THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 14 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 14 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

Amandi had to leave the palace and go home. He got prepared to depart from the palace to meet Ozioma. He expected the king to summon him as he promised but all through his two days’ stay, he didn’t even set his eyes on him.

King Onwuatuelo had been busy with a series of meetings seeking the way forward. That was why he didn’t have the chance to see Amandi.

As Amandi was about to leave, two guards accosted him.

Seeing them, he knew that the king may have needed his attention but that wasn’t what he was ready for. He wanted to leave the house before the princess wakes up.

The one-night stay he planned turned to two days just because he wanted to see the king. He felt that longer rest spells doom for the entire kingdoms because those kids intensified their disturbances. Sleeping at night was like war; he hardly sleeps without having it accompanied by a series of nightmares.

“The king wants to see you,” Imo said while looking angrily at him.

“You should be fast about it,” Kalu seconded, “he doesn’t like to wait,” he added in a deep tone.

“At the king’s service,” Amandi said and pointed towards the Obi of the king, “After you,”

The guards went ahead while Amandi followed.

On their way, Amandi saw the princess with Osinachukwu coming to see him. He didn’t even greet them but continued moving to avoid delay.

The princess was surprised that Amanda’s attitude seemed cold, so she was a bit worried.

Touching Osinachukwu, the princess said: “I think this isn’t the time. He’s probably going to see my father. Besides, the king had been busy; that is why he hadn’t the chance to talk with Amandi. Let’s wait until he’s through, then we can go and give him the message from your grandmother,”

Getting to the king, Amandi presented himself by bowing to him. “Long live the king of Oduma kingdom,” he said and genuflected. “At your service, my king, since you called me,”

The king was happy and disturbed at the same time. He was happy because he saw Amandi as someone who was to end the calamity in the village, and sad because he was losing hope.

“Do we now have hope?” The king asked looking more confused.

Amandi didn’t know what to answer because he had no idea of what he was meant to do. He needed help too; therefore, he was bereft of hope at the moment.

“The king is asking questions!” Imo hollered at Amanda but felt that the king wasn’t happy with his intrusion, he then bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry, my king,”

“This boy,” the king said looking at the guards “is my visitor. Not just a visitor, but someone who deserves honor in this village. Treat him with respect,”

Imo prostrated before the king as a sign of total submission to his will and declaration of his apology. He didn’t say a word but continued to lie on his belly while panting like a thirsty ewe.

“It’s okay, my king,” Amandi said with reverence, “I am nothing but a commoner who is struggling to have his life back and discover his true purpose in life. I wish to give you a reply and give you hope but there seems to be a key that I am missing. I see things but I don’t see the solutions. With the key, I can unlock any door. But unfortunately, I have none,”

The king pondered the proverbial statement trying to figure out how to help out. He was so confused that he couldn’t suggest the way forward. He was so keen to help Amandi but didn’t know how to go about it.

“Do we need the help of Oturukpokpo?” king Onwuatuelo asked even when he knew that Amandi wasn’t in the position to tell him what to do. The question was rhetoric. Even though he directed it to Amandi, he didn’t expect an answer.

Amandi already knew he shouldn’t answer that but since it came from the king, he had to say something so that it wouldn’t look as if a great man’s question was ignored.

“Igwe,” he said suggestively in a low tone, “If the chief priest could suggest who to help me, he would have done that since. The gods have been silent for long in Oduma kingdom, and so it is in Umudike. I ran away from my village because of the wickedness that I was burdened with. My uncle made my life miserable, so I had to flee; just to be free. I have lots of stories to tell but, Igwe, suffice it to say that I’m having this self-discovery challenge; so it won’t be easy helping others if I can’t help myself,”

That reply even crippled and silenced the suggestion that the king would have made. He felt that he was just watching his kingdom sink in the ocean of doom without offering a solution. He continued to stare at Amandi feeling his pains. He saw him as a little boy gasping for air while no one could help him to breathe.

“Can you stay in the palace for a while for us to find help?” The king asked; even though he felt that his suggestion wasn’t weighty; therefore, immaterial.

“My king, I have a suggestion,” Amandi said arousing the king’s interest.

“Please, go ahead, my son,” king Onwuatuelo said desperately, “Anything that could help, please, let me know. I won’t hesitate to endorse it,”

“In my dreams and trances,” Amandi began with narration to make the king understand his suggestion better, “I used to see little children carrying lanterns. They are always sad and never appeared like children with hope. Since I started seeing them, strange things started happening in the kingdom. Not just this kingdom but in Umudike and others. There is something the children may be looking for; that makes them always carry lanterns. Not just that, they are sad and have a reason or two for crying,”

The king was amazed to hear that. He tried so hard to comprehend the situation to know what could have made the kids angered but he couldn’t. In that hopelessness, he shuddered. “This is very strange,” he said with dismay, “And that was why you passed out the other night. This must be too heavy for you, especially where there is no one to help you. So, now that I’ve heard the experience, what’s the suggestion you wanted to make?”

Amandi felt that the king may not be okay with his suggestion but he had to suggest anyway.

“When I entered the kingdom newly,” Amandi said as he observed the reaction of the king, “I heard some guards talking about…” He paused feeling that his suggestion may badger the king, “My king, let me just go home first. Maybe a solution will come…”

“What did you hear the guards say?” The king asked; insisting that the statement be completed? “Or did you people say something I shouldn’t be aware of?” he added looking at the two palace guards.

“No, we said nothing,” Imo said impulsively with fear while looking at Kalu, “Or did you say anything to the stranger?” he asked him.

“No, I said nothing to anyone, I swear by the gods of…”

“It wasn’t the palace guards but the night guards,” Amandi said trying to clear the confusion. “They talked about one woman that people dread in this kingdom. They mentioned her name as the woman of the lantern,”

Mentioning his name made the guards look at each other while the king felt somehow when he heard the name.

“The name shouldn’t be mentioned twice, nwam (my son)” the king said with an advisory tone trying not to sound harsh to him, but in the actual sense, he was furious to have heard the name.

Amandi was keen to talk about the woman because he felt that even in the evil forest; a good plant with medicinal properties could be found there. He wanted to convince the king but he felt he could be losing the privileges he was enjoying already.

“Okay, I won’t mention about her anymore,” Amandi said and genuflected, “my apologies, my king,”

The king took some time to think about his feelings and reaction. He felt he was a bit harsh, so he lowered his voice and said: “The woman is even dead, and that serves her right,”

“No, she isn’t,” Ugegbe said and entered the scene.

The king was sure that the woman of the lantern was dead, so he couldn’t wrap his head around that assertion from his daughter. “Did you lick a calabash chalk or are your lips naturally whitish?” he asked proverbially.

The princess smiled and beckoned Osinachukwu forward to join them.

“Igwe, this is the woman of the lantern,” she said as a way of introducing the maid.

The king was confused because the last time he checked, the supposed old witch was dead.

“What point are you trying to prove?” he asked observing how happy the princess was as she held Osinachukwu by the hand. “And why are you happy talking about the same woman you suggested I should banish from this kingdom? Have you been bewitched, my daughter?”

“No, father,” the princess said and touched Osinachukwu gently; “I know you’d wonder why my maid is being addressed as the woman of the lantern. I would have asked the same, but before you overreact, I want you to understand that Osinachukwu is a granddaughter to the woman of the lantern,”

The king’s anger became pronounced on hearing that, so he cast an angry look at the maidservant, raised his voice, and said: “Guards! I wonder what you’re still waiting for?”

As the guards were about to arrest the girl, the princess prevented them by blocking their way to her. “My king, she is a path we must follow if we must end the calamity that is ravaging this kingdom beyond repair,”

Hearing that made the king interested. He was ready to even allow the devil to bring a solution to the troubles that had eaten deep into the essence of his kingdom’s existence.

“What did you just say?” the king asked while signaling the guards to stand down. “I think I want to hear it first before passing a judgment. But how can she be the daughter of the witch without anyone knowing about it?”

“If I may speak, my king,” Osinachukwu said raising a finger accompanied by a curtsy.

“Go ahead,” the king said, even though he did that with a pinch of salt, “this is the time to save yourself. That’s if you’d be saved at the end,” he added to let her know she wasn’t out of trouble yet.

Osinachukwu knelt before the king and said: “There would be a fight in this kingdom if the key to unlocking the solution must be found. I see those children too and they always go about mourning with their lanterns,”

The king was so interested in hearing this, so his anger ameliorated instantly. “Go on and tell me more. I am curious already,”

Amandi was even more interested and keen because he felt relieved. He was glad because he’d been having the feeling that the woman of the lantern could be of help. His entire gaze was affixed to Osinachukwu while his listening ability intensified. He didn’t want to miss any detail.

“Amandi should fight in the village square,” Osinachukwu clued, “the fight isn’t only for the people of Oduma but the citizens of other kingdoms who are interested to join. Anyone that defeats Amandi is the person to unlock the true explanation of the vision that he has been having. When the interpretation is revealed, the entire nine kingdoms being the Umunko (the children of Nko) are to come together to ask the gods for forgiveness. Whatever is causing the problem is what we all did and still do. The lantern is used to commit the atrocity. The children are involved too. That’s what the woman of the lantern revealed to me, Igwe,”

“The cursed lantern,” Amandi murmured, “No wonder the gods are silent,”

There was a silence of confusion and meditation among everyone. They couldn’t just understand it. Everyone tried to figure out what the kingdom was doing and still did that was making the gods angry and silent.

“I have heard about this Umunko from my uncle,” Amandi said; breaking the shortlived silence, “but he couldn’t explain anything to me,”

The king gave a faint smile filled with perplexity. Even though he heaved a sigh of relief that a solution was near, he still couldn’t comprehend what could be angering the gods. He was bemused trying to figure out how a solution was coming from the same lineage of a supposed cursed woman.

“Umunko,” the king began in a solemn tone, “comprises of the nine children. Nko, according to history was the father who gave birth to nine children. They are according to their elderliness: Abogu, Ojukwu, Ikeme, Onyekehihem, Emeturunza, Obinugwu, Achina, Oduma, and Ekeututu. As you can see, Oduma and Ekeututu are the last two, that’s why the kingdoms are closer. This was a long-time relationship that started when they were still in the same family. The name, Nko came from the fact that the father of Nko, Umundanda, and his mother Azummiri married for many years without having any children. This trouble continued. People around mocked them for being barren. Iko okuko (mockery) became their second name. They didn’t just mock them, but mocked their Chi (God), and that was the zenith of that mockery. Umundanda and Azummiri went to the gods at Ngene River and cried for the fruit of the womb. They were ready to do anything just to have children; no matter the condition that was given. They offered many sacrifices to Chukwu Abiama to know if the gods would answer their prayers. In the end, and to cut the story short, their prayer was answered. But the condition was that one of them would die as a replacement. According to the revelation from the gods, a life exchange was needed. Umundanda wouldn’t have offspring according to predestination. But for this to happen, life would be used to replace the life that would be born into the family. This would create a balance. Umundanda didn’t even waste time to accept the offer even when the wife was skeptical about it,”

“That’s a huge sacrifice,” The princess said tearfully, “I feel for him,”

The king nodded and continued: “After the birth to a child’ he was a son. The man took him to Ngene River; in the company of his wife, Azummiri. There, he thanked the gods for giving him a son. He knelt at the shore, raised the child, and smiled thankfully. He named the child Nkocham meaning ‘my mockery’. He never wanted to forget the mockery in the afterlife so that he’d always be happy that it was the gods that put an end to the mockery. After that, he handed over the child to the mother and told them to go home. Azummiri was a very strong woman but couldn’t leave her husband to die. She remained there with the child under the cold. She begged the gods to spare the life of her husband. She continued to cry but no answer came. Right before her and the innocent child who was gazing at his father, Umundanda dropped and died. With a heavy heart and to stop the child from seeing death from that young age, Azummiri took him away and started going home. She wetted the baby’s cloth with her tears as she strode home. Even though she was still weak as a result of childbirth, she still had to find her way to her house. Azummiri nurtured the baby by herself. The people who mocked her family came back to apologize. She forgave them and life moved on,”

Amandi was so impressed with the history he just heard. He was so glad that the intelligent king gave an illuminating narration. “But my king, how did Azummiri become a village since she was a woman and not a man. In my little knowledge, I know that among the nine sons of Nko, there would be a woman but they are not usually mentioned in history. So tell me more,”

“What an intelligent question,” The king said and smiled, “I know my daughter would have asked the same,”

The princess smiled and held Osinachukwu closely. “You know your child well. I even have more to ask, but reply to Amandi first because I’m interested in that answer too,”

The king belched and nodded. He then fanned himself using his royal native fan. “After the death of Umundanda,” he went on, “Azummiri noticed something mysterious. She became pregnant even when no man touched her,”

That part got everyone confused; even the guards that pretended to be deaf to the entire story. Imo looked at Kalu and still maintained his sentry position. Kalu simply replied to him with the bounce of his hairy chest. The communication was perfect but no one noticed them.

“This is unheard of,” Amandi said observantly.

“Everyone accused Azummiri of seeing another man after her husband’s death even when she vowed that she’d never marry, or allow any man touch her,”

“Then how did it happen?” The princess asked ardently, “This is confusing,”

The queen was sighted from far as she was giving instructions to the guards and maids on duty. She wanted to come but being a reserved woman, she felt it was an intrusion to the discussion, so she continued with what she was doing.

“It was later revealed by the gods that the cry of Azummiri for her husband to be spared was answered,” the narrator continued, “Even though Umundanda’s life wasn’t spared, his reincarnation was born because of that prayer. And the reincarnation was Umudike,”

Amanda was perplexed hearing that part. He then began to understand that Umudike was even elder to the nine villages that made up Umunko. Nko was his brother; though born through the miracle from the gods. “I am beginning to think something, my king,” Amandi said trying to make meaning out of the revelation that he just heard, “That’s in addition to knowing that Nko came from Nkocham but as a shortened form,”

“Exactly,” the king said, “And what could that be, my son?” he added feeling interested to hear from him.

“Ngene River is in my village,” Amandi started, “And according to this story, it was in the same Ngene River that Umundanda and his wife prayed for the fruit of the womb. If the river existed before Umudike’s existence, how then is the river located in the current Umudike?”

The princess didn’t think about that part, so she looked at Amanda fondly and smiled. Her respect and love for him intensified. Even the king noticed that gaze but didn’t have to pay attention to that. He was more concerned with the way forward to emancipate the kingdoms from what had been ravishing them.

“Now I know why the gods chose you,” The king said in compliment to Amandi. “You’re great child, and the best of your story would soon manifest,”

“Iseee (Amen)” The princes and Amandi said in unison.

“The deity of Ngene chose Umudike as his child since he was born without a man but by the power of the gods. And for this, the gods gave the entire land surrounding the water to Umudike. The gods never did such to any woman; I mean making her be impregnated without copulating with a man. For this, Umudike was a chosen nation. I guess that’s why an offspring of the same kingdom is being chosen for the mission to end the misery handicapping the entire Umunko kingdoms and Umudike,”

Amandi felt proud of his village but couldn’t understand why his village suffered; with the other nine in Umunko’s extraction. He wanted to ask more questions but felt that the king had said much already, so he swallowed his words.

“History is sweet, nnam (my father)” The princess appreciated, “and I thank you for this wonderful expository narration,”

“Ngene River in Umudike is where the sacrifice and ritual would be performed,” Osinachukwu added making everyone surprised and interested to hear more, “The River that Amandi saw in a trance was Ngene. It was the same river that turned into the blood while the inferno lasted. If not for Chinualumogu, the last little girl, Amandi wouldn’t have been saved. He would have died before everyone that very night,”

Amandi was shocked that Osinachukwu knew all that he saw that very night that he almost died. He was filled with admiration for the young maiden. It was his first time to see such a person that could understand what was going through his mind. Ikem was good but it seemed Osinachukwu was almost Amandi in everything. The young man was interested to know more from the woman of the lantern. He wanted to see if a solution would come to liberate the Umunko and their uncle, Umudike.

“This is amazing,” Amandi expressed before everyone, “Now, I can’t help but believe whatever comes from the rebirthed woman of the lantern. Please, when is the fight beginning. I cannot wait to stop seeing those kids that have been tormenting me lately. These days, I stay more in dark places because seeing a lantern reminds me of the incessant visions that leave me in pain whenever they end. I need to be saved but I have no one to save me. Let the fight begin. I am ready,”

“No, you’re not,” Osinachukwu said unequivocally.

“How?” The king asked lowering his gave in confusion.

“Amandi can’t fight without taking his bath at Ngene River,” Osinachukwu laid bare, “The people of Umudike don’t know what they have. And to add to the history, the gods surprised Nko by giving him many children. They were nine in number; with two females. Those women among them died but the cause of their deaths is unknown until this present day. Those nine villages are collectively known as Umunko (the children of nko). The gods want Nko to be happy wherever he is; hence the blessing with numerous children,”

“You just reminded me of a part that I missed,” The king said and smiled, “A myth has it that Azummiri was impregnated by her late husband. It was a legend that the woman laid with the spirit and gave birth to Umudike,”

“Wow!” The princess exclaimed, “This sounds funny but seems so true,”

The king was surprised because he never knew how the young girl knew about the daughters of Nkocham that he didn’t even know about.“How did you about the daughters?” he asked interestedly.

“As you were narrating,” Osinachukwu said looking so serious, “my grandmother revealed it to me,”

The king couldn’t understand it. He felt that the dead old woman was supposed to be a bad woman dreaded by all. “Tell me about her,” he asked with utmost curiosity, “I am beginning to think about all these. The woman of the lantern was always solitary but no one could say the bad things she’d done. We simply avoided her because it was wildly believed that she killed her parents. But who knows the real truth?”

“She killed no one,” Osinachukwu replied straight away, “she was just unfortunate to have been meeting lots of ill lucks in her life. She always goes out with a lantern to know if she couldn’t bring back her dead parents to tell the people that she was innocent. I have told the princess the story, so she can tell you everything in your free time. Now is the time for us to seek solutions to the problem we’re all facing. But it’s sufficient to say that my grandmother was a good woman but no one saw the goodness in her. She would have brought an end to this calamity because she was chosen, but no one gave her the chance to express herself. She died in pain. I regret avoiding her all my life until she was on the brink of death. But still, I am glad that she chose me and revealed things to me even at her demise. May the name of the gods be praised,”

The king was relieved, so he smiled. “I will enjoy the bedtime story that would be told by my beautiful princess. But for now, I will make an announcement and send emissaries to the entire villages involved. They can send their representatives; for the fight to go on. And to complete answering Amandi’s question, Azummiri’s son from the gods changed her status. She was seen as being a greater woman than every other woman; hence the privilege to have a kingdom after her name. In those days, Azummir later became so powerful that she became a strong priestess that served Ngene. It was from her that Ngene River continued to choose a woman as a priestess serving it until this present time. In those days, a river that never existed was suddenly discovered. Ngene River flew to Azummiri kingdom and settled there many years back. That’s the river we call the Azummiri River. The river as we all know creates a boundary between Azummiri and Oduma kingdoms. Being that Azummiri River is the offspring of Ngene River, any sacrifice performed at Ngene can be performed at Azummiri River too. One of my subjects who chose to go on her way is a strong priestess in Azummiri. My sources revealed her location to me but I chose not to act as if I heard about it. The major reason why I allowed her to be is that she serves Azummiri which is the same as Ngene River that birthed it. If not, I would have insisted she goes back to Ngene River where she was chosen to serve the gods. Mmadiche served the gods from Ngene River but Mmirimaraugo who was chosen still serves the same Ngene River but through its offspring, Azummiri River. I will visit the priestess soon because she would be of great help to us. We can’t have someone as powerful as she and watch other kingdoms benefitting from her than we that groomed her. So, with the exploits of the great woman, and being specially chosen by the gods to give birth to their son, Azummiri got qualified to be honored above all women. That was why she has a village to her name. This hasn’t been done; before or after her,”

The explanation was so clear to all. They were fulfilled by that history they heard. There was a moment of silence with no one talking. The young ones were trying to think about the story they just heard while the king was calculating how he’d go about organizing the wrestling fight as soon as he could.

“I guess that was why Oduma and nine others were chosen,” Amandi said trying to understand some connections, “I guess that was why they had to visit Ulasi deity of Umundanda village when there were some market-days of darkness many years back. He had to visit his grandfather’s village to seek a solution. Fortunately and according to the will of the gods, he was the only one that returned alive,”

The king was surprised that Amandi knew the history. He looked at him intently and said: “How did you know about the story that only the Oduma villagers know?”

Amandi smiled and said: “I was the man hidden in the masquerade’s costume that won the best dancer for that dancing competition. That was when I was running away from my village just to be safe from my uncle. I am sorry, my king,”

King Onwuatuelo was so surprised to hear that. He was speechless and amazed. He didn’t even know what to say or do. He simply gazed thoughtfully.

“Wait, are you saying the truth?” The princess asked with great surprise.

“Yes, I was the one,” Amandi said feeling bad for having impersonated a clan’s masquerade during the dancing competition.

“So you were the one that danced the Ikwaada (staggering) dance?” The princess asked trying to understand more.

“Yes, it was me,” Amandi answered making the king more astonished.

“Well, let’s say the gods sent you here for a purpose,” The king said with amazement, “You don’t need to apologize for anything because everything is divine connections. Let’s think of the way out of this trying time,”

“When am I going to the River to be ready for the fight?” Amandi asked with preparedness to be useful.

Osinachukwu smiled, looked at the king, and got a nod of approval to go ahead to answer Amandi. “We’re leaving immediately,” she said and bowed to the king, “may we depart now to engage in the quest to restore the peaceful existence of our kingdoms,”

The king raised his staff of office and said: “You have my attention and permission. Go in peace and return in peace. My cabinet members and I would be waiting for the good news. I can’t wait to see my people happy again,”

The princess wanted to go with Amandi and Osinachukwu but felt that she might not be needed in the mission. She simply pulled Amandi closer and gave him a surprising embrace before her father. She didn’t care if the king would feel bad about it or not.

“Go in peace. I wish you luck,” The princess said to Amandi and then stroked Osinachukwu’s hair, “I trust and believe in you. So lead him safely and bring him back for me. I love him a lot,”

The king didn’t believe what he heard but simply took a deep breath and started going back into his chamber.

Amandi was so surprised that the princess openly expressed her love for him right before the king. He was even more surprised that the princess never expressed her love for him in the secret but did it openly before the king. As he thought about that, he developed cold feet about going to Umudike for the first time since he ran away from that village. Thinking about Ojiugo and Esomchi made him smile. Even though he didn’t plan to see his uncle or the wife, he was sure he may be meeting Ojiugo. He knew that Ojiugo may be coming to Ukwu mbembe (Black Plum tree) to check on him on every eke-market day as she promised. Even though Amandi never came as he promised Ojiugo, he was sure he may oblige her request this time. With many things going through his mind, he started to depart to Umudike with Osinachukwu; even without alerting Ikem and Ozioma about his impromptu movement. He knew that they’d be worried but there was no time to inform them.

The princess was teary, so she ran back to her hut to avoid crying before the onlookers.

As Amandi and Osinachukwu left, Amandi was surprised to hear the voice of Mmirimaraugo telling him that she’d meet him at Ngene River because she was the one to officiate in the nkwado ogu (fight preparation) ritual.

To be continued…

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