Before We Hit the Ground by Selali Fiamanya
The 2019 Frame: Mourning and Departure The narrative of begins in March 2019 in Glasgow, with Abena and Kodzo packing up their family home, a process laden with the heavy silence of grief following the death of their son, Elom. As they clean, every item revealed a burn on a counter, a grubby photograph of a six-year-old Elom in a Batman outfit triggers a surge of memory and sadness. Elom had moved back into the family home less than a year prior, just as his parents retired to a cottage in the countryside, and he had painted the living room a vibrant “ochre” to bring some sun inside. His funeral has passed, but the minister’s words about him being “laid to rest” provide no comfort to the family; Elom lies under the soil, trapped with the “demons” that troubled him, while Abena, Kodzo, and their daughter Dzifa are left with unanswered questions. Dzifa, working in a hectic London hospital, remains physically distant but emotionally connected through video calls, reminding her parents not to throw out her old belongings. Amidst their mourning, the family discusses a planned trip to Ghana, which had been Elom’s final wish for them. Kodzo is initially …