Bride Prize

Thirteen: The abduction of the bride

At the marketplace, news of Iveren’s abduction spread fast. Within minutes, it became talk of the moment. 

A girl was saying to her friend, “They grabbed one girl today in the middle of the market.”

“Is that what happened?” A man asked.

“I hear that some boys just made away with a girl.”

“Who is the girl, do you know her?”

“I don’t know her name, I think she is dark.”

Anakura, Iveren’s mother, had been chatting with Iember, Ape’s mother, when they were rudely distracted by the commotion at the square. 

An elderly woman walked by hurriedly, talking to herself. Her loud angry voice indicated her displeasure at the happening.

“Is it a must? Why must these boys keep doing this sort of thing? These boys have become useless from drinking local gin. When their head hots inside they just grab any girl and force her to marry them! If it is me, I’ll run away. Nonsense!”

“Do you hear what that old woman is saying?” Iember asked.

Anakura nodded.

“I heard alright. I agree with her completely. Where is the good old romance of talking a woman into accepting to be your wife?”

 Just then Ape came running to them, her face ashen with tears.

“Mama, they took hold of Iveren and forced her into the motor and went away with her!” She sobbed.

“Who did you say?” Anakura screamed.

“I heard her say Iveren,” Iember said, dumbfounded. “God, my father, what on earth?” she exclaimed further.  Ape began to wail, attracting attention from the women close by.

“The boys who were singing came and took her inside one motor and ran away with her!”

Anakura placed both hands on her and began to howl. Her voice rent the air above the noise in the market square, inevitably pulling another crowd of onlookers and sympathizers.

 Zasha soon arrived on the scene, when news reached him that his wife was in distress.

“Anakura, you!,” he shouted, “what on earth has come over you?” When she didn’t answer fast enough, he turned to Iember. “What on earth is going on here?”

“Some boys forcibly took Iveren away in a motor!” Anakura managed to say amid tears and crying.

Zasha swung round. “Who are those boys? Do you know which way they followed?”

“Me, I don’t know ooooo!” Anakura cried the more. “These boys will kill me ooooo!”

A friend of Zasha’s stopped by. “Anakaa, please stop crying,” he said, “they are not going to kill you. They only abducted your daughter, don’t worry we shall find them and find her too.”

“Who are these boys anyway? Where did they come from?” Zasha turned to Ape who was still sobbing.

“I don’t know them,” she said. “Us girls, we were all standing there when the boys started singing and acting drunk and they jumped at us. We all ran but they managed to catch Iveren and the motor came and stopped and the boys pushed her into the motor and drove away.” Zasha became frantic.

“How many boys are we talking about here?”

“I – I don’t know,” Ape stammered. “They were many...”

“Where is Bagu?” Zasha shouted, looking about him. “Get me Torkuma. I’m going after those boys! Where can I get a bicycle?”

“Take mine,” Tersoo said, appearing suddenly as if from nowhere, his body glistening with sweat from his hard ride.