ERUTAYO episode 4 April 14, 1814 (Somewhere in West-Africa) “I never doubted for a second about your coming, I had always trusted you” I heard someone said. The voice was familiar. I tried opening my eyes to see who own that voice but the ray of the sun disallowed at first, so I tried opening slowly to see a figure standing right above my head with a smile. I felt too weak to stand up so I tried to figure the face which turned up-side down looking down at me. I sprang up immediately Like an Antelope after realizing who owns that face. “you!...wha…wha…what are you doing in my……” I paused as I realized where I was. “how did I get here? What have you done to me?.... am I dead already?” I sprayed out questions with a tone filled with great fear. The figure in front of me just kept mute and looked marveled like a child in front of an ice-cream. I saw clearly the figure that horrified my sight and senses, it was unbelievable! “Yes it is I again, the mysterious old woman” she said with a calm but cracking voice “Is this how heaven looks like?” I thought amidst of fear as I looked around to see tall thick grasses and trees around me. “Ma, please am I dead or is this another strange dream?” I asked “Both!” she answered sharply. “Both…… How? Yeee!!! So I don die be dat” I unconsciously shouted as I placed both arms on my head in horror. The ‘mysterious old woman’ in front of me suddenly turned her back on me and ordered “follow me!”. We walked across bushes and large surface of farm, for about ten minutes I followed my ‘captor’ sheepishly, I tried figuring out what exactly was happening to me, the atmosphere smelt of fresh soil and herbs. I thought of asking questions or better still running away but something within me just couldn’t. Suddenly she stopped in front of a huge tree. “erutayo, do you remember this tree?” she asked, while her eyes still fixed upon the tree. “sorry Ma, my name is Omotayo and not erutayo……and how do you expect me to know this tree when I have no idea of where we are?” I pointed out to her as I tried sounding confident. “ohhh this tree!!....this ‘iroko’ tree that witnessed the beginning of our love and also saw how it was snatched from us” she caressed the tree with her old tiny hands as she spoke with tones filled with emotion. “from us?” I asked looking confused “yes, from the both of us!” “honestly Ma, I don’t understand the…..” I paused and quickly hide behind a tall grass as I heard the sound of someone giggling from a distance. The old woman was still on her feet, she was looking straight at the direction from which the sound was coming from, I couldn’t help but notice she seem expectant of what was about to appear. The giggling sound was accompanied with laughter by someone else, the sounds and footsteps were getting louder and closer like they were coming exactly towards me. I peeped from within the grasses where I hide to see what was going on; I saw a young woman and a man walking hand-in-hand beside each other, they looked so happy and cheerful together as they walked towards where I was hiding. When these two people reached the ‘iroko’ tree, they stopped and stood facing one another, looking into each other’s eyes so passionately, it was obvious they are lovers…..it was a pure feeling of love going by the way they acted. To my surprise, the old woman was standing beside them and it seems her presence was not noticed by the love birds. “be out from hiding, we are invisible to the eyes of anyone and anything in this present era” the old woman said. “as in they cannot see us?” I asked “yes, they cannot”. “But why can’t they see us?” I asked curiously “Because we are presently In a different epoch of life “Different what?” I was confused “I will like you to look and listen closely at this man and woman…..surely you will find the answer you seek” I looked at the ‘love-birds’ who now wrap themselves on each other’s arms so emotionally. The man was wearing a sack material for trouser, he had no shirt on and he had a big rusted chain strapped around his neck, he was bear footed and was so dirty-looking with bushy hair all over his body. The man looks so strong with huge muscles all over his arms and tights. Without further observation, I could tell he was either a slave or a prisoner….. or even a warrior. On the other hand was the lady with him who looked beautiful and was dressed in ancient beautiful attire, her plaited hair was designed with cowries and her neck was covered with colourful beads; She appeared more of a royalty to me. “But Ma, I still don’t understa…….” I tried complaining but was cut short “Shuuuu!!!....” the old woman placed a finger across her lips as her eyes were still on the two ‘lovers’ “Erutayo, nothing can ever come between us…..not even the gods” the royal lady said. “Asake, bu…but what about your father? I am his slave, which means he owns my life, he decides whatever he wishes with it. He is so powerful and very strong…I fear him more than the gods” the slave man said with worries on his face “I swear by the gods of this land that if he tries to take you away from me, I will kill myself.” “no! no!!....don’t do anything evil upon yourself” erutayo said. “yes I will, because I can’t imagine myself living a life without you in it and that is why I came to give you this” she paused for a while and brought out something from her wrapper and stretched it towards the man in front of her who took his time to observe what it was. “Is this not kola-nut,” erutayo asked. “yes, but it is more powerful than what it looks like…very powerful.” The lady answered “what does it do?” erutayo asked. “what we need to do is to first profess our love to one another and then we would both agree on the number of years we wish to live together then we finally eat, chew and swallow it. “wait!!...who told you all these things,” erutayo asked “Iya Akokaa…..” she replied “That witch?.....she is not to be trusted, I swear!!” erutayo shouted “but she alone understands what I feel for you after I had explained the situation to her, she promised to help us and that was why she gave me this and gave the instructions on it usage” “did she tell you of it repercussions,” the man asked. “she said there is none she is aware of….all she told me was that it is a powerful charm that binds love for as long as we both want it to last. So I Asake the daughter of Ariyike and Fijabi swear by the gods of our land to love you Erutayo the slave of Fijabi Ajijogun for eternity” she said and immediately ate a small portion of the Kola-nut in her hand and pointed the remains at Erutayo who was shock as he heard the word ‘eternity’. “Don’t you think eternity is too……” “Shuuuuu….no my love, eternity is the perfect time frame for us to be together” “okay, so shall it be….. I Erutayo the slave of Fijabi Ajijogun swear by the gods of this land to love you Asake Ajijogun for hmmm!…hmmm!!..mm!..two-hundred years!!” he ended with a tone of uncertainty and looked like he was expecting Asake to complain; he slowly ate part of the Kola-nut in Asake’s fingers “May the gods forever bear us witness as I am today your wife and you My husband!!” Asake shouted cheerfully. Erutayo paused for a while, he looked worried, he slowly held Asake arms.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 09:27:24 +0000
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