The survival

Chapter Seven: The jonurey back home

The journey back home.

By the time uchenna was done narrating her story and ordeal and how they had arrived and come to build the hut it's almost midnight.

"Mamma … the hour has come for us to go and possess our possessions …!! "Ada said, getting angry at the end of the story.

" My children it's easy to get into the forest but it's hard to go out ." She says, wiping her tears as Amaka stands.

" Mama listen if all this is true then we must leave this forest … you know this road better than we do ! "Amaka remarks standing up.

" Stop acting like this… stop accepting defeat!" Amaka says calmly "there is nobody for us to turn to " she reply

"Enough of all this mamma … give us your blessings and we shall emerge victorious !" Ada added nodding.

"The battle is not as easy as you think… Nobody can stop the princess and her mother !! "Uchenna reply." You see mother the high time you stop acting pathetic the better for us. "Amaka states.

" Mama, do you realize you just rendered the sacrifice of your friends and family useless by hiding here all this while ? " Ada says as they both hold their mother's hands.

"Nne Eze … my queen … our world and whole … Adaeze Umudike … omoaracha …mama I want you to do this for the sake of our grandmother 'she stops for a while wiping her face before continuing!' and for the sake of the maid who died for our sake … on your behalf… mamma how do you want me to feel after telling me all this ?! '' Ada asks.

" A true princess … queen thinks first of her citizens likewise a good Shepherd thinks highly of his sheep before any other thing! "Amaka says as the two sisters stand up to go.

" Now the choice is yours … to restore justice or let the innocent die"Ada replies .

"Or continue to expose us to danger … and die on a strange land" Amaka added as they both retire inside having in mind that they will commence into the land of the living with or without their mother's blessing.

"Being sorry won't change anything, you were once defeated. Now I want you to take your armor of war and let's go into the battlefield to inspect before battling! " Ada says. Early the following day.

" You were powerless before now, you should be powerful to overcome remember … What you always say when life gives you one reason to cry gives it a thousand reasons to laugh … what is holding you back …awake the lioness in you to correct the error in you !! Amaka replied as she helped pull uchenna on her feet and hug her.

"Mama did you arrange all this?" Ada asks to see their clothes being clearly folded and put into a wrapper.

"Is this how you are going to sleep all day !!" She said looking at her children smiling at them as she started giving them rules and regulations as the two children commented yes in happiness as they all gathered their weapons.

"Let's get our weapon … your highness" they say dramatically as they burst into laughter four hours of trekking they finally decided to rest under a big mango tree.

" Mamma, can we eat from this fruit?" but she refused, cautioning them not to desire what they can't have.

" Mama can we at least look around to see if any of the mango fell off!" They pleaded crying so reluctantly so she allowed them to, after many attempts to pick a mango proved abortive they returned to inform.

"What's wrong mother?" The two asked, looking down tensively as uchenna stared at the tree for a long time before heaving a sign.

"My children hence from here onward the journey will become tough and rough" she said.

"What do you mean?" Ada asked Amaka to explain.

"Whatever decision you make here is final!" Weeping her tears .

"Do you mean life for life?" Amaka asks tensely, replying with a nod, the brutality of their journey starts to sink in.

"We can't go back now… we either choose to die a disgraceful death or a death of honor" Amaka said, holding the tip of her cloth.

"Mamma, think about something … how you got here… the way out! "Ada exclaimed, trying to hide the hint of fear on face as uchenna was lost in thought of what to do in order to save her from the hands of the forest gods and goddess spirit.

" My children … at this joint I think we have to accept our fate … you all said you are ready so do not give up! "Uchenna asked her daughters in a teasing manner and they all burst, a very dangerous whirlwind started blowing.

" Be strong … my warriors!!" She whispers to her children and mostly to Ada who had already started panicking. "Mamma, are we going to die here?!" Ada asks … each was lost in their own thoughts on how to escape the upcoming challenges, Ada starts mimicking the whirlwind until the wind finally turns back. Ada was busy talking to the already furious spirit.

" What do you seek from the land of the dead? "The spirit asks Ada who could only try hard to hide her nervousness.

" We seek a way out of our predicament, the great spirit of the land! '' Uchenna replies expressionless in her face knowing it's best not to, for the spirit uses their weakness to torment them after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you have to offer?!" The spirit asked the children says they have nothing to offer at the moment but promise to return it's favor as the spirit starts changing some spell.

"But you must offer me something for you to pass!" the spirit shouts defea, making them cover their ears with their palms.``I belief of truly you are the gods of the enchanted forest …you will not neglect this bleeding heart!"Amaka replied angrily " neither will you watch injustice be done to your children all in the name of give and take." Ada added with this uchenna brings out a traditional kolanut, breaking it .

" Remember oh spirit and gods of the forest …all the souls being killed and grant your mercy that we may survive this trials and temptation that lies ahead…so the world will know you not a god of injustices."having said this she threw the forward to the spirit,in a splash of a minute they found themself in another dimension of the forest.

" Where are we?''Amaka was the first to notice the sudden change in environment along with Ada.

" We are in the middle of a big …deep… dark … forest !! "Ada said, hugging her hands to her chest, uchenna carefully studied her surroundings before she spoke.

" He was angry… the next step might be … " she stopped handing each of them two kola nuts as she opened her mouth to talk as they were being pushed out by a strong wind for two days. Two days in another dimension filled with angry birds, they decided to rest only to be woken up by a huge snake that strolled around staring at Amak.

Slowly bringing out her bowl and arrow she shot at the snake charge towards Ada, the battle between the creature that she didn't know she had gone far from her family. Before she knows what is happening the snake has disappeared leaving Ada behind to find a way out of her misery.