Chapter 52: The enemy

"We will be working on the plantain farm today. Some young plantain trees need to be transplanted, while some of the big ones are due for harvest. Nwife requested that we leave no stone unturned. Ije, you will be assuming your post as the Princess's maid tomorrow so you'll go with us," Nnedi announced. The slaves sighed. They hated to work at the plantain plantation.

The maidens gathered all the things they would need to work on the farm and set out to Nwife's plantain farm.

Ije became tired after toiling for more than eight hours without food. She lay down on the pasture and shortly fell asleep. Other slaves tolerated her because she was the newest and they were used to laboring all day without food.

Working on the plantain farm was one of the most difficult tasks in the community and the maidens abhorred it. Since plantains trees are grown from long twelve to fifteen foot underground rhizomes, a large hole is dug before the new plant is transplanted.

The slaves dug small pits