Wale and the Little Moonlight

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The following morning was like a dawn in a strange land for Wale as he woke up to the noise and commotion in the whole of Ogunta. He could barely walk straight to the door with his loin cloth as he kept losing his footing at every step, staggering and stooping like an old man trying to grope his way through the partially dark room. He definitely was hung over—he knew this himself just like he knew that the noise and cries outside were not of good. He could bare recall completely what had happened the previous night as a result of his blurred memory. But he was certainly aware that he spent his night with a light skinned lady, the kind he had never seen before. And that he had lost his virginity to her—this was the strongest memory in his present state of mind. He was still struggling to relate issues in his mind to have a clear and complete picture of what had happened the previous night and what could be happening at the moment when a leg kicked open the weak door of his house and two men in strangest of clothing, their skin colour as bright as the moon just like the lady he had been with the previous night, and they were much more of Iroko in height—their feet like those of a thousand mountains; their arms like trunks of a million timbers. Their hair like the shape of the sun, risen against the sun, beating the way of the gravity— not at all different from those of Ogunta people. They walked the soil of Ogunta like the sons of the Great Beast. They shoved him, kicked him and dragged him outside. He saw that Akin, the Oba, the elders, and many other people of Ogunta, if not all, had been captured and dragged about like common criminals.

In this brutality, the one sight that drained his spirit most was that in which his parents were bound and dragged about too like animals. "Mmmm...uhh!" He sobbed in anguish. "Our fathers and mothers have been given the place meant for dogs. Where are you our gods? Who are these men?"

"Tania!" The commander of the Invaders ordered him to refrain from speaking.

But these men spoke the strangest of languages that Wale and Ogunta had ever known. So Wale kept sobbing and lamenting until he was kicked in the stomach and bound like others. These men were more of beast than human. Wale and all of Ogunta saw and knew this. No mercy could be traced in their whole being. Their meanness was the only mercy they could dish out to their victims. Even Ogunta children were not spared in this savage expedition; they were all bound too like the adults-tied up together in bands like bunches of bunches of plantain. Out of frustration, Wale cursed himself and the night he met the strange lady. If curses were blessings, Wale would have freed himself and all of Ogunta. But the brutality of the Invaders intensified in every passing moment as Wale or any other warrior raged on or even made the slightest of sounds. The Invaders hated sounds and moves from their captives' quarters for sounds and moves were more dangerous than an outright rebellion. They believed. They themselves were men of few words and grave actions.

"Tania, Tania!!" This was the only word from them heard repeatedly directed to the captured Ogunta people. It was soon understood by Wale and Ogunta people to be an order for silence. So, at some point all of Ogunta had to refrain their mouths from speaking or making any sound, partly out of obedience to the command to avoid further torture, and partly out of exhaustion, for they had cried, screamed, and lamented their strength our for nothing-neither were they pitied nor rescued. These men were indeed stronger than all of their warriors and their gods. Some of the Ogunta people believe.

These men, not only did they come from a far, far country or sent by the moon, they also came with strange weapons. They lifted their long thin weapons up to the sky and released a shot that sounded like the sound of a rock hitting the surface of the earth, and the morning sun turned into dark. Wale knew it was the end—the end of Ogunta, the end of Oduduwaland, the end of all the dreams he had had with himself and the moon; the end of the dreams and hope he had had with Akin and his household; the end of the dreams he had had with the Oba and elders of Ogunta. His strength failed him as he could not fight back the light skins. He only believed that the moon had sent his daughter to ruin him and to conquer Ogunta and the whole of Oduduwaland. And thought that was the end of Ogunta, himself, and the moonlight in the history of Oduduwaland. Perhaps, a new kingdom, a new order, a new moonlight and warrior were to emerge from the barrel of the invaders’ weapon. Wale reasoned.

 It took quite some time for the Invaders to gather their spoils and captives together. But evening was still far from the calculation in Wale's head as the invaders had eclipsed the sun. But even if evening was near, and night was near too, Wale had lost confidence in the moon. Hope seemed to be a tale of a distant world and time.

Suddenly, a woman broke the silence of the Ogunta again. "Ouhhh.....ooohhhh....yeeeehhhh....!!!" She groaned and screamed in agony. No this wasn't a sound of rebellion this time. The Invaders reasoned. Tania, Tania, was not going to work the magic this time. The screaming woman was in grave pains.

As the commander of the Invaders hurried up with some of his men to go and take charge of the situation, for the first time in the eyes of Ogunta, the commander and his men were struck by a streak of compassion. They loosened her chains and those of some women so they could assist Temitope to give birth safely. She was laid down in birth-giving position, with her head resting on a big stone serving as a pillow. The eight women were unbound for the emergency formed a circle around Temitope who travailed in the privacy of the enclosure they created while Iya Ayo who served as the birth attendant assisted her efficiently. 

"Push, push, push!!!" This was the repeated chorus of the women, even the women that were still bound joined in this traditional child-birth labour chorus.

The Invaders had held their peace but were watching keenly every development of the event making sure no suspicious move was made by using their own torches. Olu, Temitope's husband was deeply lost in his prayers and fears for her wife and ready-to-born baby. 

At last the baby was born-a baby born. Olu was not granted the opportunity to hold his first son with his hand after birth and lift him up to thank the gods. But he thanked the gods in his heart. The cry of the baby brought a great cry of joy and jubilation to the Ogunta in their chains. Hope in Wale's heart was rekindled, even though the cry of joy and jubilation was in chains and brief.

"Tania, Tania!!" The commander yelled again after a short while.