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EXILE - Chapter Sixty
Ibekwe got up quickly as if stung by a bee. He stretched his eyes to where the palm oil lamp rested, quietly. Slowly, he moved towards the palm oil lamp to check what could have possibly made the lamp to give up its light. After several failed trials of reviving the lamp from its gloomy mood, he dropped it and returned to the bamboo bed. He laid down straight, closed his eyes and prayed for the lamp to come back to life. He kept on praying until he felt a touch on his lap. It was a gentle touch.
The palm that rested on his lap were soft. They were like feeble palms that had not smelt the pain and suffering accompanied with manual work. The palm circled around the ball of his foot and stopped, then moved up to his knee and continued. Ibekwe smiled when the palm stopped at his thigh.
At first, he thought it was Ifeme's palm but he knew it couldn't be him, lying on the bed and touching him. He opened his eyes widely and saw the face of a woman or more like a girl. S
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Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-one
This was the second time that Ibekwe was visiting Osisiakalaka's shrine and he was familiar with the road to Osisiakalaka's temporary dwelling place and his shrine. The long trees with vivid branches spreading across different directions indicated that he was close to the shrine. He lowered his pace and squinted to see if the long line of people that came to visit Osisiakalaka everyday for his help was still there. He didn't hear the voice of a single soul.The place was free from any human form except for a statue resembling an awkward human with an inscription on his feet which he could not see clearly because of the gap between where he was standing and where the statue stood. He moved closer to the statue and roamed his eyes to check if any unwanted visitor was watching him from a silent corner. Aware that he was not being watched, he faced the lifeless human. The elbow of the statue was almost touching its knee as if it was taking a bow of silence in front of the high go
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-two
Ibekwe sat on the bamboo bed and swung his feet to the floor. His drowsy eyes persuaded him to fall back and rest on the bed, and sleep but he snubbed it."Lie down on the bed," Osisiakalaka husky voice filled the room. "You need to sleep."Ibekwe laid down on the bed. The room was quiet and from the charms and amulets that were hung on the wall, he knew he was inside Osisiakalaka's temporary dwelling place. He watched as Osisiakalaka paced from one end of the room to another before he spoke again; his face was red and his lips were pressed tightly."What were you doing here?" Osisiakalaka asked.Ibekwe kept quiet."Why didn't you go home when you saw the words written on the statue?" Osisiakalaka asked again, sounding differently."I wanted to see you because I was still having strange dreams, thoughts and sometimes I feel my mother's presence. I also talk with my conscience. I am not normal."Osisiakalaka stroke his beard. "You woul
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-three
"Wake up Ibekwe," a voice said.Ibekwe got up slowly and retreated back to the bed when he saw the figure of a woman. He shouted Adaugo's name. Three times he hollered but no one beside him responded."Ibekwe! Are you alright?" The voice asked.Ibekwe strained his eyes till he grasped the full image of the woman in front of him. His mother, Akwaudo."Good morning mother," he replied slowly."You had a terrible sleep last night. You almost got your father angry," Akwaudo said, drifting away from the bed."But I slept pretty fine. My visit to Osisiakalaka made we feel better.","If screaming the name of Adaugo in the middle of the night is the result you got from yesterday's visit to the shrine then you need help. Several times you yelled her name. I already warned you and your brother to be careful around that girl. I will have to see her parents even if it is the only way I can keep you safe.""Don't do that mother. It is not n
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-four
The grasscutter looked at the fallen leaves, dispersed in diverse regions around the ground. Its moist body vibrated slowly as it bent its head to sense any form of danger. Seeing none, it hastily crawled away and kept on moving until the scent of an edible fruit swept past its nose. The grasscutter stopped and observed a small wooden structure above the fruit that was acting as a threat to its mission. Speedily, he grabbed the fruit and jumped out of the trap. After gnawing the fruit selfishly, the grasscutter shut its eyes and rested. Minutes later, it was asleep with its rodent claws on its belly.It took a short period of time for the grasscutter to realise the mistake it had made. It opened its eyes and was shocked to see a predator standing close with fingers searching for its body. The grasscutter tried to run fast but it couldn't. It was stuck. It moaned as it tried to free itself from the tight grip of the rope. Its predator stared with brave eyes and made an evil cl
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-five
Children clapped as they circled a glowing fire. They sang an Igbo song and when it ended, they laughed, jumped and stamped their feet on the ground. The parents of the children were clustered in one part of the village square, chatting in low voices.A child spotted Ibekwe and ran to him."How are you?" Ibekwe asked the child."I am fine," the child responded with flickering eyes.Ibekwe carried the child on his shoulders and was spinning the young boy in a playful manner when a short woman approached him. From the giggling coming from the child, Ibekwe knew the woman was the child's mother."The gods will bless you my child. I have been looking for my son everywhere," the short woman said."He is a good boy who likes to play," Ibekwe replied.Ibekwe handed the child to the short woman and she dragged the young boy into her arms. Suddenly, Ibekwe felt an urge to ask the woman why children were playing close to the fire but he r
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-six
High in the sky, a thunder struck and the rains began to pour suddenly and violently, as though someone was persuading the rain from a powerful shrine. Ezeugo laid on the bamboo bed, listening to the sound of the rain droplets hitting the ground peevishly. His eyes moved to an old table, where a palm oil lamp rested. A cold breeze blew and the light vanished. Everywhere was dim.He lifted himself to a sitting position and moved his head in a way of reasoning. He stared at the plain darkness that engulfed the room and saw nothing. His wife, Ojiugo was beside him, breathing slowly and silently with each heart throb preparing the way for the other. Her hands were well rested in her chest, covering her large breasts that were yet to encounter the mouth of a child.Ezeugo had never talked about his childlessness and no one was there to bother him about it. The only people that could have irritated him with constant questions pertaining to the fertility of his wife wer
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-seven
Like a wavy spirit, morning came quickly but the rooster in Ezeugo's compound did not crow and its refusal to remind Ezeugo that daylight had come did not stop him from waking up early. He got up and found Ojiugo still asleep, eyes closed and staring into space. He went outside and grabbed pieces of bundled firewoods which he used to make a fire. A few minutes passed and the water he placed on the fire was heated. He put off the fire and took the hot water and went to bath. When he returned to the room, he found Ojiugo still sleeping. Her posture had not changed. She was facing the opposite side of the window, still staring into space.He wore his clothes and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. When he stopped at Okwudili's compound, he knocked at the door. Okwudili opened the door and they whispered after exchanging greetings. A while later, Okwudili came out and told him to lead the way."Where is the charm that Osisiakalaka gave you?" Okwudili asked.
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-eight
Osisiakalaka was standing barefooted in the verandah of his shrine when he began to feel dizzy. He drained half of the gourd of palm wine in one gulp, grimacing at whatever special flavour the woman in his shrine had filled it with. There was a deadening clunk of wood on wood, and the woman inside the shrine vibrated as the gourd fell from his grip and hit the table. A pulse ran through his skull. Osisiakalaka turned his head, eyes drawn to the palm wine, spattered on the floor. The woman inside his shrine brought a rag and asked for his permission to clean the spilled contents, he allowed her with a stretch of his hand.As he focused on the woman who crouched childlike on the floor, swinging her arms in rotational motion. There was a gentle sway about her, as if she moved to a rhythm only she could understand and feel. It was enthralling and spellbinding. She sang in hushed whispers as the Igbo words flowed gently from her lips. Osisiakalaka watched and raised his chest, eac
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- Shading Black About the Author
- Shading Black Epilogue
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and three
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and two
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and one
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-nine
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-eight
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-seven
