OJADILI Episode 16 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

OJADILI Episode 16 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

**Mystery untangled**

As the princess cried and begged the gods to wake Akwaobi up, she felt as if she had a company, so she suddenly swerved and looked. It was surprising to the princess to see Umuabani standing beside her.

“Little boy,” The princess called out tearfully, “why are you here by this time of the night. Who are…” before she could complete her statement, she realised that she saw Umuabani in her dream when she slept with the calabash chalk beside her, “wait, you’re the boy in my dream, right?”

“She’s not dead,” Umuabani said and observed Akwaobi closely, “she’s the daughter of Adadimma, that was why she was touched by your song,”

The princess was surprised, so she stooped and observed Akwaobi one more time. “How did you know that she isn’t dead?”

Umuabani smiled and looked at the girl lying lifeless on the ground.

“Your question should be about how Adadimma had an offspring even when your dad defiled and killed her,”

That clue got the princess thinking, so she looked at the little boy as she tried to remember her disjointed dream.

“Why did you make me forget my dream immediately I woke from sleep?” She asked as she got engrossed with the quest for answers, “There is something you don’t want me to remember, I guess,”

Umuabani smiled again and said: “Ifenkili isn’t your mom but she reincarnated through you,”

The princess didn’t understand that, so she looked at the girl lying on the ground to know if she was awake. Seeing she was still lying lifeless, she began to doubt Umuabani’s honesty and veracity.

“I am so interested to know about my parents,” The princess said, “I mean my real parents, and not the ones that I thought were my biological parents,”

Umuabani heaved a sign of relief and began to leave, making the princess rush after him.

“Why are you leaving without answering me?” Chino asked with utmost curiosity, “this is a plea and not an order, the great one,” she added respectfully.

Umuabani turned, looked her in the face, and smiled. “After some years when Ugoeze had Onodugo,” Umuabani began narratively, “your mom became obsessed with the thoughts of having a girl child,”

“And what happened next?” She asked ardently and looked at the wild dog. She discovered that the dog was already sleeping as if Umuabani’s presence induced it to sleep.

“You kept the secret of your dad’s ordeal away from your mom but she knows all. Even the king doesn’t know that his wife knew all those while as…”

“Sorry to enter here,” the princess said looking so confused, “you mean that my mom knew that the king murdered someone?”

Umuabani didn’t answer directly to that but nodded as a confirmation of his claims.

The princess was so wowed. She found it hard to believe that her mom knew but never confronted the king.

“The queen always follows the king around when she was a teen,” Umuabani mouthed and looked searchingly in the bush as if he was expecting someone, “she was obsessed with the king, so she was always on his trail. The king thought that no one saw him when he murdered the innocent girl but was wrong. The queen saw him. Even though your mom felt bad, she later was happy because the only rival she had to become the queen just stepped aside. She kept following your dad closely until she succeeded being his wife,”

The princess was so surprised as she remained attentive and thinking of the kind of secret woman her mom is. She couldn’t believe that her mom could be that secretive.

“This is serious,” The princess said, “but how could a woman have such secret and never confronted her man with it?”

“When she realised that the king was under a curse,” Umuabani continued the narration, “She went to a king of another village for a child,”

Chino was piteous and angry, “what kind of a mother is she, and who knows who the father of Onodugo is?”

“Whenever you set your eyes on your mom,” Umuabani said looking more serious, “Tell her to take Onodugo to his father’s village before it’s too late. Isigebuogidi staff will kill him,”

“I guess you know the kingdom,” she asked astutely.

Umuabani chuckled at that statement but didn’t want to answer it, so he began to leave while the princess followed. He had to stop because he may still have more questions from the intelligent girl.

“How then is Akwaobi related to Adadimma?” Chino asked making Umuabani come back to his former position.

“Even though it was widely believed that she was a virgin, she lost it when her man, Okenwune was drunk. She felt ashamed of the mistake, making her sneak out of his hut before dawn. When Okenwune woke up from slumber, he didn’t know what happened to him. He felt that he just had a wet dream, so he overlooked it,”

The princess put her hands on her head out of fear and surprise.

“So the king molested her thinking he was the first man?” The princess asked looking appalled. “But if she gave birth to the baby, the king should have known,”

“The question should be; how did she have an offspring when she was dead and buried?” Umuabani hinted, “Meanwhile, it wasn’t Okenwune that impregnated Adadimma but the king,”

The princess thought about this and shook her head in amazement.

“You’ve left me in deep confusion and I can’t explain the mysteries,” Chino said trying to connect the dots but couldn’t, “You are yet to explain how I’m the reincarnation of Ifenkili. You’ve compounded my confusion with mentioning about a maiden who was strangled to death but later had an offspring. None of these make sense to me,”

“He-he,” The young boy laughed and took a deep breath, “Assuming your heart and mind were open when I met you in the dream,” he continued, “You’d have understood all these. In dreams, humans are usually more intelligent and wise than when they’re awake. The reason is that in dreams, you’re half human and half spirit. Anytime you go to bed, have an open mind and you’d see the magic and understanding,”

It was a lesson well learnt for the princess but that never explained the question she asked.

“Thanks for the explanation,” she said and sat on one of the blocks littered around the altar, “But can you answer my questions?”

Umuabani shrugged and said: “Your mom waited around in the bush for your dad to disappear with his guards. When they were gone, she went to the shallow grave and exhumed the body of the maiden. Fortunately for her, she realised that Adadimma wasn’t dead. She was alive but still unconscious. The maiden was very weak, so she needed medical attention. Ugoeze took her to Agbogidi; a great healer and diviner in Obohia kingdom. The healer helped in reviving the girl even though Ugoeze didn’t want the girl to know that she was the one that revived her. At a young age, Ugoeze and Adadimma were close friends. When the girl realised that she was with child after a couple of months at Agbogidi’s house, she felt so bad for conceiving through molestation. She hid away from her man, Okenwune. When she was almost due for delivery, she became so angry at herself and against the man that molested her. In great pains, she sneaked out from Agbogidi’s house into Ajo ofia. Her reason for going there was to take some sand from the spot she was buried. When she got there, she stripped herself naked and cursed Azuamailo with the sand. You can imagine a curse laid by a woman when she’s naked let alone a girl that is heavily pregnant,”

The princess who was quietly sobbing nodded in agreement and muttered huskily: “It’s irrevocable indeed,”

“As she laid the curse crying to god of vengeance, she entered into labour,” The young boy continued, “It was then that a strange edi abani came to devour the child. But something mysterious happened; the edi abani didn’t kill the woman or even the child, but gathered others in numbers to protect them,”

“This is amazing,” The princess said bewilderedly, “the gods are truly wise and benevolent,”

“The animals watched over them but couldn’t do anything until Adadimma died,” Umuabani continued while the princess shed tears, “The animals mourned her as they barked in anger and sorrow. One of them cut the umbilical cord with its sharp canine teeth but they couldn’t take the baby away. They remained there until princess Akwaugo came around and saw what happened,”

The new name introduced by Umuabani confused Chinonye, so she asked: “Who is princess Akwaugo? The princess of Obohia?”

“No. Akwaugo is your father’s sister’s real name,” Umuabani explained, “It was when she saw the child surrounded by edi abani that she was possessed by Mpiawazu (Unmerciful) spirit. It was this spirit that Adadimma cried to before dying,”

“Hmm, Mpiawazu,” the princess repeated and hummed, “what a diabolical spirit,”

Umabani arched and said: “When the spirit possessed the princess, fear of the wild animals left her. That was when the evil spirit led her to this kingdom in that Ajo ofia. Physically, people can come to Ajo ofia but never knew that Onumajuru is situated here. Onumajuru as the name implies means anger-abatement. Being that the princess had been in search of true love, she began to steal people from different clans to make her kingdom great. The only person she couldn’t steal was Ugomma, the wife of a warrior, Ikenta, in Amirioma kingdom. Even the princess and the queen of Amirioma were captured and taken to Onumajuru kingdom. Right now, they are the queen and princess there while Nwanyi ukwu ugiri is the king,”

The princess laughed at the scenario as she imagined a woman being a king as well as having a queen and a daughter.

“Sorry that I grinned,” she apologised laughingly, “but does it mean that she didn’t marry anymore?”

“Good question,” Umuabani said and smiled, “Akwaugo abhors men because of her experience with her dad that kept battering her mom. In Onumajuru kingdom, the men are slaves and servants, while the women lord it over them. You may think that it’s cantankerous of Nwanyi ukwu ugiri to be unorthodox by being a king, but the heart bears a lot. Her bitter experience reshaped her life and perception; hence her methods,”

The princess was seriously enjoying the story so she nods and hums at intervals as she listened. The imagination of the entire twist got her thinking of how mean and wicked her grandfather would have been to the extent of making his children change into monsters.

“But why did she nickname herself Nwanyi ukwu ugiri?” The princess asked with inquisitiveness, “I’ve been thinking of that name though,”

The night suddenly became cold; the trees and shrubs danced to the imaginary music being played by the wanton wind. Nocturnal animals roamed in the dark as they scrambled for food while the discussion between Umuabani and Chinonye continued.

“When princess Akwaugo saw the dead body of Adadimma and the helpless child,” Umuabani went on, “she picked the weeping child and buried the dead body in the spot where the girl died. She did that without knowing that it was the same spot that her brother buried the maiden when he strangled her. Let’s say it wasn’t a coincidence but predestined by the gods. The grave was surrounded by three Ugiri (wild mango) trees so she nicknamed herself Nwanyi ukwu Ugiri (the woman of the wild mango). Her reason is that it was by the Ugiri trees that she regained her freedom from her wicked dad to follow her part in life,”

The princess was wowed. “I’m overtaking by goosebumps,” she confessed as she widened her eyes in amazement, “so Adadimma was buried in the same grave where she was exhumed from. What a ploy by the gods,”

“Exactly,” Umuabani responded, “Meanwhile, Ugoeze who always followed Adadimma around saw her enter Ajo ofia. She watched her curse the king. When Adadimma entered into labour, Ugoeze tried to help but the wild dogs she saw scared her and she ran away. The dogs even chased her until she disappeared from the forest. That was how she got to know that Azuamailo was cursed. When she came back after some hours, she couldn’t find them anymore,”

“This is like a folktale,” Chinonye said as she was taken aback, “Go on, wise one,”

“After some years of getting married to Azuamailo,” Umuabani went on, “Ugoeze realised that she couldn’t conceive. She knew that the curse was effective on the king, so she had to do what she considered the last resort. She went to Umuabani kingdom to sleep with her husband’s enemy. I am the ancestor of Umuabani; hence my name. I deliberately deprived king Ozoemena of an heir to avoid creating confusion for my descendants. Onodugo is the heir of Umuabani kingdom and should return to his kingdom of origin,”

The princess was shocked to the point that she couldn’t utter a word at the moment. She was enveloped in speechlessness as she moped absently at Umuabani. The unravelling of the bloodline of Onodugo got her traumatized. After a while of muteness, she shook her head in disbelief even though she believed him.

“So Onodugo is from Umuabani; Amachara’s supposed enemy?” The princess asked as her mouth remained agape.

“Positive,” Umuabani replied, “advise your mom to take the child to where he belongs. If not, the surviving baby in Uremma’s womb would be dead too,”

“Baby?” The princess asked looking dazed, “but she just had a miscarriage,”

“Uremma was with twins but one had been miscarried as a warning to Ugoeze,” Umuabani said, “If she persists being stubborn, then she may lose the surviving child. And if that happens, Uremma will be barren for life. Go now and warn her!” he growled.

“I will try my best because I don’t want to lose my stepbrother,” Chinonye said, even though she couldn’t imagine addressing Onodugo as a stepbrother, “but why didn’t Nwanyi ukwu ugiri’s charm work on the wife of the warrior in Amirioma? Sorry to take you back a bit,”

Umuabani looked to the sky, smiled, and looked at the princess. He remained thoughtful for a while before the serenity was dispersed by his belch.

“Ugomma, even though she was possessed by the spirit of Mpiawazu to accept the crimes she didn’t commit,” he muttered, “her spirit was so strong because she was under the protection of Ibini ukpabi. That is rare though. Ibini Ukpabi is superior to Mpiawazu, so whatever the god protects, Mpiawazu wouldn’t touch,”

The princess was a bit cleared and happy, so she stood and looked at Akwaobi who was twirling on the ground, showing that she was about to be awake.

“So, she’s my stepsister after all,” she said and smiled. ”But why does she look so young just like me?”

”Because the spirit of her mom dwells in her, even now,” he answered unequivocally.

The princess was really shocked as she tried to understand the ways and supremacy of the supernatural beings.

”As I asked early,” the princess reiterated, ”So Akwaobi is my stepsister,”

“Yes, she is,” Umuabani replied straightforwardly, “The name Akwaobi was given to her by Akwaugo because her mom died of heartbreak. Akwaobi (sorrowful cry) heard the story of what happened to her mom. That made her an agent to the spirit of her mom. But your songs and penance for your father’s atrocity made her calm. She is a representative to Adadimma, which was why she slumped; showing that your supplication has been heard by the spirit. Even Mpiawazu spirit is appeased too. Soon, everyone would return to their village of origin, even Nwanyi ukwu ugiri. Onumajuru kingdom will soon stop to exist because you have singlehandedly saved them all; even your aunt,”

“Wait!” the princess yelled hilariously. “You mean that my aunt will be coming back to Amachara?” she asked looking so excited.

“Yes, she will soon realise that she’d been possessed,” Umuabani replied, “she will come back home for sure,”

“I love this,” the princess said and giggled, “but I have one last question,” she added as she tried to satisfy her insatiable curiosity.

“You have my attention,” Umuabani said and listened.

“Why are you being of help to me since your descendants aren’t in good terms with Amachara’s?”

Umuabani smiled at the intellectual prowess of the child and shook his head in astonishment.

“For being so shrewd and wise,” Umuabani said happily, “I will not just answer one question but two. You have a question you need desperately but unanswered. I will do that instantly,”

The princess felt elated and honoured, so she smiled bashfully and waited for the answers; especially the answer to an unasked question.

“I’m so excited already,” she said and listened attentively.

“The Iwenwanne war started between me and your ancestor,” Umuabani began, making the princess to be shocked, “yes, it started with us but I need peace right now. Even your ancestor, Amachara needs peace too but he’s caged in the spirit world for a long time. I want him to have an eternal rest because Chi-Ukwu (great god) is angry with him for starting a war out of envy. I have waited for centuries to see our children peaceful again but the hatred keeps growing. The seven ancestors have reconciled, so we need the seven villages to do the same too. No one can see me, except you and Ojadili. Your destiny and that of Ojadili are intertwined. Only you two can bring an end to this crisis,”

The princess couldn’t believe what she heard. She never knew that she was a chosen one, so she folded her arms in awe.

“Ojadili is nowhere to be found, the great one,” The princess said dispiritedly, “I wish I can see him one more time. I only hear from him through Ozowaraonaa,”

Umuabani smiled and said: “If you see Ozowaraonaa, you’ve seen Ojadili,”

The princess didn’t understand this because the last time she checked, Ozowaraonaa was a stranger that lost his memory. She tried to understand the statement but she couldn’t.

“This is mysterious, but can you help me solve it?” she asked with eagerness to learn the truth.

“The second question I promised to answer is this,” Umuabani continued without attending to her plea, “Being that Ugoeze was the one who saved Adadimma the first time she was buried, the spirit of the girl had mercy upon her. It was the reason why Ugoeze conceived; even when she’d passed childbearing age. Stop digging to know who your father is. The king is your dad and you’re a princess, my child,”

“Wow, I love this,” Chinonye said and began to dance egwu ngala (prideful dance).

“This dance is exclusive for you and Ifenkili because you’re her reincarnation,” Umuabani said as he admired the beautiful dance, “Your mom always looks to the stars to ask the gods to be merciful to her and bless her with a child. Her cry was heard because, without her help, Akwaobi wouldn’t have been born. Being that according to the apocalypse, Ifenkili would live on until her reincarnation is born, the gods answered that prayer through Ugoeze. You’re the new version of Ifenkili; therefore would be a blessing to all and not a curse as Ifenkili was. Tell the king that Ifenkili should be buried in the boundary between Amachara and Ugoloma village. The officiator would be Agbisi Igwe, popularly known as Onyiringugba (the one that defied capture). I think I’m done now,”

“Wait!” the princess said tearfully but couldn’t say anything again except to gape.

Umuabani began to leave while the princess remained speechless. Before he disappeared from her, he looked back from a distance and yelled: “Take Akwaobi, your sister to Amachara. Onumajuru kingdom will seize to exist, so she needs to go back to her father. Even though she is a product of defilement, she needs a home,” After saying this, he wasn’t seen anymore.

The princess was happy this time, so she went to Akwaobi, revived her, and made her stand. They began to find their way back to the palace while the wild dog followed them home.

OpraDre

To be continued…

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