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EXILE - Chapter Sixty-two
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Ibekwe 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
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"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
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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
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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
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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.
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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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An hour had passed when a pregnant Chinelo had left the shrine and Osisiakalaka had succumbed to her grief and commit an enormous crime against his moral code of conduct. Abortion. He dropped the palm oil lamp and opened the door slightly. The yellow light flickered, showing the faces of two matured men. He looked at the first man. The man's lined face crinkled into a smile."Great one! We greet you," the man chorused."You are welcome servants of the gods. You may come inside and sit down," he replied and waved the lamp on their faces as if he was trying to ascertain their identities.As the two men entered inside the shrine, Osisiakalaka peeped to see if anyone was hovering outside the verandah of the sacred place of the gods. Pleased with the fact that it was only the two men and him that were around the vicinity of the shrine , he shut the door."How are your wives? Are they well?" Osisiakalaka asked."Great one! They are well."The two
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Seventy
Anyone who knew Okoli well would know that his spirit has not been at ease for the past six days. Apart from discovering Nnadi cheating on his wife with Chinelo, he did an abnormally weird thing for the first time in his life. He beat Akwaudo.The pain of the beating that Okoli gave to Akwaudo was felt strongly by no one but himself. He did not care about the recent unannounced visits of his mother-in-law or brother-in-law rather he was more bothered about what he did. The fact that he turned his anger towards Akwaudo and beat the hell out of her. But could he be judged? In times of despair, a man of his time could be involved in anything as long as his name was preserved. Ezeugo shamed him and in return, he had to shame someone. Unfortunately it was Akwaudo who received the shame.Also, in their time, women running away from their husband's compound and seeking refuge in their parents home were common. They would sway their waist in a desolate manner, clutch their han
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Shading Black About the Author
Chibuzor Victor Obih was born in the southern part of Nigeria. Delta State to be precise. His writing includes essays, poetry and short stories. He likes to play soccer, read, study and above all, write. He is currently a fourth year student of a renowned public university in Nigeria. The University of Port-Harcourt is where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Shading Black is his first book and his first attempt to explore the beautiful world of a novelist. To stay connected with him and his works, you can follow him on Instagram using the account name: Chibuzor Victor Obih or follow him on Facebook using the account name: Author Chibuzor Victor Obih.
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The room was silent. The door swung open and James came inside, holding a book. Ibekwe stared at James and sighed. They looked at each other for a while before James sat down."I got some interesting information you might want to hear," James said."Tell me," Ibekwe said. He had been feeling guilty since the death of Ifeme."The same boy who killed Osisiakalaka confessed some of the diviner's sins to me. He gave some fascinating explanations about your history that still baffles me," James said, moving his fingers. "Is the name Isiewu familiar to you?" He asked."Not really. I have only heard my grandfather mention him once and that was when he told me to story of Umuolu's war."James reasoned with compressed lips. "Isiewu played a major role in destroying your family. According to Efulefu, the diviner slept with Agunwa, the daughter of a chief priest named Egwusinala. Does these names sounds familiar to you?""I think it does," Ibekwe said.
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