UNBROKEN ME "STARY WRITING ACADEMY II"

The beginning

My name is Ebube,the first daughter of Igwe. I know you think I am the daughter of the King, but that's not true.

I am the daughter of the chief priest of the kingdom of Ibibio, located at the far east end of the world, a place were the sun rises early and sets early.

A place were you look forward to the moon.The trees so tall and greener than every green you ever saw. You could hear the rumbling of the streams beating against rocks.You could hear the sound of morning greetings coming from every turn.

People looking forward to a new day,the sounds of broom sticks as the daughters sweep through the compound.

The sound of our girls charter and laugh on their way to stream. Sound of an axe at the back of the house, as our brothers cut out wood for our mother's.

Oh our mother's,ohh you can literary see the food from afar,hahahahaha. I get it,you would always run home to get a taste of her meal ,and do whatever she wants. I can never forget my father's face whenever he heard my mum was done cooking. No matter how angry he was, the trick was to get my mum to cook.He could do anything for you while he was eating her meal, he never ate out,not even at the kings palace.

My people were the happiest group of people you would ever meet. we enjoyed the little precious things of life, celebrated both big and little wins.

like the first rain for the year, the new planting season, the first harvest, full Moon's, marriages, birth of male children unfortunately female children had less importance.

Ohhh the moon light tales we had at the village square on full moon night,the laughter sounds after a good joke and the fear in our eyes when the tales of the spirits visitsthe fire dancing nights, the young girls induction into womanhood the fist day she bleeds blood,the masquerade celebration and many more you look forward to everyday.

A woman with three male children is celebrated like a goddess, her husband kills a big goat for her and goes back to her of parents to repay her dowry, because they gave him a wife fit for kings.

Well it was not the same story for my Nne my mother. When she was pregnant with me, my father would always brag of how she would have a son. But Nne was so sure I was a girl,she said she knew it the day she saw the goddess of light and beauty visit her in her dream.She begged for a male child because she already knew how much my father did not want female children, she even offered sacrifices for months until I was born because she knew life won't be easy for her with my father but the goddess had made up her mind and won't listen to her plea. She told her that I was the next light bearer.

My father who was so sure it was a male child named me Ebube after his father.I wonder why the goddess would hide my gender from him,the so called eyes of the god's.

The day I was born was chaotic, no one knew how to deliver the news of me been a girl to my father because they were afraid of what he would do. His temper would be hot like fire or worse explosive. So they resorted to calling my grand MA. She knew how to walk magic when it comes to my father's temper when he is not eating Nne's meal .

She did a good job at breaking the news and when he saw me and held me in his arms it was love at first sight. He said the goddess had come to his home,and right away he decided to choose a husband. He could not take chances marrying me off to the wrong family,so he choose to betroth me to his best friend's son , Akiri ,who was 15 years then. You can imagine choosing a life for a girl who just came into the world few minutes ago.Thats my life,every important decision of life is literary made for you even before you know how to walk, let alone know what you want. Don't get me wrong Akiri is a fine handsome young man,from a well respected family.

His father had traveled far and wide, spoke languages and Akiri went on those journey with him,he was very very ambitious, and focused. A lot of girls would kill to be in my of place, I really did not know what or how to feel. Even if I did feel anything my choice had no importance.

All my life Nne had groomed me on how to the perfect wife,like cooking for my husband and serving him,satisfying his s****l desires without putting my into consideration, not questioning his decisions and his words are final.

For Akiri and i, things were different. He treated me like a princess,he said my beauty radiated like the sun.

He reminded me of how lucky he was to have me as his wife.He would look me in eye and say "may the gods bless the day your mother conceived you, and the day your father brought a proposal to my father to marry you. when we get married you won't have work, I will get you servants to even bath you.All I need from you is to stay beautiful and have my kids, three boys and a girl as beautiful as you".

Those words made me smile.Lucky I was indeed.I couldn't wait to be his wife. Life was everything and something to look forward to.

But things changed,the day the news of the White man's visit, and rumors to sell the our precious heritage to the white man in order to excavate its resources riped my people apart , for the first time we were uncertain of our future and that of our people.

The sites were this resources were was sacred to us,my people believed the ancestors and the gods dwelled there. And peace and abundance had rained in our land because the gods lived within us,we never wanted to lose that.

Then one day we heard news of our Young maidens being kidnapped on their way to the stream,next we saw their dead bodies after they were raped.

Fear had thorn the village in pieces.But I felt safe because Akiri was with me,he kept me and my family safe. Don't get me wrong, I feel for the families of those girls .

Nothing hurts as your daughter being defiled and killed and you are helpless,some of this girls were my friends,what if tomorrow it was my turn or any of my five sisters.

Then the day I dreaded the most came. Akiri came to inform me that he was leaving for war,and he would be back to marry me after the war.

He saw the fear in my eyes so he ordered three of his men to keep watch over us while he was gone.

I looked up at him and said "come home to me soon and make me your wife"

He smiled kissed my forehead saying " I swear I can't wait ".

Those words reassured me that we were going to be safe at least, maybe. I just wasn't sure of things lately. I wept as he left with the rest of his warriors .

It seemed as if they had waited for him to leave, immediately they started invading our homes,killing everyone, raping our women,our children were not left out either.

Our fear had become our reality, our gods were silent, not even our ancestors could say something, their abode was desecrated with the blood of our virgins,so the left us alone,No place was safe.My father tired to reach the gods but they couldn't hear him,or maybe he couldn't hear them because the atmosphere was clouded with cries and sweeping of our brothers, sisters,father's, mother's,or maybe the fear of the safety of his own family. Our faith was sealed, we offered various sacrifices and chants, but they never listened,or were had the gone deaf from our pain.

That night I had a dream were the goddess was calling to meet her at temple of shadows. I told my mum as soon as I woke up. She said it was nothing but a dream and should not worry myself since Akiri's men were with us.I saw reasons with her,but the dreams kept coming in different fazes.

One day I woke up to go feed the guards as usual but discovered they were dead,I called out to everyone, poor Nne fainted as soon as she saw their dead bodies, next we were surrounded by the invaders and someone calls out to them, they leave saying "we will be back".

I turned to Papa and he said " get your things we leave as soon as your mother comes around ".

we walked for a long distance, we wondered when were going to get to our destination but after a while we got to one if Papa safe houses. It was out of human's reach.

One day Nne called unto me,I could see fear in her eyes.I wondered what she saw last night.

She had her own fair share of unhappy days ,but she faced them with strength and courage,but that day she was really afraid,dead from her fears

She started telling me stories of how I was conceived and everything surrounding it.

She explained my dreams to me and how important it was for me to go to the Temple of shadows,there everything will be made clear.

She explained the urgency of me leaving for the Temple since she was not sure of how long our safety was guaranteed.

I get ready and left in search of the Temple next morning, it was not easy since I had to stay up and had no rest because no place was safe, I had to be on guard always.

I had gotten to the nearby stream to drink when I heard sounds of girls crying I found out they had been tired to a tree, I had to set them free,but ended getting into trouble.

I had watched Akiri fight several times during fighting contests, I saw him knock out his opponent with one punch,so stupid me thought of trying it out with one of the enemy guards, but it did not turn out good, so I had to run for my life,

I got into the forest since I knew they won't come after me because it was dangerous, It was easy to escape an animal so I thought.

Days had gone by I was still wandering in the forest when I came across Agu Ismme: the great white tiger .She was the most dangerous of all, fierce and has no mercy on her prey,

I counted myself dead already, I stood there frozen and confused, she pounced on me I big mighty claw ripe my back open, the pain went straight to my brain and I ran as fast as could,In pain I called out to the gods for help, I ran as my legs could carry me, luckily the sun came up and she had to go into hiding.

The sun was her enemy, I thanked the gods the sun was out. I dragged myself to the stream of ibemm happy to had seen water after two days, and had gotten to the river which was said to give life,I felt I was going to live after all, but I guess death was bargaining for me all ah long.

As I got close to the river I saw what seemed like

skin.

I finally found something to cover my wounds,little did I know it was the great ogba snake laying there to cool off,

her venom could kill ten men in a heart beat, as I picked it up she charged at me and the rest was story.

I knew I had to touch the river no matter what,but I couldn't make it before my strength failed me.I swept because I had failed my mother.

As my eyes shut I saw animals running into the water as if something or someone was after them,as they ran they splashed droplet of water on me,

it was too late I said to myself, as I passed out.

I opened my eyes to find out I was on a ship full of people in chains, some of Young women there were raped on a daily basis, they grew numb to the pain, they laid as stones as this men had their way with them,while other watched.

Mother's in tears as they saw their daughters treated like s****l tools.

I could hear this women pray for death to come, but it was not forth coming.

If any got pregnant they threw them off the ship.

A few times they came to were I laid to know if I was alive, they thought of throwing me off the ship a few times, but one of them said they will sell me off at the next stop for half the Price which was better than nothing especially for a dying woman.

We had gotten to the kingdom of LUX, when I was dragged to the slave market.No one took a second look at me since I was dying,

but then there he walked in and people bowed,he was so handsome and bright like the sun.

He looked at me and said "why does she look so weak, I don't want her,give me someone else" ,

I opened my eyes to look at him with so much disgust.

"She is all we have your highness,unless you have to wait until four seasons when next our ship sails again" they replied.

Then he said "no that's to far.I might freeze before then. i will take her, but you will give her to me for half the Price.".

They handed me over to him and they smiled back to the ship like fools

A servant put me on a carriage and they rod back to the Castle.

As he rod back he complained about his father,and he decided to do something to get his father's eyes off me. He called the Priest and got married to me .