Garin Mazugal

Chapter 13/Chapter 14.

Yaro's eyes was as white as it was blank. His mouth, wide, was receptive of everything that wanted falling into it. His head felt light as he sauntered, with a stagger through the various folds of unconsciousness. He moved two steps to the left and welcomed his mother's voice. Like glass fastened to canvass, she sat motionless, her hair uncovered and rough. She sat in the air and made a show of the pride that came with defying gravity. For weird reasons, after those steps, Yaro's legs was pegged to a spot. Propelling himself forward didn't do the trick so he stretched his hands forward, with the hope of meeting his Ma's. He thought she saw him but she didn't. Moaning under and barely breathing, seeing his mum with bowed head and no head gear, sitting on air made him shiver. He started to scream. Hoarse. As he did, walls of reinforced steel made a cage around him. Funny, because they seemed to echo what he says with a sarcastic undertone. Yaro saw the world's end fifteen times.  Drenched in sweat, quelled of anger, lost off hope and being powerless to help his mother, he sat down. His head became heavy again.  His mind was racing. He could feel the little pinch of energy coming into his veins. Little, little, tick, click, his eyes saw bushes. Black. He saw trees wearing something that looked like sacks. Then he heard voices. Like the winds commandeering the leaves.

"Pump!" His heart came alive. Those cloth-wearing trees were turning to humans. The bushes he saw was their hair. The voices started to make sense.

"Ya mutu faaa.! (He is dead!)."

"Kun kashe shi! (You done killed him!)!"

He saw them walk away. Then he saw his mom again.

Chapter 14.

Days whistled by and everything silently went back to the way it was. Yaro died and was buried. Binta disappeared. Habu had successfully upstaged Abuh. Abuh went back to farming and greeting any one that cared to listen. The political environment in Mazugal witnessed a realignment, as it should be. Barau's trickery and desperation was rewarded. Alhaji Iro, the party chairman, deferred to him to make decisions. Mai Naira relinquished his ticket for him. Barau was the Lord. Others were serfs. Mallam Ishaq was more careful. He still hasn't given up hope of marrying Hauwa. He "Allah-ya-ma-albarka (God bless you)" as quickly as it took any one to wish his dream marriage comes true. Rabi'u and his wife Tosin continued their domestic soap opera. These days, it had become a characteristics for them. Hajia Rumai's water of gossips never dried up. In fact, her position as Alhaji Iro's wife aided their propaganda efforts. Say that she was responsible for 80% of the half-truths in Mazugal and you will be far away from estimating the reach of her gossiping tentacles.

Musa Tsafe drowned in regret. These days, he spends time in isolation. After the Alhaji Sabi'u drama, he swore to cut every relationship with materialism till his daughter forgave him. Now that he doesn't know where she was, his list of prayers increased. He starts and each day with an invocation for forgiveness from God. He prays for he safe return and goes out to work. He barely talks to any one, bar his family. Gana, the gateman, searched frantically for places in need of his gatekeeping skills. Luckily, he found one in Mallam Goni's "hospital." Goni's trade of underpinning demons to simple ailments continued to flourish. In fact, the latest was a case of a girl that saw herself flying on a mat in a dream. She woke up very scared and relayed this dream to her parents. Her mum, a staunch believer of Goni's spiritual " browsing" prowess took her to see him. He listened carefully and nodded intermittently. He allowed her to finish her explanations before offering his learned counsel.

" Kin san su Aljannu su na da ban al'ajabi (The jinns are mystical). Sha'anin su ba?" He paused to belch and stretched his legs. " Sha'anin su ba? Da ban surfrise"

The girl and her mum were close to peeing in their pants.

"Abun da yake nufi shi ne ..." Then he started. He told them that the mat is a symbol to signify flight. That her future husband will marry co-wives who will plot and successfully send her packing. He asked if she was crying in the dream and she said she had forgotten. It was like a blank check handed to a pauper because boy, did he pour lies! He added that the fact that she forgot if she was crying in the dream means that nobody will cry after her disappearance. "Babu wanda zai sani( no one will know)" he thundered.

Cornan Danja, the spot for  Mazugal's urban lifestyled people still bubbled. They smoked what they wanted and ranted as they pleased. Munifa visits once in a while as she could do with the company. She came in one day to see them crowing a ram king. They bowed down to ululate with meticulous seriousness on how his reign will bring prosperity to the region. As empty an act as this, Munifa took note of it. She was sure of using it but didn't know when.

"Toh, Jama'a! Assalamu Alaikum. Ina mai farin ciki sadurwa mu, a nan fadar babban ma'aikicin jama'iyar mu, Cheeyamanh, honorable Alhaji Iro..." He stood up to acknowledge the sparse cheers around. It was the campaign season. Decked in immaculate white, he sat out in front and tried to keep up with the appearance. This wasn't how he saw the compaign playing out but Barau has shown his diabolic mettle. Mai Naira sat beside him, holding his prayer beads. It was a long, wooden and scented bead that is now an important part of his dressing. His countenance was as cold as a dead fish. He looked piercingly into the wall, as if to get a message. He looked like a person married to his thoughts when you pass him by.
Barau was elegance himself.  His smile stretched to the end of his neck, revealing an aura of innocence that betrays his machievellian instincts. Behind was Habu, his enforcer. The entire show was a debacle but no one wants a visit from the angel of death just yet. The master of ceremonies continued the customary talks before Barau mounted the podium.

"Da sunan Allah" He started. His words were long. Convincing. He was the fox and they were his fodder. He turned them as he liked. He made them sit. He drew them in and just as they were becoming comfortable with his words, he ended his speech. This tactic is useful for any one who wants to develop a following to his words. Claps rented the air and words of admirations flew as wide as eyesight. To Barau, this was the beginning. And the beginning will be no beginning if that beginning hasn't come.

So it started. Officially. Barau's ascension to the throne was going to be as simple as waking up. But waking up isn't easy. Alhaji Iro and Mai Naira hated every bit of the time they sat. They commandeered every god of evil in their hearts, praying that Barau falls to his death. Abuh saw Habu behind Barau and shook his head.

The crowd enjoyed themselves for a while and started to disperse. Expert sycophants were already telling Barau of how no one has gathered this much people. Hungry members of the Mazugal Imam League (MIL) were there to "give" him special prayers to ensure his success. Barau doled out a wad cash or two and made for the exit. Startled by a tap on both sides of his shoulders, he used the next few seconds to contemplate on which part he should respond to. He turned right and saw a female figure running away. Turning left, he saw a male figure walking away.

Barau was scared. But the game just started.