Withered Flower - Episode 14

Mazi Obe moved as quickly as he could. It had been about an hour since he got the “jolt” and the “Jolt” is something he hasn’t felt in a very long time, since he took over from his father.

Anyone looking at Mazi Obe would not only wonder what was wrong but how a man his age was able to move with so much agility. Nobody knew his specific age but if one had to estimate, they would say he was close a hundred years old.

Mazi Obe wished he could move faster than he was. However, for a man his age, he wasn’t doing badly but it could be better because it was a matter of life and death.

He got an abandoned compound that was covered with over grown weed. The mango tree at the front of the compound was in season and rotten/rotting mangoes filled the ground. Trust the fruit flies who didn’t miss a chance to get their hands juicy fruit. If not that he knew this compound, he would have turned back, thinking that no one lived there.

“Dibia Aguocha!!!” he bellowed. Time was of the essence. He waited a while and when he heard nothing, he yelled out again and started walking towards the back of the compound. The grass leading to the back of the compound was so thick that he started looking out for creepy crawlies.

“Who calls out to a Wine Tapper in the middle of a climb?” A deep husky voice replied from behind the house.

The man that came out from the compound was a few years older than him but he didn’t look a day older than thirty years of age. A lot of people believed that since he was working for the spirits, they were keeping him young until it was time to choose a new Dibia. Previous Dibias went into the Evil forest to join the spirits.

“Aguocha, Nno o” he bowed and greeted the Dibia.

“Oh, Mazi Obe. What brings you this early morning? I had barely finished speaking with the spirits. What seems to be the problem?

“Aguocha, my ancestors were promised long live. I was told that no death will befall our lineage. I sacrificed all that was needed and death still came”.

“Mazi Obe, we cannot question the spirits. I understand that you have made sacrifices, but it is not always guarant…” He didn’t finish speaking.

“DON’T TELL ME THAT!!!” He raised his voice. I will not take it. My daughter’s heart gave me the jolt and I know she is dead. So don’t tell me about what your confused spirits want” he shouted.

“Obe, watch your tongue! Just because you are under the protection of the spirits does not give you the right to slander them”

“Okay, I demand to speak with the spirits’ bridge. Summon her now”.

“Obe, you know that is dangerous, it can go either way and you may not like that”.

“I will take my chances. Summon her”.

“Okay, your funeral”.

Dibia Aguocha shuffled to the shrine, with Mazi Obe in tow. He knew this was going to be a big mistake. Summoning the spirits’ bridge was as good as placing a bounty on your head and moving in the open, expecting that you would be killed ant anytime.

The spirits’ bridge had a raging temper and could kill anyone just for summoning her. Legend has it that the first ever dibia was killed because he wasn’t well fortified before summoning her. He was dismembered, his remains had to be scraped off the ground and it took a week to clean out the shrine.

He went to the barn and picked out a healthy white goat. Grabbing the goat by the horn, he took it to the shrine and made some incantations. He plunged his knife into the neck of the goat and drained the blood into a white basin.

Grabbing his white tie-on, he dipped it into the blood and started smearing his body with it, whilst making some incantations. He sat on the goat skin in the middle of the shrine.

“Na ko ku ma joro. Me na nu ba no ko ku. Eruhpo the wise one, I call on you to come before us. Nai ka nai ka nai ka. Eruhpo, the mother of all the beautiful ones, I bid you come before us”.

He had barely finished his incantation when a whirlwind filled the entire room, scattering thigs about. Then a bright light filled the room and a very beautiful woman appeared before them. She was known as Eruhpo, the beautiful one. Legend has it that she was once a mortal being, until she was turned down the marriage proposal of Oroki the great and she was turned into an immortal being, destined to be alone for eternity.

“Who dare summons the great Eruhpo?” she screamed.

Dibia Aguocha could see the anger in her eyes and knew that she was about to make a mincemeat out of him. He quickly bowed his head without stepping out of the protection ring he had created.

“Oh beautiful Eruhpo, we have summoned you because it is perceived that a great injustice has been done”. He said with a shaky voice.

Eruhpo, knew he was scared. She loved it when people, especially men feared her. This was the source of her power and she loved making them cower with fear. She moved closer to the dibia, totally ignoring the other man.

“SPEAK!!!” She ordered.

“Mazi Obe here is from the Oguru family of Agu land and needed to speak to the spirits”.

“Does he know that speaking to the spirits is no child’s play”? She asked, still not acknowledging the presence of Mazi Obe.

“I have explained that to him but he is adamant”

“Then let him come forward and make his intensions known”.

Dibia Aguocha motioned to the now scared Mazi Obe to approach the shrine.

Eruhpo looked in his direction for the first time since she was summoned. Good, he looked scared and she liked that.

“You dear summon the great Eruhpo? State your purpose or you die”

Mazi Obe swallowed before advancing. He thought about running away. This woman was menacing yet easy on the eye.

“Oh great one, my daughter passed on to the spirit world hours ago and this contravenes the treaty with the spirits. Our family has been making certain sacrifices for long life but she was barely half the guaranteed life span for the Oguru family”. Mazi Obe stammered.

“If I recall, she was supposed to pass on the information to her offspring before she attained the age of two decades and seven but that time elapsed at exactly the stroke of noon. So what is the injustice there?” Eruhpo said.

“Oh great one, she gave out the child before she knew about the treaty herself and she has been trying to right the wrong ever since. Please sure us mercy”. He knelt and bowed his head to the ground.

“Arise and go bury your daughter for there is nothing that can be done for her and as for your daughter’s daughter, she shall die in a fortnight. Go make your house ready to bury your dead”.

Mazi Obe was downcast. He could not lose his lineage. This was not how it was supposed to end. A light bulb lit in his head and just before he could say something, he heard Dibia Agouti’s voice.

“Oh beautiful one, it is the bloodline of his family that sustains the spirits of Agu land. If that bloodline is wiped out, the spirits of Agu land might as well become in-existent”.

Mazi Obe was glad for this intervention and looked over at Eruhpo, who was still. She didn’t utter a word and seemed to be staring into space. Her eyes were white and unseeing. She must have been that way for about 10 minutes before opening her eyes.

“It is done!!” There was a rush of wind and Eruhpo was gone in a flash.

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Madam Edosa didn’t know what to do. One Minute, Ogochukwu was alive and the next she was not breathing. She called out to her granddaughter but there was no answer. As she made to go get water to pour on her.

“I have to speak to my daughter”. Oguchukwu said.