THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 19 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 19 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

The news of the outcome of the fight was already broken before everyone in the ten villages. The people continued to wonder the champion that defeated Amandi that they knew nothing about. There was jubilation in every village while the celebration continued.

Amandi and Chizorom were accompanied by Mazi Nwokorocha to Umudike because everybody was waiting for their arrival. The people were expecting to see Amandi without knowing that they were expecting not just one, but three people.

The princess in the company of Osinachukwu returned to Oduma kingdom and broke the news in detail to the people. Everyone jubilated as they waited to celebrate Amandi when he visits.

Ikem returned to Azummiri with her parents to have a moment with them before he leaves for Umudike to start his priestly work.

The palace of king Ozuruonye was already filled to the brim when Amandi, Chizorom, and Nwokorocha arrived. The people were already waiting with different kinds of musical instruments to welcome them.

There were cheers when they were seen but with lots of confusion as they saw that Amandi wasn’t just one but has an identical. The people that were gathered to receive him all ran away in fear thinking that he was a ghost.

King Uwadiegwu Ozuruonye with Chief Akukaria the Onowu and the king’s cabinet members were so terrified like others, but they didn’t move an inch. The king and the aged faces all remained calm but confused as they waited to hear from the august visitors. The king was fully dressed on his ceremonial cloth, with his crown gracefully seated on his head; his staff of office was firmly gripped with his left hand while his royal hand-fan was on his right hand.

The entire people were surprised because they didn’t just see Amandi being double but saw the supposed Mazi Esomchi stronger and younger.

Everything was like a movie to them all. They were all astonished but had to wait until the people that visited them explain what was going on.

Ijiji ana esolu mma, the chief priest, who was fully dressed in his priestly attire suddenly entered and began to dance around in jubilation.

Seeing that the chief priest was dancing the surugede (dance of the spirits), the people that dispersed began to gather in numbers. They were assured that they were safe since the mouthpiece of the gods was in support of whatever was going on there.

Chizorom and Amandi were calm and happy seeing the cute faces of those present. They were excited but surprised that Ojiugo and other members of their family weren’t there.

In no time, the chief priest stopped dancing and began to go around Amandi and Chizorom to observe them closely. He was surprised and confused at first until he began to consult the gods using the calabash chalk, cowries, and the spiritual water he came with.

The people waited as this happened.

As the moment of wait lasted, Ojiugo and her friends, Ojinigbo, Ijeoma, and Okwuoma, arrived feeling excited. When they saw that Amandi appeared to be identical, they were gravely shocked just as others gathered around.

“What’s going on here?” Ijeoma muttered as she stood agape with her hands akimbo.

“Shhhh,” Onuchukwu, Nnebue, and Omemma shushed Ijeoma in unison as if they planned it. The three nze eiriri ihe (greater level of chieftaincy titleholders) were so keen to understand the mysteries surrounding the two identical beings they saw in their midst, so they needed no one to distract them.

“How is Mazi Esomchi looking this younger?” Okwuoma whispered but got an angry look from chief Omemma making her hide behind Ojiugo who was jaw-dropped as she continued to mope in awe.

The chief priest struck his Oji (tingling staff) hard on the earth and pinned it there. He went around Amandi and Chizorom the second time and smiled.

As the faces of the spectators and onlookers were filled with enthusiasm and inquisitiveness, Ijiji said: “Today is the greatest day since the existence of this kingdom called Umudike. I have seen a lot already that I don’t even know where to start from,”

“Gwam okwu (talk to me)” The king said in preparation to hear from him.

“This is Amandi,” The chief priest said with his eyes closed while touching Amandi by the shoulder, “Don’t ask me how I knew because the gods that have hitherto kept silent have started communicating to me again. “His brother, Chizorom was to be killed at birth but he was spared by the gods. Oh! The blessed memory of the priestess, Mmadiche will never be forgotten,” he added solemnly, “When she gave that prophecy, she was still a very young priestess but full of wisdom and compassion. May she keep resting in the realm of the gods where she’s supposed to be,”

“Isee (Amen),” The king muttered to himself. He was moved by that because he just began to reminisce on all that happened before the demise of the beautiful priestess. He was so remorseful to the point that he almost cried before everyone but had to remain in control. It was believed that kings don’t shed tears no matter the reason. If they must cry, they shed blood and not tears, “May the gods forgive me,” He grunted his ruefulness indistinctly and sat on his throne to avoid falling out of giddiness.

“The man here was the person that heeded to the voice and warning of the priestess,” Ijiji said and touched Nwokorocha’s shoulder, “Do not think that he’s the storyteller. He is not, but his twin brother,”

There was uproar among the people because they were greatly surprised.

As this was happening, many children who were forbidden by their parents from coming to the village square came in large numbers as they sang for Mazi Esomchi while coming to meet the people.

It was surprising to everyone that the man bedridden with arthritis was hail and hearty just as his twin brother. It was a shock to everyone when they saw him Esomchi dancing for the children while coming to the gathering of the people.

The chief priest was so happy to see him. He stopped his speech and waited to welcome him.

When Mazi Esomchi arrived, his first attention was on his twin brother. He quickly rushed at him and embraced him.

The people started clapping while cheers and emotional moments overtook them all. It was simply a moment of bliss.

“There wouldn’t have been this day without you,” Esomchi said to Nwokorocha and embraced him. “The gods finally decided to spare my life. I am proud of you because you fought a good fight. And now, the glory is here,”

The people started clapping for them even though they were eager to hear from the chief priest who was already narrating what they expected to hear.

The mothers tried to take their children but none of them agreed. The children preferred to cluster around the storyteller, especially when they saw he had a twin.

Nkolika was so happy to see what was going on. She was even the one that made Mazi Esomchi know that he’d been healed. When the news of the gathering at the village square was heard, the children who couldn’t attend visited Esomchi to complete the story of the elephant and the lion. Esomchi told them that the story was about to be completed at the king’s palace. For this reason, Nkolika insisted that Esomchi must follow them to the palace; if their parents must not punish them for coming. Esomchi didn’t know he could walk until Nkolika gingered other kids to help her drag the old man up. The children obeyed and joined hands. That was how Esomchi got up without much stress. Not just for him to get up, he began to feel so young. With that feeling of happiness, they began to head to the king’s palace with joy and dance.

“Now that everything is as it’s supposed to be, let’s go on,” Ijiji said making the necessary decorum to be accorded him. There was grave silence amid the excitement; just a few murmurs were heard but it was conducive for the story to go on.

“We’re listening, wise one,” Akukaria said and looked at the Igwe and nodded. He couldn’t help but notice that the king was moody. He slowly went to him but didn’t say anything to him. He wanted to know what was wrong but didn’t have to let the people know about it. He simply took a deep breath and cleared his throat to let the king know that he was aware of his melancholic mood.

The king tried to disguise his moodiness by smiling. “Can the chief priest go on, please?” he said and continued to expect more exciting news.

“Of course, my king,” The chief priest said with chuckles, “The advice given by the priestess was followed by Esomchi and Nwokorocha, and that led to this moment we found ourselves. The fight that led to the unsealing of the lips of the gods was done between these two great twins, Amandi and Chizorom. The fight took place at Umundanda village where Chizorom lived. Both Chizorom and Amandi had fought with lions and defeated, hence the title; Ogbuagu (killer of a lion)”

“Ogbuaguuuu!” the people chorused and began to clap for them.

“Amandi chose the wrong profession because he needed to survive,” The chief priest went on, “He has been a palm wine tapper but hasn’t practiced or engaged in that work for many market-days now. The gods chose him to be a leader and not a palm wine tapper. A lot of atrocities have happened in this city. Even as some who is supposed to be the eyes of the gods, I’ve committed a lot of atrocities inadvertently; especially encouraging the use of the Ogbuejima knife that has destroyed many children of chukwu okike abiama (great God). I have partnered in so many bad things that I thought were good. Ignorance has ravished us all,”

The people were remorseful about their wrongdoings in the past. Some women cried looking up at the sky and begging the gods to forgive them. The men simply shook their heads ruefully.

“Many of us brought their children to me to forecast their future; which has been traditional,” Ijiji continued, “Those whose future showed that they would be a menace to their family and society were slaughtered. The gods have been so angry because of this. We don’t fight when the gods never approved of it. Ignorance has eaten deep into us, but today, we all will seek the forgiveness from the gods,”

“Egbuolam nwam (I’ve killed my child)!” A man yelled from the crowd. His friends and relatives gathered and began to console him.

Others that have made such a mistake continued to weep for killing their children.

Those mothers whose twin children were killed continued to weep. It was a moment of tears that stole the moment.

The king wanted to stop the people from crying but the chief priest signaled to him to allow them to pour out their hearts to the gods.

After a while, the chief priest knew it was time for him to continue, so he raised his voice and said: “The same way Chizorom and Amandi were spared by the gods, Esomchi and Nwokorocha were spared too. No wonder none of us knew that the great storyteller had a brother, let alone a twin. The same great ancestor, Obejiri of Azummiri who spared the life of Nwokorocha reincarnated through Amandi and Chizorom. Obejiri was a great warrior but ended up being killed by a lion. He vowed to come back stronger; no wonder two of his reincarnation have killed two strong lions in the bush. Amandi and Chizorom are the greatest warriors alive. We, the sons of Umudike are privileged that we do not only have the strongest warriors but the people that helped to end the calamity that has been destroying the entire ten villages. This is a rare privilege that the gods have favored us with,”

The people began to dance with joy because they felt that the gods had a special love for Umudike to have made them the chosen Kingdom. As they celebrated, Amandi and Chizorom were offered special seats flanking the king’s throne.

Ojuigo couldn’t just obey the rules anymore, so she rushed at Amandi and Chizorom and embraced two of them. She didn’t know who was who, but she was happy to have seen that she hadn’t just one worthy cousin but two. She wished that Anuka and her parents were there to see what was going on.

“Is she Ojiugo, our sister?” Chizorom asked with excitement.

“Yes, she is,” Amandi said and nibbled Ojiugo’s ear, “She has been there for me when I needed her most; especially when the situation was hopeless for me,”

“You’re very beautiful, nwannem (my sister)” Chizorom said and pulled Ojiugo to his side and gave her a warm embrace, “May the gods always favor you in everything you do,”

“Isee,” Ojiugo said and looked directly into Chizorom’s eyes, “Your brother suffered in the hands of my parents but I’ll tell you more when we go home,”

“You don’t need to tell him,” The chief priest said and smiled, “Your mother is here to tell us what we do not know,”

Looking back, everyone was surprised to see Arunne approaching with tears. They couldn’t believe that the hardhearted woman would ever cry.

Arunne came before everyone weeping. She continued to twirl on the sand making it obvious that something was wrong.

Amandi quickly rushed at her to get her up but was surprised that the woman pushed her away out of confusion.

Seeing Chizorom too got Arunne confused. She was stunned trying to understand how Amandi had an identical. It was an incredible situation, so she became speechless as she continued to look at Amandi and Chizorom at intervals. She wanted to understand who was who but couldn’t wrap her head around that mystery. “Am I dead?” she said looking confused, “what’s happening here?”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Amandi said to her and smiled, “why are you crying?”

Arunne was surprised that the man beside her was calm and welcoming. She was full of guilt for what she’d done but still couldn’t understand if she was being held by Amandi or his identical. “Are you Amandi?” she asked with utmost perplexity.

“Yes, I am Amandi,” He replied, “This is Chizorom, my twin brother. As I said before, we’ll talk about these later. Where are my uncle and my brother, Anuka?”

Arunne was still agape and numb as she stared at Amandi and Chizorom intermittently. She felt that she was still dreaming at the moment. She shook her head severally to wake up from slumber but realized that she wasn’t sleeping. “Obidinazu is no more breathing,” Arunne said with tears, “He started talking yesterday; that was during the time when the people started rejoicing that the gods were awake from their sleep. I was happy, but all of a sudden, he collapsed again. I think he’s dead right now,”

“What did you just say?” Ojiugo asked and rushed to meet her mother, “I don’t want my father to die,” She started crying making Chizorom come to meet them.

Chizorom touched Arunne and said: “Mother, let the chief priest intervene. He can’t just die; especially when I never set my eyes on him. I want to tell him how disappointed he made me feel by his constant visits to Umundanda to use me against my brother,”

Arunne was shocked to know that it was Chizorom that her husband always rushed to whenever he needed a potion. She was speechless, so she held her mouth with her palm in deep surprise. “I can’t believe this,” she mouthed and placed her hand on her head, “I don’t even know what to say. But he should have seen you looked like Amandi. Why didn’t he tell me?” she asked trying to understand her husband’s secret.

“He never saw my face because I always covered it,” Chizorom replied to her.

“It’s true oo,” she said thoughtfully, “he said that the man always had the skin of a lion covering him from head to toe,”

“Exactly,” Chizorom said, “Even the Ikenga was kept with me. But he never knew that it was the same Ikenga that he kept in my care that has been sustaining me in that danger and solitude,”

“Guards!” The king yelled, “Go to the house of Obidi and bring him here. It’s an order,”

The guards rushed out while the people waited for them. In a couple of minutes, they came back carrying Obidinazu on a stretcher. Anuka simply followed them feeling distressed.

Getting to the gathering of the people, they dropped the man on the ground.

The people wanted to gather but the chief priest cautioned against that.

Seeing Obidi, Chizorom was furious because he just saw the same man that made his brother’s life miserable. At the same time, he felt pity for him.

“I need akwuko Uziza (false cubeb leaves), Utazi (Bushbuck), Nchuanwu (Clove basil), spring onions,” Chizorom said and took a seat and sat beside Obidi.

“Get all these quickly,” King Ozuruonye ordered making the guards head into his farm to get all that.

The people were surprised because they never knew that the man in their midst had such gifts.

“Are you a healer?” Ojiugo asked looking surprised.

“Yes, I am,” he replied and continued to monitor the pulses of the man lying there. “The whip from anunuebe tree that was used to change the destiny of my brother was from me. This is among the regrets I have in life but I’m happy that we’ve come to the end of the misery,”

Ojiugo was very surprised to hear that. She folded her arms in awe and continued to watch Chizorom.

Ijiji couldn’t believe that a tree that was dreaded by even the chief priests could be seen and used by Chizorom. He felt that there was more about Chizorom that he was yet to understand. At the instant, he was astounded.

Anuka was still in shock seeing Amandi and Chizorom. He didn’t even know if he was to greet them or not. He simply continued to mope as he remained static there.

After some few minutes, the entire leaves were gathered and brought to Chizorom.

Chizorom beckoned Amandi forward to join him. He closed his eyes and began to put the entire leaves into his mouth. He chewed them one after the other.

Amandi didn’t understand why his help was needed, so he came forward and squatted beside Chizorom.

Chizorom spewed the juice of the leaves into the eyes of Obidi. Here’s then threw away the chaffs beside him. He held Amandi by the hand and muttered some words. Noticing that Amandi’s eyes were still open, he said: “Close your eyes too,”

Amandi was confused but he had to obey the instructions given by his brother. He closed his eyes.

“Whenever I heal people,” Chizorom said to Amandi, “I always see your face but I used to think I was seeing a shadow of myself. Anytime I heal without seeing that shadow, the healing wouldn’t work. Since you’re here, I don’t need to see the shadows in my imagination. Holding your hand will make the healing of our uncle faster,”

Amandi was very surprised to hear this. He never knew that he’d been part of Chizorom’s success. “Let’s heal him,” he said and concentrated, “What should I do?”

“Just concentrate and have the imagery of the patient getting up and rejoicing,” Chizorom said, “The power of imagery works for every good healer. Be positive and believe that the man who is seemingly dead here is getting up in no time. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course, I am already doing it,” Amandi assured him.

As the twins prayed silently, Obidinazu began to move his fingers slowly. It was surprising to the people that the healing was working. In a couple of minutes, the man opened his eyes and sneezed.

Everybody shouted in surprise. They never knew that they had a great healer among them. They thanked the gods for doubling their blessings on the Umudike kingdom.

“Is it done?” Amandi asked trying to be sure that Obidi was awake.

“Yes, it’s done,” Chizorom said with assurance,

“Simple right?”

“Yes, it is,” Amandi said and opened his eyes, “It wasn’t that difficult,”

“That’s because you’re here present,” Chizorom said and opened his eyes too. “You’re okay now,” he said to Obidi whose face was filled with confusion.

Arunne rushed at her. husband and pulled him up. Looking at Amandi and Chizorom, she said: “I don’t know how to thank you. I have never been a good mother, but you still healed someone you should have killed if you were given the chance to,”

Seeing the people gathered around, Obidinazu was surprised. He couldn’t understand what happened. He felt as if he was just woken up in the afterlife. Seeing Amandi and Chizorom got him startled. If he had much strength, he would have bolted away out of fear. “Was I dead?” he asked wearily.

“I guess so, but you’re alive now,” Chizorom said to him.

“Are you Amandi?” Obidi asked looking at the twins; one after the other.

“No, I am Chizorom; the same person that you’ve been visiting at night in Umundanda,”

Obidi couldn’t believe that, so he stretched himself and took a second look at him. “But you look like Amandi. I’m not sure you’re the Chizorom of Umundanda,”

“Then how did I heal you to make you awake again?” Chizorom asked.

“You already know about me, so think about it,”

Obidi was still finding it hard to believe but he had no choice because he was left with none. “But you never showed your face,” he pointed out.

“Yes, I never did. That was according to the gods that direct me,” Chizorom replied to him, “I was the man behind the mask but never realized you used me against my twin brother. I’d have left you to die but I wanted to wake you up and let you see the extent of the damages you caused to my brother. I am very angry at you but let the gods judge you,”

Obidi stood before the people feeling ashamed. He didn’t even know how to confront Amandi. He was just numb to speeches, so he remained grimaced. He simply knelt before Amandi and said: “Envy, malice, and anger had taken over my heart for many years. Greed and deceit became my food, and the wolf inside me was nurtured by this evil woman here. She’s always been the reason for my treachery; even though that wickedness had always dwelt in me. I am sorry,”

Arunne felt so bad this time, no more the faked sadness like she was used to. She came forward and knelt beside her husband. Looking at Mazi Esomchi, she said: “I am ready to complete the story of the elephant and the lion,”

The storyteller smiled and said: “Nwanyi makaria di ya n’uzo, ihe chere di ya ewere ya,”

“That proverb may need to be explained, nna anyi,” Ojiugo muttered making other younger people nod in agreement to her plea for an explanation.

“It means that if a woman tries to be faster than her husband, she ends up inheriting the ill-fate that awaits her husband,” Nwokorocha explained.

“I know I have done a lot by being the fool that rushes into the places where angels fear to tread,” Arunne said admittedly. “My husband and her elder brother were the best brothers,” she started her narration, “I realized that he always had time for his brother than he had for me. They were too close that I became jealous of that. The major cause of all these was that I saw the future I wouldn’t have seen. When I was pregnant, by then my husband’s brother and his wife were still in search of the fruit of the womb. I decided to go to Mmirimuo River to find out about the future of the baby in my womb. Getting there, I was told that my son had been destined to be a servant to his younger brothers. I was surprised to hear that because my husband’s brother had no offspring yet. I couldn’t understand how my son was to serve some babies that weren’t conceived of. I didn’t want that to happen, so began to find a way to prevent the babies from being born,”

The listeners shouted while some murmured when they heard that. They couldn’t understand the wickedness that dwelt in the heart of such a woman.

“Go ahead, woman,” Ijiji commanded, “don’t keep the king waiting,”

“Okay, ezemuo (king of the ghosts),” Arunne said to the chief priest; with a bow to the king, “My husband always had eyes for the throne…”

Everybody started shouting and snapping their fingers on hearing this. They began to wail and curse Obidi when they heard that he ever had an interest in the throne. The noise was long-lasting until the king raised his staff of office to make them keep calm. It took some time until the entire noise dwindled.

“Go on,” The king encouraged.

Arunne looked pitifully at her husband but Obidi nodded approvingly showing that she should go ahead.

“Woman, you don’t need his permission!” The chief priest yelled at Arunne making her startle in fear.

“Okay, Nna anyi,” she said and started coughing for a while as everyone waited, “That interest had by my husband emanated from his desire to make his son be great to the extent that he can never be a servant to his brother’s children. Even though my husband didn’t go to Mmirimuo with me, I told him everything according to what Ijiji the chief priest foresaw. I took my husband to a very remote village in Umundanda to meet Nkata Ose (basket-of-pepper), the greatest dibia believed to always come out from the hole of the ants,”

“But wait, woman,” Ijiji said in awe, “How on earth did you meet Nkata Ose the evil man?” Looking at the king, he said: “My king, with your permission, let me tell us a little about this wicked man called the basket-of-pepper,”

“Go ahead, we are listening keenly,” King Ozuruonye said with folded arms.

Everybody was so interested to hear about him, so they listened ardently.

“Nkata Ose was well known for his physical strength and spiritual strength,” The diviner went on, “In Umundanda village; he was not always seen among the people. He was known as the son of the gods that comes out from the hole of an ant. Whenever his presence is felt, the people start to prosper. There were always rich harvests whenever the great Ikoro from the shrine of this great man was heard. Nkata Ose is seen once in so many market days. His life was enshrouded in mystery but people loved him because of his dissemination of prosperity to them. This continued until one beautiful maiden from Achina kingdom seduced him and made him fall for her beauty. Keep it in mind that this great healer and diviner was a young man when all these happened. According to the gods, Nkata Ose was to remain unsullied all through his life. He maintained that status until the devil came in the form of a woman and weakened him. After sleeping with the maiden according to the story I heard, the great diviner who healed many people began to lose his powers. The sound of the Ikoro stopped working positively for his people. This lingered until Nkata Ose felt that he was becoming irrelevant in Umundanda. There were rumors afterward that he did everything possible to have his powers back. That was why he used the heads of ten virgins to make a sacrifice,”

The people shouted on hearing this, but the raised staff of the king calmed them.

“The treacherous life of Nkata Ose began after that period,” Ijiji continued the interesting narration, “I used to respect him, but my respect for Nkata Ose disappeared since that day. As the story had it, Nkata Ose later married that witch that made his life rueful. It was the same witch that took him to a stream of doom where the sacrifice of the ten virgins took place. This witch was bent on destroying Umundanda because she felt that her entrance into the village wasn’t welcomed. She used Nkata Ose to achieve part of her aim. The erstwhile great revered diviner started killing the people one after the other in the thick forest where he lived. He began to aid evil men in achieving their goals. He became an ill-wind that blew no one good. He even became more powerful than the king and the entire chief priests put together. People revered him out of fear but not out of love. He garnered so much respect that he became a demigod in Umundanda. The people dreaded his presence. They even named him Oji abali aga (he that moves at night). No one sees him in the daytime. And if anyone dares to set his or her eyes on him at night, the person becomes sacrificed on his evil altar. The victim would still be alive, but spiritually, he has been sacrificed to his evil gods known as Ogbunabali (night-killer). This god mostly kills criminals and those that have committed abominations in the land. The same Ogbunabali later ended up killing Nkata Ose for his atrocities,”

“No, it wasn’t Ogbunabali that killed him,” Arunne said making everyone surprised.

“I’m surprised to hear this,” Ijiji said looking at the king, “Igwe, it seems that the woman knows more than I do. Let her continue with her story,”

The king nodded in approval of the request. “Go on and tell us how Nkata Ose died!” The king said with a tone of command to the woman.

“I will tell you and every other person here, my king,” Arunne said aloud before everyone, “I killed Nkata Ose,”

There was brouhaha when the people heard this. Even Obidi who thought that he was abreast of all that his wife was confessing to got confused. The noise was deafening as people expressed their shock in different ways.

Even the king couldn’t control the crowd this time. He remained deeply shocked that he had such an evil woman in his kingdom. He felt like banishing her outrightly but his curiosity to know more got him spellbound and listening. “Can we all be calm,” He shouted in anger making everyone start controlling their noise until there was calmness and a few grunts, “Woman, tell us more,” he said in a calm but angry tone.

Arunne started crying at this point but no one felt pity for her. The people shifted away from her because they believed that if she could kill such a dreaded man, she could kill anyone without delay.

Looking at her husband, Arunne said: “Dim (my husband), I am not from Abogu village,”

Obidinazu was so shocked when he heard that. He couldn’t believe what he heard. He looked at his wife again and again but couldn’t fathom what was going on. “I came to your clan at Abogu kingdom,” He said surprisingly, “I met your people, and they handed you over to me in marriage. I don’t get it because I am confused,”

Everyone listened to know what Arunne had to say about it.

After a moment of silence, Arunne said: “My father forced everyone you saw that day to play the role they played. He was dreaded by everyone, so when it was time for my marriage, he knew that no one would accept to marry the daughter of the feared Nkata Ose…”

“Ewoooo (exclamation)” The king shouted and almost dropped his staff of office out of surprise.

The people began to wail when they heard that Arunne was the daughter of the feared Nkata Ose.

Obidi shifted much away from her and continued to regret ever meeting Arunne as a wife. He couldn’t understand that everything that happened during the marriage ceremony at Abogu village was staged by Nkata Ose; the man he never heard about.

“I haven’t been this surprised in my entire life,” Ijiji said with his lips fallen apart, “I never knew that Nkata Ose had a child. What have I been missing?”

“He kept the birth of his child a secret between him and my mother, Mmajereije,” Arunne replied making people more surprised, “Yes, Mmajereije was among the prettiest woman in her lifetime. She was from the water. No one could trace her origin, not even my father. After my birth, she named me Arunne which means the body of a mother. That name, Arunne, was given because she believed I was fully a part of her than I was a part of my father. I took her character but looked more like my father. She was always angry when I was growing up. She hated my father because I took after him in looks. She wanted to hand over to me as the daughter of the wicked goddess that she served. Amumammiri (water lightning) was the goddess that my mother served. Seeing that I was more like my father got her so disappointed. That was when conflict ensued between them. It took my father a lot of spiritual powers and time before he could succeed in killing her. Everything happened before me as a child. I watched him strangle her to death. Being that I knew her as an evil woman, I was in support,”

There was great silence of shock among the people. No one believed that the woman before them could have seen such an atrocity as a child and still wasn’t afraid or moved by it.

“Woman!” The king said, “You have both the nature of your mother and father in you. You’re so heartless that you watched your father kill your mother and still weren’t moved. “How then did you kill your father?”

“I poisoned him,” She replied making everyone boo her, “When the ambition of becoming the king of Umudike continued to burn in the heart of my husband, I took him to my father, but lied to him that the diviner was Okpoka, the priest of Umundanda. It was the potion prepared by Nkata Ose that my husband used to kill his brother and his wife,”

The people became so furious and wanted to lynch both Obidi and his wife but the king ordered the guards to stop them. The villagers were so agitated that they wanted to ignore the king and execute the couple with any weapon available but the chief priest intervened.

Amandi and Chizorom were so furious and sad when they heard that their uncle and his wife killed their parents. If not that Amandi held Chizorom firmly and got him pinned to his seat, the blood of the wicked couple would have spilled. It would only take Chizorom a few seconds to snap their necks with his bare hands.

Chizorom was teary because he couldn’t see his parents just because of the wickedness of the couple around them.

“I urge you to be calm,” Amandi said to Chizorom, “I didn’t meet my parents too. I was too young when this happened. So relax because vengeance is of the gods. Nemesis still exists,”

Ojiugo couldn’t stop herself from shedding tears. It was her friends that held her and tried to console her. She couldn’t understand how she ended up being groomed by parents with wicked intents and evilness. She wished she wasn’t even born by Obidinazu and Arunne Acharaba.

Anuka was so angry at himself for being used by his parents. He felt like the worst sinner at the moment. He couldn’t just talk but angrily ran out of the crowd to an unknown destination. He couldn’t just listen anymore, so he had to bolt away.

“Bring my son back, please!” Obidi outcried as he begged the people.

No one listened to him. Everyone was overladen by fury. They almost stoned him to death for making such a request.

“The potion given to me by my father didn’t work on the king,” Arunne said when she already made up her mind to face the consequences of her actions. “It ended up making him impotent,”

On hearing this, the people couldn’t wait this time, so they began to beat the woman but the guards had to intervene. Many people were even wounded just for them to be deterred from killing Arunne.

The king couldn’t fight his tears anymore, so he entered his chamber and cried bitterly. As he cried, he began to understand that he may not have been the one that impregnated Mmadiche. He became greatly disturbed that he found it hard to open the door even when the chief priest continued to knock on his door.

It took a very long time before the king opened the door and joined others. He was so pale that much pity was drawn from the people. They cried for their king and hated Arunne more and more.

“Woman, you deserve death by hanging but I’m not the king to make the pronouncement,” Ijiji said to Arunne in anger.

The people chorused their support but the king never allowed that. He was keen to hear the end of the story. “Go on,” he said in a husky tone, “I want to hear it all,”

Arunne hesitated to talk but a hot slap from Chizorom got her spinning around in a circle. “If you don’t start talking, blood must flow here and now,” he hollered in frenzy.

Arunne felt as if she was hit by an elephant. She almost lost her memory with that slap. She never stopped sauntering in confusion until Amandi went and held her to be still.

Chizorom then realized that he wasn’t even meant to fight humans but the gods. He was surprised to see the effect of his slap on the woman but he didn’t regret it. He was ready to slap her over and over again until she dies.

“Do not lose it,” Amandi cautioned Chizorom, “I will be very mad at you if you do. Go back to your seat immediately!” he growled.

Chizorom didn’t hesitate to obey. He went to his seat immediately and sat. He promised never to lose his temper anymore.

“Woman, you can continue,” Amandi said to Arunne and then went back to his seat. He held Chizorom by the hand while seated beside him; to keep calming him down.

Arunne scrambled to obey because she was afraid of having another slap that may end her life. She shivered greatly when she wanted to talk.

Everybody present was surprised that a simple slap could make someone act as if she was dying. The respect and fear they had for the twins heightened at that very moment. It was then they realized what it means for a man to kill a lion with his bare hands.

“Can I talk now?” Arunne said with fear as she trembled greatly.

“Go ahead!” Ijiji blurted ferociously at her.

“Okay, I will talk,” Arunne still feeling confused about the slap, “When I went back to my father, I told him that the potion didn’t work, so he told me that the head of a very strong chief priest was to be used to prepare a stronger potion that would make the king lose his life. The same potion would make my husband become so powerful that the people wouldn’t have any choice other than to make him the next king. I felt that the blood of my father would make the potion and charm stronger and efficient, that was why I killed him. But I forgot that the same man I killed was the one to prepare the potion and charm. That was so foolish of me. Meanwhile, it was the onowu that promised my husband that he’d be made king if he succeeds in his mission,”

The people were so surprised; especially the king who couldn’t believe that Chief Akukaria who was supposed to be his best friend and the kingmaker was behind the entire pranks.

Chief Akukaria couldn’t deny it, so he came to the position where Obidi and Arunne were and joined them.

It was just a moment of surprising revelations that overtook everyone there. They remained speechless because the kingmaker was among the most respected people in the village.

“Akukaria, ihe obu eziokwu (is this true)?” the king asked in a meek but angry tone.

Out of shame, the kingmaker nodded making everyone shout in dismay.

“I always had my attention for the throne,” Akukaria said shamefully, “My father made me believe that the throne was made to be his right. Being that he wasn’t that rich, King Ozuruonye’s father took it away from him. Due to this, I was determined to have the throne back. As I was nursing the idea, Obidi approached me and told me about what the chief priest foretold about his son who was yet to be born. It was then I realized that I could use him. I promised him the throne even though I didn’t mean it. I wanted to use him to eliminate the king so that the blood of the deceased wouldn’t be on my head,”

“The throne was never meant for your father,” Ijiji pointed out, “He had an eye on it but the gods never approved of it when he was to be crowned the king. That was when the decision was changed,”

King Ozuruonye found it hard to believe that what he was hearing was true. He kept looking attentively at Akukaria as he tried to figure out how the throne handed over to him by his father belonged to the lineage of the Onowu. He then began to understand that the father of Akukaria was an evil man. He then remembered when his father told him to avoid Akukaria even when they were kids. He thought that his father was being too protective without knowing that there were things he saw that made him say that. The king shrugged in deep surprise.

“I was the one that told Obidi that the only way to avoid the fruition of the forecast of the chief priest was to eliminate his brother,” Akukaria revealed, “I found it hard to convince him until I went through his wife who promised to help me make the plan easy. Being that she was keen on becoming the queen of the Umudike kingdom, Arunne convinced Obidi to accept. I was surprised when Obidi accepted but it wasn’t easy for him until the supposed barren woman being Amandi’s mother became pregnant. There was a great shock but we still had to wait. It was after the delivery of the baby that Obidi completed the plans successfully by killing them. But before then, Arunne already handed over the potion to me. She couldn’t come close to the king but I could. I was the person that put the potion into the drink of the king. That was when the king was newly married to his first wife. The drink ended up making him unable to father a child,”

Hearing this tore the kingdom apart with confusion and anger. The people couldn’t listen to them anymore, so they began to beat them.

The king couldn’t even stop the people this time, so he allowed them.

Amandi and Chizorom couldn’t watch the people commit murder just to get it right. They quickly rushed to the mob and commanded them to stop.

Seeing Amandi and Chizorom, the people didn’t hesitate to obey. They even began to respect them more than they respected the king. Even the king noticed that.

The three culprits were already battered. They had blood all over their bodies but they were still alive and panting. The people felt like killing them all but the respect they had for the twins made them avoid taking laws into their hands.

“Since the birth of Amandi,” Obidi said with blood covering his eyes while the people listened amid their anger. “I began to see him as someone that was going to make my life miserable. I hated myself for not acting as fast as I could before my brother’s wife became pregnant. To ensure that Amandi grows in timidity and agony, I began to maltreat him. I was bent on making his life miserable; that was why I created enmity between him and his earth-mother. Even the python that I accused him of killing, I was the one that killed it and placed it by the threshold of his hut,”

The people’s anger skyrocketed this time because they never knew that it was Obidi that made them think that Amandi did an abominable thing in the land. They felt so sorry, so they began to beg Amandi for forgiveness by kneeling.

Amandi felt that it wasn’t necessary for such to happen, so he begged them to stand. The people remained there until the Igwe stood to talk.

“You all should rise,” the king said, “I have an announcement to make,”

The people rose and dusted their knees to listen to the king.

Everybody was keen to hear his announcement. All they needed from him was to announce that the three conspirators would be killed as a punishment for their sins.

There was an anthill by the corner. The king climbed on it, making everyone shout in dismay. They already knew what the gesture meant.

The people began to wail because they couldn’t understand why the king would choose to resign. According to the tradition of Umudike, once a king climbs an anthill, it means that he’s ready to give up his position as the king. In Umudike, it was never heard in many centuries that a king gave up his position as the king. The people felt like bringing him down from there but it was already done and nothing could be done about it.

“My king,” Ijiji said with extreme surprise, “what’s the meaning of this?”

The king smiled, waved to the people, and said: “Even though I have ruled the kingdom well, I have made some mistakes which I must not disclose to everyone. But before the gods, I am not worthy to be king anymore. The chief priest knows better since he’s the eyes of the gods. But if you were attentive to Ijiji ana esolu mma, you’d have heard him mention that this handsome son, Amandi was born to be a leader. Even before that pronouncement, I already made up my mind to make him the heir apparent to the throne. But after the confessions of these people, I have come to realize my share of the mistakes. If the gods didn’t want the potion to make me impotent, it wouldn’t have happened. I was meant to kill me but they spared me. They could have completed the work they started, but they chose to make me impotent. I also sinned against the priestess, Mmadiche. I didn’t just sin against Mmadiche alone but to Mmirimaraugo too. If I could go that length to even fight and disappoint the gods through their chosen ones, I hereby cease to become your king. Amandi who has been ordained by the gods even before his birth to be a leader will take over from me. As for me, I’ll go to my mother’s village at Ojukwu village and live a low-profile life. This isn’t self-exile but a happy ending. I can’t wait to hand over to someone with not just the charisma but the physical strength to lead the people. The fate of these three conspirators would be decided by your new king,” After saying this, the dwarf king climbed down from the anthill and went to Amandi who was speechless. He handed over his staff of office to him and then slowly placed his crown on his throne. Before everyone, the king entered his chamber and locked the door.

The chief priest had to address the people because the tension was too high. He simply raised his voice and said: “The king is right. Even the gods have revealed this to me but there was no way I could have told the king to give up his throne. So you all shouldn’t mourn because our ex-king did the right thing. You should be happy that the kingdom of Umudike is being handed over to the son of the gods. There is no joyous moment that is better than this. We all already know that Amandi is favored by the gods, so we should be glad that he has been chosen,” The chief priest genuflected before Amandi and said: “long lives the king of Uumudike kingdom,”

The entire people were excited about this.

Chizorom went to the people so that Amandi would be left alone at the position where he sat. Genuflecting before his twin brother, he said: “Long lives the king,”

The entire people also genuflected and chorused: “Long lives the king of Umudike kingdom,”

Amandi couldn’t help but accept the position. He simply raised the staff of office newly handed over to him. With his eyes closed he said: “Today, I accept to be the chief servant to you all. I am not worthy to be king but the gods still chose me. I promise never to disappoint you all. I’ll always be the king you want me to be, even better than you expected.

The cheering crowd began to applaud the new king and verbally rained blessings on him.

The onowu still had to perform his duty as the kingmaker; so he came forward and collected the crown from the throne where it gracefully sat. He placed it on Amandi’s head. “May you live long, my king,” He said and bowed before him.

Amandi sat on the throne even when he found himself unfit for the big task. He smiled and looked at Chizorom. “We’ll rule together,” he said to him making the people start clapping. He beckoned his twin brother forward and made him sit beside him. Looking at the people, he raised his voice and said: “A lion is known as the king of the jungle but the twins seated before you all have made the king of the jungle become powerless. If we can singlehandedly defeat two lions, no warrior or evil can ever defeat Umudike, and that’s our promise,”

The people began to celebrate the twins but when the weather became cloudy, they stopped in confusion.

The chief priest smiled on seeing that it was cloudy. He nodded and began to dance the surugede: “Now, the gods just showed that they’re in support,”

Heavy rain began to fall immediately making the people join the chief priest to dance in celebration of the new king. The people knew that it was a rain of blessings so chanted songs of victory as they celebrated King Amandi Acharaba.

The erstwhile king, Ozuruonye Uwadiegwu peered from his window and enjoyed the ongoing celebration. He was so happy to have handed over to a competent young man.

It was surprising to everyone that their new king, even with his crown on his head, joined them. The greatest surprise to them all was when the king started dancing the ever difficult Ikwaada (staggering) dance.

#OpraDre

To be continued…

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