THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 16 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 16 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

Amandi didn’t go back to Ozioma’s house but remained in a special hut in the palace where he had no communication with anyone; even the princess had no access to him. The reason why Amandi was kept away from the eyes of the people was for him to have a close connection with his chi in meditation. He also needed to prepare himself for the fight ahead.

During the period of being alone, Amandi kept imagining himself being defeated by a lion. He defeated everyone but a lion, he couldn’t defeat. There were three rounds in the fight. He didn’t lose two but lost the last round to the lion. He also saw the same lion returning his father’s Ikenga to him and apologizing for whatever took place in the past.

The dream was so confusing because he later discovered that the lion was human. He woke up to see that the day of the fight was there already. He tried to figure out what the dream was all about but couldn’t understand anything.

The village Ikoro (a large slit drum) already started blaring that early morning with Oturukpokpo behind it. The sound was a communication summoning everyone. It was the D-day for the festival.

The wrestling competition was scheduled to take place at the village square of Oduma kingdom. Each of the ten villages sent their representatives except Umudike since Amandi was representing them.

The wrestling preparation started in the morning of that Orie-market day with the special dance by the maidens. The men performed the war dance too as a way of entertaining the people in preparation for the great event. There was also a mock-fight by the children as well as dances by the masquerades from different clans. Many kids were seen learning how to dance the ikwaada (staggering dance) and making fun of it. They were all happy and prepared.

Umeano, Imo, Kalu, and Paraudo (four among the five Umudimkpa warriors) were already waiting for Amandi to be awake to prepare. According to the instructions given to them, they had to prepare Amandi for the fight and lead him to the village square.

Before that day, the five strongest guards of Umudimkpa challenged each other to determine who was to represent Oduma village in the fight. At the end of the competition, Udoka won. The winner was chosen as the strongest man in Oduma, so he was to challenge Amandi. Due to this, Udoka didn’t come with others to help Amandi to prepare. He was already waiting at the village square just as other contestants from the other kingdoms.

Imo was angry that Amandi’s door wasn’t open yet, so he banged hard on the door to wake him. He, as well as others, was angry because they were sent to do such a job as if Amandi was a king or prince.

Amandi had been awake but still on the bed; trying to understand the meaning of the dream he just snapped out of. The hard knock was deafening, so he rushed to the door and opened it to avoid keeping the guards waiting.

“This is according to the instructions from the king,” Paraudo said scornfully to Amandi and hissed.

“I even wonder why he is getting so much attention like he’s a god,” Imo added and hissed, “Nwokem, bia kwado (my man, come and prepare),”

Amandi didn’t get angry about the contemptuous words but simply smiled and bowed to them all as he came out of the hut. “My people, I greet you all,”

Instead of replying to his greeting, they started laughing disdainfully at him.

“He doesn’t know his people again,” Kalu said laughingly, making others join. “Does this place look like the cursed Umudike?”

“What should I do? Kneel or stand?” Amandi asked looking confused but continued to smile as if he was happy.

“Lie on the floor, onyeara (madman)!” Paraudo blurted and brought out the fighting kits, a hot drink extracted from dogoyaro (Neem) leaves, and nzu (calabash chalk).

Amandi tried to lie prostrate according to the instruction but they started laughing at him and making a mockery of him. He already knew that he wasn’t meant to lie down, so he remained still and didn’t know what next to do.

“You should kneel, brother,” Umeano said in a meek tone to make Amandi not feel bad or embarrassed about the jeers from his counterparts.

Other guards were angry that Umeano was being the good man, so they began to grunt against him.

Amandi knelt before them, looked up at their faces, and said: “Since I entered this village, you all have been seeing me as a rival or an opportunist, but I am none of these. I took refuge in this village just to have the time to reconnect with my Chi (personal god) and also to discover my destiny. Whatever happened at the Azummiri River was a normal thing. I know that all these hatreds were a result of that fight. When two men fight, one must win but that doesn’t make the loser less a man. Maybe I was lucky to win. If there is a rematch, I might still lose the fight. The gods just favored me. For now, I need your help if I must succeed with this call by the gods to help stop this ongoing calamity. You all are strong men that are well known in this village. So let’s keep grudges and get this village back to the days when the gods listen to us. Now, they are silent and angry; even when we know nothing about the reason for their anger. Secondly, I don’t need any fighting weapon because this is wrestling and not a war. I need nothing but my bare hands. Still, I’m not stopping others from being girded with fighting weapons and kits,”

The guards were silent because they never expected such a welcoming and solemn talk. They didn’t even know what to say again because what they heard wasn’t what they expected to hear.

Amandi started heading to the village square without saying anything again.

Paraudo couldn’t help but rush after him. He stopped him and said: “We’re sorry for fighting you even when you did nothing wrong to us,”

“Yes, he’s right,” Imo said and held Amandi too, “You’re a great man indeed and the strongest warrior. Fighting with you at the river made me realize how strong a true warrior could be. You didn’t win the fight because you were lucky. You won because you were stronger. Let’s go to the village square for the wrestling to begin,”

Amandi smiled and embraced them all. It was an emotional moment.

“Udoka may win this fight because he’s fully prepared,” Umeano said smilingly to alert them of the task ahead and end the emotional moment.

They all started laughing and began to head to the village square together.

**

When Amandi got to the village square, those who didn’t know him were surprised that he wasn’t even as big as they thought. They expected to see a macho man so hefty and huge, but they were disappointed to see him that young.

Many people came to enjoy wrestling because they heard there was a competition but they never knew the reason behind it. They thought it was an arranged ceremonial wrestling among ten villages to determine the strongest. Only the chief priests and the traditional rulers knew the reason for the fight.

A large number of the people booed Amandi when he entered the arena but he simply smiled. The people expected the fight to be done among the villages in a random way. They were disappointed when it was announced that the entire nine villages would fight with Amandi.

The wrestling arena was filled with people while the traditional rulers had their special positions taken to observe the fight.

The fight started with Okpoka, the warrior and representative of the Ikeme kingdom being the first contender. The fight was a bit tough but in the end, Amandi won. The people cheered him because they were surprised that he won the fight.

The second contender was Akandimuo from Obinugwu village.

Akandimuo had a hidden charm to help him win but was disappointed that Amandi won the fight. It was shameful to the people to see the charm hanging by the waist region of the warrior. He didn’t just lose the fight but was disqualified for cheating. The fight was to be done with physical strength and not with charms.

Isinkwocha, a strong warrior from the Ememturunza kingdom tried a lot to win the fight but ended up losing too.

Amandi got so much respect from the people for winning the fight. He won seven warriors that same day until it was nightfall, so the fight for the day ended.

There was great jubilation by the people; especially those from the Umudike kingdom. They were happy that Amandi hailed from their village.

The fight continued the next day but still, no warrior could defeat Amandi. The most confusing part was that even after the fight with the last village warrior being Oduma village, Udoka still lost even though it was the toughest wrestling since the fight started.

The traditional rulers and the entire chief priests were all astounded and confused because the revelation was that someone must either defeat Amandi or end with a draw with him. It seemed as if the gods lied, making the people demand the execution of Osinachukwu who made the revelation.

It was surprising that the people gathered in numbers and went after Osinachukwu. The people believed that the supposed woman of the lantern used her granddaughter to deceive the people. They believed the dead woman came back through Osinachukwu to pay them back for making her life an isolated one.

To avoid execution, Osinachukwu took off through the bushes until she got to Azummiri River. She heard lots of people coming after her, so she needed to cross over. Unfortunately, she had no swimming experience. She got stuck by the bridge where the warriors could easily catch up with her if she tried walking on foot.

As she was still panicking and finding it hard to run or hide, Amandi suddenly appeared. “Follow me,” he yelled at her and made her climb on his back.

It was surprising how Amandi dived into the river and started swimming as fast as he could. Osinachukwu held tenaciously to his back to avoid losing her grip and drowning.

Umeano, Paraudo, and Imo were the ones that saw that it was Amandi who rescued Osinachukwu. Even though they were obeying instructions, seeing Amandi made them believe that they didn’t need to stop them. Instead of exposing his involvement, they diverted the warriors’ attention to scouting around the bushes. When they were sure that Amandi and Osinachukwu had gone far, they took the warriors to the bridge. The search continued.

When they crossed over to Azummiri kingdom, Amandi and Osinachukwu continued to run and hide until they got to a location where they stopped hearing voices. It was obvious to them that they were entering deep into a forest.

“We’ll be safe here,” Amandi said pantingly, “I think the people got you wrong, but I believe you. No one saw us, so we’ll be safe here. But here is a very bushy area and we need to hide as much as we can. If I know Oduma warriors well, they’d soon cross over to Azummiri in search of us,”

The two continued to walk further away and as far as they could. The journey was far but they didn’t even know where they were heading. As they continued the long walk, the cloud became dark because it was nightfall.

Looking up at the constellation, Osinachukwu realized that there were no stars or moon to help brighten the night. “It’s already so dark and we have no mpanaka (lantern) with us,” she whispered to Amandi, “What do we do now, and how are we to go about this?”

Amandi already saw that Osinachukwu was becoming afraid, so he pulled her closer and cuddled her for comfort. “If the gods are with us, no one can be against us,”

Osinachukwu’s lost faith suddenly got conjured. She smiled and nodded approvingly. “I believe,” she muttered and held him closer. “I think someone is around us,” she said observantly and started shivering again.

They had some clanks in the bush. After a while, the noise stopped.

“It could be wild animals,” Amandi said and continued to walk and hide to avoid being caught up by the warriors.

As they continued to go into the bush, they heard some sounds around, so they hid behind a tree to know who was coming. They were afraid of hunters because they could be killed by them thinking it was wild animals.

“Can we survive this horrifying moment?” Osinachukwu asked as she tightened her grip on Amandi.

“Let’s stay here,” He whispered to her. “Let them pass, then we can continue,”

As they remained there, a fierce-looking lion showed up from nowhere. It was so strange because, in Umudike and Oduma, such hadn’t been found. It seemed as if it wasn’t real, but truly, it was.

Amandi couldn’t believe that what he saw was a lion. He’d only seen its skin but not the live one. He tried to run but it wasn’t possible because Osinachukwu would be devoured. As she tried to figure out what to do, the lion kept advancing and growling. Amandi then remembered that in one of Mazi Esomchi’s folktales, he mentioned that lions don’t climb trees. He thought of climbing the tree nearby but the lion was too close. Two of them couldn’t climb without one person being hurt or killed.

“Can you climb trees?” Amandi whispered to Osinachukwu, “One of us will stay alive, and that’s you,”

“No, it’s you, because you have a mission to accomplish,” Osinachukwu whispered back to him.

The lion stood still and growling as if it was waiting for them to decide who was to die.

“Climb now!” Amandi shouted at Osinachukwu and lifted her to climb the tree.

Osinachukwu was fast enough to climb before the lion came too close to them. “Come up, you can make it,” She shouted and tried giving a helping hand to Amandi but it was too late. The lion already jumped on Amandi to devour him.

Amandi knew he was going to die but not without a fight. He fought back. He held the jaws of the lion and spread its mouth open so that the animal wouldn’t eat him. As this continued, the animal used its claws to give Amandi serious wounds.

Osinachukwu saw how brave Amandi was even though the lion was overpowering him. She felt like jumping down to help but Amandi warned her not to come because she’d be a distraction to him.

As the fight went on, Osinachukwu remembered the vision about how Amandi would be defeated or have a draw in a fight with the one who was to help him solve the mystery. She began to realize that Amandi’s blood may be sacrificed; for the silence of the gods to end. She cried bitterly as she watched the fight, with her eyes blurred with tears. She began to understand that she may have missed some parts in the vision. In the prophecy, it was a human that was revealed to her and not a lion. She felt so sad for giving a wrong interpretation. She had that burning desire to help but she couldn’t. She even tried to do something uncanny by summoning the spirits of her late grandmother but none worked. She simply closed her eyes so that she wouldn’t behold how Amandi would be devoured.

As the fight went on, Amandi continued to defend himself. During the fight, he noticed that punches from his left hand were heavier and created more impact than his right hand. Since he’d been fighting and winning fights, he never knew that his left hand could be deadly. He was glad that he didn’t even use the hand on humans because he’d have ended up killing some people. He then intensified the use of the left hand against the lion.

It seemed as if the lion knew what Amandi was doing, so it started focusing on that left hand. The fight was so tough as the lion began to be fiercer and faster, making Amandi lose some points.

Amandi was becoming weak because he already sustained a lot of injuries on his body. His face was bedraggled with the blood but he still had to look up the tree to see if Osinachukwu was still safe. The blood that covered his eyes couldn’t allow him to see her clearly, so he continued the fight. He then gave the lion a strong punch on its chest making the animal fall but it rose forthwith. Amandi got another chance as the fight continued and landed another heavy punch on the lion’s chest.

He then realized that the chest could be the weak point of the wild animal, so he focused on it.

The lion defended both Amandi’s punches from his left hand as well as tried to protect its chest.

As the fight went on, Amandi had to trick the lion by using his right hand that was being used for just defense and not for attack. Since his left hand had been restrained by the lion, he had to restrategize. He used the last strength in him to deliver the last punch on the lion’s chest using his right hand.

Being that the lion didn’t see it coming because it was focused on the left hand; the punch threw it to the ground and made it die.

When Amandi saw that he’d won the fight, he fell on his back out of weakness and passed out. Being that he hit his head on a stone while falling, blood got everywhere covered.

The battleground was filled with blood from Amandi and the lion. It was messy

.

After the fight, the moon and the stars suddenly appeared, making everywhere a bit bright.

Osinachukwu was eager to jump down and help Amandi but wasn’t sure that the lion wouldn’t get up to eat her. She still had to take the risk of coming down from the tree. She rushed to Amandi and saw that he was losing a lot of blood, so she had to carry him but couldn’t. She needed help because she didn’t even know where to take Amandi to. It was a thick forest and no one was there to help. She despaired at the moment because there was nothing she could do. She hadn’t seen any house close by; an indication that they were in a forest very far from the people. She started crying and begging the silent gods to listen to her. It was as if her prayers were falling on deaf ears of the gods, so she began to drag Amandi slowly and seek refuge. She had to do something other than do nothing at all.

As Osinachukwu continued to put more effort into succeeding even when it was a hopeless situation, she saw another lion; but this time, it was standing like a human. She couldn’t explain what she saw so she chose to die with Amandi.

“I can feel that my blood is also needed for the ten villages to be free,” Osinachukwu said dispiritedly. “Let the will of the gods be done,”

As she waited for death to come, she was surprised that someone held her by the hand. “Get up; I’m here to save him,”

Opening her eyes, she saw Chizorom wearing the skin of the lion. “Oh, thanks to the gods. I thought you were a lion,”

Chizorom looked around and saw how blood was littered everywhere. He was surprised to see a dead lion while Amandi’s body was soaked in blood. He already knew that there was a fight but couldn’t believe that the lifeless man lying on the floor killed the lion.

“What happened here?” he asked seeking clarification. “I can’t see any weapon used but I can see a dead lion and a dead human,”

“Dinta (hunter), this man is dying and he needs to be saved,” Osinachukwu said looking so worked up. “He cannot be allowed to die. Save him for me because many kingdoms depend on his survival,”

Chizorom couldn’t even see Amandi’s face well because of the blood that covered him. He lifted him and put him on his shoulders and started heading home. He handed over the antelope he had with him to Osinachukwu. “This is heavy, so try and hold it firmly makana uzo tere aka (because the road is far)”

Osinachukwu took the animal from him and tried balancing it on her shoulder as they started going home. “This is heavy,” she complained, “but let’s go home as long as he’d be saved,”

Chizorom and Osinachukwu started heading home but at a point, Chizorom turned and looked at the dead lion. “I don’t need to leave this lion. This is the second time I’m seeing a lion with my naked eyes,”

“Are you Ogbuagu (killer of a lion)?” Osinachukwu asked seeking clarification, “I can see the cloth you’re putting on, so I’m guessing,”

“Well, I am,” Chizorom said with amazement, “but I can’t understand how he was able to kill a lion without a weapon. Surprisingly, someone could do that. Let’s save him first so that his valor in killing a lion with his bare hands wouldn’t be in vain,”

“But even if he dies,” Osinachukwu said in a low spirit, “he remains a hero for killing a lion singlehandedly,”

Chizorom felt proud of the maiden for saying that. He wanted to carry both Amandi and the dead lion at once but it wasn’t possible.

“Is he your husband?” he asked as Amandi remained balanced on his shoulders, “Relax, he will never die; especially when the battle took place before the great oracle,”

Osinachukwu didn’t understand that but was eager to see Amandi healed. She simply continued moving even without knowing her destination. All she wanted was to make Chizorom start doing something than spending much time with talks.

“Let’s go home,” Chizorom said knowing full well that Amandi needed to be saved. “I will come back for the lion later,”

“No you don’t need to,” Nwokorocha said as he surfaced, “let me help with the dead animal. Hey, don’t tell me that you killed another lion, Chizorom,”

Chizorom felt so happy seeing Mazi Nwokorocha. He smiled and started heading home while the other two followed.

When they got to his house, Chizorom put Amandi down and started administering treatment immediately. He didn’t want to waste time in treating him because he wanted him to heal fast and not die. He was so eager to meet someone who could be as strong as he was to have killed a lion. In history, such never happened, so he needed to heal him and to meet with him.

Osinachukwu was a bit shivery, so she sat beside the campfire trying to keep warm. She had many questions and confusions but she couldn’t just say anything other than observing how the treatment went.

There was ample silence as Chizorom got busy trying to heal Amandi.

Nwokorocha provided a helping hand while Osinachukwu simply observed.

Chizorom quickly prepared a meal using the antelope he killed. He made a delicious soup with it and served it to Osinachukwu.

“This is a special soup made by me,” Chizorom said, “I don’t know the name, but it’s very sweet,” Seeing how disturbed she was, he said: “Your friend or husband will heal. Except if I am not working with the help of the gods,”

“But the gods have been silent,” Osinachukwu pointed out.

“Not where I am because I feel their presence,” Chizorom said convincingly.

“Trust him,” Nwokorocha said and chuckled, “In history, he’s the only Ogbuagu ever recorded because he killed a lion, skinned it, and used its skin for hist special wear,”

Osinachukwu felt so proud of Chizorom, so she tried hard to see his face but she could.

Nwokorocha knew what Osinachukwu was doing, so he smiled. “You do not need to bother about seeing his face,” He continued: “If anyone should see his face, it would be me. I used to see his face when he was a little boy until he killed the lion”

Hearing that last part got Chizorom interested in knowing the details. “But you claimed you haven’t seen my face for the first time,” he said and came closer. He forced Amandi’s mouth open and poured some juice of the squeezed leaf into it. “I think there is a lot I don’t know about, Mazi Nwokorocha, “I am here to listen to the details,”

Nwokorocha smiled, shook his head, and said: “Amandi will get better, I pray to the gods,”

Osinachukwu was surprised to hear that. She couldn’t understand how the aged man knew Amandi’s name. She stopped eating and looked at him but it was still hard to see his face.

“How is lantern not used in this compound?” Osinachukwu asked in a bid to see Nwokorocha’s face.

“It’s a rule in this house,” Chizorom said, “but Nna anyi (our father), which village are you coming from that made you know the name of the person lying here,”

Chizorom and Osinachukwu were attentive to hear what Nwokorocha had to say in reply.

It was surprising to Chizorom to watch Nwokorocha lit a lantern; which was the first time for him to do that in his compound.

“You can keep your identity still hidden,” Nwokorocha said to Chizorom, “but I won’t keep mine anymore, at least I will reveal some things you need to know,”

“So how did you know Amandi?” Osinachukwu asked with utmost curiosity.

Nwokorocha got up, went closer to Amandi, and touched his face gently. “What a handsome man, but he’s filled with confusion. I feel for him but soon, the mysteries would be solved,”

“I hope so too,” Osinachukwu said with hope.

“What mystery? I seem lost here,” Chizorom said.

Nwokorocha looked up at the sky and said: “If not for my help, the warriors of Umudike would have captured him when he was escaping from Umudike into Oduma kingdom. I gave him the costume of a masquerade that he used to cross over. The gods are wise,”

“Yes, they are,” said Chizorom but I’m still confused.

“Chizorom and Amandi are from different villages,” Nwokorocha began, “but they are the reincarnation of one man known as Obejiri. Objeiri was a warrior from the Azummiri kingdom that conquered many clans, villages, and warriors. After his entire escapade, he ended up being killed by a lion. Before he died, he vowed to come back even stronger than he was; even though he said he would come unacceptably. Chizorom is from Ojukwu village but got that strength from Obejiri. Amandi also got his strength from the same man. I knew about this, that’s why I kept following both of them around to ensure that they fulfilled their destinies,”

The listeners were astonished hearing that history. It just made sense to them that the killing of the lion by Amandi and Chizorom wasn’t a coincidence. It was obvious that Chizorom and Amandi had the same destiny but hailed from different villages.

As this happened, Osinachukwu began to understand that the killing of the lion was simply a way of leading Amandi to the chosen one. She used to think that the fight with the lion was the end but never knew it was just a means to an end. As she thought about this, she started feeling strange. She closed her eyes to understand what was happening to her but ended up slipping into a trance. In the trance, she saw Amandi and Chizorom wearing the same skinned lion as they wrestled before everyone in the Oduma kingdom. The fight ended in almost a draw but Amandi won by a narrow margin. As this happened, those children began to drown in the river nearby. Chizorom and Amandi rushed to them and saved them. The gods watched and smiled, but with their lips sealed. After saving the kids, the cursed lanterns were all destroyed and they never existed anymore. The blessings from above showered on the people, making them jubilate. In a jiffy, a woman delivered her baby at the instant but the face of the baby was hidden by the gods. The birth of the new baby was an indication that the gods already forgave the errors of the people. The celebration continued.

Chizorom felt that Osinachukwu was unwell because of the way she acted strangely. He tried to help but Mazi Nwokorocha stopped him. “She’s seeing something and doesn’t need to be disturbed,” he said to Chizorom, “Allow her to be,”

“The place where the fight took place was the dwelling place of the gods,” Chizorom said to Nwokorocha, “It was before Anunuebe tree that stood before them. I came to offer sacrifices to the gods using the antelope. But when I saw what happened, I got another message from the gods that the sacrifice had already been done using the blood of a bigger and stronger animal,”

“And that was the blood of the lion,” Nwokorocha said.

“No, it was the blood of this young man lying down here,” Chizorom answered, “I even saw another thing that got me confused,”

“What could that be?” Nwokorocha queried.

Chizorom paused for a while as he pulsated with awe thinking about what he saw. He kept shrugging at intervals but couldn’t understand how to explain it.

Osinachukwu got back to reality and opened her eyes. She was surprised to see herself lying on the ground with sands all over her body. Slowly, she got up and dusted her body.

“Welcome back,” Nwokorocha said with a smile, “I hope you got a good message from the gods,”

“Is she a priestess?” Chizorom asked looking surprised.

“She’s here. Ask her,” Nwokorocha replied.

“I am not a priestess,” Osinachukwu said in a faint voice, “My grandmother was seen as a witch but she wasn’t. When she died, I started seeing the things she used to see. There has been a calamity in the kingdoms of Umunko; even in Umudike. It was revealed to me that there would be a fight; for the chosen one to emerge. Amandi had fought and won the entire contestants but still, no one won him in the wrestling. The people thought my revelation was faked; so they decided to have my head. Amandi helped me escape. It was in the course of that escape that we met a lion. He fought with the lion and killed it with his bare hands. I never knew that it was destiny that brought us here. Now, I just had a vision showing me that it’s this healer that would fight with Amandi at the village square of Oduma kingdom. The lion killed by Amandi would be skinned and used to make a cloth for him just as that of the healer. When the story of the reincarnation of Obejiri was told, it became obvious to me that the healer and Amandi are like brothers in the spirit world. So they’re to save the world this time and unseal the lips of the gods. Once Amandi heals, we’ll choose the day of the fight. But the problem now is that I can’t go to Oduma village. I’d be killed even before I make the pronouncement,”

“And no one would believe you,” Nwokorocha said, “because they felt that your messages from the gods aren’t real,”

“Exactly,” she said dispiritedly, “so what should we do?”

The old man waited for some time to think about the suggestion to make. After thinking, he smiled and nodded satisfactorily. “The fight shouldn’t be announced,” He said with a grin, “We do not need to announce it to let the people know about this. There would be a general meeting of the village heads, his royal highnesses, and stakeholders in the next three nkwo market days. The meeting will take place at Oduma village. I pray Amandi heals fast so that the fight would take place that day. I hope the skinned animal would dry and be fit for his clothing. Let’s have hope,”

Chizorom seemed lost in thoughts as he kept looking absently at Amandi who was already showing signs of waking up by the movement of his fingers. He couldn’t wait to meet him. The hunter lived his life in the forest, so he didn’t know about the calamity that was being talked about. Despite that, he was ready to help out by fighting with Amandi. He still wondered what Obejiri would look like if he was still alive. He also pondered the mystery behind reincarnation.

“What is this reincarnation and how does it work?” Chizorom asked but still monitored Amandi. “Does it mean that Obejiri came back alive?”

“More like it,” Nwokorocha replied, “It’s a form of a new birth of someone already dead. There is always a second life for us all. Some come back in the form of humans as we believe. Others believe the person can come back in other forms like lions and other animals; depending on the way he lived his life while alive. The voice of man is the voice of the gods. Some people are even verbal about where and how they would reincarnate when they are gone. It’s like the rebirth of a soul in another body. When a soul is reborn, reincarnation has taken place. It’s like a cycle. I once saw a man who got so much love and cares from his daughter-in-law. Before he died, the woman was pregnant. He promised her that he would come back to her when she delivers her baby. The lady didn’t understand this until the man died. When she delivered her baby, the child had most features of the dead man; including his characters. There was even another story of a man that cut off the baby finger of his youngest son out of anger. He did that to teach him a lesson. The bleeding was much that it couldn’t be stopped. The boy later died. The man almost committed suicide for making his son feel so much pain before he died. When his first son married and had a child, the baby was seen without the last finger. When the man came to visit the newborn baby, the baby cried as he had never done before. The man was surprised when he saw that the baby had four fingers. He knew that his dead child came back into his family. The chief priest was consulted for this. He confirmed that the baby was the soul of the dead son that came back for revenge. The baby was appeased with gifts and sacrifices. After the rituals, the baby stopped crying. He even grew to become the best friend to his grandfather. The man saw him as his dead child coming back alive. If not for the sacrifice to appease the baby, he may end up being the one to kill his grandfather; either directly or indirectly. Meanwhile, anything supernatural or about the gods that you don’t understand, don’t stress your mind trying to figure it out. You’ll end up going mad,”

Chizorom and Osinachukwu were happy with the explanation. They just learned some lessons.

“He’s awake!” Chizorom said and rushed to Amandi, “Calm down, you’ll be better,”

Amandi was surprised to see someone wearing the skin of a lion. The appearance of the healer just reminded him about the fight he had with the lion. He became a bit afraid. “Where am I?” he asked and looked around. Seeing Osinachukwu gave him little confidence that he was safe. “Osinachukwu, didn’t I die?”

“No, you didn’t,” Nwokorocha said and smiled. “You’re safe again and will keep being safe,”

“Yes, Mazi Nwokorocha is right,” Osinachukwu said, “He has told us a lot already, but suffice it to say that we finally found who you’d be wrestling with. It’s the same person that healed you,”

Seeing Nwokorocha made Amandi be surprised. He couldn’t believe seeing him in that strange place. “Mazi Esomchi, why are you being addressed as Nwokorocha. I don’t get it. Meanwhile, you seem to be living a double life; as an old man who can’t walk, and as an old but very strong man. Were you not the one that gave me the costume of the masquerade that saved me? What’s happening?”

Chizorom was more confused this time. He was beginning to understand that his only friend may know a lot that many of them knew not. He kept looking at both Nwokorocha and Amandi. He had mixed feelings at the time. Seeing Amandi’s face with the help of the lantern made him start feeling bad again. He felt that he’d been hurting him with knowing exactly what he’d done to him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Amandi asked looking at Chizorom and expecting some answers. “Do I look familiar to you?”

Chizorom shook his head, stood, and went into his hut. He came out with an Ikenga deity. He was just following his instinct. He kept it before them all and continued to look at Amandi.

“What am I looking at?” Osinachukwu asked, “This is an Ikenga. But why did you bring it here?”

After a moment of silence, Chizorom shook his head and said: “One man from Umudike brought this Ikenga to me a long time ago. He said I should keep it safe; that he’d come for it when he is ready. But I noticed that he wasn’t a good man. I wasn’t even planning on giving it back to him because he acts as if he has a lot of secrets he kept hiding. But since I saw this friend of mine, I began to think that…”

“This is my father’s Ikenga,” Amandi cut in, “The man that gave it to you is Obidinazu Acharaba. He hid it from me so that I wouldn’t be protected by it. I have been suffering because of that uncle of mine. But wait, how far is this place from Umudike?”

“It’s too far for you to think about it,” Nwokorocha said and smiled, “Obidinazu must pay. Well, he’s paying already,”

“He even used a whip from Anunuebe to destroy my destiny,” Amandi said. He was dispirited and hurt at that particular time.

“I was the one that gave it to him because he said that he had a dying nephew he wanted to safe,” Chizorom said, “I never knew he wanted to destroy your destiny. This is bad. I will destroy him and give you back whatever he took from you. This is a promise,”

Amandi couldn’t believe Obidi could go that far just to ensure he made his life miserable. He simply rushed at the Ikenga and held it close to his bosom.

“I am glad that I came here,” Amandi said and smiled, “I’m not just getting quick healing but will have my Ikenga back. The gods are wise to have led my footsteps into this place. But I am yet to understand why Mazi Esomchi is living a double life. He’s not almost crippled like Mazi Esomchi that I know. Why the pranks and what does he plan to achieve?”

Nwokorocha simply chuckled. He acted as if he had things he was seriously hiding.

“Talk to him, Mazi Nwokorocha,” Chizorom said because he needed to know too.

“I am not Mazi Esomchi, but I am Mazi Esomchi,” Nwokorocha answered making everyone more confused.

They couldn’t understand what he meant by being the same person he said he wasn’t. The more they tried to find out his real identity, the more confused they became.

Amandi started feeling aches all over him, so he lay down to have some rest. He needed much rest to survive and be ready for the fight with Chizorom.

#OpraDre

To be continued…

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