Oliver Benjamin
“We’re not tourists, my friend,” Webele explained patiently,
“We’ve come to find a lost treasure.”
“Yes. The original coffee. I know. Seven A.M. tomorrow we go
find it,” greasy entrails flapped against his lower lip. “So, how about
a drink in town tonight? Harari women are the most beautiful in
Ethiopia, you know.”
The men declined, citing travel fatigue. “Well, then we must at
least see the hyena men,” Abora insisted.
“Hyena men?” Roy said. “I think my friend Webele is a hyena
man. He never stops laughing.”
As if to prove this, Webele began to laugh and choked on his
food, wheezing indeed like one of the sinister creatures. Roy slapped
him on the back.
“No, no,” Abora insisted, “The hyena men are not like hyenas.
They are posted outside the city and feed raw meat to the monsters
to prevent them from attacking people at night.”
“A good reason not to go out for a drink, I suppose,” said Webele,
getting his air back, “Better we stay here where the hyenas can gnaw
at our dinners and not our flesh.”
Abora seemed immune to sarcasm or perhaps, subtlety, and
laughed easily along. Still, he took it as his cue to leave and wished
them a good evening. Hobbling out into the crisp highland darkness
he called back to them, “Seven A.M.!” and vanished out the guest
house gate.
The waiter came over and served the men thick, traditionally-
brewed coffee.
“Would you like your coffee cremated?” the waiter said to Roy.
“What?”
“Sugarated? Creamsugarated?”
“No. Just black, thanks.” He took a sip and savored it. It was
grand. The waiter sped off to administer to a thunderous clapping
from another table.
“What do you think happened to Abora’s leg?” said Roy.
“Haven’t you noticed?” Webele replied, “There are many in this
town with the affliction. The curse of the hyena.”
“He was attacked? Are they really so dangerous?”
“No, that is not what I mean. Let me explain.” He took a sip of his
coffee. “The hyena was once quite a mystery. The clitoris of the
female is so big that it can be mistaken for a penis, and because of
this it is hard to determine its sex. Hyenas were assumed to be
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