SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA

Chapter 2: The Deity

They exchanged pleasantries, after which he pointed to a cut-to-size piece of wood on which he was directed to sit and wait as he gently walked to the back of the building to complete a task he had at hand before his arrival.

Not long after, he returned and said to him, “Follow me.”

He stood up and walked slowly behind him, according to his pace, as they headed straight to another muddy house closer to the former. Upon entering the muddy house, a seat was provided, and the chief comfortably sat on it.

“My net caught a big fish today,” he jokingly said with a friendly smile.

“May you live long, baba,” he replied as he adjusted and dragged his seat forward.

“You must have decided to pay me this visit for an important reason,” he said, sounding so sure about his purpose for visiting.

“Yes,” he responded, looking more worried than he had been upon his arrival.

“Years ago, I was here with your son, Ewegbeeniyi, who had paid you a visit, and you proverbially and prophetically said so many things about what the future had in store for me. To all you had to say on that day, I wasn’t interested, and they weren't part of my reason for the visit that day. Moreover, my faith didn't permit my acceptance of such prophecy from a practitioner of a different religion. May I tender my unreserved apology before you? I was honestly wrong and was blindfolded by my faith. I have recently faced some disasters in my home, which have been so much for me to live with,” he interrupted and said.

“Did you mean you’ve started losing your children?”

“Yes, the great one!" he replied and continued. "It’s been the worst experience for me, and moreover, my woman has refused to let go of the memories of the sad incidents...

“How?” he interjected and continued, “Why won’t your story end in such a way? You had willingly chosen not to listen to the warnings from the wise ones who had hinted to you about what lurked in the future ahead of you. Don’t you really get it? It was fate that brought you here for the very first time alongside my son in order for your unseen predicament to be waived.

One out of millions of men in your shoes has been so privileged, but instead of grabbing it, you called the bluff and walked away. I had intended to reveal to you what you have now experienced, but you weren’t interested in hearing from the seer.

My son, some humans have ignorantly lost many precious things in life while trying to prove they know it all, and their lives have therefore remained meaningless.

See, God, in His wisdom, has laid down solutions to all the problems human beings are bound to face in life, and there are His representatives here on earth who are charged with the responsibility of solving these problems through Him.

There are seers and sorcerers too, who can effectively take human problems to Him for a perfect solution.

Several religions have existed for years, even before the births of the leading ones today.

Genuine seers and sorcerers who are worth their onions are out there; they do not cheat nor lie like those who are real among the leading religions today, and they receive in return His favor for their faithfulness. Whatever they lay their hands on becomes fruitful and successful. My child, the one you’re facing today couldn’t be too hard for Him to conquer through one of His representatives on earth - Orunmila, Ifa-Olokun Asorodayo.

At this juncture, he paused and rose to his feet, then walked gently toward a corner in the muddy house. He stretched his left hand to its full length toward a bag hanging on the muddy wall. The bag was removed, and he returned to his seat, after which he brought out the contents of the bag, an oracle. Then, a brownish wooden carved plate was brought and placed on a mat at the center of the room, after which he began eulogizing Orunmila—a deity from Yorubaland, in Africa.

“Whenever an elephant wakes in the forest, it recognizes the lord of the forest; so also does a buffalo, which does nothing until its worship to the Creator is accepted.

Wives under the roofs of their husbands bow to their husbands, their bride price payers. When an Ifa priest wakes in his shrine, he bows not to, nor respects any mortal but the Creator of heaven and all that are in existence.” He briefly removed his cap and bowed slightly as he continued.

“Ifa, eleriipin, he who sees all that remains unseen to humans, here I bow before you. Please, do not hesitate in taking my request to Eledumare, the Creator of heaven and earth.”

He spread the oracle on the flat wooden plate and went into consultation for a short while. Then he said, "Abiku omo won a f'igbosele" —speaking in a local dialect— "Awon abiye omo a f'odede se'yewu. When a shea butter seller dies, the children shall take over the inheritance. May the gods exalt me during my lifetime and send away from me all kinds of tribulation as long as I live. May I not leave this world empty-handed and without leaving behind children who will take possession of all I might have left behind.”

Having concluded, he looked straight into his eyes once again and said, “Without wasting time, you shall proceed to the place your ancestors hailed from and meet with any surviving elder who can tell you more about the deity your ancestors worshipped during their lifetime.”

All that has been given to you during a sleepless night has just been revealed and has to do with a covenant made to the deity a very long time ago.

“Only those who seek knowledge from the elders but fail to do as advised will forever remain in their tribulations.”

The following day, he swung into action very early in the morning. The task before him spread beyond being an uphill task; it was between life and death. A surviving child had to live and surpass others who had mysteriously met their deaths. How would a loving wife have a reason to smile again, and how could an end possibly be put to the mystery of life they had been facing?

Having driven far from their take-off point, they realized they were at Erinkogbigbe's village through a directional board by the roadside.

The driver turned and headed straight, following the path of the arrow on the board. Minutes later, the chief got confused as they had driven past some junctions without any further signs. They were on this when three beautiful young girls, who were obviously in their twenties, walked up to them.

“Were you lost here, and if yes, how may we be of help?” one of them asked.

“Yes, my daughter," the chief swiftly replied and continued, "We might have honestly missed our way to our destination."

“Where exactly is your destination?" she politely asked. "As there are lots of settlements on this route," she continued, "and every junction leads to a different village.”

“My dear, Erinkogbigbe's village is our destination.”

“In that case, you’ve just missed your way. Take a turn from here and drive back; the first junction on your right will lead you there.”

“I thank you so much, my daughters. You all shall peacefully reach your desired height in life,” he prayed as they prepared to move on. Without wasting time, the driver switched on the car engine, and they immediately faced the direction they had been directed to follow.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a small village where people were seen going their different ways. As the car got closer to a muddy house, some old men were seen relaxing while playing a local adult game. Upon seeing the approaching vehicle, they stopped and were very eager to know who the occupants were and whom they had come to see.

As soon as the car engine was off, the P.A. rushed down and went straight to open the car door for his boss. He alighted and went straight to where the old men were sitting.

It was an unexpected visit, as Chief was instantly recognized by his uncle. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and he immediately stood and walked gently towards him, saying...

“A rodent must not be seen going about during the day,” he said surprisingly as he pulled his nephew up while he was on the ground prostrating for him, and they hugged each other for a few seconds.

“Uncle, may you continue to live long,” he said while sitting down in a provided seat.

He turned to his friends and begged to be excused for a while so that he could attend to his visitor. He was allowed, and his current opponent in the ongoing game said…

“You're permitted, but ensure you return on time; the stool shall remain still for the buttocks to return to it.”

Having been permitted, both of them stood up and moved toward the main entrance of the muddy house. Upon entering the house, they settled on different wooden chairs. Then the old man said...

“You must have come for an important reason.”

“Yes, uncle. Nothing has ever been this important to me in all my days on earth…”

“Was it that serious?” he interrupted as he stood up and went for a smaller seat. He brought it closer and said, “Go ahead and tell me about it.”

“Calamity has befallen me!” he bitterly began.

“Calamity…!” he exclaimed as he pondered deeply.

“Yes, Baba. I recently lost three of my children in an unexplainable manner…”

“You recently lost three of your children in an unexplainable manner?” he reiterated, cutting in.

“The ugliest part of it all was the manner in which they met their deaths... they died during childbirth…”

From his reaction, it was very obvious he knew why he was facing such tribulations, as he instantly became uncomfortable hearing the sad news from me. Then he said…

“The word of the elders says, he who neglects his source today will surely have a reason to regret his actions in the future; a river that flows and forgets its source shall dry up. It’s true, your father and I were in conflict before his death; none of our offspring had the right to take sides in our matter. We’re from the same parents and grew up together. To say you were very wrong to have taken sides in our conflicts wouldn’t be out of hand, and that has led to you abandoning your source… "When was the last time you visited me?" he bluntly asked as he continued.

You have taken a step you ought not to have taken while others in your age group haven’t.

I have to let you know about this. Since the days of our ancestors, we’ve been worshiping a deity called Shensheluke, as it was discovered in our history book how long our ancestors had waited before being able to have children of their own. During those days, they had tried every means they deemed possible but remained childless until they consulted this deity, and their problems were solved. From then on, they became disciples of the deity…” he interrupted and said.

“So, Shensheluke—the deity—was the reason our ancestors were able to have their own children?”