The retelling story of igodo episode 3

The Retelling Story of
Igodo – Episode 3
Two males made their way out of their hut, one
hut was facing the other. One of them was
carrying a bow and a arrow, from the look of
things they were about to go for a hunt. Ikenna
and Ikenga, both were twins. They were born
and brought up in Ogunme village. Ikenga was
a very skilled fighter, who had wrestled with all
the whole young men of his age in a wrestling
ground and had always won. He had never be
defeated in a wrestling ground before. He was
muscular and has a great height. His twin
brother, Ikenna was the opposite. Ikenna a very
slim young man was good with arrows, he was
known to the people as a hunter who had never
missed his target before, what surprises the
villagers the most was how he was able to
catch bigger games, like lions, tigers, antelopes
etc, while their other hunters came home with
nothing and sometimes they came with a bush
meat or grasshopper if the gods of the land
had remember to bless them that day.
Ikenna and Ikenga are not your typical kind of
twins, they are unusual. Apart from his strength,
Ikenga had the ability to see anything that was
far. His ability had always made him know
where the games are and will then inform his
brother, Ikenna. Apart from that, he was a very
skilled fighter. Ikenna on the other hand was
very good in shooting arrows. When he shoots,
no matter how far that animal is, it will be hit.
His arrow shoot can go as far as into the evil
forest that was close to their village and
sometimes his arrows had always come back
to him. The two brothers had always use their
gifts to help each other.
When Ikenna and Ikenga came out from their
respectively huts. Their parents had died when
they were still young and since then they had
been the one taking care of themselves. They
were preparing to go out for their usual hunt
when Ikenna told Ikenga of his dream he had.
“Nga, enwera m nro unyaahu-I have a dream
yesterday night”.
“A dream? What did you see this time?” Ikenga
asked his twin.
“I saw ourselves running through a thick forest.
There were some unknown people who were
with us. I couldn’t make up their faces, but I
keep on hearing Umu-Igodo from their mouths
and that we have to come and join them”.
Ikenna explained his dream.
“Umu-Igodo? I don’t think I have heard of such
a village that bears that name before”. Ikenga
said
“Me too. But I am very sure they need our
help”.
“I see, you know that your dreams had always
come to pass”. Ikenga sigh and then continued
“We are not going for any hunting today. Rather
we are going to search for the village that
bears that name”. Ikenga concluded and they
went in,side their huts to change their clothes.
They soon emerged from their huts with some
wrappers tied securely around Ikenga’s
shoulder.
“How do we go from here? We have never
been to Umu-Igodo village before so how are
we going to locate that place?” Ikenga asked
his twin brother.
“Nga, I don’t know how we are going to locate
there but I thing I am sure of is, Amadioha will
lead us there”. Ikenna replied.
Having make sure that their huts were securely
locked they walked out of their compound,
locking the bamboo fence tightly and began
their journey in search of Umu-Igodo.
******************************
Odum had woken up early to the quietness of
his compound. He vividly remembered how he
had lost his wife who had died immediately
when she had given birth to his son. And after
struggling for (17) seventeen years to train his
son, he died. How could Amadiha been so
wicked.
“Amadioha if you had known that my son will
not reach the age where he’d be call a man
then why did you give him to me at the first
place?” Odum soliloquy to himself.
Not too long, a robust woman she was
beautiful and dark in complexion walked into
Odum compound and met him talking to
himself.
“Odum, gini mere I na agwa onwe gi okwu?-
Odum, why are you talking to yourself? O bu na
agwaghi m gi ka ighara ichegbu onwe gi?- Have
I not told you not to worry about your dead
son? Amadioha our great god will give you
children, biko ebezina”. The woman consoled
Odum.
“I know that Obidiya, I am just thinking when
our lives will be better”. Odum heaved a sigh
and then continued, “Any way, what had brought
you to my home early this morning. I hope you
and your husband are not fighting again?”
Odum asked the woman now know as Obidiya.
“Yes, I came to beg you to come and help me
to remove the iroko tree that fell across our
farm land. I have sent people earlier to carry
the tree from our farm, but they couldn’t and so
I decided to seek you”. Obidiya explained why
she had come that early.
“Okay Obidiya, is it that farm land that is in
Nkpor side?” Odum asked
“Yes, exactly that one”.
“Be going, I will be there soon”.
“How much cowries am I going to pay you?”
Obidiya asked.
“Obidiya you have come again. I don’t need
your money and beside you have been there for
me since I lost my wife and my son. You don’t
have to pay me any money inugo”. Odum said.
“Odum, you are truly a man with a good heart.
Thank you, let me be going”.
Obidiya thanked him again and left for her
place.
Soon Odum was walking towards the direction
of Nkpor where Obidiya’s farm land was. When
he got there, he saw a big Iroko tree and
without sweat lifted the big iroko tree with one
of his hand, carried it out of Obidiya’s farm land
and dumped it in the forest.
He use that opportunity to check on Igodo.
******************************
Igodo and Uzodinma sat down and they were
eating the roasted yam Uzodinma had roasted
for them when Odum came to meet them.
He was surprised to see a beautiful stranger
eating and laughing with Igodo. Igodo was the
first to noticed him. Uzodinma followed Igodo’s
eye and it landed on Odum that was some
distance away from them. Igodo smiled and
turned to look at Uzodinma.
“You were right, Odum is here as you have told
me. Truly you are really gifted and I hope your
gift will guide you all as you journeyed to the
land of the dead”.
Uzodinma gave out a charming smile when
Igodo praised her gift, back in her village her
gift was regarded as witchcraft.
Odum soon joined them and asked Igodo who
the young lady was.
“Oh, she is one of the children of Amadioha”.
Igodo told Odum
“Oh, you mean to say a lady is among the
choosen ones?” Dike asked surprised.
“Yes, the ways of the gods are different from
the ways of we mere mortals. She is a gifted
seer. Come and join us”.
“Thank you my father”, Dike said and took a
piece of yam and ate it. After he had finished
eating the yam he had took, he stood up and
addressed them. ” I only came to check on you
to see how you are faring”. Odum said
“Oh, you did well my son. Don’t worry about
me, I am being taken care of by Uzodinma
here”.
“Okay. I will be on my way now though I will be
back this evening to check on you. Thanks for
the fod”. Odum said and left them for his hut.
******************************
Ikenga and Ikenna had walked for a long time
without knowing where they were actually
heading too. They decided to asked anyone
they will meet on their way. They hadn’t walk
far when they met a woman, she had a basket
full of yams to the brim on her head.
“Good day mama, please we are going to Umu-
igodo village and we don’t know where the
village is. Do you know the way we can follow
to get to Umu-Igodo?” Ikenna asked politely.
“Yes my sons, you see that bush part?” The
woman said pointing at a narrow road. “Follow
that road and do not branch anywhere, it will
lead you and your twin brother to Umu-Igodo
village”.
“Thank you mama”. Ikenga said and they
started walking towards the bushy part the
woman had told them to take. The woman
walked a few pace and disappeared into thin
air.
After walking for a while, Ikenna stop his
brother and asked him. “Nga, come to think of
it, how did that woman know that we are twin?”
“Maybe we had told her earlier on”. Ikenga
replied.
“Well you may be right”. Ikenna agreed with his
twin and they walked in silence going to Umu-
Igodo.
Unknown to them, the woman they had met
was a spirit sent by Amadioha to show them
the short cut that will lead to -Umu-Igodo
village and the road they had followed will lead
them directly to Igodo’s home.
******************************
The whole people of Amaeze troop to Ojadike’s
hut, including the Igwe of Amaeze.
Ojadike had started playing his flute, and many
of the villagers were already there eagerly to
wait for his beautiful song. As soon as Ojadike
saw that the Igwe had sat down, he pauses in
his flute playing and after a while started
singing.
Igbo version
Onye di ka eze anyi
Ndi Amaeze na asopuru
Eze anyi niile huru gi n’anya
Eze anyi nwere obi olaedo
Nke ahu nwere ike iga leta ndi nki ti di ka m
Ndi Amaeze ekele gi niile
Anyi nile ga-ebi n’udo, ahuike di mma ma na-
enwe oganihu mgbe niile
Aha m bu OJadike
Nwa mgbei nke huru egwu n’anya
Eze na ndi Amaeze m na ekele gi ozo
English version
Who is like the king
The people of Amaeze respect him
Our king we all love you
Our king has the heart of gold
That can even visit a commoner like me
The people of Amaeze I greet you all
We all are going to live in peace, good health
and always be prosperous
My name is Ojadike
A orphan who loves music
The king and the people of Amaeze I greet you
all once again.
The igwe was so pleased with his song and
gave him a bag full of cowries and left. He had
always felt better whenever he hears Ojadike
music. The villagers started leaving Ojadike hut
one after the other till it remains Ojadike.
Ojadike a orphan who had lost his parents to a
brief illness that had claimed their lifes has the
gift of playing flute and songs. Once he had
start, his music can melt a cold heart. The
villagers had always believed that his songs
where given by Amadioha.
When he had lost his parents, the Igwe decided
to take care of Ojadike. He was very young
when his parents died so the Igwe took him in
as one of his sons. Ojadike was so grateful to
the Igwe that no day that passes he won’t sing
for the Igwe. Soon the villagers got to know
about his songs and from their he started
becoming popular amongst the people. Years
later when he had reached the age of men the
Igwe gave him a portion of his land and build
him a hut like that of his children, after all he
was also his son.
Many villagers have heard so much of Ojadike
and they always troop in groups to hear his
songs every morning.
His fame gradually came to light when a Lion
who had been terrorising the people of Amaeze
was killed by him with his music.
He was very young then when he had used his
music to tame the Lion and brought the wild
animal to where the trap that was set for the it.
The Lion was so pleased with the music that
he had followed Ojadike and unknowingly
walked into the trap and was immediately killed
by the hunters.
The villagers then named him ‘Ojadike, god of
Music’
That was how his name Ojadike was spread
and people from the neighbouring villages
came to Amaeze to see the young boy who had
tame the Lion.
After he was alone in his hut, the people had
left him to continue their daily works at their
various homes, he was left alone.
However his mind wasn’t at peace, he had
been having these strange dreams of recent. In
that dream a old man who had appeared to
him had told him to go to Umu-Igodo village
and look for a man that bears Igodo that they
need his help.
He had woken up to think why he was told to
go to that cursed village. Who doesn’t know the
story of Umu-Igodo and how the curse came to
be.
At first when he had the first dream, he had
thought that it was just a normal dream but
when it became continuously he knew it wasn’t
a normal dream but a message.
The old man had always pleaded with him that
he was needed.
He was needed?
He decided to go to Umu-Igodo to look for
Igodo.
After, having his bath and had packed some of
his clothes he set out to the Igwe’s Palace to
tell him of his journey.
“My son”, the Igwe began after Ojadike had
informed him where he had intended to go “I
won’t stop you from your journey. But you have
to promise me that once you had rendered your
help to Umu-Igodo, you have to come back to
me safe and sound”.
“I will father”, Ojadike said and bowed to him
before leaving Igwe’s presence.
As he walked, he brought out his flute and
started playing it. He knew the road that leads
to Umu-Igodo and went through it, playing his
flute. The birds flying in the air had to perch
from tree to tree following his music. Even the
trees swayed at the sound of his music.
******************************
It was noon when Odum came to Igodo. After
he had greeted the old man, he sat down on
the mat Uzodinma had sat on. hærdly had he
sit down when Uzodinma announces.
“We are going to have some visitors tonight. I
can’t really see their faces, but they will soon
be here
No sooner had she utter the words, they heard
some foot steps coming towards their hut.
Igodo smiled, he knew them. Amadioha
children are gradually becoming complete
To be continue…..