Set in the sleepy town of Amakohia, mazi Ukandu and her wife beekee had just given birth, the cry of a child is meant to bring joy but this was the exact opposite as tears and sorrow of total regret and shame had spread all over the village about the news of the new born child, Mazi Ukandu couldn’t control the sadness in heart, running out of his hut when the news of the child was broken to him, the woman whispered in his ears as he sat down tensed waiting for the news
“She has the mark Mazi Ukandu” the maiden whispered in his ears
“Chukwuabiama! what have I done that this evil choose my door step”
Mazi Ukandu ran out and looked to the sky, pointing the long matchete clenched in his fist to the sky
“I Mazi Ukandu would not bury any of my child anymore, I challenge you Oraukwu, do your worst”
His friends all left silently for fear of the wrath of the gods, as Mazi Ukandu walked into the hut where his wife was being cleaned up, at the doorstep of the hut he made sure his wife Beekee was hearing him from the outside as he spoke loud
“Oriaku! Fear not for I will stand by you till eternity, this love we share has no boundaries with our drunk custom, I rather die than to see you suffer”
As he turned with the matchete in his hand and wandered away, that day it rained for three days as the whole community was all indoor, this was a bad Omen.
its five harvesting season since Mazi Ukandu and Beekee got married and they have buried a child almost every harvest season since they got married, this was really a stigma that has stuck with Bekee, she was accused of being a witchcraft and was eating here children, the women in the village stopped associating with her while all her friends deserted her.
When their third child died, they knew what was happening to them wasn’t a coincidence as they seeked for answers, the chief priest took the dead body of the child and made a deep incission on the baby’s back with an instruction
“Bury the dead baby at the depth of the night, if you concieve again and the baby has this mark just know that Ogbanje spirit has been the one eating your baby”
the hysteria that accompanied the birth of this new child and with the said mark boldly on the baby’s back like a scare sent shock through the village and that was why Mazi Ukandu and Beekee acted the way they did when the baby was born.
Sitting outside their hut as the moon shun so bright, the sound of the cricket made the night so peaceful from the dark Mazi Ukandu and Beekee who were sitting outside as Beekee was breastfeeding her child, they saw an imposing figure from the dark as the image of what that was got clearer as it came closer, only for Mazi Ukandu to recognise him as one of the palace guard, he got closer to them and took a bow saying
“Greetings from the palace, the king has requested you bring the baby to the palace by the break of dawn for the long walk to the evil forest”
And Mazi Ukandu stood up pointing his matchete at the palace guard saying
“Tell the king that I said he should expect two heads tomorrow cuz am ready to make sure heads roll tomorrow”
………………………………………………..
The chief priest and the council of elders decided to wade in their predicament as they were summoned before the gods, accompanied by the council of elders as they walked from the palace of the igwe to the village square with Bekee naked and all her private part covered in palm fonds as she carried a huge bowl of garden eggs on her head while Mazi Ukandu’s hand was bound as he was dragged along by a palace guard who had another bowl of groundnut paste {ose oji} in his hand, a large crowd thronged the square as the accompanied them with Beekee crying as the crowd sang songs of sorrow and lead them to the forest.
When they got to the forest at the spot where the sacrifice was to take place, the crowd went silent and the chief priest took the child from one of the palace guard, dropped his ofor and raised the child to the sky, making some silent incantations as he broke out into shouting
“OraUkwu I present this evil that has visited us to you, we have unanimously decided to return her back to the you for she would bring pain upon us”
From the crowd Beekee screamed in her tears
“OraUkwu oh! chim o! ogini bu zi nka, who have I wronged ?”
Like an auto button for cry, other women who couldn’t withstand the pain of a mother loosing her baby and the true pains of motherhood burst into a loud cry as Beekee rolled herself on the ground struggling from the grip of the guards that was holding her hands, all Mazi Ukandu could do was close his eyes, ‘a man is not suppose to be seen crying outside’ that was the general belief but Mazi Ukandu couldn’t control the pain engraved in his heart as tears flowed freely, and Okolo the drunk felt irritated as he scolded them angrily
“Meechie onu! shutup all of you, this is not your crying parlour, when you go to your gossip parlour you can turn their to a crying competition”
The Chief priest stood motionless for a while starring the clouds as he shook his head like someone was whispering something in his ears
“OraUkwu! Oraukwu! your ways are never that of men, Oraukwu never has it been heard that the specks that blurr our vision be left to send us into staggering steps”
The crowd was much more silent than ever as they all couldn’t decipher the riddles and the chief priest turned to the crowd with the baby still held high in the air and said
“She lives, the words of OraUkwu was clear to me, she lives but her purification would come in twenty harvesting seasons to come”
and the crowd screamed
“Aru! Abomination”
Beekee was over joyed as she kept screaming
“OraUkwu thank you oh” as the guards who were holding her left her, she ran to the Chief priest and snatched the baby out of his hand
To be Continued [Watch out for Part 2]
Credit: Husband Material
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