THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 8 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

THE CURSED LANTERN Episode 8 By Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

The princess and Ikem continued to walk through the pathways to sneak out of Oduma. They tried as much as they could to attract less attention to themselves but people kept watching the princess and guessing who could have hooded herself that way.

To ensure that they remained as stealth as they could, Ikem looked around, picked a long stick, and handed it over to the princess.

“My princess, pretend to be blind let me be the one leading you,” he said assuredly believing that the plans would work out well.

The princess added more amazement to the goosebumps that already enshrouded her around the little guru. She didn’t hesitate to obey, so the journey continued.

Getting to a lane, they met three of the Umudimkpa men. Umeano, Udoka, and Paraudo were busy searching for the princess when they were sighted.

Princess Ugegbe entertained some fears. She was afraid because of the delays that would be caused by the stubbornness of the guards to allow her to go on her mission. If not, she’d have ordered them to go back to the palace while she goes on her mission.

“Relax my princess,” Ikem said to restore her morale, “remember you’re no more a princess here but a blind beggar. I noticed how you still walk in sedate steps. Change that too because you’re now a commoner,”

The princess chuckled hearing that. She was a bit confident this time, so she shut her eyes halfway in pretension to trick the guards. They continued to walk towards the guards.

On getting closer to the guards, Paraudo began to feel strange about the beggars. He knew that it was still too early for beggars to be on the pathway begging.

Umeano tried to ignore them but Paraudo who was always the pigheaded type continued to watch the duo as they were about to pass them.

Udoka was sitting on the fence in this; therefore indecisive.

“Do you have money to give to the beggars?” Umeano asked feeling the need to help, “I can see the way you look at them,”

“Are you okay at all, nwokem (my man)?” Paraudo hollered at him, “we’re on a search and we need to be serious with our search before something bad happens to the princess,”

“What do you think, Udo?” Umeano asked Udoka, “isn’t it part of a sacrifice to give to the beggars…?”

As he was still talking, the princess and Ikem got closer and began to pass them.

“Hey, stop there!” Paraudo barked at them, “Where are you going by this time of the morning? Your face even looks familiar, little one,” he added looking intently at Ikem.

Ikem didn’t bat an eyelid. He simply feigned being disturbed by the bad condition of life. He continued to lead the princess using the stick.

“Young boy,” Umeano called in a meek voice, “didn’t you hear him? Are you from this village?”

Ikem still didn’t talk but tried to move but Paraudo became furious and wanted to force them to stop.

“Hey, don’t use your strength; you may Injure them,” Udoka warned, “let me handle it,” he said and held the boy by the shoulder, “you seem stubborn for a beggar. What’s your mission in this kingdom?”

The princess already got angry with the guards, so she raised the stick to whip Udoka but he swerved and dodged it.

“Can you imagine?” Paraudo blurted and tried to hit the princess but Ikem jumped up and held his hand in the air.

“My mother is deaf and dumb but easily angered,” Ikem said and pushed Paraudo’s hands away, “Meanwhile; it seems you have no respect and regards for a vulnerable woman,”

Paraudo felt as if a strange power pushed him when Ikem forced his hand away from touching the princess. He thought others saw what happened to him but none did.

“How did you do that?” Udoka asked, “What gave you the audacity to fight the guard,”

Ikem looked at them, smiled, and said: “We are beggars and hungry but instead of you to help us; you’re making life more difficult for us. Meanwhile, I never fought anyone but defended my mother. If she’s your mother, won’t you defend her?”

They reasoned what the young boy said and smiled. They all knew he was right but Paraudo’s sense of judgment was clouded by fury and stubbornness.

“And why is the face of your mother covered?” Umeano asked out of curiosity.

“Exactly,” Paraudo said and rushed at the princess to unhood her but Ikem didn’t allow him to do that. “Why are you stopping me, or is she plagued?”

“Paraudo, you can go ahead with your investigation but can we continue our search for the princess?” Umeano suggested and started leaving, “apukwam (I’m leaving)”

Udoka knew that Umeano was right but didn’t want Paraudo to feel as if he’s being belittled. He patted Paraudo’s back gently as an encouragement to leave the shrewd young beggar.

“I guess you should follow the suggestion of your colleague if you don’t want your heads to roll,” Ikem said and started leaving without fear, “You may then need to explain how the princess was kidnapped without your knowledge,”

Paraudo and Udoka were shocked to hear such an accusative statement from the little boy. They couldn’t understand how the boy suddenly made it seem as if the princess was kidnapped. Not just that, but to have made it seem as if they aided her abduction.

“This boy bu orafu nwata (is a deceiver)” Paraudo said and started leaving while Udoka kept gazing absently at Ikem and the princess that were already going away, “Udoka, what are you still doing there? Or you want him to accuse you of abducting the princess that you’re meant to protect?”

When the guards were gone, the princess heaved a huge sigh of relief making Ikem smile as they crossed the boundary between Oduma and Umudike.

“That was very close,” she said throbbing heavily, “you were not just smart but strong. This isn’t normal but supernatural. Who are you?”

Ikem didn’t answer but continued to move fast while the princess tried to catch up. He moved as if he knew the road leading to Umudike.

The princess was greatly appalled as she followed behind. As the trek lasted, she noticed that Ikem had something in his pocket. The object protruded from his cloth. She tried to touch it but Ikem stopped her.

“My princess,” He called in a calm voice. “Don’t touch that to avoid destroying its efficacy. This may be needed for this quest but I don’t know how yet. I stole it but you will soon find out what it is. Ngwugwu aga ato-ato odighi mma ka ejiri anya na-enyo ya (the parcel that’d be disclosed soon doesn’t need to be peeped into)”

The princess was bewildered by the way Ikem uses proverbs like an aged man. She never stopped being surprised around him. She simply shrugged and continued the movement following his lead.

“But what did you steal?” the princess asked out of curiosity, “and who did you steal from?”

“Let’s get to Umudike first, my princess,” Ikem muttered in that silence.

***

Getting to Umudike, it was surprising to the princess and Ikem to see that many fowls were suffering from wryneck.

They couldn’t understand what was happening but the faces of the villagers that they saw were an indication that the kingdom was in great peril and mournful.

“I think I’m beginning to understand what is happening here,” Ikem said observantly to the princess, “My princess, I think this is the reason why a sacrifice is needed; to stop whatever that is happening,”

The princess was thoughtful for a while as she tried to fathom what Ikem was trying to make her understand.

“But if a sacrifice is needed, and the chief priest has chosen the sacrificial object,” the princess said meditatively, “how then are we to stop them from doing it? It’s possible that the gods already approved of it. Is it because it’s Amandi’s cousin that is being used that we’re here for a rescue mission?”

Ikem felt that the princess made some sense but from the human’s point of view. He simply smiled and said: “You’re right but the wrong lamb is being chosen for the right sacrifice. I have more to say but let’s get to Ngene River first,”

Having mentioned Ngene River, the princess just realized that they didn’t know their destination, so they needed to ask questions.

“Do you know the location?” Ugegbe asked looking confused.

“I do not know,” he replied, “but we’ll soon find out. Something in me tells me that we’re close to seeing someone that’ll lead us to the stream,”

When the princess and Ikem got to a hilly area of the village, a young boy of about ten years old passed by; running as fast as he could while Nkolika followed.

Seeing Ikem, Nkolika suddenly stopped while her elder brother outran her.

Ikem looked at Nkolika intently and smiled. “I have seen her before,” he said to the princess trying to remember when he did, “I haven’t been to this village before but I have seen her. We used to communicate through whispers but I can’t remember if it was in a dream or reality,”

Nkolika stood there looking at the princess and Ikem. She knew that they were strangers but didn’t know what their mission was. Boldly, she came closer to them and tried to unhood the princess.

“Hey, stop it,” the princess said jovially, “why do you want to remove what got me covered?”

Nkolika was happy seeing the princess and Ikem but couldn’t remember anything about the boy. She simply had the enthusiasm to help and get to know them more. Looking at the princess for a while, she caressed her chin and smiled.

“You need to remove the disguise,” Nkolika replied astutely to the princess, “It’s because a light that is meant to shine in the darkness to illuminate it doesn’t need to be covered in a cloth. If it’s done, it’s either the cloth is burnt by the fire or the light extinguishes. You don’t need to cover your greatness,”

Ikem and the princess were shocked hearing this. The exudation of wisdom from the spoken words was not just appalling but thought-provoking.

“There is something about her that baffles me,” Ikem said and turned to the princess, “stoop so that she’d be the one to remove the disguise from you,”

The princess was skeptical about that but since it was coming from Ikem, she had to obey without asking questions.

“If you say so,” Ugegbe said and squatted, “little wise one, go ahead and let the light shine in the dark,”

Nkolika felt honored, so she arched and removed the hood. She was taken aback to behold such beauty, so she closed her mouth with her palm out of excitement. “This is a celestial beauty,” she muttered bewilderedly. Seeing the ornament hanging around the princess’s neck, she became more surprised, “you’re royalty and I don’t need to doubt that,” Kneeling and bowing before the princess, she said: “long lives the princess of…which kingdom are you from?”

The princess was so surprised by such a display of wisdom and smartness. She felt privileged to be between two gurus. It dawned on her that the children around her were richly blessed by the gods.

“Now, the way to Ngene River, please,” Ikem said to Nkolika while the princess watched them with awe.

“Little children are not meant to come there because the sacrifice requires the spilling of blood,” Nkolika answered, “a lot has been happening in our land but the gods have been silent to our prayers. We need help; that’s the essence of the sacrifice of a virgin. We’re all sad that it was Ojiugo that was chosen,”

Nkolika frowned as she became teary.

Ikem collected a piece of cloth from the princess and cleaned her eyes. “She won’t be sacrificed,” he assured her.

“That’s why we have come,” the princess mouthed and held her by the shoulder, “we need to stop whatever that is about to happen. The gods don’t approve of it,”

Nkolika was surprised to hear that, so she started heading in the direction of the river without delay. “Let’s be fast because soon, blood would be spilled,” she said as she ran.

The princess and Ikem followed behind as they rushed to the river.

Getting close to Ngene after a long walk, they saw many villagers gathered by the riverside.

The faces of the people were filled with both happiness and sadness. They were happy because the lips of the gods would soon be unsealed but sad because of the person being used to achieve that aim.

Ojiugo was already dressed in all-white apparel with her legs and hands bound.

Arunne cried without ceasing but none of her tears stopped the preparations for the sacrifice. She was held by many women to avoid killing herself but she continued to throw herself on the rocky ground. The mothers tried to force Arunne out of the scene but she insisted on waiting; to see how her daughter would be sacrificed.

Obidinazu was heartbroken. He sat by the corner observing everything and shedding tears. If not that it was promulgation from the chief priest, he wouldn’t have allowed the ritual to take place. The guards held him as well as consoled him.

Ijiji, with his servants, were already prepared. The incense oozed and evaporated from the clay pot while the servants to the chief priest carried it around the small altar where Ojiugo lay.

King Uwadiegwu Ozuruonye and his cabinet members have all gathered around; though a few meters away from the altar, to witness the ritual.

Some of the villagers were all at the hilly part of the shores so that they could see clearly.

One of the servants of the chief priest played the flute and chanted some elegy in a sonorous voice. He sang in some languages alien to the people. He danced around the altar where Ojiugo lay.

The chief priest invoked the supernatural presence of the Ngene deity.

Ikem was so eager to disrupt whatever was going on but the princess held him firmly by the shoulder. He tried to steal himself away from the princess and stop the imminent sacrifice but Nkolika who was far off and observing whispered saying: “Not yet time. Wait a while to avoid being lynched by the crowd,”

Even though they were far apart, Ikem heard what Nkolika said and couldn’t understand how he heard that. He then confirmed that it was Nkolika that he used to communicate with through whispers. The picture was clearer but he still couldn’t remember vividly how he met Nkoli the first time. The voice of the little girl was the only solace that held Ikem’s feet to the ground. He had to follow his instinct patiently to avoid making mistakes.

After a while of the surugede dance (dance of the spirits), as he invoked the spirits, the chief priest raised his voice and let out a loud cry. After it, he became calm and meditative.

“Today, we’ve come to witness the unsealing of the mouth of the gods,” The chief priest said loudly. He put his hand into one of the pots and brought out the knife for the sacrifice.

Ikem knew it was time, so he began to advance to the altar making the people shudder at seeing him.

No kid was around the stream according to the tradition of Umudike, so it was surprising when they saw Ikem. They wondered what gave the little boy the impetus to come to the ritual site let alone disrupting the sacrifice.

The guards couldn’t stop him because they were confused too. They simply moped as if they just lost their senses.

The king signaled the guards to stop the child but none could make a move.

The chief priest already knew that some strange powers were present, so he took his Oji (tingling staff) that was pinned to the earth and struck it thrice. This was to invoke the deity of Ngene to stop or fight the little man.

It became obvious to the people that the boy couldn’t be stopped, so they started to roar in fear.

When Ikem got to the altar, he started to exchange a battle of looks with the chief priest.

The diviner seemed numb and overpowered. He was confused as he watched Ikem. He began to imagine the powers that the boy had that made him indomitable. Even when he employed his aju (charms) to stop him, he didn’t succeed.

Ikem used one of the twelve stones used to surround the altar as a stepping stone. He used it to climb so that his hands could reach Ojiugo’s position. He slowly removed the blindfold from her, making the sunlight storm the eyes of the young girl.

Ojiugo closed his eyes to avoid the direct heat of the sun. Gradually, she began to open her eyes. Seeing Ikem standing and smiling at her, she was confused because she couldn’t recognize who he was.

“Are you the deity of Ngene River?” Ojiugo asked looking more confused and afraid, “if accepting my soul and blood will get the land cleansed from its infirmities, your servant is ready,” After saying this, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the sacrifice.

The princess who was watching a few meters away walked majestically to the altar. As she walked, she displayed her royalty and dignity.

“The second deity comes,” a voice in the crowd said aloud making the people amazed.

When the princess reached the altar, she looked at the chief priest and said: “The wrong object is chosen and the worst sin is about to be committed. Listen to this boy and do whatever he tells you to do,”

The princess was even surprised when she heard herself. She didn’t know who or what pushed her to say that. She knew that the supernatural was at work, so she allowed herself to be used.

“Are you a princess?” The king asked looking dazed.

“Yes, I am,” she replied with utmost boldness, “We’ve come to rescue Ojiugo because whatever is happening here is not from the gods but the mortal here,” she said pointing at the chief priest.

The people began to make noise as they saw how the chief priest was being challenged without any reaction from him.

Ikem looked around and saw the pot where the sacrificial items were kept. He put his hand inside of it and brought out the canine teeth of the man with a hunch back. He also brought out the newly laid egg of the crocodile from Mmirimuo.

“You dare not stop the ritual!” the chief priest growled at her having garnered the momentum to defend the rite, “I don’t know who you are or what charm you came with, but to stop the honest sacrifice to Ngene River wouldn’t be accepted or allowed. I rebuke you,”

Ikem looked at him, smiled, and said: “I am neither a god nor a beast. I am a mere mortal from the Oduma kingdom. I saw the fowls with wryneck diseases. If the solution is what you seek by your effort to waste the blood of the innocent, think twice,”

The Igwe was confused at this point but still had more faith in the chief priest of his kingdom than in strangers. He held his staff of office, raised it, and closed his eyes. “May the gods of our lands strike you two dead if your mission is to destroy my land. I am the only king that went into the land of Umuofeke and came back with loads of wisdom and victory. You must respect the chief priest and me, or you face the wrath of the gods,”

Ikem bowed before him and then looked into his face. “My king, I am nothing but a child. Listen to me and heed my advice,”

“He is a demon that came to deceive,” the chief priest said to Igwe who was already indecisive.

“If you’re here with good intentions as you claim,” the Igwe said angrily to Ikem, “show us a sign, but you need to first of all put back the items into the pot,”

Ikem smiled for a while, and then obeyed the king. He slowly lowered the canine tooth and the egg in the pot. He looked directly into the eyes of the king and said: “Igwe if you think that the items for the sacrifice are complete, where is the white feather from Ugo chakere achake (ripe white eagle)? Tell your chief priest to provide it if he has it,”

The king didn’t believe that the white single feather wasn’t in the pot until he came closer, looked into the pot, and didn’t see it. Looking at the chief priest, the king became surprised that it wasn’t there. Among the items listed for the sacrifice, the white feather was the most difficult to be found. To avoid embarrassing the chief priest, the king went closer to him and pulled him closer for a whisper. “Where is the white feather,” he asked ensuring that no other person heard him except the chief priest.

Ijiji ana esolu mma couldn’t answer that. He was dumbfounded and felt defeated. “It couldn’t be found, my king,” he confessed to King Ozuruonye.

“Then the little boy is right,” The king said to him feeling embarrassed. He went back to Ikem’s position and said: “What should we do?”

The princess smiled knowing full well that Ikem just won the king’s trust. She smiled, came close to Ikem, and put her hand into his pocket. It was surprising to everyone when the princess brought out the white feather of an eagle.

The people shouted in surprise as they saw this.

“Now I figured out what you’ve been hiding,” the princess whispered to Ikem, “stealing is bad but you just made a good steal,” she added smilingly, “Now is the time for you to surprise us all with what you know that we don’t,”

Ikem was filled with happiness when he felt that the gods were by his side and using him. He collected the unsullied feather from the princess and put it into the pot.

It was amazing how the pot started oozing with the fresh smell from incense as if incense was there before. He took the pot and handed it over to the chief priest who seemed dumbfounded.

“This is the item for the sacrifice,” Ikem said to him, “This is just for the fowls to be healed but the problem of this kingdom is far from being over,”

The chief priest was humbled this time, so he took the pot, went closer to the river, and laid it down slowly.

There was a flash of heavy lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap that shook the entire village. The flowing river carried the pot away in a heavy wave making the people know that the sacrifice has been accepted.

With smiles coating the lips of the king, he looked at the boy and said: “who are you? Are you a deity or son of the gods? If yes, let’s bow before you in reverence and worship,”

Ikem didn’t reply to the king. He simply beckoned the guards closer. “Untie her and take her to her mother,” he instructed them to do but they were hesitant to obey.

Arunne was so happy when this happened. She leaped with joy and rushed to the altar but she was prevented from touching Ojiugo.

The guards got an affirmative nod from the king as approval for them to carry out the instruction.

After untying Ojiugo, she was handed over to Arunne whose joy knew no bounds.

“The question of the king still begs for an answer,” The princess said gleefully to Ikem.

Ikem climbed on the altar, looked around observing the people one after the other. He was so proud of himself for saving the day.

Nkolika who was far off rushed to the altar and stood by the foot of it looking so happy and expecting an invitation from Ikem to climb too.

Agujiegbe, Nkolika’s father was shocked to see his daughter in such an adult gathering. The last time he checked, she was meant to be at home with her siblings. The young father tried to go to the altar to take his child but the princess stopped him.

“Allow her because there is something we all don’t know that these two may know,” she said to the man. “I guess you’re yet to know the kind of child you have as a daughter,”

The people admired Ikem as he waved at them with pride and satisfaction. They praised him and chanted songs of exhortation and victory. They even wished to make him the youngest chief priest in history judging from the tone of their songs. Some of them booed the chief priest which Ikem frowned at.

The chief priest was demoralized seeing how his people made him downcast just because of his mistake. He maintained his position and didn’t move an inch though. He simply felt bad as he reminisced on the tribulations that have crippled his priestly effort lately.

When the boy noticed that Ijiji was losing his popularity among his people, he tried to stop them but they continued. When he looked at the king, Igwe Ozuruonye already knew that the boy wanted to talk, so he made the people calm down until the last noise crept away from the crowd.

“You all shouldn’t see the chief priest as incapacitated,” Ikem said aloud as his voice echoed in that silence, “some of you are booing him but he had been confused for many reasons. The gods in Umudike remained silent. Even in Oduma, the gods are silent too but I see things in my dreams and get revelations. That’s the only way I help. You

all may be surprised that this is my first assignment. Since I was born, I never helped in revealing any message from the supreme beings,” the people murmured in surprise as they heard that but he continued: “Respect your chief priest and understand that he wanted to help; hence his move to unseal the lips of the gods, But when the gods are silent, a chief priest that is supposed to be their servant cannot function well. He is just as human as you when the gods don’t reveal their intentions to him. Amid that, he still made effort to unseal their lips just to help his people. That’s bravery. He still has the mandate of the gods and nothing has changed,”

After saying this, the people were filled with deep respect and admiration for their chief priest. They started eulogizing him and hailing his bravery. That alone restored the lost good reputation that had dwarfed the chief priest’s pride as the mouthpiece of the gods.

As the cheering crowd continued to jubilate, Nkolika put her hand beneath the altar, brought out a fowl, and raised it for everyone to see.

The people were jubilant when they saw that the fowl was already healed. They started chanting songs of victory to their Chi-ukwu (god in heaven).

The chief priest was so happy for earning his respect again by the words of the young boy. He raised his Oji and said: “Our virgins had dreams which couldn’t be understood by any, but today, the interpreter is here. The little deity will explain what the dream means to us. I said to you all that the person to interpret the dream is near but no one knew him. He is here with us and I am happy to introduce him as the great dreams interpreter,”

The people began to clap for the boy. They felt like they were surrounded by the gods; therefore wished to worship him.

“In the dream,” Ikem began while serenity overtook everyone listening ardently, “The virgins of Umudike kingdom saw themselves being slain by ajo chi (the evil god). In the dream, they all went to bathe in the stream. At first, it was all fun when they played around. But the stream suddenly turned to blood. Fear overtook them when they saw this. They tried to run away to safety but their legs were all stuck at the bottom of the shallow river. None of them could come out of the river, so they began to drown. As this happened, heavens frowned at the earth, so it became dark abysmally. Angry children came from nowhere and began to destroy the entire crops in the village with their lanterns. They continued until they got to the stream laden with blood. The maidens thought that the children would save them but they ended up throwing their lanterns into the river. The river that was meant to extinguish the lanterns made the fire to be stronger. The entire river started burning. The inferno began to enter the villages. Those arsonists bitterly as this happened. They have been offended and seeking revenge. That was the dream,”

People began to shout and tremble in fear because of how scary the dream was.

“The appeasement of the Ngene River is just for the livestock to be safe but that never erased the sins of your fathers,” Ikem continued, “The most painful part is that the sins of your fathers are being perpetuated by the current generation. This inferno wouldn’t stop here but will continue into other kingdoms. The most painful part is that the person that was meant to be a solution to this is nowhere to be found. The gods didn’t reveal his or her identity to me,”

The maidens suddenly began to remember every detail of the nightmare that was hitherto blurry in their mind’s eyes. They started crying as fear engulfed them. It was obvious that the dream was so shuddery that they wished they didn’t remember any of the details at all.

The princess was so amazed hearing that. She was also afraid that whatever was plaguing the people of Umudike would soon start affecting Oduma and other kingdoms. She needed to warn her people but didn’t even know what to warn them about. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became.

King Uwadiegwu Ozuruonye was tongue-tied after listening to the young boy. He was meant to be happy but just realized that a problem greater than many kingdoms put together was befalling them. He didn’t just know what to do especially when Ikem had revealed everything to the extent of his knowledge without a solution proffered.

It became clearer to the chief priest that he just heard what he’d been longing to hear. The message from the gods had been confusing to him but that very day; he realized that even the gods were angry. And that was why they remained silent. The chronic silence of the gods got the chief priest shivering. For the first time, he became so afraid. Without talking to anyone, he started to leave his shrine. It was expedient he offered prayers of penance for his people. The problem was that he didn’t even know what he was praying for. The same sin, according to Ikem was being preserved by the current generation. The best way to stop the anger of the gods was to end it but no one knew what it was. That was the greatest challenge.

Seeing that the chief priest had gone, the king became afraid too but he had to pretend that all was well so that his subjects wouldn’t panic more than they already did. Looking at the faces of the people, he said: “At least our livestock is safe. Let us all go home and keep reflecting conscientiously on what the young man said to us. This boy is a special child but he just revealed that he can’t help us. He already helped but the greater problem that may befall us; he has no solution to it. The one who he hinted would be of help to us; no one knows him or her. Pray to your gods and beg them to reveal a solution. I tremble at the silence of the gods,” Looking at Ikem, he said: “Ikem, I am yet to understand how the chief priest knew your name. But he’s a strong man and the mouthpiece of the gods. So he possibly knew you even before you came here,” Facing the people, he continued: “Sometimes, the gods keep us in the dark just to be the ones to provide the lights when the time comes. I will have to visit the king of Oduma kingdom and discuss with him. He’s my good friend and my childhood playmate. Princess,” he called looking at the dashing girl, “I was present at your naming ceremony but never knew you have grown this big,” And to the people, he encouraged saying: “For now, let’s all depart and get prepared to face whatever would come our way. But one thing I know is this; we must conquer at the end,”

“We must conquer at the end!” The people chorused and started applauding their king who just gave them hope in a hopeless situation. Even though they were still agitated by the revelations of doom, they were a bit comforted and encouraged.

After saying this, the king and his entourage began to leave silently in deep contemplation.

Nkolika was so happy with Ikem’s feat. She helped him to jump down from the altar and gave him a warm embrace. “How did you hear my whisper from a distance?” she asked bewilderedly.

“I can’t tell,” Ikem replied happily, “We shall meet again, I promise. But if your whisper can cross over to my village and get to me when I’m gone, then I have a bedtime story to tell you. The story of the tortoise and the elephant,” he revealed proudly.

Nkolika was so happy because she loves folktales a lot. She couldn’t wait to check if her whisper could be heard by Ikem from Oduma kingdom.

“But I hope the story wouldn’t make the tortoise bad this time,” Nkolika said pouting as they started leaving.

“Not at all,” Ikem said as they held each other’s hand walking away in gladness, “the tortoise is a hero. You must like the story this time,”

The princess had large followers who almost idolized her for her status and valor. They revered her and wished to touch even the stripes of her beautiful sandals.

The guards prevented the people from mobbing the princess and Ikem, so they protected them.

Getting top the boundary between Oduma and Umudike, the people gathered in numbers to bid the two august visitors adieu. When Ugegbe and Ikem were seen no more, they all dispersed to their homes except Nkolika that couldn’t move an inch because she felt that her playmate just left her.

The young girl cried in her father’s arms as she wished to follow Ikem back to Oduma village. The only consolation she had was that when she whispered to Ikem, she still heard his reply.

Mazi (Mr.) Agujiegbe was surprised that his weeping daughter suddenly became cheerful. He didn’t understand what happened but he was at least happy that she finally agreed to go home with him.

“So what’s the secret that made you happy again, nwam (my daughter)?” he asked with utmost curiosity.

“I will soon enjoy the story where the tortoise is the hero,” she replied gleefully as she went hope leaping with joy.

Mazi Agujiegbe thought that Nkolika was talking about visiting Mazi Esomchi, so he didn’t ask more questions. He simply tried to catch up with the child that was already far off running home. Being a young father, he ran after her and made the run competitive as they headed home.

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

To be continued….

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