mutation that existed long before, even among Africans who had never intermarried with people of other races. Calling my brother odd because of his blue eyes is like proclaiming he is unnatural, that he is unwanted... cursed, even. Being alienated for something so small is what divides us human beings, let alone being Orisha.

OotC: And you are quite bold, too.

Maia: We all have to be bold, especially if it is for the people we love.

OotC: (Grabs a notepad and pen) Indeed. Perhaps we should get to the main questions then, although we were not well prepared. I hope you can bear with us.

Maia (Relaxes into her seat) Of course.

OotC: So, Maia, what are your full names?

Maia: Maia Lulu Sharukani.

OotC: And what are your hobbies?

Maia: ...

OotC: (Chuckles nervously and then shrugs)

Maia: (Darts her eyes again) I... I think I would say travelling...?

OotC: Travelling? Do you travel a lot in Orisha?

Maia: I died in Orisha. My body was discovered at the first turn of the story, which is the incident that sets the ball rolling.

OotC: You died? But if you did, how then are you here, and how much more detail about the book can you give us?

Maia: (Comically) Kweli wahenga walinena when they said that the dead tell not tales, but I beg to differ. The dead have lots to tell. Normally, they are told through their last wills and testaments, their love letters, or, unfortunately, their suicide notes. Mine are told through the recollections of the loved ones I left behind, but not visibly. I had to learn to use magical codes and tricks to hide them because of evils that lurk at each and every turn.

OotC: Evils? What kinds of evils?

Maia: I am sure you know that my race are a race of cursed gods attempting to break their curse and go back to the heavens. What you don’t know is that there is another race of gods charged with ensuring this never happens. They are called the Wardens, a fitting name as Earth is a prison for the Orisha.

OotC: If they are on Earth, doesn’t that make them Orisha too?

Maia: Exactly – !

OotC: Why then would they keep you all from attaining what you all want?

Maia: I can give you the answer, or you could just read the book once it is out.

OotC: (Laughs) Fair enough. We don’t want to spoil everything just yet.

Maia: (Chuckles) No we don't!

OotC: Would you say that the Wardens are your greatest foe, or Zen’s greatest foe since Orisha is told from his perspective?

Maia: (Holds her chin, hair bouncing as she leans forward) Hmm... no. The Wardens are like me – in a way. They are catalysts that motivate the activation of something new, something unprecedented. They are quite formidable, but they are still like us. The Orisha universe is inhabited by deities: Protogonoi, Sempiteranui, Orisha, Wardens, Loi... Some are much greater than others and most not all good as you would expect.

OotC: Proto-what? Sempera-what?

Maia: Protogonoi and Sempiteranui. Higher level gods.

OotC: (Giggles nervously) I think we have had enough for today. We shall leave the other question for later.

Maia: (Giggles and shakes her head. Her hair does not move all around her this time) I do not mind. I might be out of time but you may ask the last question, for the sake of the readers.

OotC notices that her limber movements have become stiffer. Her hair does not look springy anymore.

OotC: Hmm... without revealing too much, can you tell us whether you are okay right now, given that you are... well, dead, and that you have been dead for the better part of the book?

Maia: (Smiles slyly) I shall take you back to my hobby of travelling. (Looks away, maintaining the smile) Yes, that is precisely what I am doing: travelling.

OotC: Wait, what? Travelling? Does that mean you are not dead? Had you faked it the entire time?

Maia is no more. All that is left of her is a mound of earth covered in her clothes. What used to be her head plops to the ground like mud. Members of the OotC are losing their minds and screaming.