The Manamoukiby Mike ResnickCopyright c1990 by Mike ResnickHugo Award WinnerFictionwise ContemporaryScience Fiction--------------------------------NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the purchaser. If you did not purchasethis ebook directly from Fictionwise.com then you are in violation of copyright law and are subject to severe fines. Please visitwww.fictionwise.com to purchase a legal copy. Fictionwise.com offers a reward for information leading to the conviction of copyrightviolators of Fictionwise ebooks.--------------------------------MANY EONS AGO the children of Gikuyu who was himself the first Kikuyu lived on the slopes ofthe holy mountain Kirinyaga which men now call Mount Kenya.There were many serpents on the mountain but the sons and grandsons of Gikuyu found them repulsive and they soon killed all but one.Then one day the last serpent entered their village and killed and ate a young child. The children of Gikuyu sought out their mundumugu --their witch doctor --and asked him to destroy the menace. The mundumugu rolled the bones and sacrificed a goat and finally he created apoison that would kill the serpent. He slit open the belly of another goat and placed the poison inside it and left it beneath a tree and thevery next day the serpent swallowed the goat and died.quotNowquot said the mundumugu quotyou must cut the serpent into one hundred pieces and scatter them on the holy mountain so that no demoncan breathe life back into its body.quot The children of Gikuyu did as they were instructed and scattered the hundred pieces of the serpentacross the slopes of Kirinyaga. But during the night each piece came to life and became a new serpent and soon the Kikuyu were afraid toleave their bomas.The mundumugu ascended the mountain and when he neared the highest peak he addressed Ngai.quotWe are beseiged by serpentsquot he said. quotIf you do not slay them then the Kikuyu shall surely die as a people