OSUPA DUDU (Black Moon)

ACT 9: Collision

Raven enters, running and limping. She trips and falls down, groaning and cursing to no one in particular

Raven: surely, there is a better and smarter way of dealing with situations. I swear, CR, should I get eaten by some kind of forest beast….(branches snap loudly, causing Raven to panic. She hid behind a tree, waiting and watching closely. Nothing, the forest is utterly quiet.) I hear nothing, like all the birds are watching and waiting for me to get eaten by a hideous beast….I should be quiet, I am beginning to imagine things.

(Ajadi enters from behind, walking towards Raven. He grips her shoulder, she turns back slowly. Face to face with Ajadi, she screams at the top of her voice, as realization hits her. Then she attempts to run but stops, Ajadi quickly blocks her path with a little distance between his chest and her face. Glaring at her. She quickly face the audience)

Raven: I have seen large men on television. wrestlers, to be precise. Likes of The rock, Cain, Jason momoa. But this man is impossibly huge. Handsome, yet terrifying. He is strong enough to snap anyone in two with his fingers. Thank God this is a book!

Ajadi: Ogun-aje…

Raven: No no, you have the wrong person. I am a lost traveler…(steps back)…I happened to come across your land…

Ajadi: Halt! You wear purple like an aje.

Raven: This? I borrowed it.

Ajadi: You wear the jade of my village. (steps forward) Convince me you borrowed what belongs to no one else, but me.

Raven: (raises her hands) wait, hold on. I can explain. I might have found it. Obviously it is important to you. I will return it to where I found it. Do not kill me, I beg you.

Ajadi: (grabs her wrist) try something else.

Raven: I see your point. How can we get through this without you killing me?

Ajadi: Tell me you are the ogun-aje or prove you didn’t steal the jade of my village.

Raven: (mumbles) reasonable… but hear me out. This might be a misunderstanding, I mean, I am not supposed to be here. I had a bad day because of Daniel, and was reading, and drinking wine. Suddenly I slept off, and I am here…. I am not supposed to be here. This is a mistake.

Ajadi: (adamant) you are the aje.

Raven: (persistent) I am not an aje! I am a librarian! I read books for a living. Not run through forest or talk to birds or pursued by blood-aiming warriors!

Ajadi: (ignores her outburst, watching her intently) You are a new ogun-aje. I will show you. (dance round while chanting. Low drums and jubilation echoes from the background)

Raven: (faces the audience) his stature is unlike anything in the real world. He is too perfect to be just a character in a play. (stops his chanting then walks towards her) Should I run away instead of stare at him?

Ajadi: (takes her arm) you newly arrived from the edge of the world.

Raven: How do you know that?

Ajadi: It is obvious by the way you speak. Your behavior is rather unlike most ajes. Makes me doubt if I should show you or not.

Raven: you make fun of me? Show me what? (he tighten his grip on her hand then uses his other hand to raise his sword. Raven withdraws her hand in shock) what do you think you are doing?

Ajadi: To show you are an aje. I will cut off your hand, and you will watch it grow back. Then you will believe me.

Raven: (faces the audience in shock) cut off my hand? (back to him) no!

Ajadi: Do you wish I cut off another part of your body?

Raven: What? No! What is wrong with you? You cannot go around cutting pieces of me. What are you trying to prove?

Ajadi: (confused, but remains calm) if you are an aje, which I suspect you are, it will grow back. If you are not, it will not grow back.

Raven: If I am not, then I will not have a hand!

Ajadi: You have another. Many men have survived with one hand before you.

Raven: (face the audience) here I thought being an aje as they claim would spare me from his wrath. I am supposed to be of high importance to him, not a toll to test his theory. (turns to him) fine. I am an aje. Can you not cut me off now?

Ajadi: (drops her hand) first aje, you shall not lie to me. I know when a man lies or deceives me. Am I understood? (she nods) I am rather curious about you in particular. Hysterical. Rambles about non nonexistent places, speaks to an invincible being. Is it part of your ability or is it madness?

Raven: I am certainly not mad! Call it an ability then, you will definitely not understand.

Ajadi: (walks around her in a very slow pace. Studying her) my previous ogun-ajes were taken from neighbouring villages, and all of them were calm and commanded the respect of my men just like I do. They were battle-hardened and thorough. It often made me quarrel in disagreement about the best way to win a battle. And they were always right. A lesson I reluctantly learned. But you (he pause) you are different, I obviously cannot take advise from you anytime soon. You will need a training, and I assure you, you are in the right village. (Raven cross her arms, nonchalant) I have been at war since I was old enough to hold a sword, I can share you my winning strategies.

Raven: (mumbles) merciful lord, I will be gone before then.

Ajadi: But I need your power now. I need you to lead me in the upcoming war against orun-funfun. They will surely retaliate, I trust Gbade, he is not as weak as he seems.

Raven: (confused) Against Gbade? Why?

Ajadi: It is the last battle before the end of this era, and with it a curse upon my people.

Raven: What curse?

Ajadi: My men have dreamt of this day. My legacy, my curse, my fate. They will all change now that I have found the key to absolute victory.

(suddenly loud chants and music arises from the background. Raven turns to watch all of osupa dudu’s men lead by Ajao, matching in singing in jubilation and beating drums. They hail Ajadi and Raven equally.)

Raven: (confused) why all this? what is going on? How do I break a curse on your people?

Ajadi: Like this. (walks towards her slowly, grips her hand, then draws her in for a kiss. Her eyes grows wide. The song and drums slowly fading in her ears, and suddenly there is blackout)