in the rise of the dark

twazzock

We arrived at Ubaha-afor few minutes past the hour of 5pm. It was really a segregated place and the people looks so different.
To understand properly what the people are, what the place is and, how the people were left for so long hated, accounting from Lotanna's angle.
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Ubaha-afor, was a village in Ede-ukwujiafor. Ede-ukwujiafor consists of seven villages, while Ubaha-afor was the largest and most populated. Somehow nature placed them away from others. The second most largest village in Ede-ukwujiafor is Ekete-afor, they are so large that if one not from there, you'll doubt Ubaha-afor, to be largest. The reason to that is because, they are very few in population, the lowest in population, but their land? Massive. After Ekete-afor, then the valley that is Ubaha-afor.
Ekete-afor, is not the lowest for no reason. In the ancient days, their land mostly, is where the Ede-ukwujiafor had their evil forest. Through the east, you'll enter Ubaha-afor, but through the west, no escaping but evil forest throughout. The evil forest, was set ablaze by the people of Ede-ukwujiafor, when rumors started filtering in, that it's Ubaha-afor people that has been committing all the killings and atrocities credited to the evil forest. And at that, the shrine of the priest of the forest was destroyed, and burnt to arches, still the people of Ekete-afor would not have anything to do with the land. Thus, it became a pathway to Ubaha-afor. The Ede-ukwujiafor people would have continued with the Ubaha-afor as one of it villages, but complains would cone of how they lynch innocent people, especially non Ede-ukwujiafor person. It was said of them that they eat this people.
Neighboring villages couldn't bear it anymore, and then allied to wage war against Ede-ukwujiafor. To make matters worse, the town is right in the middle of four towns, and many indigenes of Ede-ukwujiafor list their lives. After the war, Ede-ukwujiafor separates and grant autonomous to Ubaha-afor.
Ubaha-afor then was consisting of six villages. One of the villages, are the main Ubaha-afor people who are also very few in number. They are known as the main indigene of Ede-ukwujiafor, because, their father is the first son of Ukwujiafor, and had one wife, unlike his siblings that had many wives. And his children are known with having one wife.
This Ubaha-afor, being the first born and a boy, were left with the mantle of authority, so they'll be providing the king to rule over the town. This people left their lands to come and associate with the Ede-ukwujiafor town, and doing that portions of lands were accorded them where they presently abodes. They also provides the king. The segregated ones, despite that action maintained the name Ubaha-afor, all this happened in the mid eighteenth century. Till date they found it difficult to associate with each other, worst of all to marry from there, unless if the Lady is from Umuaja. The Umuaja people unfortunately found themselves in the midst of the Ubaha-afor people. They are famers from a distant town, who owns this lands in Ubaha-afor and because of distance and fear of losing their lands decided to stay back, and as time passes, they couldn't go back to their original land. Ubaha-afor committed even greater things afterwards, forcing everyone to completely dissociate from them. At a point the Umuaja stayed only in Umuaja, but with time they changed, still everyone believed they are no good to be associated with, they all sees the Ubaha-afor, and anything about it and around it as vection.
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As soon as Lotanna told us that we'd arrived Umuaja, I felt this connection instantly with the place. Even though it's been more than ten years Lotanna visited them, they recognized him and  gave him rowdy welcoming, they were very happy to have the son of their daughter, you need to be there when he told them whom I am. It was an emotional and mixed reaction one. The old and young cried, my mom was well loved, and my father was expected to be the one to liberate the land, he preached it like a priest. When we told them what had happened, they laughed at us, they refused to believe our stories, of people dying and coming back to life, instead, they decided that they'll send emissaries to Ede-ukwujiafor, to hear from them what exactly their problems are.
Lotanna's mother, was the first born and first daughter of the family, but my mom was well loved, and won the heart of all the family. Its a taboo and seen as a serious abomination, worthy of leading to excommunicating of such family or people if heard, that a sister slept with a sister husband or worse of it snatched her sister husband, or brother doing such to brother, even when they are not married before it happened, most especially as its one of the attributes of the Ubaha-afor people.
Lotanna's mother, being the first daughter, was ashamed of herself, that my mother was getting married, she went behind and slept with my mother's fiancé, the man couldn't tell that night because of the semblance. If my mom reports, she'll get her man back, and be pardoned of the punishments due the family. The family will lose half of everything they owned, because their daughter defiled the land, and brought shame to it. Somehow the story leaked, and the people in the brink of losing it all. My mother, and the said man were known to be crazily in love with each other, even though they had not knew each other for long. Number of times they caught smooching under the particular pawpaw tree, to the extent that, they named the pawpaw tree after my mother. They call it "pawpaw, Elizabeth" even after the act of Lotanna's mother the name remains, because instead of taking vengeance, she told the people, that the man is her sister's, and not hers. Few years after, my dad met my mom on one of the social media, and eventually they got married, even after my mom told him of her illness, and warned him that it cannot be cured. Despite the fact that the world is civilizing, the word civilize refused to show it face in my peoples dictionary, informing one of the reasons my grandfather moved to Morocco. The Elizabeth tree is right on the boarder of Ekete-afor, and Ubaha-afor. Just as Lotanna was rounding up the story, the head of the family, walked in on us and?
- the pawpaw tree, refused to die, unlike other pawpaw trees, that dies after a while. People still go up the hill, to seek for it blessings to their relationships, even when they don't know about the story behind it mystery, and they say it works for them -
And so I was running away from one who is seeking for blessings to their relationship. Uche is the grandson of the head of the family. They calls him Mr Spenser, some calls him damaging director, because whatever he touches spoils, he is so annoying, and seems to be deliberately so, he is just a twazzock. Right and there before us he farted and loudly, while we were talking, and initially he was seated and paying proper attention to our discuss, balancing his jaw on his palm and going like hmm, as if with us, bursting into boisterous laughter at the coming of his fart. He carried Lotanna's bag and dropped it inside a deep well. The old man told us about Uche's behaviour so we get accustomed to it. They were so accommodating, nobody slept until past midnight. They prepared hot water for us to bathe, the water heater has spoiled. One after the other we bathed. It was like a company dinner party, just that music was not played, but, the discuss rubbed on everything we could lay our hands on. Then, the family head told us who Uche really is, and what he had as his good side.
Baba, from when we were ushered into the sitting room, has been sleeping, the twin also on the same train with him, I envy them. Who wouldn't? Our soldier woman, typical of a soldier was up, even though she needs that rest than any of us, was waiting on us all, kind of securing her people. She contributed with her smiles a lot, we all played along, trying to be on their side. The discuss came with different dimensions, emotional, sobber, laughter and all manner of feelings. Then the head of the family asked in Igbo language, who Sarahdina is, few minutes after she had gone to bathe. His question was still on his lips, when we heard Sarahdina scream on the top of her voice. We all ran to the direction, wielding our hidden weapons though visible. Baba, who has been sleeping showed how far away he was sleeping. He was the next person to get to the scene after me, apart from the scream, the shattering of a glass was also scary. We got there posed and searched round, ready to drill the chest of any scathed, but found Uche jumping up and laughing at us, clamping on to his chest, pointing at Sarahdina. At a point he appeared doing a kind of tap dancing, holding on to his waist, and chest in intervals. And did a Michael Jackson's back splitting. Then he began to say in Igbo language.
- nke bu nke anyin, onye bu winye anyin -
He was saying that, " this one is our own, this person is our wife". Then the head of the family began to laugh when Uche started saying.
- ojuru eju, ojuru eju -
He continued saying that, laughing hysterically nonstop, until he realizes that no one was sharing with his jokes, the family head had stopped, then he became moody, apologized and left. He opened the bathroom door while Sarahdina was bathing.
The head of the family told us, that Uche was the result of what Lotanna's mother did, and from his birth he refused to father him, and he had been living with them. He did not have the luxury and soothing of his mother's breast, but whenever he made claim of anything, or predicted something it always come to pass.
- but there's one he has been saying for weeks now, scary though, but has not come to pass -
He said that Uche predicted that, dead people will arose and eat people up.
- so as we were saying, before he disturbed our talk, who is she, and why the weapons -
Uche had slept off on a couch, where Sarahdina was sitting so I gave her mine, then Lotanna told him.
- the dead like Uche told you have started eating the living just as he said, we escaped from Ede-ukwujiafor to here, because, we can't readily think of where to run to than our maternal home -
The head of the family, there and then became physically uncomfortable and restless.
- Uche said that the village will soon became deserted, and that the dead will eat me -
He said that, the day people will respect him, that day the dead ones who are already up, will enter Ubaha-afor, and the next day, Umuaja, and on the third day, he will be eaten. He also said that never before has Uche apologized to anybody, not to talk of dozing off after playing his pranks on anybody. He always assumes and claims he is right to do whatever he does, and owes nobody any apology of any sort. Then our soldier asked the head of the family.
- is he the one known as, Uchendiuwa -
- put nile, he always will call himself Uche ndiuwa nile -
Meaning, the one that thinks for the whole world. He said the cure of the world's illness is with us here. -
The head of the family, dejectedly retired to his room so also we.