DEN OF CLEVERNESS Episode 4 by Nathaniel Anuma (Bright Daniel)

DEN OF CLEVERNESS Episode 4 by Nathaniel Anuma (Bright Daniel)

The chirping sound of birds and other insects came, causing hullabaloo in the ears of the B team from Kings collage. None of them made a move after sliding into the land of zero. They all wore a pair of trouser and a black T-shirt. The only material found with them was the very map of zero which rested in Wisdom’s hand. They all glanced at each other; from Sandra to Wisdom, Wisdom to Paul and finally to Gina. The environment seemed too odd to them especially Sandra who had never been to a farm before, talk more of journeying in a forest. Still with their legs fixed at a spot, their eyes roamed around the Ecosystem. They could see aboral animals on tall trees, swinging from one branch to another. No particular path could be said, yes, this is a road; the ground was covered with green shrubs.

“Now I’m beginning to feel bad about this place” Sandra broke the silence, while Gina spank her neck, hopping she caught a mosquito that sucked her blood with its proboscis.

“Let’s move forward” Wisdom took the lead followed by Gina, Sandra then lastly, Paul who kept looking upward.

“Where are the other team?” Gina asked as they matched like warriors in an evil forest.

“They must be within their lane. I thought I once announced that they have their own territory” Wisdom clarified, while they kept matching.

Paul stopped at the sight of a mino board that hung on the stem of a tree. “Wait, I see something” he rushed to that place, of course followed by others. So they gazed at the notice on the board which says, “You do not know your way. Answer me to make a way: I have cities, but no houses, I have mountain, but no trees, I have water, but no fish. What am I?”

The students gazed at one another.

“It’s a riddle” Paul said.

“I wasn’t expecting this” Wisdom rubbed his head haphazardly.

Gina wallowed in thought and suddenly looked up at the tree saying, “You are an image”

They all stared at the tree to know if there would be any response or reaction. Hopelessly, nothing happened. Paul exhaled then looked at Wisdom, “Answer the riddle, for your name is Wisdom, the brainy guy”

Wisdom disdained him. “Why don’t you answer it, for you claim to be ‘doctor know it all'”

“We are running out of time” Gina reminded them.

However, Sandra had been exercising her mentality. She saw the map of the land on Wisdom’s hand and the images on it then quickly looked up at the tree shouting, “You have cities, but no houses… You are a map!” Instantly, the tree fell down and created a narrow road for them to pass.

“Wow!” Wisdom exclaimed.

They all began to smile.

“C’ Mon, let’s go!” Paul led the way now followed by Gina.

Wisdom hesitated with Sandra, both, staring at each other. “Nice one, Sandra” he patted her shoulder and moved on, while she smiled happily, feeling like a heroin.
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Audience at the auditorium, clapped after seeing that act on one of the projectors after which the light went off too. Then a voice came from a microphone. “Sorry, this will be the last place we shall watch them until the first to find the pot of diamond comes back. Mrs Ukachi went home likewise Mercy and her mother who began to drive home. She seated in the front seat with Mrs Jane, the mother who handled the stirring wheel. She glanced at the daughter, for she noticed she had a sad face.

“What’s it Mercy?”

“I don’t know, mom”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Mercy remained silent for a while. “I have a sad feeling about the land of zero” she said.

Mrs Jane gave her statement a thought. “There is nothing to worry about there, okay” she patted her shoulder.
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A parado jeep sped along the road with its wheel rotating very fast to have a backward movement if viewed from a distant. It ran around a roundabout which had the statue of a running horse. Sooner did it enter into the Whitehouse and a man in suite came out from it. Two bodyguards escorted him into the building through an elevator. He opened several doors before getting to his destination where a few television was showing the competitors in the land of zero. Some men could be seen, sitting and standing inside the room. In the middle was the governor of the state, seated in his power and evil. The man came before him and said, “Your Excellency, the competition, i mean the sacrifice has begone accordingly”

“Yes, I can see that. None of the children must come out from that place alive” the governor lit a cigarette, watching Ken and co on one of the televisions.
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Chirping of notorious birds from the creepy mysterious land of Zero circulated within the teenagers who had already become not only astonished but also woozy, looking like lost sheeps in a lonely forest. Those were the A team from Heartland collage. They had journeyed without a specific pathway.

“Wait!” Jade stretched her hands sideways to stop others from moving because she was leading the way.

“What have you seen, witch?” Fred fired rudely.

“Can you see that arrow?” she hurried to the spot with others to see the arrow pointing on the ground.

“Now what?”

“We dig”

Fred widened his eyes. “Dig?! How are you sure the pot of diamond is there? Moreover, there is no rule that says we should follow a sign of any sort” he tried to clarify, but Jade surge forward to dig up the soil. She was so desperate to win the competition. Just as she began to dig, Ken’s voice interrupted her saying, “I have a feeling that the competition has changed” Both, including Esther stared at him because he wasn’t the talking type, in fact, the number of times he had spoken since they started the journey could be counted.

“Ken, don’t get me scared” Fred said. “What has the competition changed into?” he added.

“To a nightmare” he answered with eyes roaming around.

“How and why?” Jade glared at him.

“Because, you’re trying to dig up a grave” Ken replied while Fred adjusted away from that spot after exclaiming.

“I don’t care if I dig up a dead human being because never will I allow Wisdom and his team win this competition” she began to dig up the grave…….
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DEN OF CLEVERNESS Episode 4
#OpraDre

TO BE CONTINUED

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