011 MAI'ALJANU 3

BINTA

I woke up in the morning to a lot of activity in the compound. They had gotten everything they needed for the summoning and were already walking on the ritual. Following my morning routine, I stood and watched curiously while chewing my chewing stick. My mother and Gogo sat in front of her hut and watched. I knew Gogo was concerned for her nephews, but she sat with my mother so she wouldn't feel abandoned, being that she had just lost her husband and all that had happened recently. My mother needed support. I rinsed my mouth and decided to go see my mother. I decided that I would break the news to her this morning.

"Good morning, mother," I greeted my mother. "Good morning, Gogo," I greeted my aunt.

"How was your night? Did you sleep well?" my mother asked me.

"I slept well. Thank you. And you?" I asked.

"We thank the Almighty for His kindness." She responded.

Gogo looked at me and smiled. "You look bubbly this morning." She observed.

I just smiled and sat on the mat to eat breakfast with them.

"Mother, I would like to tell you something. Please let me know when it will be convenient for us to talk." I said.

"What about now?" she asked, "or do you want to talk in private?"

"No, not at all. I can say it in front of my favourite aunty," I said and smiled at Gogo. "It's about my visit to the palace yesterday." My mother sat up to pay attention to what I was about to say. I continued, "the Sarki, his majesty, offered me a job." My mother raised her eyebrows in amazement. Gogo looked excited.

"What's the job about?" Gogo asked.

"Oh well, it's an administrative job," I answered.

"What will you be doing? Why does the Sarki need an administrator? To administrate is part of his job," my mother and my aunt laughed. It was good to see my mother laugh in a while, and I was glad that I was the one that made her laugh.

"Well, with the building of the school, there will be plenty back and forth between the Sarki and the government of the country our island is in. Being the only literate, he believes I can understand the structure of the school and make wise decisions on his behalf regarding the school."

"Wow. That will make you automatically an important person in Rayuwa. I had always known that allowing you to learn from the Catholics when they offered was the best gift we could ever give you." My mother confessed.

My aunty was curious, so she asked, "why give you the job? What about his children? They are properly educated and will function better than you."

"I thought as much, but then I realised that his children never lived in Rayuwa, and maybe they still are not willing to live in Rayuwa, which makes me the next best thing," I explained.

"Well, if you put it that way, it makes sense. Cause I will be mad if the Sarki tried to use you for sacrifice because we know how the deities are when it comes to western development and education." Gogo explained.

"They cleared the issue with the deity before pursuing the project." My mother explained, "I learned it took five years for the ritual and sacrifice to get all the deities to permit the building of the school. So I guess it's safe." My mother paused and looked at me with a smile. "I believe we should celebrate this. I will kill a ram for suya (barbecue) to celebrate."

I was shocked at what my mother said. Somehow, somewhere, I knew my mother was killing the ram to slight her 'enemies' Nana, Aisha and Kawu, but I couldn't point it out to her out of love and respect. I paused a while and looked down. Gogo lifted my head to see my eyes.

"Is there anything else?" she asked, looking worried.

"Well," I paused, "actually, there is."

Suddenly my mother stopped smiling and was attentive. I looked at her and held her hands. I needed courage. There was no right way to break the news to her. I just had to say it the way it was.

"The Sarki has requested I move into the palace and become his full responsibility." My mother was about to speak when I cut her off and explained, "not like a slave or anything. He said it was out of concern and that he knew I was the best person for the job; that he could trust me, and I will not betray him."

"And what was the concerning part?" my aunt asked.

I swallowed, knowing the reaction to the explanation I was about to give might go either way; it was a fifty-fifty possibility. But I said it anyway, "he said; being the only child of my father and my father just dying, along with my family's financial status, there is a chance my family might marry me off so that I can be supported and cared for. He was concerned about the person my family may marry me off to. But me working for him and living in the palace will mean I will be well cared for, and I can care for my family with my earnings, and at the same time, the island will enjoy my blessing of being literate."

"Well, if you put it that way. It is a good opportunity," my aunt said.

"And it means my daughter will raise the status of our family and marry well," my mother said, hugging me tightly. "I am proud of you, my daughter."

"Me too," Gogo said, joining the hug.

I was surprised at how well my mother took the news. I wasn't expecting her to take it that well, but she did, and it made me glad. My mother could not control her joy, and at the same time, I knew she wanted to spite Nana and show off her great daughter. She broke the news to Nana, and to her surprise, Nana was overwhelmed with joy, singing that our family status on the island had been raised, and it wasn't a male child that brought about the promotion and honours; it was a female child. My grandmother acknowledged her regrets. She believed my father might have still been alive if she didn't force him to take another wife so she could bear him male children because, in the end, the female child he had with his original wife brought honour to the family. She further said although my father's death was what had made the king want to keep me in the palace, he would have still given me the job and the status while I lived in my father's house. She was right, and I was glad that finally, Nana was open and owned up to her mistake.

The summoning ritual took the whole day, but finally, they succeeded, and Mai'Aljanu appeared as a jinni would. The man was scary; he looked like a demon himself. He kept huffing and puffing as if he was about to take in all the air in the compound. The man looked evil; he wore something made of cow skin and had horns tied around his neck. He painted his face black and seemed extremely dirty. He also had a leaf on his head. It was odd; I had never seen anything like it before. The man was pure evil.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" He growled.

"It is I, great one." Mai'karifi immediately squatted before him and responded. Nana, Aisha and Kawu copied his action and remained squatting.

I was ordered to bring him a mat, but my mother stopped me and made it clear to Nana that nothing of hers would ever be involved with anything that had to do with that man. So Aisha had to rise and get the mat instead. They sat on the mat, and suddenly, the tension in the air reduced.

They quickly explained the issue to him, and he immediately refused to help. Anger was registered on Mai'karfi's face, and he raised his voice at Mai'Aljanu.

"How can you say you will not help? Apart from the fact that you put this family in this mess, Aisha is your daughter, and the boys are your grandchildren." Everybody gasped at this revelation.

Mai'Aljanu was still blank and expressionless; he simply explained that he did not have a daughter, and if he did, he couldn't remember her.

"You have lived too long among the jinns and demons. You are losing your humanity, my friend," Mai'Karfi explained. "Remember you left your daughter and wife for me to care for over thirty years ago. You were on a search for ultimate power. Aisha was a baby then. You begged me to marry your wife and take care of your daughter as if she were mine because you feared you might not return from the journey, and you didn't. Here is Aisha, your daughter," he pointed at her. She was in shock.

Even with all the markings, paints and demonic items the man wore on himself that made him look ugly, I could see the resemblance between him and Aisha. It was a shock.

Mai'Aljanu moved closer to his daughter, touched her face, and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was in tears; he kept saying, "I remember you. I remember you. How can I have forgotten the only part of me I left behind? I remember you." It was clear on Aisha's face that she was confused and did not know how to react. I did not blame her. The bottom line was she did not know the man. It was a sad sight.

He got up and ran in to see his grandsons. My mother sat outside all through observing what was going on. Knowing she did not want to get involved in the issue, I wondered why she made it her business to observe. I guess she was curious, just like I was.

The man ran out, panting heavily.

"No. You shall no longer feast on this household." He held and pointed a ram's horn towards the sky. "You have collected more than you were owed, a child and a life, and now, even after the offender has paid with his blood, you still seek more blood from this home. This must stop," he sat and bowed his head to meditate.

About an hour later, which I could tell from the position of the sun, he stood up and said, "I will repurchase this family's freedom. But the two mothers must journey with me to visit Aljanan'Daji."

"Why must both mothers follow?" Nana asked.

My mother was about to protest when he answered, saying, "the debt has been paid by the debtor. The deal was she would hold on to his son and spare his life. The fact that he told his second wife was not reason enough to kill him because she too shares in the curse. Therefore, she had the right to know. But the bloodthirsty demon did not keep her side of the bargain. She collected the blood, life and soul of the debtor. Therefore, she has no rights to the first son and these two. They are both to journey with me to retrieve their sons' souls so they may return home."