Two Worlds

Chapter 4

"You can't be serious!" The third man exclaimed to Prince Adewale.

"That's the only way, Olumide!" The Prince stated.

"But what if things get worse? What if Osun finds out?! Do you know what she'll do to us for killing one of her own?" The second man who had attempted to leave asked in trepidation. "This mermaid's curses may be worse, but Osun's own will be out of this world!"

"Osun won't know a thing! If Osun was omniscient like Olodumare, she'd have known by now that I've just raped one of her daughters. We will get rid of this mermaid and nobody will ever get to find out, and we have to do this before Adigun arrives. After this, we can go back to the chief priest and tell him to fortify us and also make us immune to her curses...or better still, I could seek my mother's help. I know that she also has powers." Said Adewale and this seemed to assure his men and partially assuage their fears. "First, cover that mouth of hers so that she says nothing more." Adewale instructed.

The first man quickly fetched a piece of cloth and attempted to aggressively force it into Enitan's mouth, but she in her fury, bit off his ring finger and little finger. The man suddenly howled in pain as he stared at the stumps that were left off his fingers as blood spurted repeatedly from them. He began to move around like a crazy man, crying out in agony and shock as he sprinkled his blood everywhere while the Prince quickly moved away to avoid his royal and expensive agbada from being stained.

Adeola glared down at Enitan in shock and anger as she spat out the two bloody fingers down at his feet. Raising his arm, he mightily struck her on the face with the back of his hand and her head collided with the mud wall. "Kill her!" He ordered now.

The men quickly grabbed their clubs and began to bludgeon Enitan, hitting her all over. She tried to ward off the blows with her arms but they damaged her fragile skin and broke her bones and ribs. She cried out in agony and was able to knock one of the men away with her powerful tail but the other men would not stop clubbing her. By the time Adigun reached the farm, panting heavily from having run a long distance, he was shocked to find the hut blazing with fire and Prince Adewale and his men were long gone. He could hear Enitan screaming weakly within the burning hut. Wondering who had done this, he grabbed the water pot, ran to fetch some water from the pond then threw it against the burning hut, but the water had little or no effect on the hungry fire. The thatched roof only blazed the more and the beams collapsed within the hut with a cloud of thick smoke rising towards the night sky.

Adigun could still hear Enitan crying and screaming in pain within the blazing hut as she got burned alive. Desperate to save her, he took off his agbada and wrapped it over his head and upper body, then coughing repeatedly due to the choking smoke which was already filling his lungs, he forced his way into the hut to rescue his lover but he didn't make it out, neither did Enitan and the fire only blazed fiercely all night.

The thick smoke attracted some of the villagers an hour or so later and they rushed over to see whose farm was on fire. When they got there with the Chief priest in tow. The men were able to fetch enough water all at once and douse the fire to a great level. The Chief priest, knowing that Enitan was within the hut, instructed the men to wait outside because he didn't want them to discover the goddess. He walked into the black hut and saw Adigun and Enitan with their arms tightly wrapped around each other but they were burned beyond recognition to black crisp and her charred tail was sprawled out with some of the bones showing were the fire had roasted the flesh off her tail. All her hair was gone too.

When the Chief priest stepped out of the hut with a downcast and dreadful look on his face, he looked up to the sky and slowly shook his head in great sorrow.

"Baba, e soro, (Old man, speak,) who's in the hut?" One of the men anxiously asked on behalf of the others.

The Chief priest lowered his gaze to look at the faces of the men. "It's Adigun...o ti ku... (He's dead)." He said and all the men gave sorrowful exclamations. "Amó n, ti wa ti ba wa! (But, we are done for!)" He added and shaking his head again, he informed the men. "Do not go into the hut, the river will take what belongs to her, herself. I'll advise you all to go back home, lock your doors and wait for the storm that's to come!" The Chief priest said, shook his head yet again and started his walk back home with his staff making a clattering sound each time it touched the earth as he walked.