The Retelling Story of Igodo - Episode 3

 

Two males made their way out of their hut, one hut was facing the other. One of them was carrying a bow and a arrow, from the look of things they were about to go for a hunt. Ikenna and Ikenga, both were twins. They were born and brought up in Ogunme village. Ikenga was a very skilled fighter, who had wrestled with all the whole young men of his age in a wrestling ground and had always won. He had never be defeated in a wrestling ground before . He was muscular and has a great height. His twin brother, Ikenna was the opposite. Ikenna a very slim young man was good with arrows, he was known to the people as a hunter who had never missed his target before, what surprises the villagers the most was how he was able to catch bigger games, like lions, tigers, antelopes etc, while their other hunters came home with nothing and sometimes they came with a bush meat or grasshopper if the gods of the land  had remember to bless them that day.

Ikenna and Ikenga are not your typical kind of twins, they are unusual. Apart from his strength, Ikenga had the ability to see anything that was far. His ability had always made him know where the games are and will then inform his brother, Ikenna. Apart from that, he was a very skilled fighter. Ikenna on the other hand was very good in shooting arrows. When he shoots, no matter how far that animal is, it will be hit

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/the-retelling-story-of-igodo

. His arrow shoot can go as far as into the evil forest  that was close to their village and sometimes his arrows had always come back to him. The two brothers had always use their gifts to help each other.

When Ikenna and Ikenga came out from their respectively huts. Their parents had died when they were still young and since then they had been the one taking care of themselves. They were preparing to go out for their usual hunt when Ikenna told Ikenga of his dream he had.

"Nga, enwera m nro unyaahu-I have a dream yesterday night".

"A dream? What did you see this time?" Ikenga asked his twin.

"I saw ourselves running through a thick forest. There were some unknown people who were with us. I couldn't make up their faces, but I keep on hearing Umu-Igodo from their mouths and that we have to come and join them". Ikenna explained his dream.

"Umu-Igodo? I don't think I have heard of such a village that bears that name before". Ikenga said

"Me too. But I am very sure they need our help".

"I see, you know that your dreams had always come to pass". Ikenga sigh and then continued "We are not going for any hunting today. Rather we are going to search for the village that bears that name". Ikenga concluded and they went inside their huts to change their clothes.
They soon emerged from their huts with some wrappers tied securely around Ikenga's shoulder.

"How do we go from here? We have never been to Umu-Igodo village before so how are we going to locate that place?" Ikenga asked his twin brother.

"Nga, I don't know how we are going to locate there but I thing I am sure of is, Amadioha will lead us there". Ikenna replied.

Having make sure that their huts were securely locked they walked out of their compound, locking the bamboo fence tightly and began their journey in search of Umu-Igodo.

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Odum had woken up early to the quietness of his compound. He vividly remembered how he had lost his wife who had died immediately when she had given birth to his son. And after struggling for (17) seventeen years to train his son, he died. How could Amadiha been so wicked.

"Amadioha if you had known that my son will not reach the age where he'd be call a man then why did you give him to me at the first place?" Odum soliloquy to himself.

Not too long, a robust woman she was beautiful and dark in complexion walked into Odum compound and met him talking to himself.

"Odum, gini mere I na agwa onwe gi okwu?- Odum, why are you talking to yourself? O bu na agwaghi m gi ka ighara ichegbu onwe gi?- Have I not told you not to worry about your dead son? Amadioha our great god will give you children, biko ebezina". The woman consoled Odum.

"I know that Obidiya, I am just thinking when our lives will be better". Odum heaved a sigh and then continued, "Any way, what had brought you to my home early this morning. I hope you and your husband are not fighting again?" Odum asked the woman now know as Obidiya.

"Yes, I came to beg you to come and help me to remove the iroko tree that fell across our farm land. I have sent people earlier to carry the tree from our farm, but they couldn't and so I decided to seek you". Obidiya explained why she had come that early.

"Okay Obidiya, is it that farm land that is in Nkpor side?" Odum asked

"Yes, exactly that one".

"Be going, I will be there soon".

"How much cowries am I going to pay you?" Obidiya asked.

"Obidiya you have come again. I don't need your money and beside you have been there for me since I lost my wife and my son. You don't have to pay me any money inugo". Odum said.

"Odum, you are truly a man with a good heart. Thank you, let me be going".

Obidiya thanked him again and left for her place.

Soon Odum was walking towards the direction of Nkpor where Obidiya's farm land was. When he got there, he saw a big Iroko tree and without sweat lifted the big iroko tree with one of his hand, carried it out of Obidiya's farm land and dumped it in the forest.

He use that opportunity to check on Igodo.

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Igodo and Uzodinma sat down and they were eating the roasted yam Uzodinma had roasted for them when Odum came to meet them.

He was surprised to see a beautiful stranger eating and laughing with Igodo. Igodo was the first to noticed him. Uzodinma followed Igodo's eye and it landed on Odum that was some distance away from them. Igodo smiled and turned to look at Uzodinma.

"You were right, Odum is here as you have told me. Truly you are really gifted and I hope your gift will guide you all as you journeyed to the land of the dead".

Uzodinma gave out a charming smile when Igodo praised her gift, back in her village her gift was regarded as witchcraft.

Odum soon joined them and asked Igodo who the young lady was.

"Oh, she is one of the children of Amadioha". Igodo told Odum

"Oh, you mean to say a lady is among the choosen ones?" Dike asked surprised.

"Yes, the ways of the gods are different from the ways of we mere mortals. She is a gifted seer. Come and join us".

"Thank you my father", Dike said and took a piece of yam and ate it. After he had finished eating the yam he had took, he stood up and addressed them. " I only came to check on you to see how you are faring". Odum said

"Oh, you did well my son. Don't worry about me, I am being taken care of by Uzodinma here".

"Okay. I will be on my way now though I will be back this evening to check on you. Thanks for the fod". Odum said and left them for his hut.


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Ikenga and Ikenna had walked for a long time without knowing where they were actually heading too. They decided to asked anyone they will meet on their way. They hadn't walk far when they met a woman, she had a basket full of yams to the brim on her head.

"Good day mama, please we are going to Umu-igodo village and we don't know where the village is. Do you know the way we can follow to get to Umu-Igodo?" Ikenna asked politely.

"Yes my sons, you see that bush part?" The woman said pointing at a narrow road. "Follow that road and do not branch anywhere, it will lead you and your twin brother to Umu-Igodo village".

"Thank you mama". Ikenga said and they started walking towards the bushy part the woman had told them to take. The woman walked a few pace and disappeared into thin air.

After walking for a while, Ikenna stop his brother and asked him. "Nga, come to think of it, how did that woman know that we are twin?"

"Maybe we had told her earlier on". Ikenga replied.

"Well you may be right". Ikenna agreed with his twin and they walked in silence going to Umu-Igodo.

Unknown to them, the woman they had met was a spirit sent by Amadioha to show them the short cut that will lead to -Umu-Igodo village and the road they had followed will lead them directly to Igodo's home.

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The whole people of Amaeze troop to Ojadike's hut, including the Igwe of Amaeze.

Ojadike had started playing his flute, and many of the villagers were already there eagerly to wait for his beautiful song.  As soon as Ojadike saw that the Igwe had sat down, he pauses in his flute playing and after a while started singing.

Igbo version

Onye di ka eze anyi
Ndi Amaeze na asopuru
Eze anyi niile huru gi n'anya
Eze anyi nwere obi olaedo
Nke ahu nwere ike iga leta ndi nki ti di ka m
Ndi Amaeze ekele gi niile
Anyi nile ga-ebi n'udo, ahuike di mma ma na-enwe oganihu mgbe niile
Aha m bu OJadike
Nwa mgbei nke huru egwu n'anya
Eze na ndi Amaeze m na ekele gi ozo

English version

Who is like the king
The people of Amaeze respect him
Our king we all love you
Our king has the heart of gold
That can even visit a commoner like me
The people of Amaeze I greet you all
We all are going to live in peace, good health and always be prosperous
My name is Ojadike
A orphan who loves music
The king and the people of Amaeze I greet you all once again.

The igwe was so pleased with his song and gave him a bag full of cowries and left. He had always felt better whenever he hears Ojadike music. The villagers started leaving Ojadike hut one after the other till it remains Ojadike.

Ojadike a orphan who had lost his parents to a brief illness that had claimed their lifes has the gift of playing flute and songs. Once he had start, his music can melt a cold heart. The villagers had always believed that his songs where given by Amadioha.

When he had lost his parents, the Igwe decided to take care of Ojadike. He was very young when his parents died so the Igwe took him in as one of his sons. Ojadike was so grateful to the Igwe that no day that passes he won't sing for the Igwe. Soon the villagers got to know about his songs and from their he started becoming popular amongst the people. Years later when he had reached the age of men the Igwe gave him a portion of his land and build him a hut like that of his children, after all he was also his son.

Many villagers have heard so much of Ojadike and they always troop in groups to hear his songs every morning.

His fame gradually came to light when a Lion who had been terrorising the people of Amaeze was killed by him with his music.

He was very young then when he had used his music to tame the Lion and brought the wild animal to where the trap that was set for the it.

Read " The Quest " by the same author ( Ifeoma Isabella Okeke )

. The Lion was so pleased with the music that he had followed Ojadike and unknowingly walked into the trap and was immediately killed by the hunters.

The villagers then named him 'Ojadike, god of Music'

That was how his name Ojadike was spread and people from the neighbouring villages came to Amaeze to see the young boy who had tame the Lion.

After he was alone in his hut, the people had left him to continue their daily works at their various homes, he was left alone.

However his mind wasn't at peace, he had been having these strange dreams of recent. In that dream a old man who had appeared to him had told him to go to Umu-Igodo village and look for a man that bears Igodo that they need his help. 

He had woken up to think why he was told to go to that cursed village. Who doesn't know the story of Umu-Igodo and how the curse came to be.

At first when he had the first dream, he had thought that it was just a normal dream but when it became continuously he knew it wasn't a normal dream but a message.

The old man had always pleaded with him that he was needed.

He was needed?

He decided to go to Umu-Igodo to look for Igodo.

After, having his bath and had packed some of his clothes he set out to the Igwe's Palace to tell him of his journey.

"My son", the Igwe began after Ojadike had informed him where he had intended to go "I won't stop you from your journey. But you have to promise me that once you had rendered your help to Umu-Igodo, you have to come back to me safe and sound".

"I will father", Ojadike said and bowed to him before leaving Igwe's presence.

As he walked, he brought out his flute and started playing it. He knew the road that leads to Umu-Igodo and went through it, playing his flute. The birds flying in the air had to perch from tree to tree following his music. Even the trees swayed at the sound of his music.

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It was noon when Odum came to Igodo. After he had greeted the old man, he sat down on the mat Uzodinma had sat on. Hardly had he sit down when Uzodinma announces.

"We are going to have some visitors tonight. I can't really see their faces, but they will soon be here

No sooner had she utter the words, they heard some foot steps coming towards their hut.

Igodo smiled, he knew them. Amadioha children are gradually becoming complete