Urenma (The River Goddess) - Episode 24

 

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“Who is this man whom you speak of?” “He is Obinze the unrivaled wrestler in Ukeh and all the lands around it.

There was yet another pause as the spirit of Ojadili weighed the tempting options which the glib-tongued medince man had dangled before him. “If I chose to fight again with which body shall I engage this man? The earth and worms therein, have eaten my flesh” . “The gods shall give you a body and you shall be possessed by one of the gods to engage Obinze in a fierce wrestling match to kill him!” “All I will need from the gods is a body; I will not need their help to destroy a boy who still bathes his tummy”. “Great one do I then take your words for a yes?” “Medince man, take my bones! Maybe it is fate that I shall fight once again from the dead”. The medince man and one of his aids jumped into Ojadili’s grave and began to dig ferociously to remove his remains. Ojadili’s bones were neatly gathered into a basket and given to the one who was not human amongst them and he left for the river world hastily.

Towards the early hours of morning, just before the break of dawn, Obinze and his wife, Urenma, stirred from their sleep with fits of anxiety

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/urenma-the-river-goddess

. Urenma shook herself and bolted outside their hut. Obinze opened an earthen jar on the floor of his hut and removed the wooden ring which the messenger from the sky gave to him. Walking briskly like a man who was about to go to war, he entered his children’s hut and woke Obiakor; leading him outside, they sat on a tree tunk which served as a bench in his compound. Above their heads the moon glowed in its full strength. “Obiakor the days ahead of us are dangerous and I cannot tell you what they hold in stock for us….” “Papa whatever the days shall bring, we already have enough to with stand it”. “Obiakor you often use big words that are older than your age. Have you seen a battle before? Have you wrestled beasts and taken human life at anytime Obiakor? The days ahead are dark and gloomy; they fill my heart with fear”. “Papa I may not have seen or tasted the things you listed, but every night I survive perils the sort mere mortals cannot with stand”. “What do you mean Obiakor?”
“Every night in my dreams, beast from the underworld assail me to devour my flesh, but for once I have not feared them, with my bare hands I tear them to pieces”. “Why have you not mentioned this to me?” “Papa, if I let you fight my battles now, how shall I grow into a man?”
“No they could have killed you! You should have told me about these attacks. I have to find out what they want”.

Obiakor still boasting said to his father “They haven’t kill me and will never kill me! I have destroyed many of them but one. Even though I tear off his limbs and arms tonight, yet it refused to die. It did this to me”. Obiakor turned and under the light of the bright moon, his father saw a deep gash on his back. “This is no ordinary wound; now I know the beasts you have been fighting. I have fought them once”. Removing the wooden ring, Obinze held it in his son’s face and said, “A messenger from the sky gave this to me, he said that in the day my strength shall fail me, you shall be remembered. I believe the time has come for you to wear it”. Obiakor took the ring from his father and slid it on his ring finger and observed it for a while. Right before their eyes the ring began to glow and slowly disappeared into his finger. At that Obiakor hit the ground yelling in pain. As Obinze lifted him from the ground he saw Obiakor’s wound heal like no wound was ever there and Obiakor’s stopped crying. Turning around Obinze asked, “Where is your mother?” “I do not know”, replied Obiakor.

Obinze ran into his hut and lit his tonji, with it he began to track her foot prints on the ground. As he followed her foot prints. It led him outside his compound and straight to the path which led to the market square. Behind Obinze, Obiakor tagged along hoping to join his father in the search of his mother.

Turning around Obinze saw his son trotting toward him. He stopped and waited for him to draw closer, “Obiakor I want you to go back and stay with your sister Olachi, we can’t leave her alone in the house”. “Ola can take care of herself, I want to join you and find mama”, Obiakor protested. “No Obiakor! I want you to go back and be with your sister. I need you to do this now. You don’t have to bother about your mother and I, we can take care of ourselves”.
Obiakor threw his father’s machete towards him; Obinze grabbed and jogged away. Obiakor staggered unhappily back into his father’s compound.

“Who is this man whom you speak of?” “He is Obinze the unrivaled wrestler in Ukeh and all the lands around it.

There was yet another pause as the spirit of Ojadili weighed the tempting options which the glib-tongued medince man had dangled before him. “If I chose to fight again with which body shall I engage this man? The earth and worms therein, have eaten my flesh”. “The gods shall give you a body and you shall be possessed by one of the gods to engage Obinze in a fierce wrestling match to kill him!” “All I will need from the gods is a body; I will not need their help to destroy a boy who still bathes his tummy”. “Great one do I then take your words for a yes?” “Medince man, take my bones! Maybe it is fate that I shall fight once again from the dead”. The medince man and one of his aids jumped into Ojadili’s grave and began to dig ferociously to remove his remains. Ojadili’s bones were neatly gathered into a basket and given to the one who was not human amongst them and he left for the river world hastily.

Towards the early hours of morning, just before the break of dawn, Obinze and his wife, Urenma, stirred from their sleep with fits of anxiety. Urenma shook herself and bolted outside their hut. Obinze opened an earthen jar on the floor of his hut and removed the wooden ring which the messenger from the sky gave to him. Walking briskly like a man who was about to go to war, he entered his children’s hut and woke Obiakor; leading him outside, they sat on a tree tunk which served as a bench in his compound. Above their heads the moon glowed in its full strength. “Obiakor the days ahead of us are dangerous and I cannot tell you what they hold in stock for us….” “Papa whatever the days shall bring, we already have enough to with stand it”. “Obiakor you often use big words that are older than your age. Have you seen a battle before? Have you wrestled beasts and taken human life at anytime Obiakor? The days ahead are dark and gloomy; they fill my heart with fear”. “Papa I may not have seen or tasted the things you listed, but every night I survive perils the sort mere mortals cannot with stand”. “What do you mean Obiakor?”
“Every night in my dreams, beast from the underworld assail me to devour my flesh, but for once I have not feared them, with my bare hands I tear them to pieces”. “Why have you not mentioned this to me?” “Papa, if I let you fight my battles now, how shall I grow into a man?”
“No they could have killed you! You should have told me about these attacks. I have to find out what they want”.

Obiakor still boasting said to his father “They haven’t kill me and will never kill me! I have destroyed many of them but one. Even though I tear off his limbs and arms tonight, yet it refused to die. It did this to me”. Obiakor turned and under the light of the bright moon, his father saw a deep gash on his back. “This is no ordinary wound; now I know the beasts you have been fighting. I have fought them once”. Removing the wooden ring, Obinze held it in his son’s face and said, “A messenger from the sky gave this to me, he said that in the day my strength shall fail me, you shall be remembered. I believe the time has come for you to wear it”. Obiakor took the ring from his father and slid it on his ring finger and observed it for a while. Right before their eyes the ring began to glow and slowly disappeared into his finger. At that Obiakor hit the ground yelling in pain.

Read " H.Y.B.R.I.D (Sequel to The Forgotten Wolf) " by the same author ( Ifeoma Isabella Okeke )

. As Obinze lifted him from the ground he saw Obiakor’s wound heal like no wound was ever there and Obiakor’s stopped crying. Turning around Obinze asked, “Where is your mother?” “I do not know”, replied Obiakor.

Obinze ran into his hut and lit his tonji, with it he began to track her foot prints on the ground. As he followed her foot prints. It led him outside his compound and straight to the path which led to the market square. Behind Obinze, Obiakor tagged along hoping to join his father in the search of his mother.

Turning around Obinze saw his son trotting toward him. He stopped and waited for him to draw closer, “Obiakor I want you to go back and stay with your sister Olachi, we can’t leave her alone in the house”. “Ola can take care of herself, I want to join you and find mama”, Obiakor protested. “No Obiakor! I want you to go back and be with your sister. I need you to do this now. You don’t have to bother about your mother and I, we can take care of ourselves”.
Obiakor threw his father’s machete towards him; Obinze grabbed and jogged away. Obiakor staggered unhappily back into his father’s compound...