Ibekwe dropped the pot of water in the backyard of Akwaudo's hut. Ifeme was behind him, staring at a roosting chick that had been born some minutes ago. He was pouring the water he had fetched from the stream on a large clay pot when he heard Akwaudo's scream. Mistakenly, he released his hands from the pot and it fell and smashed into pieces as it hit the ground. He entered the hut, passed the room he shared with Ifeme and stopped dead when he reached Akwaudo's room. He saw Okoli sitting on the floor and holding her firmly on her shoulders. There was blood in the floor."Your mother is not well," Okoli said. He bent Akwaudo's wrist for Ibekwe to see. She was helpless and stiff as if she had lost her sense of movements. "Go and get Ifeme quickly and bring a piece of cloth you will use to get rid of the blood on the floor."Ibekwe did not move. He stared at the thick blood that was flowing from Akwaudo's face. Her face was swollen, larger than normal and her eyes were cl

Something was not right and she knew it as she heard her male child cry for the second time in a day. Osisiakalaka had failed her. His concoction didn't work. She tried hard to dissuade herself from believing she had been used and trampled by the great diviner who the people had adorned, worshipped and respected without thinking twice about the consequences of her foolish actions.Chinelo stood outside her hut, seeing her cheerful male child, moving inside her hut, crawling as if he was demanding for the liquid inside her body. Her breast milk. The price she had to pay to get rid of the baby when it was just a life inside her was huge but she paid it because she didn't want the whole village to start raising their heads and gossiping about her. She had heard rumors of how widows were abused when people discovered that they were with child and she didn't want such fate to befall her. To be punished by banishment or by public disgrace before death was not something she wanted i

bekwe was part of the few villagers who had been impacted by James speech in the village square and he felt a keenness to talk to the white man, to know more about the Jesus Christ he adored—the man that Peter Stonefield told him about when he held his hands close to the stream and asked him the meaning of his life. Of course, he had no answer to that. All he knew at that moment was becoming a better person but he failed and he was cast away from his village like the devil and asked never to return back home.Everything was starting to make sense to him as he stirred the soup silently and recalled some of the stories Peter Stonefield had told him about God. Indeed! The supreme being who sat in a heavenly throne did hear his cry and on his merciful watch, he had decided to send another servant to his aid. If God had waited much longer, he would have no choice but to face Okoli and tell him he was an insane man. How can a man derive joy in beating his own wife? How can a

 James sat in his cane chair with his eyes closed and feet resting on the table as he listened to the sound of two goats in his backyard, bleating. The goats were gifts from Osinala which arrived very early in the morning before he could say the Lord's Prayer and brush his teeth. He looked forward to another meeting in the village square when he had regained his confidence and was strong enough to defend his cause. He stood up now and walked to the small pile of books he had arranged last night in search of an exemplary text that would fascinate his mind and set him in the right mood. Some weeks ago, he had considered writing a book about his trip to Africa. Unlike all the books he had read, this book would only contain the good things the natives of Africa did and not the bad. He was planning on starting the book with a captivating sentence that would keep the reader glued but all the words he came up with where not making sense to

You are welcome," Okoli said. "What can I do for you?"Nnadi shook his head and sat down. "A lot of things are going bad in Umuise. The gods must rise up from their slumber and fight their battle.""What battle will the gods fight?""The battle against the white man who dwells in our midst."Okoli hissed and drank his palm wine. "The white man has brought a disease but instead of Osisiakalaka to admit it was a disease, he decided to accept the disease and force us to welcome it." He paused. "If by chance, the gods permit me to see that foolish diviner from Umudike and I have a stick with me, I will make sure I break his head with it.""The gods forbid you from saying that," Nnadi retorted."The gods will only forbid people who don't follow their ways.""How can you suggest breaking the head of a diviner? We are talking of a man that the gods have chosen to carry their message."Okoli laughed loudly. "Nnadi! Sometimes I wonder w