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ORIGIN - Chapter Eighteen
The war took place the next day with the men of Umuolu wearing stripes of palm fronds of war on their foreheads as they marched through the boundaries between Umuolu and Umunsogbu. They left their wives and children and diviners who refused to fight based on certain reasons, in the hands of their chief priest.
The war was fierce. It was the worst war Umuolu people had ever fought since the beginning of their history. They marched to Umunsogbu with charms and amulets that Isiewu had specially prepared but were taken aback by the ambush that was laid ahead of them. The shocked men of Umuolu turned to face the enemies who were behind them only to find out they were not the warriors of Umunsogbu but mercenaries from Umuoku who had been paid well by Egwusinala to fight by their side.
The warriors of Umuolu heard loud chants coming from their left side only to discover that the chants were from the people of Umuise who were approaching them with mac
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“We were lucky,” Abuo said as they leaned on a large palm-tree with long branches.“How were we lucky?” Ofu asked.“Snakes!” Abuo echoed. “We could have been bitten by large snakes in the forest.”“I doubt that. Our gods are very much alive.”“I thought so too.”Abuo picked a small stone and threw it at a lizard that darted quickly as soon as the stone touched its fragile body.“Do you miss Ato?” Ofu asked.“He had his own decisions to make. He chose to follow the hunter and leave us. Should I miss him for not taking me along?”“I knew that he would leave. I just sensed it.”“It doesn’t matter now,” Abuo said absent-mindedly.Abuo's skin was lighter tha
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Hours turned into days. Days rolled into weeks. Weeks formed into months, and months got covered by the pride of years. Fifty years had passed since Ofu, and his brothers got separated. He was now an old man, married with only one son whose name was Nwaka.“You were beautiful the first day I met you,” Ofu said to his wife.“Old age has taken away my beauty,” Ihuoma replied. She was Ofu’s imagination of an ideal woman, just like Olanna.“I can never forget the day I met you. The gods must have brought you to save me from dying.”“The gods must also have been reasonable enough to humble you so much in order for you to go on your knees and beg me for a little water,” Ihuoma said, laughing. It was one of those few times they sat outside under the light of the full moon to reflect on their younger days.“Your people were wick
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The first foreigner from Europe to visit Umuoku was a missionary from England. His name was Peter Stonefield. He was one of the few men filled with revivalism who had decided to go on a solo mission in spreading the gospel of Christ to villages that had not yet been blessed with the message of Christ.Peter gazed at the shrine of Umuoku. The home where the devil conveyed his message to his followers. He formed a quick saliva and spat on the ground. In his mind, he wished he could light a fire and get rid of the heretic symbol in front of him. As he eyed the shrine in front of him, he kept telling himself to be patient in order to avoid getting himself involved in a mistake that he would later regret.A year ago, he had made a firm decision to leave his comfort, sworn an oath of celibacy and venture into the darkness of Africa to spread the goodwill message of christ. The message of love and peace and hope for a better life after earth. His zeal had led hi
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The elders took their positions in front of the crowd as they waited for the wrestlers to arrive. The first match of the day was between two young men who were in their mid-twenties. The men came out separately, in their own war-like style. They hit their chests with rigid bare hands and danced to the wrestling drums before clutching hands together to indicate a fair game.The first match started with a whistle, and the wrestlers locked hands immediately. They held each other firmly in the shoulders, circling and moving their muscles to the fast beats coming from the drum. They pushed and pulled for a long time until the whistle was blown again, signalling a draw match.The wrestlers went away. New palm fronds were brought to replace the old ones. The next wrestling match was among teenagers, and the favourite teen wrestler was Akagi, a seventeen-year-old bastard who had never been thrown on the ground. He held the title of best teenage wrestler in
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