Against All Odds

Chapter Nine: Pranked

The whole compound was almost quiet as a graveyard, only the occasional croaking of frogs distorted the  stillness of the night. The hooting of an owl could be made out from afar and though the story that reached the children's ears should have engendered fear, they all succumbed happily to the strange twist the old woman had created, as mma portrayed the spirit to be friendly and compassionate.

Obi's eyes often roamed in the room as she mindlessly tried to ascertain if Obiefune's condition had worsened or gotten better. He didn't speak a word as the tale went on even though he had been laughing hysterically at first.

Mma's snuff rarely affected her, it felt like the woman's senses were quite sharpened after each sniff. Mma's neck had become scrawnier than usual and her wrinkles wrestled with her skin making it appear like she had stripes on her face and other regions of her body. Her eyes were small and dark and they seemed to always shut themselves whenever the woman bared her brown teeth to laugh.

It was not new that Mma's sight had also deteriorated as she often mistook a child for another. Her voice rang in the hut, with very curious eyes fixed on her face waiting to hear the end of the story.

Ifenna and oluebube snored lightly  beside Obi who patted them once in a while as they story went on. Obi stole glances at Chioma who seemed to be engulfed by the story that she scarcely acknowledged anything or anyone.

The poor girl never had grandparents the story telling was a new experience to her and she decided to make the most out of it.

It was often a marvel how the children fit into the hut where mma stayed. The wooden bamboo where she sat and gave strange characters and animals life,  stood out because of how high it was. Everyone else but mma sat on the mat spread for the sole purpose of listening to folk tales.

The old woman did well to demonstrate her stories and in the bid exposed the sagging breasts which were as flat as slippers and wrinkly that Obi supposed made her oblivious to the fact that males were amongst her herd of listeners. Whether her breasts were out nobody seemed to notice content with the words they were hearing.

"Did she go to fetch the water at that time?" Chikwendu mazi ibekwe's sun questioned. It was a miracle that the boy was sane because most people assumed he'd be mentally unstable. Not only was his father a known drunk who often rambled as he staggered around the village, it was also said that the poor boy had an unfortunate fall when he was an  infant.

His father who had been drunk to his boots mistook him for their dog and threw him out of his room. Chikwendu had been eight months old when the incident happened. It took a lot of nursing and herbs from the local blind healer to save the boy's life.

His mother did well to keep him from his father and even though the boy had quite healed well obi often wondered if the incident was the sole reason for the improper shape of his head. The boy had claimed several nicknames from his peers and they finally stuck with " isi azụ "Fish head.

Obi was somewhat pleased and admired how strong the boy had become. Mma broke her out of her thoughts with the reply she gave the boy.

"Of course she went, she had no choice else her co-wife would have confiscated her food and she didn't want her children to starve."

Most of the children hissed and sighed to the inhumane act one of the women exhibited.

"That means the wicked woman deliberately poured the water in her drinking pot so that the other woman would use it, then she'd coerce her into fetching water at that hour and at that particular stream" Chioma spoke clearly with her gaze still fixed on mma like an explorer would a valuable ancient artifact.