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EXILE - Chapter Thirty-five
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The first person to wake up to the beautiful sunrise that descended on Okoli's large compound was Okoli. He carried his hoe which he had inherited from his father and the farm basket which Akwaudo had made for him. He stepped out from his hut and rinsed his teeth with some water that Ifeme had fetched for him the previous night.
He appreciated the gods for all their blessings and protection towards his family before setting for work.
He walked some few metres away from his hut then he stopped and studied the leaves that was growing inside Nnadi's farm.
"Harvest is close," he declared and knelt down. "Igweka-ala please grant me a good harvest. Let my yams be strong enough so that my efforts would not be in vain. Igweka-ala please hear my voice."
He retraced his steps and went back to his compound. He passed his hut and stopped at Akwaudo's hut.
"Ifeme! Ifeme;" he called.
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Walking down muddy floors with bare hands apart, feet clustered together as the bells of frights rang so hard that one could swear he felt a limp or two within, Okoli rushed to the scene of his unconscious wife with Nnadi by his side. His blood was heating up and all he could feel was death as he laid his eyes on the body of Akwaudo lying still on the floor with Ifeme holding her chest and trying to bring down the pressure that was inside her. Okoli instructed Nnadi to get some water and some herbs while he checked her pulse."What happened to your mother? Why is she in this state?" Okoli asked Ifeme."I saw her like this when I entered the room. I am even surprised to see her lying almost like a dead hen when she was perfectly normal some minutes ago," Ifeme replied."Something is wrong somewhere. Someone or something must have made her faint. People don't drown in water easily without being lured by something they did not notice."
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Thirty-seven
"In something that may seem bad, good always comes out from it," Okoli said. "This morning must have been tough for your mother but it brought something good. You are now on your way to work in the farm with me because of that boy that showed up in your room."Ifeme could feel the disappointment Okoli harboured just because of his attitude towards things that he considered manly, the way he felt and saw things differently. "Father," he said, "can I ask you a personal question?""You are free to ask me anything."Ifeme scrupled. "Do you want another son?"Okoli roamed his eyes through the thickets of green that were by their sides as if he had wanted to hear something entirely different. "What kind of son are you talking about?""A better one," Ifeme said. "A son that could give you all the qualities you feel I should possess but I don't have. A son that could do all the farm work
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Thirty-eight
Ibekwe smiled in his mind as they left, feeling comfortable that he had been accepted into Okoli's family with just a simple pretentious act. He felt relieved knowing that he had done things his way rather than wait for Ifeme to act for him. He stretched out full length upon the bamboo bed and groaned. Then a voice came to his mind, telling him that what he was doing was wrong. The voice pestered him like a faithful fly disturbing a sleeper with no thought of mercy. It was his conscience. The loud demand of the tensity of his own body was a voice on its own that seemed to drown out the voice of his conscience but it didn't. He tried to stop the voice from rebuking him but he couldn't. In the frigid lightness of the room, it seemed that he was on some vast loop that spun him faster and faster, not looking at him, not stopping. He was conscious of nothing now but what his inner voice of morality wanted. He lay still, hearing the crow of two or three cocks and feeling the desires of hu
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Thirty-nine
Okoli and Akwaudo were shocked when Ibekwe sat down like a healthy man and put on a fake smile. Relieved that he was feeling better, they asked him to explain what had happened to him. Ibekwe started with his banishment, then he talked about how he had spent the night with Ifeme in his room, how Ifeme had fed him and helped in dressing his wounds before he ended with his plan to lie on the path so that he would be noticed by Okoli and Ifeme."That was a dangerous plan that you made up in your mind," Akwaudo said. "But I understand why you had to come up with such a plan. Your life was in danger and you needed to survive. What you and Ifeme did, deserves an adequate punishment but because of your state of health and touching story, I will pardon you for your act of foolishness."Okoli stepped forward and looked at Ibekwe."I won't deny that your action is the reason why your people banished you. I won't also stand here and support th
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty
The ceremony for the official adoption of Ibekwe into the village of Umuise took place in the village town square. It was a ceremony that was done when a new person is introduced into the village. For the new individual to be a bona fide member of the village, a ceremony had to be held in honour of that person. Since Ibekwe was not born or related to anyone in Umuise, it was expected for him to undergo some initiation rites before he could fully be a part of Umuise.Umuise consisted of a large number of huts but the number of people in the village were very few which made it very possible for everyone to easily identify one other without much difficulty. Many indigenes of Umuise had been killed in wars that occurred a century ago during the time of Ibekwe's great-grandfather, Echi and because of that reason, almost everyone in the village were related somehow. Only a few interrogation and careful understanding of the family tree, someone could easily see how he
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-one
Osinala did not smile as he approached his fellow elders who were devouring chunks of meat from their soup plates. He greeted them and sat down. After an elder called Ekwensi was done eating, Osinala spoke, ignoring the fact that another elder called Chima was yet to finish eating."Chima! Calm down," Osinala said as he watched Chima lick his hands after swallowing a ball of fufu."How can I calm down when I am in the midst of food," Chima replied.Osinala hissed in disgust. Chima's lips were drawn back, his mouth was wide open as he threw another ball of fufu in his mouth."Why are you disgracing yourself?" Osinala asked. "The plate of food is not running away.""If you have the opportunity to get a taste of this soup, you will never remain the same in your life," Chima replied.Osinala laughed and Chima joined him too. Chima did not want his deep respect for the food he was eating
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-two
"Okoli! Are you out of your mind?" Nnadi asked as he approached Okoli."Did you call me back to ask if I was mad?" Okoli retorted.Nnadi shook his head."I know that you are a hard-working man. I know that you worked very hard to cover last year mistakes but the Okoli I know would never stoop so low to make a bet with a man like Obisike. You of all people should know that Osinala family is not a family to joke around with. He is the richest man in the whole of Umuise and every man knows that.""I hope this is not why you are shouting at me," Okoli said then bit his lips, "if you want to be a good friend, you should start encouraging me rather than telling me things that I already know about. I want to make that fool know that I am not a coward.""No one cares if you are a coward or not.""If no one cares, I do.""If you don't want to start another fight with Akwaudo, you know
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-three
Ibekwe followed Akwaudo's advice and went home after he was done with the initiation ceremony and watching Okoli get himself involved in a bet with Obisike. The stench of his body irritated him more than the pain he had been feeling since his banishment from Umuoku. He felt a moment of peace as he let the knowledge of being a bona fide member of Umuise rest in his mind.As he walked back home, he decided not to follow the main path that led to Okoli's compound so that the villagers who were receding from the village town square would not stop and exchange pleasantries with him.Although he had been publicly adopted in the eyes of the whole village, he still wanted to have his personal space for sometime before he could start getting to know every member of Umuise.He followed the lonely path that had a longer route compared to the main path. He passed two to three huts, brushing his feet on the ground and hearing t
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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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Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-eight
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