OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 2 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 2 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

**The Puzzle**

As the confusion lasted, the palace guards unsheathed their swords ready for an attack or defence, but the hooded man squatted before them and began to write on the sand; writing in codes and strange languages that no one could understand. As he wrote, they realised that the man was a dwarf, so they felt he could not be human, so they pulled king Obiajulu back to ensure he wasn’t hurt.

After writing on the ground, the people were surprised to see the dwarf leave without uttering a single word. In that silence, they shuddered but none could confront him or unhood him because they weren’t sure of his mission and who he was.

Ikenta went closer to see the handwriting on the ground to read it out to the hearing of the entire villagers gathered in speculation but couldn’t wrap his head around it, so he looked up at the king, shook his head and said: “This is strange, my king. The entire wordings are in a strange language. Should we go after the dwarf?”

King Obiajulu wanted to order for an attack on the man but with his wisdom still intact, he said: “This is ominous, and none of us can understand what has been written here but first of all, we need Apia, the chief priest because this seems to be the language of the gods. Let’s not be too fast but consult the diviner first before making a grave mistake that we’d never wake up from,”

The people were unnerved and dysphoric at this time as they trembled in fear and uncertainty. The land of Amirioma had been living peacefully before the arrest of the stranger at Mmirimma River, so it was obvious to them that Ojadili either came to save or kill but they believed the latter more; therefore appalled in awe as they dreaded the wraths of their Chi imminent in their kingdom.

“If I may speak, my king,” Akaaka the oldest man said as his hands and legs shivered in his sitting position.

The attention of the entire people got shifted to Akaaka as they anticipated discerning contribution, insightful and lucid words from his usual wise counsel.

“Go ahead, nna anyi (our father),” The king said and offered him an ample time to speak up because he takes time before saying any word of wisdom.

After a couple of minutes, Akaaka said: “Three things are involved here,”

“What and what?” Odumeje the Onowu (kingmaker) asked looking so worked up and eager to find a solution to the confusion at hand; of course, he’s usually an impatient kind even though he is full of wisdom that earned him an advisory position to the king.

The elderly man cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and smiled sheepishly as if he wasn’t serious while grave silence stole the moment as the entire people listened in anticipation.

“Go on, nna anyi,” Igwe Obiajulu added caringly, “or do you need help to stand like you always demand?”

“Yes, I do,” Akaaka said as his sagged chin and eyes wavered.

“But you haven’t stood for the past ten years,” the king reminded him, “why do you always wish to stand whenever you want to talk but in the end, you’d still see that it isn’t possible?”

The people laughed at the statement that sounded hilarious to them but the king waved in the air to silence them so that it wouldn’t be a mockery to the aged man.

“Nnukwu Nna anyi (our great father), why not say what you want to say? Because, if my instinct is right,” Ichie Akilika voiced as he came close to the old man shivering with his walking stick pinned to the ground to gain some support, “I’m feeling that the gods of our lands just visited to remind us to be hasty about sacrificing this boy at Obiakpo forest. It could even be Obiakpo, the god of black thunder that just visited in the form of a dwarf to remind us to do the needful before it’s too late,”

The people began to arguer vigorously among themselves due to this fact being raised by Ichie Akilika. Some believe it could be true while some still had some doubts about it. The vehement argument continued until the king raised his staff, making everyone to be quiet; raising the staff of course always commands some respect as the tradition demands, no matter the situation that’s causing the unrest or upheaval.

When serenity was restored, Akaaka looked up at the sky, and then at the direction where the hooded man wrote on the ground and shook his head.

“There are three things involved here; the first one is that the gods are with this boy, therefore came to warn us not to kill him or…” The people began to roar because there were pandemonium and strong arguments among them. Some of them believed that the old man was wasting the time earmarked for going into the sacrificial altar of Obiakpo while some believed that he could be right about the stranger.

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The old man waited until the last voice was heard in the background, so he continued: “Secondly, this could be the Chi (gods) of the Umuabani kingdom coming to either condemn or rescue one of his mortal subjects in our land.

Thirdly, since Apia the chief priest isn’t here, this could be his spirit coming to alert us on what to do, but unfortunately, no one can understand what is written. This is a puzzle, and the strange kid here is the real puzzle indeed that we should be careful with. Ogwukwa ka oham n’onu (that’s all I can say)”

The speech of the old man, made serious sense to the people, making them all be confused about what to do or say. Grave silence stole the moment; absolute serenity flared as the minds of the people got occupied by riotous thoughts, ideas, and confusion. They were all surprised as they watched Ojadili looking absently and feeling even more confused than them all.

Ojadili, at this point, kept reminiscing on the things happening around him as he advances in age and wisdom. He had some mental flashes of his life concerning his gift of understanding the language of the forest and having visions that his parents never wanted him to harness for a reason best known to them.

The thoughts of the mystery behind the person that always fetches water for him without him seeing him crossed his mind too. He was sunk in deep thoughts, making some beads of sweats to be announced on his forehead. It was obvious that the young man was stuck and enshrouded in deep mental torture and disarray.

After a while of serious confusion that loomed amid that tranquillity, the king mouthed: “Ikenta, Otili, Okonta, and others should go to the shrine and fetch the chief priest. We need Apia’s wisdom here. We seriously need to know why he didn’t come to help us out when we needed him most, leaving us to our confusion as mortals.

Since he’s the eyes of the gods and their mouthpiece, let him come and interpret this for us. Go fast and make this happen without delay,”

The guards left immediately while the entire palace remained calm as they waited for them to return.

Seeing that the king had stood for long, Ichie Odumeje went closer to him and whispered: “My king, you may wish to sit for a while because you’ve been standing for long already and it’s not good for arthritis,”

Looking at the Ichie, the king smiled and said: “How can I rest while the entrance of this stranger in my kingdom has brought restlessness for us. I wish he wasn’t found in this village. But could it be that the gods are punishing us with silence? Why haven’t they spoken to us in this situation? This is unusual. Our Chi is never silent,”

Looking at the confused king as he knitted his brow in bemusement, Ichie Odumeje let out a short-lived smile to calm down and said: “The gods are always wise. Let’s be patient and know what this boy’s arrival would be for us. Even though I don’t like him much, I think we shouldn’t be in haste to kill him, considering the sudden arrival and exit of the hooded dwarf while the stranger was being sentenced. But the problem is that we only have before nightfall to complete the Nsacha ala ritual (ritual of land cleansing), lest, we’ll all be doomed if we fail,”

In a jiffy, the guards came back with their hands on their heads; shaking their heads disapprovingly; depicting a bad omen as they cried like babies.

The king already knew that something wasn’t right, so he tried to move a bit forward to meet them but Ikenta, the palace chief guard was fast enough to meet him, genuflected before him and said pantingly: “Apia, the chief priest is dead, meaning that the gods are already angry with us by snuffing out the life of the only one that could be an arbiter between us and the supernatural. We’re doomed, Igwe…”

“Hey…..aru! (abomination)” The king outcried in anguish and became giddy, making the guards rush at him so that he wouldn’t fall.

“Please, take it easy with him,” Ichie Akilika said and tried to help but the guards were already in control of the situation.

Three guards held the king and led him to his throne to have a seat, even his falling crown was protected by the kingmaker (Odumeje) because, according to the tradition, if it falls on the ground, the king is stripped of his title and position, while the dynasty ends because royalty would depart from them forthwith.

At this point, Ojadili’s nature of understanding the language of the forest and that of visionary resurfaced in full. Closing his eyes, he smiled unwittingly, lost his consciousness for a moment, and said to the people: “The chief priest isn’t dead, and the gods aren’t angry with Amirioma. There would be rain soon, and it would be heavier than usual,”

After saying this, he became conscious and didn’t even know what he said but he knew that he just had a speechless that made no meaning to him.

The people were astonished and baffled because the words of the stranger in their midst were strong, making them wonder where he got the powers that made him say what he said.

“Who’re you and on whose authority did you say what you just said?” Ichie Odumeje asked looking intently into the eyes of Ojadili.

Without heeding to the question begging for answers because he didn’t even understand what just happened, Ojadili faced the king who was already sitting and throbbing in dispiritedness, and said: “Igweee….may you live long but I have something to ask you,”

The king took some time to rest awhile to gain his momentum and react to the stranger who was already seemingly bold and daring with words. He was still eager to ask Ojadili how he knew that the chief priest wasn’t dead and that the gods weren’t angry with them but the boy was already ready to ask more questions.

After looking at him to figure out what his questions could be, Igwe Obiajulu said: “Go ahead and ask, but you owe me an explanation. How did you know that the chief priest isn’t dead?”

Looking at Igwe, instead of answering his question, he went ahead and asked: “Igwe 1 of Amirioma, have you taken time to ask yourself where your daughter and your wife disappeared to?”

That question shocked the king, making him shudder because he’d mourned his family since they got lost in Ajo-Ofia (the evil forest) because of a crime that the wife committed.

After thinking about who the young man could be, he blurted: “Untie this boy. I want to know more about him. This is now a private discussion, and I wouldn’t want any other ear to hear what he’d have to say except the king and the cabinets. For now,” he said raising his voice to be heard by the people, making everyone to listen ardently, “Ojadili is a visitor to us, at the same time he is in captivity but let his execution wait until we find out what’s going on and what he knows,”

“But what if he escapes?” Ichie Odumeje asked feeling uneasy about the king’s decision.

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“He won’t escape,” Elder Akaaka said and nodded, making everyone face him to know what made him be assured that the boy wouldn’t disappear.

With uncertainty, the guards untied Ojadili but still with preparedness to capture him if he dares tries to escape.

Ojadili felt a bit relieved when he was unshackled, making him feel his hurting hands with his palm. “Thank you, my king,” he appreciated with a curtsy, and then went closer to whisper some words to him but the guards stopped him.

“Allow him,” The king said and welcomed the stranger, “Boy, you owe me lots of explanations, therefore you should start talking to make your punishment less severe,”

Ojadili smiled and said: “My king, I think we may need some privacy,”

“That’s not going to happen,” Ikenta, the chief guard, said pigheadedly, and then tried to shield the stranger from being too close to the king.

“I got this,” King Obiajulu said to Ikenta and smiled faintly, “If the gods want me dead, they’d have done that since, so allow me to hear what is most important to me. Family first,”

Ichie Odumeje being the closest ally to the king found it hard to believe that Ojadili was innocent without having a skeleton in his cupboard; therefore he waved at Ikenta and said: “Take the stranger to a corner and…”

“My name is Ojadili Amaraegbu, and not a stranger,” Ojadili interjected objectively trying to make a point.

“Did you see that?” Odumeje said looking surprised at the king, “I think there is a tinge of arrogance in this boy’s personality.

The king smiled and pulled Ichie Odumeje closer and whispered: “If you’re addressed as a stranger, how will you take it?”

His statement made the kingmaker take a deep breath as he submissively concurred with the king’s question.

Being that Ojadili was already few steps away as the palace chief guard prevented him from coming closer; therefore, wasn’t able to earwig on their discussion, Ichie Odumeje muttered: “My king, you’re the lion that never eats grass no matter the famine in the jungle,”

“That’s me,” The king replied with pride and smiled, “go on; I’m listening, even though I know it’s about Ojadili. Isn’t it,”

Odumeje cleared his throat, took a sweeping look at the stranger and said to the king: “Of course, everything we say right now is all about him because he is the reason we’re all gathered here. But remember; no matter how tall or short the human neck is, a head must sit on it,”

“Eziokwu ka ikwuru, nwannem (You just said the truth, brother)” The king said with a nod of approval and pride, “I’m all ears, so you may wish to hit the nail on the head,”

“Fine, but I want to say this,” Odumeje said conscientiously and solemnly, “we know nothing about this boy’s background, and the little we know is that he was accused of killing his parents with the strange powder of the spirits. The most interesting part is that he never refuted or denied the accusation. This boy could be possessed by Oduma’s spirit because…”

“No, I doubt that because Oduma spirit makes one a blatant liar and a thief. It makes one to lack vision, making him a loafer and a ne’er-do-well, not someone who is visionary like this boy. This boy just revealed what I never told anyone except to you and the chief priest. How then am I to believe that Oduma’s spirit has possessed him since the wicked spirit sometimes makes his victims mad or acting strangely. Besides, he just mentioned my wife and daughter…”

“Which is the exact reason why you could be acting blindly or foolishly,” Odumeje retorted with a curtsy to avoid angering the king with his harsh words. He winced and continued: “I’m sorry if I just mentioned that you could be foolish, but the great king I know isn’t moved by pity or pranks but I couldn’t just explain how you suddenly began to develop soft spots for this boy. I hope the spirit or whatever that sent this boy to destroy you hasn’t succeeded because you’re not acting like the powerful and indomitable king I used to know,”

The king was left in his discerning mind to evaluate and scrutinize the thunderbolt that just kept rumbling in his head. It was as if his pride had just been fingered, making him shake his head as if he wanted to shake off his soft spots for the boy as Odumeje alleged. Even though he was a bit angry about what the Ichie said by hinting that he could be foolish, he had to admit that he just got a good counsel from his close friend, therefore needed to tread with caution.

“So what do you suggest?” The king asked looking a bit confused, “I want to know what he knows about my wife and daughter. They’re all I have left. I’m sure he isn’t blabbing. Instead of ignoring this, don’t you think we should try something like investigating into it or even questioning the boy to ascertain the level of the veracity or otherwise of his claims?”

Ichie smiled knowing full well that the king was still in his right senses and not being charmed by the stranger.

“Let’s not allow him access to you but get him locked in a chamber where he’d be well taken care of,” Ichie Odumeje suggested, making the king smile and nod in agreement. “You can grill him as much as you want but ensure that he’s securely guarded to avoid escape. When a child is denied his full freedom, his best or worst sooner or later must be evident. You’re always the wise king but I guess he just used your family issue which is most important to you to make you weak and…”

“Since I believe in your shrewdness, I wouldn’t want you to ever mention that I’m foolish or weak anymore,” The king sternly warned, making Odumeje be humbled, “It’s true that we grew up together as kids during those days when we had the moonlight tales, chased the crickets together and played around boxing like the praying mantis on the sands, but I wish you know your boundaries before Obiakpo thunder strikes you dead,”

Odumeje felt dispirited by the anger of the king making his eyes to narrow in sadness and remorsefulness. The king noticed that he may have uttered harsh words, so he smiled, pulled Ichie Odumeje closer, and said: “I was just joking. You’re the best always, so let’s find a good chamber for the boy and ensure he’s closely monitored,”

Ichie Odumeje smiled and welcomed the king’s apology, even though it wasn’t directly tendered because it’s believed that kings owe no one an apology even if they erred. That was the tradition.

“But do you think that this boy could be right about the whereabouts of your family?” Odumeje asked as he still felt uncertain about the authenticity of Ojadili’s claims. “Can we invite him in and demand he tells us what we should know?”

Even though the king trusts Odumeje, he still has his limits when trust is concerned so he didn’t oblige his request because he wanted to be alone with Ojadili when he’ll tell him the extent of his knowledge about his family’s disappearance and whereabouts.

“Don’t worry, I think that the boy needs rest for now,” The king said smiled, “find a good chamber for him but ensure it’s well guarded, especially at night. The guards should tighten the security of the palace while the village guards and vigilante should be on alert in case the boy is a spy. But one important thing is…”

The king’s speech was cut short when Apia the chief priest who was believed to be dead entered with his Oji (vibrating Staff) looking weak but strong. This got the king startled because it made him realise that Ojadili was right that the Dibia (diviner) wasn’t dead, and for that to be true, he was happy believing that the gods weren’t angry as purported because Ojadili said so too.

“Apia, Utali ndi muo (the whip of the spirit),” King Obiajulu praised the chief priest as he felt so happy for having him back. He was so cheerful as he welcomed the chief priest, “what happened and why haven’t you been here to help us in this puzzle that had taken over the kingdom?”

The chief priest began to dance the surugede dance (the dance of the spirits) as he chanted some incantations and abracadabra while Igwe and Ichie Odumeje waited to hear from him.

At this point, Ichie Akilika and other cabinet members entered because they were excused when the king and the kingmaker were having a confidential discussion about the way forward.

Ojadili wasn’t allowed inside because he was the apple of discord, and his culpability or otherwise wasn’t yet ascertained, so he had to remain outside.

After the dance, Apia looked up and down, smiled for a while, and suddenly became serious as if he was just angered. He came closer to the king and whispered into his ear, making the king shudder but none understood or eavesdropped to understand what he communicated to the king.

“Are you sure of this?” the king asked feeling confused and excited at once.

The entire cabinet members were speculative but not could understand what the chief priest whispered to the king that got him both uncomfortable and joyous.

The chief priest then turned to the people and said: “This boy is a puzzle, not just to himself but to the gods. His mission isn’t clear but one thing I’m sure of is this: The sacrifice of cleansing was received by the gods, so no one should start entertaining fear thinking that the boy’s presence during Nsacha ala made it null and void,” The king heaved a sigh of relief as he heard that, “The truth is that it’s strange that the gods ignored his presence and still received the sacrifice, which we have never experienced for centuries.

Amid that anomalous development, we have to be careful with him because we’re oblivious of the powers he has in him. Ojadili is a hunter, a visionary, and with other special gifts that can make or mar this kingdom. I suggest we treat his case with carefulness before the gods destroy us all. Hear this, my king,” he yelled and raised his staff; “Ojadili Amaraegbu shouldn’t be killed, and at the same time, he shouldn’t be spared. Use your wisdom, my king,”

After saying that, Apia began to leave without saying any other thing even though he was expected to interpret what was written by the hooded dwarf.

It was surprising to the entire villagers that the chief avoided coming close to Ojadili, and at the same time dreaded the handwriting on the sand like a plague as he avoided looking at it let alone trying to read or decipher it. The people were flabbergasted because, if the chief priest avoided what the hooded dwarf wrote on the sand, it was obvious to them that they should all do the same. The people all dispersed fearfully to their different homes to avoid the scene because the man believed to be the mouthpiece of the gods just made them realise that whatever that was written on the floor by the dwarf should be avoided.

The king, as he pondered on what the chief priest whispered on the sly to him, he kept wondering what he meant by saying that Ojadili should not be killed or spared. The confusing language got him at his wit’s end even though he was urged to use his wisdom to solve such a puzzle.

As the king sat quietly on the throne, he heaved a sigh of both relief and confusion and then said: “Ojadili the son of Amaraegbu is a great puzzle. Even Nna anyi Akaaka (our father Akaaka) said so too. It’s mind-troubling that we can’t figure out how to tackle the issues and mystery surrounding him. A lot of questions are begging for answers but the more we tried to figure him out, the more mental torture we encounter,”

“We shouldn’t kill him, and shouldn’t spare him,” Ichie Odumeje kept repeating but couldn’t figure out how to advise the king this time around based on the contradictory statements and proposed action.

The entire people in the king’s Obi were confused at this point.

As they were still trying to solve the puzzle left behind by the chief priest, the weather became cloudy, making it obvious to the people of Amirioma that the cleansing ritual had been accepted by their chi, making every family rejoice at home as they got prepared to start the cultivation of the year. If the sacrifice was rejected, then there won’t be farming that year because there would be no rain.

It was even more surprising to the people that the rain came sooner than expected, making it obvious to them that the presence of Ojadili during the land cleansing ritual made the gods hasty in accepting their sacrifice of cleansing instead of rejecting it. The king was surprised too, making them all come out to have the first rain to touch on them as a blessing from above.

After they got blessed by the first touch of the droplets of the rain, they all sought for shades to avoid being bedraggled by the incoming downpour.

A very heavy rain ensued forthwith, falling like oranges and mangoes on the rafters, thatches, and roofs as if it was never going to stop.

Ojadili remained in the rain without shelter even when the guards tried to force him to avoid standing in the rain.

The entire people were surprised seeing him as he cried and danced in the rain but none could explain what was happening or why he chose to remain in the rain even when the thunderclap was deafening and scary.

After the heavy downpour, it was so surprising to everyone that the handwriting on the sand wasn’t washed away. It was most intriguing that the areas surrounding the write-up was dry and wasn’t touched by the rain as if it never rained at all.

When the king saw this, he yelled: “Umu Amirioma, gbatanu oso ooo! (The children of Amirioma, please gather as fast as you can)”

After saying this, he was surprised that Ojadili suddenly stopped dancing and quietly handed himself over to the guards for rearrest without seeking a way to escape.

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To be continued…