OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 6 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

OJADILI The Mystery Boy Episode 6 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

**When the spirit talks**

The journey into the evil forest was a bit far but the incantations and abracadabra of Ujuamara led them on. The farewell dance by the Amachara maidens continued as they kept sweeping the paths leading to the forest; this is traditional.

The march trudged on into the Obiakpo forest while the sorrowful girl suddenly became calm as she resigned to fate. She used to be hopeful that the princess would show up but her hopes headed to the rocks.

Omasiri, who was supposed to be heartbroken suddenly began to smile. She lay on her back and fixed her eyes to the sky but was joyfully teary. The morning sun was already mischievous to her sight; thereby blurring her view.

When they got to the evil forest the maidens stayed back while the men entered.

Getting to the shrine, Ujuamara began to sing egwuonwu (dirge) as he danced around the girl. As this happened, the ominous sounds of the evil forest lingered monotonously.

Raising his voice and looking at the ugly faces of the sculptured deities, the chief priest yelled: “The great Obiakpo, the god of condemnation of evil; dike ana eso mma nisi (the great man on whose head the machete is sharpened), we’re here to do the needful and please you. Your subjects are here to condemn who you’ve already condemned. Please, accept her soul in the abyss,” A this juncture, he looked at his apprentice sharply and said: “Present the Mmiri ikpuaru (the water for abomination nullification) for us to be free from her guilt. Obiara igbum gbuo onwe ya (back to the sender),”

Omasiri was made to lay on the altar just as the ritual demands. The young maiden didn’t cry but wholeheartedly submitted herself to the deity for the sacrifice.

The chief priest collected the bowl of water, spewed into it thrice, and began to wash his hands, feet, and face with it.

After that, he sprinkled some water on the entre people to get them cleansed too as he gaggled indistinctly. Ujuamara’s utterances were incantatory songs as the ritual lasted.

Looking at the scary faces of the deities, the chief priest smiled and said: “We can now go in peace because Obiakpo has accepted the gift of…”

“Ogbu onye aka ya di ocha (the killer of the innocent)” A voice from the shrine echoed in that deafening silence, making the people startled except.

Ujuamara listened attentively and realised that they may have made a mistake that made the deity to talk for the first time. Amid his confidence as a diviner, he was drained of his strengths as he tried to understand what he had done wrong.

“Oforkaja, I can hear you, speak,” The diviner said and knelt while others took to their heels out of fear. “What wrong have we done to attract the voice of the gods accusing us of killing the innocent? But she used the rahugaba potion. This has been forbidden by the custodian of our culture, Eze Azuamailo; a name that means that one doesn’t know his enemy from his rare view,”

“Let her go,” the voice from the shrine echoed louder and began to mutter some unexplainable utterances.

As the guards ran away leaving only the chief priest, they were surprised to meet the princess coming to the shrine. They suddenly stopped and began to look back consciously to ensure they weren’t being chased. They thought they just saw the ghost of the princess, making them scamper in fear.

“What’s this madness I heard of?” The voice of the princess quivered angrily, “how can you allow such abomination even without hearing from me? Why the lopsided judgement against my maid?”

The guards were numb to words and couldn’t explain what happened but pointed towards the direction of the shrine and took to their heels. The guards believed that Chinonye they saw wasn’t human because the princess wouldn’t have just visited the forest without being stopped by her dad.

The princess suddenly became frightened because it was her first time visiting the forest.

As she got to the shrine, she saw the dibia (chief priest) lying prostrate with his hands spread as if he was begging for mercy. As he avoided setting his eyes on the shrine, he mumbled some words of plea to avoid being destroyed by the deity.

The princess was rattled when she saw Omasiri on Obiakpo altar, so she rushed straight to the girl held her.

“Obiakpo, take me because she’d innocent while I’m guilty,” Chinonye yelled with tears and brought out a knife to stab herself.

“No…no, don’t do this!” Omasiri yelled weepingly as she struggled to be freed from the restraints, “I know you’re not human but please don’t hurt me. You’re not princess anyanwu ututu, I’m sure,”

Chinonye looked surprised seeing Omasiri looking helplessly at her. She tried to cut her loose but akwaraike rope was too strong for the sharp knife to cut. She dropped the knife and began to untie the girl even without being frightened of Obiakpo. “I know you’re the god of justice even though you’re addressed as Obiakpo (the hardhearted),” The princess moaned tearfully as she continued making effort to untie the shackled girl but it was too strong for her.

“If you’re truly my princess,” Omasiri asked as she avoided looking into her eyes, “show me the mark,”

The princess didn’t heed to Omasiri’s request concerning the mark just to prove she was real. She continued making effort to free Omasiri but she couldn’t, so fell on the ground and she began to weep aloud.

“Prove to me that you’re a just god by letting my subject loose,” Chino wailed and scooped some sand to pour on herself as a sign of absolution but heard some sounds from the altar. She paused and listened.

Like a shot, she heard some footsteps sauntering behind the Chelekwu tree and became afraid.

Looking back, Chino saw that the dibia was still lying prostrate in fear.

She rushed to him and tried to pull him up but the chief priest didn’t move but kept shivering.

“The gods are angry…so… so angry at Amachara for condemning the girl,” Ujuamara cried out shiveringly, “they just confirmed that the maidservant is innocent, now I can’t leave until they permit me to,”

Chinonye was so happy at this point, so she pulled the priest up and said: “Help me untie her since you’ve confirmed her innocence. Let’s take Omasiri home,”

“Go now or I strike you with plague,” The voice cloaked from the shrine making the princess be startled.

“Oh my…the god speaks,” The princess uttered with grave fear as grains of goosebumps possessed her skin.

“Thank you…thank you,” Ujuamara responded stammeringly and began to move backward as he muttered indistinctly; sprinkling water everywhere as he left quietly.

The apprentice of the chief priest dropped his flute in fear and disappeared with his master.

It dawned on the princess that she was alone with Omasiri but didn’t hear the spirits talk again. She became so frightened to death as she tried to untie the girl.

“Please, do not speak again. If you do, your servant will just die in fear,” she pleaded to the deity.

To their greatest surprise, Ojadili suddenly came out from hiding. “At least it worked, and I made them spare the life of someone they could have sacrificed. I am Ojadili,” he added and began to come closer.

The princess couldn’t imagine seeing someone that looked as hairy as a wild animal. She took to her heels to avoid him.

From afar, she observed.

“Please, do not kill her but take me instead,” Chinonye pleaded fearfully, “she’s innocent and…”

“If you want to take her place, why are you running away?” Ojadili asked and sat on the altar as he observed Omasiri; to know how to untie her.

“Take my soul now but spare my princess,” Omasiri pleaded, “I am ready,” she added and closed her eyes to wait for the hands of death to fall on her.

Ojadili found everything amusing, so he reached for the knife that the princess dropped. He picked it and tried to cut loose the strong rope but the two girls thought that he was about to kill the sacrificial girl.

The princess became so afraid because the boy he saw looked haggard and famished like a son of the gods. She knelt in reverence, arched to avoid looking at him, and said: “Please spare the life of my friend and allow me to take her home. All she did was because of me, so take me and allow her to go,”

“I’m free now,” Omasiri yelled and touched the princess, making her edgy because she thought that the gods just touched her. “It’s me, my princess,” Omasiri said hilariously and tried to pull Chino up but the princess remained the way she was. “The servant of Obiakpo just untied me. I am free indeed,”

The princess didn’t want to behold the face of the gods so she didn’t look up but Ojadili smilingly said: “I was sacrificed here too but I didn’t die. The gods spared me, so I’m not the property of Obiakpo but someone that benefitted from his mercy. I’m just a mortal that survived execution but I couldn’t find my way out. It’s been hard for me to understand why I can’t find my way out of…”

“You talk too much,” The princess blurted angrily and began to leave with sadness, “So you have been prankish; making everyone think that the gods were communicating. Which village are you from, clown?” she added contemptuously.

“If you’re human and not a god,” Omasiri entered looking at the hairy man, “you should know that you’re standing before the princess of Amachara without paying homage to her. Don’t be disrespectful. Now, bow to her as the tradition demands or…”

“Her status as a princess is only in her kingdom and not here in Obiakpo forest,” Ojadili said disdainfully and began to fix the broken strings of his bow, “Here is no man’s land but the dwelling place of the gods. And the last time I checked, I have authority here more than you do because I have stayed longer here. I think the homage should be paid to me,” he added and picked his arrow ready for hunting, “If you ever see me in your kingdom, then I’ll even lay prostrate for you to step on my head,”

“He talks a lot indeed,” Omasiri confirmed the princess’s observation, “so disrespectful of royalty,”

Ojadili didn’t care about Omasiri’s derogatory comment but continued gathering his arrows as he sheathed them; ready for hunting.

“Are you a hunter?” The princess asked vauntingly trying to understand why Ojadili wasn’t trembling on hearing that she was a princess.

“I think that you girls owe me an apology for asking me to bow for royalty instead of being grateful for saving a life,” Ojadili said and genuflected mockingly for the princess. “Wow, I can now hunt for food. Who’s with me?” he asked and began to leave.

The princess and the maidservant were surprised that Ojadili didn’t even care about the status of royalty. They simply turned to leave but still felt that they owe him some words of thanksgiving.

“Fine, thanks to you for this show of humanity,” The princess said and came closer to Ojadili, even though she still dreads him, “But how are you sure that you’re saving us and not being insubordinate to the supernatural? Your pranks can backfire on us if Obiakpo isn’t in support of your stunts. This is sacrilegious if my insinuation is right,”

“Exactly my thought, my princess,” Omasiri said as she entertained some fears too, “fools rush where angels fear to tread. I guess I need to remain here until Obiakpo destroys me than follow the voice of someone who pretended to be a spirit just to save me. I’m in serious trouble already because I can feel it,”

Ojadili laughed so hard this time as he imagined the ignorance of the duo. Shaking his head disapprovingly, he said: “If you feel I have offended the gods, why not go home and enjoy some time I just bought for you. Whenever the gods decide to destroy you, they will but for now, enjoy your life while you still can,”

The girls couldn’t explain the kind of person they met; someone that doesn’t take things seriously. Even though his sense of humour caught their interest, they still couldn’t wrap their heads around his audacity.

“Ojadili, which village are you from?” The princess asked curiously as she observed him, “and what offence did you commit that landed you in this evil forest? I guess it has something to do with your waggish tongue,”

Ojadili didn’t answer that question but began to leave.

“I’m off for hunting, my princess,” Ojadili said with a curtsy even though it was meant to be a mockery and not reverence. “I already feel that I’ll make a big catch today. Apukwam, ocha ka omaka (Albino, I’m leaving),”

Ojadili left immediately into the woods laughing at the princess and Omasiri on his way out.

The women felt that something that was meant to be taken seriously was turned to mockery by the strange boy they just met. They were overtaken by shame because of the stranger’s sarcasm but still admired his sense of humour.

“I’m yet to understand this bush human,” Omasiri said laughingly and stifled the laughter to avoid badgering the princess, “he jokes about everything, even though he saved my life,”

“And I give him credit for that,” Chino said and smiled fondly as she thought of Ojadili’s funny utterances, “the devil has his due, no matter his misconduct,”

“Let’s go home now, the sunlight of Amachara clan,” Omasiri said with a curtsy and respect, “I couldn’t imagine that you came for a lowly girl like me. You must have taken lots of risks to be here on time. How did you even do that, my princess?”

The princess smiled and held her on the shoulder and said: “I think the gods just saved your life. But when we get to the village, don’t ever allow anyone to know that the voice that ordered for your release was that of the talkative. If you do…hmmm,”

“I’ll be executed for sacrilege if I do,” Omasiri mumbled and smiled as they left the shrine.

“I’m glad you know already,” The princess said and kept walking to the exit.

As they left through the pathways leading them out of the forest, the princess suddenly began to feel something strange inside of her. She was confused at first about her feeling. In a couple of minutes, she remembered that she was in the woods that she’d always craved for.

She felt it was time to explore the forest for medicinal shrubs to revive Uremma, so she began to check around.

“It’s time to scout for the shrubs,” The princess clued, “I’m already perceiving the sweet-scented leaves already,” she mouthed and began to sniff around.

Omasiri had a question for Chino but was uneasy about it. She cleared her throat, making the princess attentive.

“If I knew you well,” the princess said and smiled, “I know you want to ask a question. What could that be?”

“Okay, I give you that,” Omasiri said admittedly, “My question is this, my princess,”

“I’m all ears,” Chino said and continued gathering the shrubs.

“My princess, I wonder why you allowed this man to go,” Omasiri said observantly, “since he’s lost in the forest, why not take him to the palace to provide shelter for him?”

Thinking through the suggestion, the princess felt that she just made a mistake by allowing Ojadili to go. She began to search around the forest as she shouted: “the mystery man!” but no one was seen or heard. After a while of her fruitless efforts, she turned to Omasiri and said: “How are we sure that we’d find our way out of this forest? We may have lost just as he did,”

Omasiri laughed because she knew that the princess wasn’t being serious about it.

“You just sounded funny, my princess,” Omasiri said as the plodded through the muddy forest.

“But it’s true,” Chino said with a tinge of uneasiness, “since this boy came to this forest and got lost, how are we sure that we’re not lost already just like him? Even the chief priest and the entire guards that entered this cursed forest could be lost too,”

Omasiri felt that the princess could be saying the truth, so she became afraid and pushed herself closer to the princess.

“But wait,” she said and looked suspiciously at the princess, “who’re you? Are you the princess that I knew or not?”

Chino couldn’t understand why Omasiri asked such a question.

“Are you okay?” Princess Chinonye asked surprisingly.

“How did you come here and who permitted you to leave the palace?” Omasiri asked and continued looking intently at her, “Some things aren’t adding up,” Having said that, she began to shift away a bit from the princess because she wasn’t sure if she was with the real princess. It was a strange forest, so lots of strange things are bound to happen there.

Chino simply smiled and said: “when the mother of a child comes back home, he feels so happy as if the mother of his friend wouldn’t come home anymore,”

The proverb wasn’t clear to Omasiri but she didn’t have to bore the princess with many questions. “I wish you’re the real princess of Amachara,” she added and continued following from behind.

“You weren’t there when I escaped, so you wouldn’t have an explanation to that,” Chino said and dimpled a smile, “Even if I’m not real, your life is safe now and that’s what matters,”

“Sorry to ask again,” Omasiri apologised, “but how did you escape from the palace?”

Thinking about the entire scenario, the princess smiled and said: “My escape was so easy, even though I’m yet to find out why and how it wasn’t hard as usual?”

Omasiri was still confused with this but just had to maintain some distance between them while they left the forest.

Ojadili didn’t know what prompted him to gather some shrubs for the princess. Being that he understands the language of the forest, he knew that he had to help her; even though he never knew why he was being chivalrous.

After gathering the shrubs secretly for the princess, Ojadili went ahead of the princess and dropped the bunched shrubs on the pathway.

He hid behind the ukwa (breadfruit) tree and remained there until he saw the princess as she instructed Omasiri to pick the shrubs on their way home.

It was surprising to Ojadili that the princess of Amachara took the medicinal leaves without feeling awkward about it. He couldn’t explain that but knew that something positive and life-saving was on the way. Having seen that the princess had collected the medicinal shrubs without questions, he entered further into the forest to hunt games while the girls found their way back to the palace.

#OpraDre

To be continued…