OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 5 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 5 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

**The flute of the gods**

The morning was so clement as the early birds chirped and whistled in celebration of another beautiful day. The trees danced flamboyantly to the imaginary music being played by the wanton but gentle breeze.

As princess tossed restlessly in the bed and wishing it wasn’t morning yet, the disturbances of the squirrels on the rafters forced her to get up. She sighed because she was already tired of the bush animals lurking on the roof even without her permission. Her night was overtaken by thoughts of how to escape, hence a long night and a short nap.

As princess Chino reminisced on her late-night discussion with Omasiri, she fumbled for the potion and until she located it.

She kept the potion hidden pending when she’d execute her plans. She remained weak due to lack of adequate slumber and insatiability but when she heard the sound of the Ikoro (talking drum) from the outside depicting a bad omen, she sprang up. Without delay, the princess dashed out of her room as she was barely covered with clothes, just to know what was happening. Seeing that the sentry by the door, she remembered that she hadn’t her clothes properly covering her cleavages. Chino rushed back into her chamber, took her wrapper, and covered herself but she made sure she took the Rahugaba potion as a contingency. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the direction where the noise and yells emanate from.

As she ran, she saw others stampeding towards Onodugo’s hut, making her feel that the worst could have happened. She remembered when Onodugo challenged the gods to bless him with a child or he’d take his life.

“Chukwu Abiama (god), please, save him!” Chino yelled as she ran towards Onodugo’s hut where the guards had gathered as they waited for the king to arrive.

It is traditional in Amachara that in cases where there is pandemonium, the ladies aren’t allowed to come close but the princess didn’t heed to that because it was her brother that was involved. Getting to the location, she jostled her way among the crowd of men to enter the hut.

“My princess!” Achikolo wailed and tried to prevent her from entering, “you don’t need to be….”

“I need to be here,” she interjected with anxiety, “it’s my brother we’re talking about, so allow me to enter,”

“But my princess, you need to be calm first let your dad…”

“I’m here already and I can wait,” Chino snarled at him as she shoved her way to the entrance.

Achikolo knew that at this point, the princess wouldn’t be deterred from entry, so he helped her to find her way into the hut by dispersing the guards.

Even though the princess was eager to know what went wrong, she was afraid of the anticipated findings. She entered the hurt but shut her eyes in fear. With the fear of seeing the lifeless body of her brother coursing through her, Chino blotted out her view by veiling her face with her palm to avoid beholding the ugly look. She stood still and didn’t say a word because she knew she was already inside the hut.

After a while, the princess braced herself and opened her eyes to the inevitable but was surprised to see Onodugo crying while the lifeless body of his wife got encircled by his hands.

It was a shock indeed, so the princess rushed at Onodugo and cuddled him as she cried on his shoulder. She hadn’t the courage to ask what happened, so she continued weeping until the king and the queen entered the hut.

Seeing the situation on the ground, Ugoeze (the queen mother) burst into tears as her fears that’d been knocking at the door of her helplessness just entered uninvited. She rushed at her daughter and cuddled her as they wept bitterly in each other’s arms.

“Igwe, so this is true at last!” she exclaimed yieldingly to fate as her heart throbbed with fear.

The aged king was heartbroken but he had to be a man about it. He simply hummed a sorrowful song as his heart pounded heavily.

One of the guards pulled a chair for him to seat as his hands trembled. As Eze Azuamailo sat beside Onodugo, he pulled his son up. His show of fatherly affection made the anguished son cry like a baby in deep sorrow and ruefulness.

“Eight lost years, Nna anyi (our father),” Onodugo said as his tears got the royal robe of the king wetted, “she committed suicide because the gods have rejected our sacrifices. The supernatural being has locked us outside the door of his blessing to die in cold and melancholy. Wasted years, yuck!”

The king almost cried seeing how sorrowful and teary his son was but his royal status wouldn’t allow him, so he turned to the guards and maundered: “I need everyone out of here except my family,”

Without delay, the entire guards went outside but still maintained their position of duties.

“Nne, so this has come to be her fate,” the princess said weepingly as she convulsed with fears and heartbreak, “So we just lost a member of the family,”

The queen pulled her daughter closer, making her cozy up against her body to find solace in that warmth; if possible.

“I need Ujuamara here immediately,” The king said as he began to observe the lifeless body of the daughter-in-law but never touched her. “The chief priest needs to be consulted because we all know it’s a taboo for one to commit suicide in Amachara. Of course, I don’t need to remind us all about…”

The queen and her children were shocked because they just imagined what would become of the family if Ujuamara, the chief priest comes.

“But she’s a royal one,” Onodugo said sobbingly as a way of reminding his dad about the consequences but the king didn’t listen to him.

“Nna anyi, Igweeee,” The queen stressed with a curtsy, “I know the aftermath but can we keep this abomination a secret to…”

“Ndi okenye kwaa ukwara, ndi muo egee nti (when the elder coughs, the spirits listen)” The king said proverbially and continued to examine the marks on the neck of the deceased. “Woman,” he added and looked at the queen mother, “we cannot conceal evil in this kingdom, especially for the fact that it’s coming from the palace. So keep your plea and face the reality before the gods strike you dead or visit us with plagues,”

The situation was just so dicey and there was nothing the queen or Onodugo could do to make the king change his mind.

“So finally, amid the fact that the gods abysmally shut their eyes to my supplication,” Onodugo said with a heart full of pains, “they will still destroy wife in the evil forest like a rabid dog left to the mercy of the wild animals like Udele muo (vultures of the spirits). Why has life come to these ruins for me?” Looking angrily at the king, he grumbly said, “Dad, was there any sin you committed or any commitment you made to the gods for my sake that made them visit me with this wickedness?”

“The gods are wise and not wicked,” The queen corrected, even though it was a way of cushioning the effect of the strong words to the hearing of the king.

Even though Eze Azuamailo was meant to be furious with the question based on his kingly nature, the fatherly part of him outweighed the pride of royalty.

Looking piteously at his bereaved son, he beckoned his son forward and said: “Obi tiwara etiwara anaghi echefu osiso (the broken heart doest forget so soon). Bia nwam (come, my son). I know you’re no more in your right senses, so I forgive your utterances because I’d have done the same if I were in your shoes,” he pulled the young man into a hug as they wept together.

The emotional moment made the women to water the hut with their tears as they fell on the floor and poured out their hearts to Chukwu Abiama.

Even though he was filled with sorrows concerning the shame that would be brought to the palace, the king had to swallow his pride. He had to be the king he’d always wished, so he yelled: “Guards!”

The queen held his feet as a plea to make him not invite the chief priest yet but his mind was made up.

“Obim (my heart),” The queen romantically called him to seduce him to change his mind, “you may wish to wait a bit for…”

“Guards! Guards!” The king echoed harder, making the guards hear the voice of their master and rushed into the room.

“Igwe, please, don’t do this to us!” The queen pleaded sobbingly but her solicitation was abortive.

“Nne, allow Nna anyi to take his decision and avoid the wrath of the gods,” The princess said as she conjured the confidence to embrace the unfortunate situation.

The queen was surprised that her daughter that was meant to be in her support lent her voice to that of the king to allow Uremma to be taken to the evil forest.

As the queen remained wowed seeing that Chino wasn’t supporting her, she had to give up.

Tearfully but submissively, she murmured: “Nna anyi, go ahead and shame us. I’m out of here,” After saying that, she sorrowfully got up and began to leave.

Chinonye was confused at this point, feeling that she may need to follow her mom but she had to stay back and see how the story ends. She needed to know what would happen when Ujuamara comes for the palace cleansing before Uremma would be taken to the evil forest. To appease her mom still, the princess escorted her out and handed her over to the maids to take care of her, and then came back.

The king was full of sorrows. He was even more sorrowful than the queen but he’s always in control because he wouldn’t want to appear as a weakling.

“Fetch Ujuamara,” he said to the guards as he continued to look at the lifeless body of Uremma. “No one should touch her, please. Those of us that have touched her already, the nsacha-aru (abomination cleansing) ritual will cleanse us all of our faults and make the palace spiritually unsullied again,”

Without any utterance, the guards bowed and left immediately to fetch the diviner. As they left, they were surprised that Ujuamara was already dancing the surugede (dance of the spirits) as he kept jabbing the earth with his Oji (vibrating staff). As he danced, he consulted Ibini Ukpabi for his intervention. Ibini Ukpabi is the supreme god that settles cases of murder, land disputes, witchcraft, poisoning, and suicides.

As Ujuamara danced, his apprentice played the Oja (wooden flute), attracting the birds. The good birds like nduru (doves) and the bad ones like the crows were all present. The dove represented the good spirit while the crow was an evil omen.

As this happened, the guards rushed into the hut and informed Igwe that the chief priest was already in the palace.

Igwe Azuamailo got up and patted Onodugo’s back and said: “Obi sie gi ike nwam (be consoled, my son). The gods are wise, so don’t frown at their judgement. The gods are like the defecation; you only look and avoid it when angry because if you fight it, it would spread its filth and smell all over you. The condemnation of the remains of Uremma is tradition, and it wouldn’t change because of royalty,”

As Onodugo fought hard to stifle the incoming tears imminent in his eyes, he concurred and nodded. He simply tried to be a man but couldn’t hold his tears.

“But why me?” the heartbroken man asked as his eyes weakened.

Amid the sorrowful moment, the princess felt happy hearing the endearing sound of the Oja that flared in the palace. She suddenly rushed out with excitement, even though she disguised her mood so that no one would feel she was happy instead of being mournful. She was excited seeing as the birds gathered. Without delay, she quickly summoned Ochomma and whispered into her ear, making the maidservant rush out according to the order given to her.

The king came out of the chamber holding Onodugo’s hand as they went to meet the diviner.

Ujuwamara continued the surugede dance as he chanted the sorrowful and sonorous egwuonwu (dirge), making the entire people gathered in the palace to start crying.

In no time, the news had spread like wildfire into the villages, making the villagers gather in numbers, including the cabinet members who came to know what was going on.

Many of the old men and villagers still had their atu osisi (chewing stick) with them. Some men had their wrappers girded to their loins because the morning was still young and promising while some were busy yawning away the sleepiness of their eyes. The entire people shrugged at intervals as they whispered to each other.

In a jiffy, Ochomma returned with the princess’s Oja and handed it over to her.

To everyone’s surprise, the princess began to play the Oja as she danced the surugede dance meant for only the chief priests and the traditional rulers. It was abominable in Amachara kingdom, in fact in the entire Igbo land for someone who isn’t in the position to dance surugede to dance it. The worst was that it came from a woman which was considered a grave abomination. The consequence of this was always outright death even without the intervention of mortals.

It was surprising to all, even to the king who had his hands on his head with surprise, to see the gentle birds dancing while the bad ones like the crow, owl, and bats began to disperse as they displayed their restiveness that was caused by the flute of the young princess.

Ujuamara couldn’t fathom what was happening because it was meant to be aru (abomination) but the gods that were meant to strike the princess down didn’t do anything. It was even more surprising because flute dispersed the ominous birds that came to claim the soul of the deceased. The intriguing and challenging part was that the flute of eze muo (the chief priest) couldn’t chase away the birds but that of the princess did.

The people were astonished as they watched the princess with admiration and pride. The entire village was thrown into confusion, even the chief priest and the king that exchanged a battle of surprise looks without knowing how to tackle the issue.

According to the ancient tradition of the old religion, no one is meant to intervene in such abomination because the battle is usually of the gods’ but the gods seemed silent and favourable to the princess.

“Kwusi ara nkea (stop this madness)” The king yelled at his daughter because, amid being surprised, he felt that the young girl was exceeding her limits and favours.

The chief priest raised his ofor and shouted: “Aru melu mana ndi muo gbara nkiti (abominable but the gods are silent),” he changed is dance steps from surugede to nchuaju dance, the dance that the dibia (diviner) engages in whenever grave abomination against the gods has been committed.

The abomination committed by Uremma for taking her life wasn’t to be compared to that of the princess but the gods didn’t strike her dead.

The people all roared in fear believing that the gods would visit them with a plague but nothing happened, making them see that there was something that wasn’t adding up.

As if she had gone nuts, the princess didn’t just dance but began to sing, making the entire place serene, even those that wanted to stop her were all numb to words.

To everyone’s greatest surprise, the princess raised her voice and said: “Uremma isn’t dead. There is a cure somewhere in the forest, therefore, someone who understands the language of the forest should be summoned, that’s if he’s in this kingdom. I can see a man who sacrificed himself on an evil altar but instead of the altar to kill him, it has made him stronger. I don’t know this great man but all I know is that the revival of the supposed dead woman rests on his shoulders,” Looking at the chief priest with her eyes wide open, she said: “Ujuamara, seek this man and ensure that Uremma is back to life,” After saying this, she fell on the ground and collapsed.

The entire place was thrown into turmoil because of this because it was believed that the princess could have died; to exchange her life with that of Uremma, so that the latter would be revived.

Onodugo who was so happy for the news about his wife rushed out of the gathering into his hut to keep his wife company. He had to wait the anonymous saviour comes.

The chief priest became so weary at this point because the entire ritual he came to perform just got compounded because he didn’t know where to start. At this point, he spoke in strange tongues as he consulted Ibini Ukpabi. He was surprised by the answers he got because it wasn’t what he expected to get.

Ujuamara looked at the princess shortly and then swerved and looked at the king. Moving closer to the king, he whispered: “Igwe, the gods are with this child and there is no way I can go against their wishes. Ibini Ukpabi revealed to me that whatever the princess said should be followed like an order from him. I haven’t seen this before. I think she isn’t an ordinary child,”

The king suddenly remembered the strange but significant things that happened before and after the birth of the princess. It then dawned on him that his daughter may be a special gift from the gods.

“Such anomaly hasn’t happened before,” Eze Azuamailo whispered.

“What shall we do now? The fact is that I don’t the people to know that my daughter has such powers,” he said with high expectation of a solution from the chief priest.

“I will take my leave now but before then,” Ujuamara said to the king, “I’ll search the pocket of the child. She has Rahugaba potion with her. I’ll administer it to her to bring her back to life as…”

“Rahugaba potion?” The king said confusingly, “But rahugaba is a very powerful sedative that could even kill,” The king reminded him, “This potion has been abolished to keep my people safe. How can a potion that is meant for deep slumber be used to revive someone already sleeping? This is contradictory,”

“The gods are wise, and I do whatever they direct my hands to do,” The chief priest reaffirmed. “I’ll search for it now on her body. Do I have your permission, my king?”

“Of course,” The king replied as confusion wafted through him, “But how did the princess get the rahugaba potion?” he queried looking more confused and disturbed, “my daughter doesn’t go out. Someone must have given it to her. But for what reason?”

The diviner didn’t reply to the king but went straight to Chinonye, dug his hand into her waist region, and brought out the potion canned in a small jar.

The people shouted as they saw the white solution. As the people observed closely, Ujuamara poured a small quantity of the potion into the mouth of the princess, making her sneeze twice and got up.

The queen, who was with her daughter when the incident took place, felt so happy and cuddled her daughter while the king looked with amazement.

The king was taken aback by that but kept finding it hard to understand that his daughter could have such a potion.

Even though she’d been resuscitated, the princess was still weak, so one of the guards came forward and carried her up; rested her on his shoulders, and began to take her into her hut.

Looking at the faces of the people, the chief priest shouted: “Even though strange and unimaginable things have happened here this morning, this wouldn’t make the person who gave this potion to the princess to go unpunished. Anything that moves is moved by something. The princess didn’t act alone. Someone is the drummer to the little bird. If you’re the one, indicate now or forever remain silent. You won’t just be deaf and dumb but slowly die as your body begins to decay until you’re finally destroyed by Obiakpo.

At this point, Omasiri became so frightened, even though she was ready for capital punishment. She trembled with fear and didn’t know how to embrace such a fate but she still had to own up, so she came forward and knelt before the king.

The people shouted and snapped their fingers in a way of rejecting the abomination in the land. They threatened to lynch the girl for using the deadly potion that was considered a taboo in the village but the chief priest never allowed them.

Being benumbed and speechless in that kneeling position, Omasiri began to cry.

“The guards should bind her,” The king wailed angrily.

Without being moved by pity, the guards came forward and bound Omasiri’s legs and hands with akwaraike rope (a binding rope made from the skin of an elephant). Akwaraike rope is usually used on someone who has committed an abomination that is considered treasonable in Amachara. It is the only rope acceptable by Obiakpo deity according to their belief, so no other rope must be used to avoid a calamity in the land.

Other maidservants cried as they saw that one of their own was about to be executed. Ochomma and Chizaram wept bitterly as they saw Omasiri whom they considered the wisest among them all as she was being subjected to humiliation and shameful death.

Ochomma wanted to consult the princess but the heavy guards mounted at the door to her chamber wouldn’t allow her to go in. The worst was that the princess was so weak and may not be able to help, so the girls couldn’t ask for her intervention. Even if the princess steps in, she couldn’t have stopped the judgement.

In an exceedingly short time, a stretcher made from bamboo sticks was brought forward. Omasiri was made to lie on it while Ichaka, the chief palace guard, and other four guards lifted her in the air and started leaving for the sacrifice.

Ujuamara followed behind as the villagers began to sweep the palace to cleanse it of the abomination caused by the poor maiden.

With the unfolding of the strange incident, the nsacharu cleansing of the palace had to wait because of the princess’s revelation that Uremma wasn’t dead yet.

#OpraDre

To be continued…

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