Benza town became famous for the ongoing development it was experiencing, and people from other villages didn't hesitate to migrate there for opportunities. Vickoly was one of the young men who thought of using his skill to make a living there and after thinking deeply about it, he departed for Benza.
He was a potter who had settled in five different villages for a short time, every place he found himself already had great potters dwelling there and getting customers wasn't easy.
Vickoly arrived in the town and was moving around to find a place where he could stay. As he wandered around, the young lady's beauty caught his attention.
He had met lots of women all through his journey but none of them was as beautiful as this lady.
"She is beautiful," Vickoly thought as pedalled his bicycle.
He eventually found somewhere to stay and getting a place to start his business was the next on his agenda. Every day, he admired the lady whenever he drove past but didn't see any reason to approach her.
"Why is she always looking through the window when she can just walk outside the house?" the question crosses his mind every time he sees her looking through the window.
A month passed and Vickoly eventually found somewhere to begin his business. He was really happy as he pedalled home and as usual, he saw the lady looking through the window.
He had driven past her but his mood was too good to ignore her that day so he turned around.
"Hello beautiful or should I say window lady?" He said jokingly immediately after he got to the window side but she didn't reply.
"Is everything alright?" He asked while waving at her.
She looked at him with suprise and even wiped at face like he wasn't supposed to see her.
"Could she be mentally challenged?" He thought.
"Can you see me?" She asked and her voice echoed in his head.
"Yes, I can." Vickoly struggled to answer as he took a few steps away from the window.
"Sorry, my voice might be strange to you because I am not from here. My name is Tamuna."
"Oh okay, my name is Vickoly." He replied.
"Finally, someone can see me," Tamuna said silently. Vickoly heard but it made no sense to him.
""I always see you looking through the window, it looks like you see the world beautifully from there,"* Vickoly asked as he moved closer to the window again.
"You must have been observing me for some time now, this small window is my only chance at seeing where I truly belong." She replied.
"I don't understand, you don't look like a kid to me and why would your parent or guardian lock you indoor?"
"You should go now, people are approaching," she replied and Vickoly didn't understand why she wanted him to leave.
Vickoly checked the road and he saw people very far away but it was impossible for her to see them because of the direction they were coming from. He turned to the window again but she wasn't there anymore.
He looked through the window but couldn't see through it.
Vickoly continued his journey home that day and he was confused.
"She is strange," Vickoly thought as he pedalled his bicycle.
Later that night, Vickoly was making dinner when he felt someone was watching him from the giant tree behind his apartment.
He went to grab an iron bar and threatened whoever it was to come out of hiding.
No one came out of there and as he was approaching the tree, Tamuna stepped out from behind the tree.
"Oh, it's you. How do you know why I stay?" He asked.
"I know a lot of things that you can't imagine," she replied.
Vickoly led her to where he was cooking and offered her a seat.
"Walking around by this time of the day all by yourself is dangerous," he tried warning her but Tamuna only smiled.
"You want to keep your voice down because your neighbours may think you are crazy," Tamuna said to him.
"How? I don't understand a lot of things you have said today, can you break them down?" Vickoly asked looking confused.
"I am not human and you are the only person who has seen me in five decades so if people see you talking, they will think you are talking to yourself," Tamuna said and Vickoly moved away from her.
She continued, "The house you saw me in earlier didn't exist and it was just my prison."
"But you are here, an imprisoned person can't move around," Vickoly replied.
"The human world is my prison, I miss home and want to return. My father cursed me after I offended him centuries ago and he is regretting it today." She sighed heavily.
"I need a human to avert the curse but every human I came across never fulfilled their side of the bargain, they always wanted more. The last human said if I served him with riches for 30 years, he would free me but after 30 years, he still wanted more and I disagreed"
Tamuna paused to be sure that Vickoly was listening and he was.
"Everything you have said sounds like a fairytale, why should I believe any of this?" He asked.
She stood and snapped her fingers thrice. Suddenly, some women came out of nowhere with gold pieces of jewellery. They handed them over to Vickoly and disappeared immediately.
"Ask me anything as a price for helping me break the curse and I will do it for you." Tamuna pleaded even though she sounded authoritative.
"You could have used your power to compel a human to do what you wanted so why didn't you do that?" He asked and she replied, "I don't have power over humans neither does anyone in my place and it could have been different if everyone could see me, you are the eighth person who has seen me in two centuries."
Vickoly stared at the jewellery again and handed them over to her.
"This is just a gift, I will do anything aside from this," she pleaded again.
"Where is the chain and how do I know that this won't backfire?" he asked and Tamuna made it visible to him.
She assured him nothing was going to happen. He thought about it for a few minutes and pulled it. Tamuna began to glow after the chain fell off.
"You can go Tamuna, I don't need anything to help you gain your freedom again. I always wondered why you sit by the window every time I passed and it is a privilege for me to be of help to you.
Tears poured from her eyes as she glowed, Tamuna disappeared for a few seconds and reappeared again.
"I am free! I am free!!!" She shouted and Vickoly felt good about that.
Tamuna disappeared after and Vickoly was happy he helped her. He returned to his cooking even though he couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened.
The next morning, Vickoly woke up to see Tamuna and an old man with a white beard in his room.
He was frightened and there was nowhere he could run to in his small apartment
"Did you free my daughter?" The old my asked.
"Yes, please forgive me." He shivered and bowed his head.
"Thank you, young man, I would have averted the curse myself if I could. I overreacted that day and missed my daughter but there was nothing I could do."
"It's my pleasure, sir." Vickoly felt relieved he hadn't done anything wrong but the old man's presence scared him.
Tamuna and her father disappeared and Vickoly rushed out of his room immediately. He was outside for a while hoping he hadn't gotten himself involved with what he shouldn't.
He went back into his room later and was surprised to see gifts wrapped in clothes.
"I will always visit you and this is a reward for your kindness," Tamuna's voice echoed in the room.