Excerpt from Mayowa And The Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo

As Mayowa sat in the bathtub with her knees pulled close, she reflected on the events that had unfolded over the past hour. Grandpa Edward had done something significant, and it involved the book he had leaped upon. But what exactly was it?

During lunch, she observed him twirling spaghetti around his fork.

'Grandpa, I witnessed you do something with that book.'

'Is that so?' Grandpa Edward replied, intrigued.

'Yes. You jumped on it.'

'It’s amusing what we perceive when it rains. I thought I saw a swallow in winter once, all because of a heavy shower,' he mused.

‘Grandpa!’

'You know, swallows spend their winters in Africa,' Grandpa Edward remarked. 'They come and go as they please, unlike us—humans are often more foolish than birds.'

'I know what I saw,' Mayowa insisted.

'Well, that may be true, but your parents wouldn't approve of even discussing jumping on books. Come, lend a hand with the dishes, and afterward, we can have a game of chess.'

The following morning, Mayowa stirred awake, sniffing and feeling under the weather. Grandpa Edward informed Hamza that she couldn’t join in on playtime. She lay in bed, feeling downcast.

The day after, as she started feeling better, she rummaged through her suitcase to find Jane Eyre, a book she had borrowed from her school library at the end of term. The librarian, Mrs. Harlow, had deemed it somewhat advanced for her, but Mayowa had gone ahead and checked it out anyway. Upon reading the initial chapters, she recognized Mrs. Harlow’s concern; the sorrowful tale of orphan Jane was far too melancholic for her young heart.

However, she wouldn’t be reading Jane Eyre now—her intention was to jump on it instead. She opened the book to its center and placed it face down on the floor. Normally, one should never treat a library book this way, as it could damage the spine, yet she felt desperate.

On the brink of launching, she hesitated. What would happen if she leapt? Still, if she didn’t jump, she would never uncover what Grandpa Edward had done. With her legs straight, she soared into the air like a Masai warrior and landed squarely on the book.

A tingling sensation shot through her feet, akin to a pulse of electricity. A wave surged forth from Jane Eyre, instilling deep sadness and wildness within her. This wave continued to grow in size until it seemed to reach the sky. Though her feet felt warm, she could not detach from the book; it resembled a delicate surfboard crafted from paper and glue. Mayowa fought to maintain her place atop the cresting wave.

She extended her arms for balance, feeling a charge travel through her fingertips. All the sorrow flowed from her hands, like water gushing from a rock. The wave beneath her rose to towering heights, blocking out the sun. Should she fall into that wave, she would drown in a grief too profound and heavy to withstand. She cried out.

'Grandpa!'

Grandpa Edward burst into the room, tears streaming down his face.

'May!' He rushed to her, pulling her off the book. She screamed as her feet were yanked away from the cover. Grandpa Edward released her and crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

'I miss her. I miss her so much,' he repeated, gasping between words.

'Who do you miss?' Mayowa asked quietly, as if she were the grandparent, comforting a child who had lost a treasured toy.

'Your grandmother, May.'

Wrapping her arms around him, she held him as he cried, his tears soaking her shoulders.

'Which book was it?' Grandpa Edward finally managed to ask when he regained his breath.

'Jane Eyre.'

He chuckled softly, albeit weakly.

'Of course,' he remarked. Then, muttering to himself, he added, 'Haven’t possessed such power in centuries.'

'What did you say, Grandpa?' she inquired.

'It’s nothing, May,' he replied quickly.

Mayowa felt a tingling sensation in the soles of her feet, almost a burning pain.

'My feet ache,' she said.

'It's a result of a novice taking on too much. Come with me,' he instructed.

He led her to the bathroom and filled the tub with cold water up to a few inches.

'Stand in there for half an hour.'

Mayowa obliged, sighing as the cold water made contact with her feet.

'What just happened?' she asked, her voice softened under the gaze of her grandfather, whose eyes were still red.

'You jumped on a book.'

'Grandpa! I understand that part. But why did it make you cry?'

'You will need to excuse me,' he said as he exited the room, leaving her alone in the tub. She stared at the decorative tiles, pondering what she had inadvertently released ... and how it happened.