Chapter 1: Calabash of the gods(1)

Calabash of the gods (1)

Drip, Drip, Drip. I wake up to the feeling of water dropping off a palm leaf onto my face. They were droplets formed from the aftermath of the rain of yesternight. I grope around, for my trusty machete. It has been my companion and my source of security throughout this long, perilous journey and I am nowhere as competent in a fight without it.

“Hmm, there you are.”

After finding it, the next thing I looked for was my bag, which I found to my embarrassment, that I had used it as a pillow. I pulled out of the bag, a small black calabash with intricate carvings of all sorts of animals and phenomena on it. The calabash was carved from a material that gave it a black sheen. Its’ indestructibility and the odd drawings and shapes that I could not even comprehend were integral in making me come to the conclusion that it was not carved by the hands of any man. Beautiful but eerie, this calabash was my cause and my curse. 

I stand up to take in a breath of that early morning air. Taking in a moment of brief respite, I allow the energy of the ancestral sun, earth, air and water to flow into me and fill the depths of my guts, exciting my Agbara(1). I then begin a dance to appease and honor my ancestors and the ancestral forces, in the process burning up my Agbara. This very act strengthens my muscles, hardens my bones, purifies my blood and toughens my skin. I do this every morning to thank the ancestors, for their power flows through me and to cultivate my Agbara, so that I may remain fit to perform my duties. 

After finishing my morning routine, I cleanse my face with the water collected from the rain of the previous day. I hope to find a stream on my way, for I do not wish to be subject to the whims of the rainmaker. For even I know that one’s ancestors can intercede so far with the old Rainmaker. I kiss the ground where I slept the previous night and ask my ancestors to grant me a safe journey. Gathering my things, I bow before the great palm tree, for it was my refuge for the night. Turning East I walked onwards, the call of my Homeland beckoning me.

Making my way through the less beaten paths, I hoped to make it to the hill in front of me before noon arrived. I travel the less beaten parts, abandoning the comforts the Seven-Eyed King afforded the children of ILE(2) and its surrounding vassals, so as to shake off the tail of my sure to be pursuers from the land ‘beyond the river’ whom I politely borrowed an item from. Even as I draw closer to home, I still avoid human contact, wrestled wild animals and ethereal beings just to accomplish my mission. My resolve is firm, comfort will not derail me, not when I am this close to achieving my goal .

Reaching into my bag, I pull out my map once more, checking for my position, to be sure I have not gone astray. I pull out a piece of smoked meat, from a rabbit I killed the day before. Biting off the unseasoned meat, I study the animal skin map, using various landmarks to determine my position.

 “Something feels off. I am quite sure that it is the hill but my spirit is warning me of danger.”

 Creasing my brow, I vigorously chew on my meat, while I anguish about what decision to make.

‘Well, I can use that.’

 Finally coming to a decision, I reached into my bag and pulled out an object. It was a charm made with the severed head of an eagle, attached to a stick. The head was surrounded by bitter kola in the fashion of a crown and upon its neck were beads, in the fashion of a necklace and polished with vegetable oil. Its’ name was the OFURUFU TI IDI(3), a charm that gave one the senses and abilities of an eagle. Using this would allow me to scout the range of 50 feet around my surroundings. I found a nearby tree and sat under its shade. Reaching into my bag, I brought out some warding salt and an alarm stone. Muttering an incantation, I threw the stone about 6 feet away from me and proceeded to spread the warding salt around me in the shape of a circle. The warding salt was to deter any spirit and the alarm stone to warn me of any approaching wild animal. Spirits were not much active during the day but using a charm such as this would surely attract them.

Sitting cross-legged, I closed my eyes and lifted the charm to my head. I muttered the incantation for the charm’s activation and I excited my Agbara to follow the flow of the charm’s energy. My focus and spirit were drawn to the charm, my eyes glued to the eyes of the eagle, it’s gaze to my gaze and before I knew it, I was up in the sky, flying like an eagle, or at least my mind was, my body, my corporeal form was still seated under the palm tree but my spirit had taken on the form of an ethereal eagle soaring true the skies, freely.

 I flew in a circle around the palm tree and hovered around my body, making sure there were no problems. I also checked the surroundings for the presence of any wild animal and apart from the presence of a few rabbits, the area was clear. 

Once I was sure my body was safe, I flapped my ethereal wings, soaring towards the hills to scout them out. I had to hurry, for my current form could only last 3000 drums of a man’s heart. Once it was exhausted, I would be unable to use it until the morrow. Under 300 drums of a man’s heart, I arrived at the hill. It was surrounded by verdant trees and a family of leopards had made their home at the foot of the hill. 

I circled the hill to make sure it was safe and upon reaching the valley I was to pass to enter the grand region of ILE. I saw them there, men of the Okunkun division(4). Obviously sent by the enemies of the princess from the homeland. They had applied an illusion at the entrance of the valley, to mask their presence and to deceive me.

“Fools, what do you take me for? I did not spend two years at the western garrison just to fall victim to such an illusion.”

 They had severely underestimated me, and they were going to pay for it.

“But on second thoughts, it is best I avoid them. Their division is nothing to joke about. It is possible there is something hidden behind the guise of that illusion. I had better just take a detour and avoid them.”

 I soared back to where my body was located and swooped down, using my ethereal form to enter the charm. 

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My spirit returned to my flesh but I was hit with a pang of exhaustion and I quickly wolfed down some meat and water to relieve myself.

“I was barely in that form for more than 1500 beats and I feel this tired. That is what I get for using such a charm despite not being a spiritualist.” I consoled myself.  

I stood up to stretch my legs while digesting the information I gleaned from my voyage to the hills. I needed to decide on my next course of action.

     ‘It’s going to be difficult to handle them, they are warriors of the dark and are no soft fruits. Although, it is not impossible to defeat them, for most of their charms and their mysteries rely on the power of the night unlike mine. It is going to be extremely difficult to do so to the point that even if I do emerge victorious, I will still be badly injured. I suppose they would not be that skilled, for them to be sent here, because dispatching a large number of their skilled warriors would tip the balance power and alert the various powers that are in ILE to other realms to their movement. Therefore, these warriors are probably a group of new initiates, prepared and well-armed enough for taking on a squad of warriors returning from a voyage to the land beyond the river.’ I lightly deduced while clearing the warding salt and covering my tracks.

I pulled myself out of my sophist's thoughts and took out my map once more, to plan another route towards the borders of ILE. My map proved to be unhelpful, for it mostly contained the beaten roads and a few landmarks any would-be adventurer could use to navigate the untrodden jungles. Plus, the skin map was quite old. It was drawn about ten harvests ago and was beginning to fade with signs of wear and tear. 

I scoured the map to find another route till I discovered something I could use. At the foot of the hill, there was the image of an idol, probably indicating the presence of a holy ground.

While I was thinking about how to get out of this conundrum, it suddenly hit me, an idea that is. I put my hands into my animal skin bag to pull out another charm. This one was simple in design, it was an earring made out of the feathers of a particular bird, one that lives by a place called the sea. Its’ name was Whispers of the Wind and it is a useful charm that allows me to communicate with the spirits of the wind. I could use the spirits of the wind to scout out an alternative route.

Upon activating the charm, I was able to use it to find another route, but it was about half a day away. After spending a bit of time mulling over the decision, I decided to take the plunge and follow the other route. I packed my bags and started my journey anew.

I walked an unbeaten path until there was a time between noon and the hour of the dusk. From what I could remember from the whispers of the wind spirits, I knew I was close to my destination and I would be able to make it there by nightfall. Elated to finally be reaching, I had let down my guard, forgetting about the devices of forces beyond my control and understanding and I would pay dearly for that.    

      

A heavy downpour of rain, without any warning or signal, without rhyme or reason began to fall. It was especially heavy and within a minute I was drenched from head to toe. I clutched my bag, while contemplating on if I should take refuge nearby or continue my journey. 

“By the gods, should I shoulder under this strange rain. If I just make it beyond the border, I could reach the villages beyond the hills.” As if hearing my very thoughts, the rain increased in intensity, lightning streaked across the skies, thunder roared and the winds bellowed in fury, properly communicating the intent of the gods. 

I reluctantly looked back at the slippery slope I would have to climb to reach the other side, sighing in disappointment, I decided to cut my losses and look for shelter. I looked around for trees with large enough canopies but found none large enough. When I was almost on the verge of giving up, I saw it in the distance, a silhouette of what seemed to be a building. Without thinking twice, I ran towards it but It did not cross my mind that I had seen no such building when I initially passed this area. 

After running for a while, I reached the entrance to some sort of shrine. It was rundown and dilapidated, as if I had not been visited or maintained in years. The fences were broken and the bushes overgrown. Despite having no idea what it was doing here, I ran into the courtyard of the shrine. If not for the obstruction to my vision thanks to the rain, I would have noticed a bunch of strange skulls at the entrance of the shrine and that would have made me think twice about entering it.

1-Agbara refers to power or strength. In this case it is a supernatural force belonging to powerful warriors and beings.

2-Ile refers to home or a house. In this case it refers to the main character’s homeland.

3-means flight of the eagle.

4-means darkness division.

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