THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 10 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 10 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

“I want to confess something,” Ikem said to Amandi as sat beside him on the bed as they were about to sleep.

Amandi was curious about that, so he listened.

After a while, Ikem didn’t talk, showing how uneasy he was.

Amandi wanted to know what he wanted to talk about, so he nudged him and said: “Was it about the secret you said you’d reveal to me when you’re back from the adventure to Umudike?”

Ozioma heard that part, so she turned and looked at the boys. “What secret are you talking about?” she asked interestedly, “can I hear it too?”

Ikem shook his head to Amandi showing that his mother wasn’t meant to be privy to that. To make her mother take her mind away from what Amandi asked, he had to come out clean. “I took the feathers of the eagle…but it was to save your cousin?”

Amandi didn’t understand what he was talking about, so he smiled. “The white feather is still with me, so you don’t need to be worried or play pranks with him,” He chuckled.

“Seriously,” Ikem said and brought Amandi’s bag to him, “I took it because, in my dream, it was one of the requirements for the sacrifice to Ngene River. I didn’t want you to stop me from taking it, so I stole it without your permission. But without it, we wouldn’t have saved your sister,”

Ozioma hissed and smiled: “I even thought there is a big secret,”

Amandi smiled, took the bag, and opened it. Bringing out the white feather, he said: “That’s the white feather of the eagle, so I am yet to understand what you’re talking about,”

Ikem was so perplexed. He was sure the feather was used together with the canine tooth and the egg of a crocodile for the sacrifice. He kept on looking at the feather as if he was dreaming. “Can I touch it?” he said and thrust his hand for collection thinking that it’d disappear.

“Of course, you can,” Amandi said and handed it over to him, “was this the exact feather you took away from me to save my sister?”

“Yes, it was,” Ozioma said, making them surprised, “when you were discussing with the princess,” she continued, “Ikem entered the room. I was sleeping then but was awoken by his footsteps; even though he tried not to wake me up. I saw him when he took it. I wanted to question him but since the day he revealed who he was to me, I felt as if he knows more than I do. I felt he must have had a reason for taking it, so I allowed him,”

It was then obvious to Amandi that truly, it was the same father that was taken by Ikem that came back to its original position.

“This is amazing,” Amandi said and bagged the feather with care and respect, “I would have said that the purpose of getting this gift from Mmirimaraugo was for saving my sister. But now, I think it hasn’t exhausted its usefulness yet. Only the gods will decide. At least I am very happy that my sister is safe. Thanks once again for helping me make it work,”

Ikem hugged Amandi and tried pulling his mother to join the hug but Ozioma was uneasy about it, so she dragged her feet about it. Ikem dragged her harder, making her join in the embrace.

Ozioma felt happy relaxing in Amadi’s arms even against what she wanted. She missed having a man around her, so she was both confused and happy at the same time. She felt as if her family was complete at the moment.

As the embrace lasted, the princess entered without any of them noticing that she was there. She was so surprised to see what was taking place. She tried to pretend that she didn’t understand what was going on until she saw how Ozioma caressed Amandi’s back in that embrace. She couldn’t disguise her disturbing emotions amid that pretense, so she started leaving.

Her legs unwittingly kicked the stool which made her presence be noticed. The embracers parted forthwith because they never expected to see her by that time of the night.

“Bring the boy, let’s get out of here,” Ugegbe said to the guards who waited for her outside the hut. After saying that, she started rushing back to the palace feeling heartbroken.

Imo and Paraudo went into the hut, grabbed Ikem without his mother’s permission, and started leaving.

Seeing Amandi, Imo recognized him as the boy that defeated him at Azummiri River. This got him so furious. He wished for another fight with him to reclaim his lost glory.

“You were never asked to join!” Imo hollered to Amandi, “I suggest you stay here and continue your romance with someone’s wife,”

That statement got Ozioma and Amandi embarrassed. They couldn’t understand why the guard used such an accusative statement.

Ozioma suddenly remembered her oath of celibacy and felt so bad. She rushed after Paraudo that was already carrying Ikem on his shoulders but the guard pushed her away.

“This is a royal order,” Paraudo growled, “and you’re not meant to interfere.”

“What has my son done to you people?” she asked looking dazed and confused, “he didn’t force the princess to follow him to Umudike. Please, my princess, why didn’t you explain to them?”

The princess heard her but she was already far off and moving as fast as she could. She didn’t want to cry; that was why she avoided anything that would make her speak to anyone. She was even so angry at herself for feeling the way she felt for Amandi. She didn’t want to accept her affection for him but the emotions were haunting and hurting her. She continued rushing back to the palace; thereby making Ozioma feel that she connived with her father to arrest Ikem.

Amandi began to feel that the princess could have been nursing tender feelings for him but wasn’t sure yet. He wanted to start hastening to the palace too but he didn’t want anything that’d make him be sent back to Umudike. He quickly rushed to Ozioma and held her. “I think you need to start heading to the palace right now to know what they want to do with him,”

Ozioma concurred and started following the guards, but by then, the princess had gone far.

Amandi was uncomfortable staying in the hut alone. He needed to visit the palace to even know what was going on. He wasn’t okay leaving Ikem without lending his help; especially when the said boy helped him to save the life of his dear cousin.

Closing his eyes, Amandi tried to know if he could talk to the priestess but it wasn’t working. He wanted to know what to do in that current situation but couldn’t hear from her. He forced himself but all to no avail. He bolted back into the hut and brought out the eagle’s feather.

“What could this be used for?” he soliloquized with his eyes fixed at the white feather, “why did Mmirimaraugo give this to me without telling me what it should be used for?”

Amandi felt more confused and dispirited for not having any solution forthcoming. He searched the clothes that were gifted to him to know if he could get any clue but still, he got none. “This is mind-troubling,” he murmured, “I need to help but I don’t know what to…”

“Start heading to the palace now and save my son,” A voice said to him.

Amandi was startled hearing that, so he swerved and looked around but saw no one. He was assured that he heard a voice but didn’t know whose voice he heard. He thought that Ozioma probably came back to seek his help but saw no one except the rafters at the roof, the mud wall, and the few belongings in the room that were sparsely positioned in the hut.

“Who are you?” he shouted with great fear. He felt that he must have heard the voice of a ghost, “show yourself now if you’re bold enough!” he yelled with trembling hands and feet.

After a couple of minutes, Amandi continued to listen so hard. He waited for the voice to come again, but he heard nothing. He rushed out of the hut and looked into the dark but still heard no one.

“Go to the palace and save my son,” he repeated to himself trying to figure out who could have said so, “Oh, maybe it’s the gods that are seeking my help. I have to leave to the palace immediately,”

Amandi started running to the palace immediately without looking back believing he just heard the voice of the gods. He was so fast that he caught up with the guards and Ozioma on their way. He then slowed down and continued to follow them stealthily until they got to the palace.

When the guards were before the king where everyone gathered, the princess was already there.

“Father,” Ugegbe called in a humble tone, “please, handle this boy with care if you must achieve your goal of summoning him,”

Looking at the boy closely, the king realized he was the same boy he wanted to punish sometime ago for breaking the required silence during the narration of the feats of great Oduma.

“You again,” the king said with surprise, “and your mother again?” he added pointing his staff at Ozioma.

“Igwe, my son didn’t commit any crime,” Ozioma said and bowed before the king.

“How dare you talk when you haven’t been permitted to do so?” Amaechina, the kingmaker shouted at her, “the last time, you forced your son to lie. Now, you speak out of turns,”

“I’m sorry, my king, my father,” Ozioma apologized with a prostrate, “I am simply defending my son,”

“It’s okay,” the king said to Mazi Amaechina, “I can handle it,”

“Long live the king,” the Onowu said and shifted by the side.

“Get up, woman,” the king said to Ozioma, “but don’t make the little boy lie again because we’re here for something serious,”

Ozioma nodded affirmatively and kept quiet without interfering. She wanted to be sure of the reason why her son was brought to the king. Then she could defend him.

The princess saw how fearful Ikem was, so she went to him, stooped to his height, and held him by the shoulders. With her eyes fixed to his, she said: “I told my father, the king, about your revelations of the calamity that was about to befall the kingdom. We were still on it when issues started coming up. Look around you,” she said pointing at the people who gathered in anguish, “They have many issues including…”

“A goat that gave birth to a dog,” Ikem added making the princess be shocked.

“How did you know about that?” she asked looking back at her father, “he already knows, Igwe,” she said to the king.

“Knows about what?” the king asked and came closer to the center of the people where Ikem stood, “tell me what he knows!” he said harshly because he was running out of patience seeing strange things were happening in his kingdom.

“We have a stranger in our midst,” Oturukpokpo the chief priest said and entered with his tingling staff while his servants followed. “The stranger will help us a lot to unravel this mystery but the gods suddenly sealed their lips. This stranger is confused and doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t even know that he is the chosen one, so it wouldn’t be easy working with him,”

The king was stunned hearing that from the chief priest. He was filled with untold concerns about the revelation, so he looked around from one face to the other as if he was searching for the stranger amongst the people.

“Who could this stranger be?” the king asked feeling so weary about the revelation that offered no solution. “What have we done to the gods to deserve this?”

“I don’t know,” The chief priest said with deep sorrow, “They revealed nothing to me,”

“Right now in Umudike,” Ikem said in his innocent voice; thereby breaking his silence, “they’re facing their problems too,”

The king was surprised to hear from the boy for the first time. “And how are you sure of that?” he asked feeling bereft of hope.

As they all watched, including Amandi who was among the crowd but didn’t have to let anyone know his identity, Ikem closed his eyes.

“Can you hear me?” Ikem whispered to Nkolika. “Can you hear me?” he repeated craving absolute decorum to be able to hear clearly.

The people were surprised because they saw a young boy having his palm close to his ear but they didn’t see who he was communicating to.

After a while, Ikem nodded and smiled.

“Who is he talking to?” The queen asked looking so confused.

Ikem nodded again and shook his head. “The gods must be very angry because there is somebody who should be here but he isn’t here,” he revealed, “again, my friend is eager to hear about the story of the tortoise and the elephant but the matter at hand outweighs that pleasure,”

Everyone was surprised that the little boy seemed to be communicating to unknown spirits. Some people had to shift away from being too close to him except the chief priest that came even closer to understand him.

“Who were you talking to, kid?” Oturukpokpo asked closing his eyes to connect with him but he couldn’t, “there is something about you that the gods don’t want me to understand. This boy here has been offended aside from the issue at hand,” he raised his voice saying.

The king was amazed to hear that; just like any other person around.

Amandi who was among the crowd suddenly began to hear the voices of the children again. It had been some market days since he stopped hearing from them; especially since he left Umudike. He thought that the voices of the kids that were stuck in his head were associated with Umudike. He tried to ignore the voice by focusing on some other things but it didn’t work. He started to feel dizzy as the voices continued. In no time, the entire people gathered around the palace transmogrified into the children before Amandi. The faces of the angry little children were clearer this time.

When he was trying to run away from the kids, they pinned his legs to the ground. “Leave me alone…god of the earth, hide meeeeee,” he continued to shout but the kids never allowed him rest. They started to gather as they began to pick their lanterns one after the other from the desert. Out of the blue, the desert began to change into a river. The river started to cover the entire area to the extent that Amandi began to drown. “Save me…save me…save meeee.” He shouted as the water was about to cover him completely. This time, the children all dropped their lanterns in the river making a fire to start burning. The inferno became too intense because the water suddenly turned to a substance like fuel that ignited the fire. The fire started coming to Amandi with full force. He tried to run away but the fire became bigger and started drawing him closer to it. He fought hard to move away from it but it began to come much closer. The heat became too much for him. As the fire was about to burn him completely, the last girl among the children stretched her hand and grabbed him. He held tenaciously to the girl until she pulled him into dry land.

Amandi continued to pant as his heart throbbed with fear and confusion. After a while, he became weary and tried to force his eyes open. His eyes started closing as he began to lose his strength. When he almost passed out, the little girl slapped him, making him get up immediately.

Looking around, he saw that many people were gathered around him while he lay in the arms of the princess and Ozioma. The two women tried to bring him back to life.

Ikem stood by the side looking closely at Amandi. He felt bad for not being able to penetrate his mind to know what he knew. He was gloomy for not being able to help.

“He’s the only person whose dream I cannot see let alone interpret,” Ikem said ruefully and looked at the king, “he’s passing through what is becoming stronger than him but I cannot help him,”

Amandi was still panting as he woke up. It took some time before he realized that those children were gone. He couldn’t believe he was still in the palace and not in a strange land.

The princess was as concerned as Ozioma but she realized that the latter acted as if she already owned the young man, so she got up and went to her mother.“He will be fine,” she said to her mother and held her close. She inadvertently began to cry in her mother’s arms.

Ugwudiya already understood the feelings of her daughter but wasn’t sure if her guesses were right. She simply cuddled the princess and whispered: “My daughter, is there something you’re not telling me? Nwanyi ma ibe ya (a woman understands her gender better)”

The princess didn’t talk but continued to sob in her mother’s arms.

Ozioma held Amandi feeling happy that he was back to life. Ikem joined her.

It was surprising to everyone that a couple of minutes earlier, Amandi acted strangely before them all. He said things they couldn’t understand and acted like someone that was possessed by a strange spirit. Even the chief priest was yet to understand what happened to the stranger. Just as Ikem reported, it was very hard for the chief priest to penetrate the mind of the stranger to understand what he was passing through.

“Mother,” Ikem called and looked into Amandi’s weary eyes, “he is weak and needs help,” Looking at the king, he said: “Igwe, this man here is from Umudike. He was the same person whose cousin the princess and I rescued from being sacrificed. He has a mission to fulfill but he is a fugitive in his own kingdom. I never realized my gifts until I set my eyes on him. He holds a strong key to unlocking what lies beneath our feet even though we cannot see it. He who knows a lot but doesn’t know that he knows; is asleep. Igwe lets wake him,”

It began to dawn on the king that the person before him wasn’t a kid as he thought. He was so perplexed by such wisdom and eloquence. He lost words trying to explain the kind of a child of prodigy that he was looking at. He kept looking at Ikem and thinking deeply.

The entire people there were astonished as they gaped in awe. They never knew that such a talented boy was in their village even though they saw him as a mere child of the widow.

“Who are you?” The king asked looking more confused. “Aren’t you supposed to be the son of late Obidike?” he asked seeking clarification.

“He is the human deity I told you about,” Ugegbe said and wiped her tears, “he is here to help but Amandi who needs help has no one to help him. For that, I weep in despair,”

The queen still held the daughter’s hands and caressed them fondly. She wanted her to feel better, so she asked the guards to take care of Amandi while Ozioma goes to her son. She quickly noticed that the princess was jealous of seeing Ozioma around Amandi but she was yet to realize why.

It was surprising to everyone that Amandi suddenly gained his strength and sprang up.

The guards thought he was about to attack the king, so they rushed at him to hold him. It was surprising to everyone that he pushed the three guards making them all fall to the ground.

Everyone became afraid; even Ikem who couldn’t understand what was happening to his good friend.

Ikem tried to go closer to Amandi to ask questions because he wasn’t sure if he was still there. As he tried to move, he felt a force like fire around the young man. The heat was much as if it was an inferno but he couldn’t fathom what was going on.

Kneeling before everyone, Ikem looked at the chief priest who seemed confused and then said: “hand over the Oji to me,”

The chief priest didn’t hesitate to hand over the Oji to Ikem.

Ikem suddenly began to dance the Ikwaada dance. This made everyone to be surprised because the last time they saw such a dance was during the masquerade’s dance. It became obvious to the people that the boy wasn’t just acting alone but under the influence of the gods.

As the dance lasted, Amandi who seemed lost and too powerful began to breathe heavily before everyone. The sound of his breath was heard by all and sundry. As his heart pulsated, his steps suddenly turned into a dance.

Amandi and Ikem started to dance the Ikwaada (staggering) dance in uniform. As they danced, the clouds began to change as if it was about to rain.

The people didn’t understand what was happening because the night suddenly became very cold.

To the surprise of everyone, the women in labor suddenly began to deliver their babies leading to great joy at different homes. In no time, those families whose daughters, sisters, or wives delivered rushed to the palace to break the news to their loved ones.

Ikem and Amandi never stopped but continued to dance while two of them held tenaciously to the tingling staff.

The chief priest began to enjoy the dance to the imaginary rhythm, so he tried to join them using the surugede (dance of the spirits) steps but discovered that he couldn’t even move his legs. It became obvious to him that the gods didn’t invite him to join. He looked into the skies and said: “Ife mebe (lets things start happening). Today, I witness two great men changing nature for good. The silent gods, may you open the doors of your blessings for us to be showered by it,”

Ikem started to catch a glimpse of Amandi’s thoughts as they held the Oji. It was as if the Oji was a pivot that connected them in the spiritual realm. The young boy saw that Amandi was seriously battling with obscured destiny caused by being rejected by his earth mother. He continued to dig deeper into Amandi’s mind that was hitherto impervious to him. He saw vividly the last vision that Amandi had and how he almost drowned in the sea. Ikem became afraid when he saw the extent of Amandi’s vision. He suddenly saw another man trying to save Amandi while but the latter wasn’t sure because he lacked trust.

As this was going on, Amandi suddenly stopped dancing, became weak, and fell again to the ground.

“Help him!” the king commanded the guards.

Umeano, Kalu, and Paraudo rushed at the fallen boy and held him.

“Is he going to be okay?” the princess asked and rushed at him and held him.

“Yes, I am okay,” Amandi whispered to her and rested on her arms.

The people were surprised that Amandi talked to the princess before passing out in her arms.

Ugegbe was so happy when Amandi talked to her. She held him close even when the guards tried to pull her out.

“He needs to be taken into a chamber to have some rest,” the princess suggested.

“What if we take him home, my princess?” Ozioma suggested making the princess frown at that.

“He isn’t going anywhere,” Ugegbe interjected cleverly with a display of anger without knowing that she did that. When she realized that she may have sounded harsh, she smiled at Ozioma and said: “the road is far for him to go with you tonight. You all can stay over in the palace. We have enough rooms,”

Ozioma who almost felt bad because of the reaction of the princess to her smiled and nodded in agreement. She knew that the princess meant well for Amandi too, so she didn’t have to feel bad.

The king felt happy about the pregnant women that just delivered their babies. It was a burden just lifted off his shoulder that very night.

“I think this duo would make a good team,” Oturukpokpo said admirably feeling proud of Ikem and Amandi. “Igweeee,” he said in greetings to the king while he got an approval nod from him, “all hands need to be on deck because ukwu ka okenye ji acho ihe danyere na mmiri (an elder uses the legs to find what has fallen into the river). I suggest we start now to work closely with these people because they’re the gods we know for now. Since the gods are silent, let’s make the best use of the mortals that cushions their anger. The diviner has spoken,”

After saying this, the chief priest started leaving while his servants carrying the pots of incense on their heads followed him.

“But wise one,” Mazi Amaechina said, calling the attention of the chief priest, “you can’t just leave us without telling us something. You’re still the mouthpiece of the gods that mediates for us,”

Oturukpokpo turned, smiled, and frowned immediately. He looked up at the sky and then at the entire people gathered. “My people,” he said to everyone’s hearing, “you all should go back home in prayer and meditation. This isn’t a good time for us all to jubilate. We’re yet to know what we are facing. But before then, let’s pray and hope that the worst doesn’t befall us. As for Obidiya whose goat gave birth to a dog, that’d be taken care of at the shrine. My servants will come for the animal. It’s a bad omen. Chukwu abiama (god) will bless you all abundantly,”

“Iseee (amen)” they all chorused feeling a bit comforted and started going home one after the other.

The king wanted to keep Ozioma and Ikem in the palace because he suddenly began to feel more secure around the little boy. He changed his mind when he noticed that the boy didn’t want to stay in the palace.

Amandi started feeling better, so he turned to the king and said: “I am sorry, my king for staying in your kingdom without your permission. May I depart now…”

“Mba, nwam (no, my son). You can stay with us,” The king said and reached out to him, cuddled him, and patted his shoulder, “my daughter already offered you an accommodation tonight. The palace physician will take care of you. Tomorrow, you can go back to where you are staying. We have a lot to talk about, so stay over for the night. We can put a roof over your head this night. But if I may ask, where do you stay in this kingdom? Which clan?”

“I stay with Ikem and his mother,” Amandi replied with a bow, “but whatever pleases the king, I’ll do that,”

“It’s okay,” the king said and smiled, “no wonder they are fond of you. I have noticed already,”

Amandi smiled and nodded. “Yes, they are,” he replied mutteringly.

Amandi felt like going with Ikem and Ozioma because he sensed they needed his protection; especially Ikem who had grown fond of him.

The princess was happy that Amandi would stay in the palace, so she went to him and held him. “I know you want to go with them because they’re the family you have now. But the road is far and you’d need to stay over and get good medical treatment. So remain for a while for the night,” Beckoning Ikem forward, she added: “what if you allow your elder brother to stay just this night for his good? Your mother will cuddle you tonight and make you feel better. But if you can’t go with her, you can stay in the palace with Amandi,”

Ikem smiled concerning the offer but shook his head disapprovingly. “Thanks, my princess, but my mother needs me as the man of the house. No matter the size of a man, his importance in a woman’s life can never be overemphasized,”

That statement gave the princess food for thought making her realize how empty her life had been without having a man she loves beside her. Looking at Amandi’s face, she smiled and pulled his chin gently. “You’re safe in my hands, let’s go,”

The king had to allow them to have their moment. He simply listened.

Ozioma was happy that Amandi would be taken care of. She already missed him but had no choice other than to allow him to get better care at the palace. “My princess,” she said sonorously, “please, take good care of him. At the midnight, he usually needs to be covered because of the cold of the night. He sometimes snores when he isn’t well covered, so manage him,”

They all chuckled at that statement and started dispersing.

The king and the queen who were there observing everything without saying anything, bid them farewell and began to go into their chambers.

As Ikem was about to leave, he felt the hollowness that’d be created by Amandi’s absence, so he rushed back to him and embraced his thigh according to his height.

Amandi pulled him closed and kissed his forehead. “I will be back before you know it,” he promised and brushed his head with his fingers, “take care of your mother until I come home. I promise you some crickets and ugba (oil bean) when I come back. Meanwhile, the princess said she’d be giving me something to bring for you,” Looking at the princess, he got a nod from her showing her approval; even though there was no discussion about that earlier.

Ikem smiled and turned to leave, then tapped Amandi’s hand and said: “I will do as you said. Nne is a good mother and I’ll never forget her so soon,” he then pulled Amandi closer, making him lend his ear for a whisper, “My mother is yet to tell me that she isn’t my biological mother but the priestess. I saw it in my dream too. That was what I promised to tell you when we were leaving for Umudike. Now is the time,”

Amandi was shocked to hear that. He didn’t believe that the boy could be saying the truth but never doubted anything that he revealed through dreams.

Ikem didn’t have to wait for Amandi’s doubtful questions or remarks. He simply rushed to Ozioma and began to go home with her without looking back.

Ozioma looked back at intervals as they left, feeling the absence of the man she was used to. She simply had to walk fast to avoid making the princess and Amandi notice how she felt.

Amandi was filled with thoughts as he followed the princess into the hut that was provided for him. At this juncture, he remembered when he heard a voice telling him to go to the palace to save her son. It became obvious to Amandi that it was the voice of Mmirimaraugo that he craved that he heard thinking it was from the gods.

#OpraDre THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN THE CURSED LANTERN

To be continued…

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