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N. 29 - Maggio 2010 (LX)

THE PRIZE OF A WICKED AUNTY
short novel - part iI
di Emmanuel Celestine

 

CHAPTER SIX

It was the Amazi village market day. The day the prince and his friends promised to come to visit Kachi's father. They have not told Mrs. Nwanneka but she was already aware. That morning, her husband called her and told her to prepare some special meal because they would have important visitors. She asked him who the visitors were, as if she had not known already. Her husband told her that she would know when they come. He gave her some bush meat that he had killed from the bush that day to prepare the meals and then left. Mrs. Nwanneka was not happy that these two girls were getting married before their elder ones.
“This will not happen”, she said beating her chest. She had decided that she must plot an evil to hinder them from getting married. Even if anybody should married, it shouldn't be Chioma, she agreed. After sometimes, she left the house. Nobody knew where she had gone to. Her children believed that she had gone to the market but she only went to hire the people who will kill Chioma. She told the men to kill Chioma on her way to the market. She gave them some money and promised to pay them the remaining money as soon as they finish their job. She immediately came home and asked Chioma to go to the market to buy some fish while they have enough fish and even meat in the house. As Chioma wanted to leave for the market, she observed that Kachi had worn her footwear and wore Nan's footwear. Few minutes later, Nana came back and found out that she had worn her footwear to the market. She went after her immediately to fight her and collect it back from her.
The men who Mrs. Nwanneka sent to kill Chioma had accomplished their job. They came to her to collect the balance of their money. After paying them, she asked them where they killed her and they told her and asked her to go and confirm if she thought they were telling lies. She decided to go there with them to confirm by herself. When they got there, the men removed the cloth with which they have covered the corpse. When she saw it, she screamed and started crying. They have killed Nana instead of Chioma. The two young men left her there and ran away as the villagers began to gather.


CHAPTER SEVEN

The villagers soon gathered at the scene of the incidence. Mrs. Nwanneka was rolling herself on the ground, crying profusely. At first, the people who had gathered did not know for sure what had killed the young girl. All the attempts made by the sympathizers to get informed about what has happened proved abortive.
At last, Mrs. Nwanneka decided to speak. She was helped to her feet by two women. When she stood up, she wiped her tears with back of her palms.
“ Our people”, she began. “ I was on my way to the market this morning when I saw my daughter lying dead on this road”, she lied as the villagers exclaimed in amazement.
“Abomination”, many chorused.
“ Has your husband heard about this?” one of the men asked.
“ No, he just left the house”, she replied. The elders there, then asked the women to leave the scene so that they would plan how to bury the deceased. Someone was sent immediately to go and look for Mr. Nwanneka and inform him about what has happened.
Mr. Nwanneka felt deeply bad when he heard what happened. Some of the elders of the village sat with him to console him. He could not hold back his tears. He loved all her children even though he had special likeness for Kachi because of her intelligence. He wondered why that omen befell his family the day he was expecting his prospective in-laws.
“ Does it mean that I have been making preparation for funeral and not for marriage engagement?” he queried to no one in particular, though no one even heard what he had asked. It was really a sad moment in his house.
It was very late in the afternoon when the prince of Amazi and Ikedi, the prince of Umunta arrived Mr. Nwanneka's compound. When they came, the saw that the people had already gathered and they thought that the people had gathered because of the marriage introduction ceremony. But after sometime, they observed that the mood of the people there did not reflect that of those who had come for a marriage ceremony. They were confused and did not know what was really wrong because no one has informed them.
“ What is the matter?” the visitors chorused.
Mr. Nwanneka looked at them but could not say anything. The more he tried to speak, the more he lost words.
“ We greet you, our elders” Ndudi, the Amazi price greeted again.
“ You are welcome our prince,” one of the elders answered.
“ Please, we hope all is well here. Can somebody tell us what is going on?” he queried inquisitively
“ Our prince, Mr. Nwanneka just lost one of her daughters in a very mysterious way this morning”, the second elder said.
“ Which of the daughters?” he asked wishing it would not be Chioma nor Kachi. He thought at first, whether that was a strategy by the Nwanneka's family to deprive him the right of marrying Chioma.
“ It is my daughter Nana”, Mr. Nwanneka replied as tears rolled down from his eyes.
“ I went to the farm this morning to get some vegetables that my wife will use to prepare soup for your coming when two of our elders came to inform me about what happened”, he continued.
“ It is alright. We really sympathize with your family”, Ikedi consoled. It was very certain for him and his friend that their mission was not going to be fulfilled that day. So, they gave the family all the things they have brought and asked them to accept their condolence and then left.


CHAPTER EIGHT

Mrs. Nwanneka was not satisfied that the marriage introduction ceremony did not take place. She needed to do something in retaliation to what Chioma had caused her. For her, marriage cancellation was not enough payment for the death of her daughter and she did not want to see herself as a looser because for her she is really in cold war with her niece. This time, she was determined that since she had lost her daughter because of Chioma, Chioma would also had to die. She assumed that the death of her daughter was the beginning of the battle between her and Chioma.
This time, she had a deadly plan against her assumed rival, which must be accomplished immediately. She believed that now, it was either she died or Chioma died. For her, one of them must leave this earth for the other to exist. She could no longer withstand Chioma's sight. Up till that moment, no one knew the truth of how Nana was killed. The men who did the evil act had since ran away from the village for fear of being exposed, arrested and prosecuted. One evening, Mrs. Nwanneka, after killing a fowl, took the knife which was stained with blood and hid it inside Chioma's bag.
She made it in such a way that anybody who saw the knife would believe that it has been used to kill a human being. Her plan this time was to accuse Chioma of masterminding the killing of her daughter, Nana.
She knew that in their village, the punishment for anyone who kills another person was execution and the person would be buried alive. With this plot, she believed that she would eliminate Chioma out of the mother earth. Early the next morning, while others were still sleeping, she woke up and started shouting.
“ I said it. I said it. I knew she was a witch but nobody believed me”, she screamed severally as if she was getting mad.
Her husband and the three girls woke up in amazement. It was quite ungodly and unusual for somebody to shout at that time of the dawn because it was still dark.
“ What is it?” her husband asked surprisingly.
“ I told you that we have a witch in this house but you did not believe me. This witch here ha succeeded in killing my daughter”, she said as she pointed her accusing fingers at Chioma.
“I do not understand. What has happened again this time?” he queried ignorantly.
“ Follow me”, she commanded as she led them into Chioma's room. She brought out the knife stained with blood.
“ This was the knife Chioma used to kill Nana” she accused.
“ Mama!” Chioma shouted and started crying. She knew a long time that her aunty hated her but she never knew that the hatred was up to the extent of plotting this kind of evil against her. She could not believe her ears. That was the last thing she could ever thought in her life. Mr. Nwanneka went closer and touched the knife. The blood really looked like the human blood because the perpetrator of the act did a perfect work.
Even though everything seemed real, he did not believe that Chioma could do such a thing. He was short of words. Ify did not waste anytime as she started beating Chioma immediately but Kachi came in between them and rescued Chioma from her cruel hands. Chioma could not hold back her tears.
She wondered if it was her fault that she was an orphan. For the first time in her life, she regretted not knowing her biological parents.
“ May the gods of our land curse the day that I was born into this wicked world. May Amadioha, the god of our ancestors never forgive the parents that brought me in this world”, she lamented as tears continued to rain down her check. The noise in the house later drew the attention of the other people in the neighborhood. When they heard what happened, they could not believe their ears. They suggested that Chioma be taken to the king for judgment and if found guilty, she would buried alive as the traditions and customs of Amazi village demands.


CHAPTER NINE

The elders were already seated at the king's palace waiting for his arrival so that the judgment will commence. Chioma sat on a bare floor with her two hands tied. She knew already that she was going to be found guilty because her aunty had made everything looked very real. Again, so far, things have not been going in her favor and she hasn't seen anything to give her hope that she will succeed in her trial.
For her, it was better to die than to live and continue to face her aunty's hatred and humiliations everyday.
Her aunty was the only woman in the palace because she was the accuser. Women were not allowed to take part in the judgment of cases like this. It was only men who were members of the king's council of elders that were allowed to decide on this type of issues.
The king finally arrived as every body stood up to welcome him.
“ May you live long and rule long, our king”, the people chorused.
“ And you too, my people. You may sit down”, he replied
As he sat down in his usual glorious manner, he asked Mrs. Nwanneka to stand up and formally present her case before the council of elders. She was helped to her feet by some men. As she stood, she greeted the king and the elders who were seated.
“ Our elders”, she started. “ I have come to tell you how Chioma whom I took and treated as my own daughter killed Nana”, she said as she began to shed crocodile tears. She told them that Chioma and Nana had quarrel the previous night before Nana died and Chioma threaten to kill Nana.
“I thought it was a mere child's threat that night. I saw her sharpening the knife but I never knew the purpose of which she was doing that”, she continued. She told them that it was Chioma's plan to kill Nana that morning and that was why she wore Nana's foot wear because she knew that she would definitely come after her to collect her footwear.
“ That was her strategy to drag her out of the house to kill her”, she said.
“Did you wear Nana's footwear?”, the king asked Chioma.
She could not raise her face because she was really in agony and was battling with the tears that were flowing from her eyes. The tears coming down from her eyes could even fill a bucket. The king repeated the question the second and the third time, almost running out of patience before she could raise her face up.
“ Yes, I did”, she replied.
“ So, you killed her. Did you not?”
Chioma remained silent again but rather gathered courage this time.
“ If I say no, I did not kill Nana, you will not believe me because my accuser had portrayed me guilty. Your highness and our elders, with due respect, I would like you to forget about whether I am guilty or innocent. But, I would like you to fulfill the intention of my accuser. She has failed many times, let her succeed at least once. This time”, she replied bravely.
Her uncle had never seen her in such a courageous manner. He believed that she was innocent. If he was the king, he would not have wasted any time in freeing her. But the power was not in his hands.
“ Our elders”, the king continued. “ We have seen from the facts before us that the accused person committed the murder and should be buried alive as demanded by our customs. Her execution would be carried out in the next market day at the evil forest”, he concluded and went inside his room as his guards guarded him.
The palace guards who brought Chioma into the palace court room earlier immediately dragged her up to her feet and took her to the palace prison where she was going to stay until the next market day.
For the first time, Mrs. Nwanneka looked happy and satisfied. She was the only one who looked happy among the people in the palace. Her husband was really having a bad moment. Kachi, like her father, did not believe that Chioma committed the offense she was going to die for. Ify had no stand in the issue. She neither believed nor disbelieved.


CHAPTER TEN

This was the day that Chioma would be buried and the palace guards were busy digging the grave as they sweated profusely. It was the dry season and the ground was very strong. Many people especially women who came that morning spoke their minds about the situation.
“This girl must be a witch. She is heartless to have killed her on sister”, Edede, an old woman said as she was discussing with three other women.
“Tufiakwa!” the second woman exclaimed as she spat on the ground
“I have always told Mrs. Nwanneka but she did not listen to me. I knew this girl is evil. See what she has done to a family that welcomed her into their home”, she continued. More people continued to come in as time passed.
In the evening, the king came out with his guards and the council of elders. Chioma was brought close to the grave that had already been dug for her, with her legs and hands tied. Her uncle was there, imagining if what was happening was in the dream or reality. Even if a prophet or seer told him that Chioma was guilty, he would not have believed. Up till that moment, he believed that his wife had masterminded all these, but there was nothing he could do since the king had already decided. His wife was also there waiting impatiently for her mission to be accomplished.
“Bring the girl here”, the king commanded as she was brought closer. The king's son, the one who wanted to marry her was there too. He had tried to convince his father that she was innocent of the office she was charged with but his father did not reverse his decision.
“ Do you have anything to say before you are buried?” the king asked.
“Yes, your highness”, she replied courageously. Since she knew that nothing could save her from the situation, she thought that it was useless to keep crying. She had taken her fate the way it was
“ Father,” she continued as she turned to her uncle. “ You are the only one who can believe me. I did not kill Nana but I am happy that I am dying to make your wife happy. By my death, I know she will be happy forever. Thank you for all the fatherly love you have shown me. If there is reincarnation, I will like to be your daughter in my next world. This time, your biological daughter.
“ Kachi”, she called as she turned to her. I know that it will be difficult for you to believe me but all I am telling you is the truth. I did not kill your sister. In my next world, may I come from the same parents with you. I am very proud of you”, she said
She looked up to the sky and kept silent for a while and looked down. As she looked down, tears streamed from her eyes. Then she shook her head in agony and said, “what a wicked world? A world of different faces. Faces pure outwards but dangerous inwards. May the gods forgive this generation which is full of green snakes in green grasses. She became silent again. And later continued as the people patiently listen to her.
“ You may now bury me” she finally said.
Sooner had she finished than two palace guards, following the king's order, grabbed her like a fowl. As they were about to throw her into the grave, her eyes met with her aunty's eyes and she said, “ You can now be happy mother. I am sorry that I have kept you sad all my life. If my death will bring happiness into your life, then, I am happy that I am dying. Our gods have granted you your heart desire. Farewell mother”, she concluded. Mrs. Nwanneka did not show any remorse or repentance but impatiently waited for Chioma's final execution. Few minutes later, the guards threw her into the grave and covered her with sand.


CHAPTER ELEVEN

A loud voice was heard shouting from a distance few minutes after Chioma was buried. No one knew in particular where the noise was coming from. After sometime, a man ran into the villagers who were still at the evil forest where Chioma was buried.
“ What is the matter?”the people asked one after the other as the man was still trying to regain his breath.
“ Our people, please, that girl is innocent. She did not kill Nana. I did it”, he confessed.
He was one of those men hired by Mrs. Nwanneka to kill Chioma but mistakenly kill Nana.
“ Hey!” the people shouted in amazement.
He narrated to the villagers how Mrs. Nwanneka hired them and how they mistook Nana for Chioma.
The king immediately ordered that the grave be opened. When the grave was eventually open, Chioma was still found alive. He then ordered the native doctors to make some herbs for her and the women to prepare special food for her. Mrs. Nwanneka was immediately caught and thrown into the grave with her two hands and legs tied. Few minutes after she was buried, there was a strange rainfall and heavy thunder storm. It rained for forty days and night without stopping.
Immediately after the rainfall, a date was fixed and the king's son Ndudi married Chioma while his friend Prince Ikedi, married Kachi as was previously planned. Mr. Nwanneka was very happy about what happened. Ify apologized to Kachi and Chioma about how she had been maltreating them. She later got married, a year after her two younger sisters did.
Few years later, the king died and Ndudi became the king of Amazi while Chioma became the queen . Their reign was the best that the village had ever had. It was later revealed through the village chief priest, that the forty days and night rain was an act of the gods to cleanse all the evils in the village and to welcome the new rule of Ndudi and Chioma.

 

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