The Door of No Return

Kofi’s Asante people believe that everyone’s spirit takes a journey. They go on transitions of body, mind, and soul, like rites of passage. To claim one’s identity, they must journey from childhood to adulthood, for example. Kofi will transition from a boy to a man soon, but he won’t be tested in the mythic ways of doing things like cutting off his finger and eating it. Instead, through trials, he will be tested. The older men will shave his head, tattoo him with ancient symbols, and then he’ll learn how to protect the women and children, to fight against evil, and to stand up for what is right. All these lessons will make him a man.

A strange man cuts Kofi down and brings him through the storm to a strange village. He can’t see well through the night’s storm, but he hears frightened cries.

The strangers push Kofi to a damp cell with five other young boys. The men shackle their legs to a plank. A very small boy whimpers. Another boy says they threatened to cut the little one’s tongue if he isn’t quiet.