I pulled in the power that surrounded me, power from the men on the beach, from the animals in the forest, from the fish in the ocean. They had me surrounded and were slowly closing in. No, they will not kill me here, not on the sacred shore. I will not let them defile this place. I knew what I had to do but took no pleasure in the doing.

When the power was almost too much, I released it. Men fell like matchsticks and I ran like all the women before me had run. I ran to save myself. I ran to save the daughter in my womb, the last of our line.

Run, hide, don’t let them ever find you. I recalled my mother’s whispered voice, just before them came for her. I had lost everything that day. I was determined that today would have a different outcome.