Summary

Akua – The opening narration of this chapter reveals that Akua is the daughter of Abena, and that Akua has a recurring dream of an all-consuming fire shaped like a woman. The dream, narration reveals, first came in 1895, shortly after Abena’s death, but now, in the aftermath of the burning death of a white man, has intensified and been coming more frequently. She wakes from the most recent time of having the dream, and is comforted by her husband, Asamoah, a proud warrior of the Asante.

An errand into the village leads Akua past the place where the white man was burned, leading her to remember the event and how she was one of the few people who spoke enough English to understand when he cried out to be released, because he was only a traveler. After returning from her errand, Akua learns...