THE WIDOW'S VILLAGE

CHAPTER 6: FINDING ADAEZE

Morning day 5, Najm did not wear breast.

He tied wrapper plain, like old widow, not fine new widow. He told Mama Ajala, "I want to fetch herb deep forest for my dead husband memory."

Mama Ajala said, "Don't go far. Old shrine there. Evil things."

"I am evil already, Mama," Zainab said, deep voice.

Layla knew. She packed small knife, water in bamboo, and shaved his chin again quick behind hut.

"You will see Adaeze," she whispered, "she is tall like you, but eye is sad. Don't tell her you are Zainab at first. She will beat you with stick. Forest women hate man trick."

"How will I tell her?"

"Say star. She knows star story."

Najm entered deep forest. Path that even widows fear. Trees close, no sun. Ground soft with leaves that never dry.

After 30 minutes, he saw hut — not widow hut, old Dibia hut, roof broken, inside one woman sitting, back to him, carving wood.

"Adaeze," he called, but voice still soft Zainab voice.

Woman did not turn. "Who is that?"

"Zainab... new widow."

"Go back. I don't stay with widows. I stay alone."

Najm stepped closer. He saw carving — small boy with Arab eyes.

His heart jumped.

"Adaeze, it's me."

She turned.

Adaeze — 19, thinner, hair cut short like boy, scar on hand from chicken poison that did not kill her. She saw tall widow with veil.

She did not recognize. She picked stick.

"I said go!"

Najm removed veil.

Face clean, but eyes — Arab eyes same as carving.

Adaeze's stick dropped.

"Najm?"

He knelt. "Yes."

She stared, then ran, hit his chest hard. "You stupid boy! You entered Evil Forest! They will kill you! Why you wear woman cloth!"

"I came to find you! Village said you died! Mama said chicken poison!"

"I did not die! Mother Tree saved me! And you — you wear wrapper? Are you mad?"

She beat him again, but crying.

Najm caught her hands. "I had to. No man enters. So I became Zainab."

Adaeze looked at his wrapper, his smooth chin, his shaking.

She laughed — cry-laugh. "My brother, fine boy, became widow. Ah, village will gist for 10 years."

They sat. He told everything — Obinna, LGA Chairman, Dibia poison, Mama Ajala, and Layla moon.

When he said Layla, Adaeze smiled small.

"That small girl with moon scar? She is sharp. She saved me when I first entered, gave me water. She said she wants school."

"She still wants."

Adaeze touched his fake wrapper. "You love her?"

Najm looked down. "I don't know love. I know I remember her Alif Ba Ta more than Qur'an."

Adaeze hit head. "That is love, mumu."

Silence deep forest.

Then Adaeze said, "You must go back today. Obinna knows man entered. If he finds you as man, he will kill you and burn all widows to hide his father paid Dibia to kill me with poison. I have proof."

She brought leaf parcel — inside, dried chicken bone and small paper where Dibia wrote: _Paid 50k by Chairman for Adaeze chicken._

"This is proof," she said. "Take to Abuja? Or to Igwe?"

Najm took. "We take together. You, me, Layla."

"No," Adaeze said. "If I return now as Adaeze, they say witch returned. But if Zainab returns with proof — fine widow who survived forest — they will listen."

Plan formed: Zainab, the tall widow who danced and cried, will go to square with proof, and reveal she is Najm, boy who lived as woman in Evil Forest and no witch killed him.

"Risk," Adaeze said.

"Star risks," Najm said, touching Qur'an in wrapper.

They hugged. Sister and brother, one thrown as witch, one entered as widow.

On way back, Layla waited at edge deep forest, holding razor like weapon.

When she saw two figures — Zainab and Adaeze — she dropped razor and ran.

"Adaeze!"

Adaeze caught her. "Moon girl."

Layla cried first time since father died, real cry, not fake wail.

"I thought you died in shrine," she said.

"I was waiting for star," Adaeze said, looking at Najm.

Three of them walked back to Umu Ada — one witch who lived, one widow who was boy, one moon girl who wanted school.

That night, Mama Ajala saw Adaeze and shouted, "Witch returns!"

But Adaeze said, "No Mama, daughter returns, with brother who became daughter to find me."

Mama Ajala looked at Zainab, then saw Adam's apple now clear because veil off, and cloth chest gone.

She sat on ground.

"Chineke! Man has lived 5 days in my widow village and my widows did not die!"

Widows gathered — 23 widows — looking at Najm in wrapper, now man.

Old Nne Ukwu said, "I knew this widow leg big!"

Laughter, then fear. "What will village do?"

Najm removed wrapper top, stayed in singlet and wrapper tied like man now, not woman. He held proof paper high.

"Tomorrow," he said, voice deep now, no more soft, "I will enter village as Najm, not Zainab. And I will tell Igwe: Evil Forest is not evil. It is village of mothers you threw. And if you burn it, you burn proof that Chairman paid to kill my sister."

Layla stood beside him, small, but holding his hand — first time openly as Layla holding Najm, not Layla holding Zainab.

Mama Ajala looked at two — star and moon — and said, "If you die tomorrow, you die as widow and widower together. Mother Tree will take both names."

Najm looked at Layla.

"Tomorrow after square, Ilorin?" he asked.

Layla touched scar. "After square, school."

Adaeze smiled, holding chicken bone evidence.

Night before storm.