ESCAPE!

CHAPTER 5

                                   

       Enorhor's markings on the tree were now more than a hundred and twenty. The twins were now much more mature in stature and mentally. As the children became more vibrant so did Enorhor become slower. She could feel her age taking a toll on her. The spring was no longer in her steps. Boboye was only last week telling her that Enorhor's hair were now mostly white. Boboye was plaiting Enorhor's hair when she made the observation. Enorhor was introspective, thinking back over her life. If someone, even the oracle, had predicted she would be spending her life on an uninhabited island towards the end of her life she would not have given it a passing thought. She wouldn't have dwelled on it but would've have waved it off as the ranting of a crazed mind. Alas, here she was.

       Her train of thought was interrupted by her observance of the sky. The land had been heating up in the mornings and afternoons for a while now. This action had set up conventional air current. This current had now risen up given rise into huge foreboding cumulonimbus clouds. The temperature fell suddenly as the frightened sun hid itself behind the clouds. The huge clouds were like mushrooms at the top with the dark under growing bigger by the seconds. Rumbling sounds and accompanying lightning could be heard and seen in the distance. Enorhor's mind was suddenly cast back to Bani. It was on a very important occasion of a chief's installation. The people had gathered for the august occasion. The occasion was festive. Suddenly the sky darkened and dark clouds covered the sky. A sudden chill went through the villagers. A murmur went up and a name kept recurring among the people. It was Koko, the name of the rainmaker priest. Some people were of the opinion Koko was always behind sudden changes of nice weather to the inclement ones during momentous open-sky occasions. He always denied this of course. The rainmaker was summoned. He came promptly. Koko was bald as an egg with snow white beard. He wore a red band on his head and both his upper arms. His body was decorated with white chalk. On his torso he wore raffia palm fronds tied round his waist. His three acolytes stood a little distance from him. They were similarly dressed but not as imposing.

      The art of rainmaking was supposed to be a calling and perfected through apprenticeship. Koko, the rainmaker, promptly brought out some sacred herbs, leaves, shrubs, and roots from his bag. These he mixed together as his acolytes surrounded him. He poured some hot drinks into his mouth, swallowed some and spit the rest into the sky. Some spectators could not help but notice that Koko swallowed more than he gave the gods. He muttered some incantations under his breath. Next, he brought out a big aged elephant tusk. He blew some notes into the tusk through an aperture at the narrow tip, all the while chanting incantations to some spiritual consciousness only himself could hear and feel. He put the mixed sacred herbs into a bowl and dipped a broom into the bowl. Koko waved the broom towards the direction he wanted the rain-bearing dark clouds to go. Almost immediately the sky cleared as a slight wind pushed the dark cloud in the direction indicated by the rainmaker priest.

     The onlookers, now standing to get a better look at the proceedings, erupted into a collective claps and roar. Shouts rent the air. What the people had just witnessed bothered on the supernatural. Koko, a little smile playing at the corner of his mouth, never ceased to bask in the adulations of the people after a successful rain deflection like this. His acolytes promptly marched to the chief being installed to collect the promised cock, palm oil and dyed clothes. Every one realized that failure to deliver on the promise would lead to lightning storm being conjured down by the rainmaker priest. His dues were always quickly paid.

       The day suddenly turned dark. Enorhor knew from experience that the weather did not augur well. She walked fast into the tent and quickly wrapped the bewildered twins in some thick clothes. She came out and looked around but decided since the earthen mound was the tallest structure around it was susceptible to lightning strikes. As an electric storm was imminent the best option was to leave the shelter tent and look for shelter elsewhere. She went back in and picked some mats and few wrappers and, picking the children, fled down the earthen mound. The family was just some few yards away when big drops of raindrops started pouring down. They fled towards the orchard. At the edge of the orchard the heavens opened up and the rain poured in great torrents. It was still early evening but looked like deep in the night. They made it under a huge mango tree with high root system. They climbed the root, wrapped themselves up and hunkered down. The raffia palm mats did their jobs but couldn't prevent the rain and the cold seeping into their bodies.

      Enorhor and the twins huddled in the rain, praying it to stop but it didn't relent. Lightning streaked across the sky in long and jagged flashes. The accompanying thunder was deafening. The soil became soggy as the rain poured more water than the soil could soak it up resulting in flashfloods. The stream on the far side swelled and overflowed its banks. The flood streamed onto the flat plain between the stream and the orchard. Enorhor and the children could hear its onward rush towards them. They held their collective breaths. The thunderclaps continued without letup. There were intermittent flashes of lightning all over the dark sky. The frightened visages of the little family lit up against the flashing lightning. The twins put their faces in between their laps. They were shivering ceaselessly from the biting cold. The flashflood got to the orchard. It rose up the base of the mango root. By the light of the lightning they could see the water rising rapidly. They shuffled up the root system until there was no more room left. They held tight and prayed as silently. If it rose any further, the fast moving water would sweep them away though they all could swim but this type of fast moving river was beyond their mettle. Rocks, small trees, and other small animals like snakes, squirrels, were swept along by the flashflood.

     As suddenly as it started the rain stopped. The flood stopped rising after a while but continued uprooting shallow-rooted trees in its path. Enorhor and the twins were still huddled together in total darkness as the flood slowly receded. The flashes of lightning continued here and there. The icy cold water and air seeped into their very beings. The twin's teeth clattered together in their shivering mouths. As their bodies tried to warm up they shuddered in order to maintain homeostasis. By expending their energies through these bouts of shivering warmth was created. Going back to their tent was out of the question. The water must recede sufficiently before they could attempt going home. They settled down to a long night. Without the wind and rain taking away their warmth the family was able to warm up a little by huddling close together.

      They spent a fitful night hunkered under the tree. By early light they could see no trace of the night flood. All that remained were debris littered over the landscape. They roused themselves gingerly and stretched their aching limbs as the sun's ray started peeping from the east horizon. Enorhor was very tired and sore but she dared not let the twins see her discomfort. She put up a brave face as they stepped onto the muddy orchard floor as they began their homeward trip. They carefully sidestepped the debris strewn across the landscape. The got to the shelter tent in silence.

     The shelter mound was virtually unscathed by the night storm but the tent was nowhere to be seen. Enorhor and the twins were crestfallen. Enorhor however recovered her composure and cheered the family up. She started singing a cheerful song and the children joined in after a while. Their spirits were uplifted as they went about looking for sticks and palm leaves to make a new tent. The idea of a tent had a psychological effect on them all. It gave them a sense of an anchor in their lives. They gravitated towards it because it stood for all they could call their own on the forlorn island. Bubuye climbed a palm tree and cut off all its leaves. Boboye meanwhile went in search of stakes. Without much ado, Enorhor began weaving the palm fronds into a thatch. They constructed a wider and more elegant and roomier tent. The frenetic activities took its toll on Enorhor who fell sick days after. At more than sixty years old her body simply couldn't take the stress of the past days. She became weaker as the days went back. She concocted her herbs with the help of the twins. The herbs, however, only gave her momentary respite. Enorhor could feel her energy ebbing away.