SOMAYINA, the little smart orphan [Chapter 3: A new home for the orphan]

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Welcome to my blog!
It is another week of our interesting story about the the little smart orphan and today we are looking at the new home for the orphan and also fins the funny names given to the goats by the grandma.

A NEW HOME FOR THE ORPHAN

While Ginika disappeared from her presence, Egonna sat still on the bench. She kept gnashing the remaining teeth in her mouth, musing over her past and nursing her imaginary wounds. "Ouch!" she screamed as she tried to move her left knee. She had severe, stabbing pain that hurt all her joints. The old woman's pains were so sharp that sometimes she felt like cutting her two knees off.

Meanwhile, little Somayina surveyed his new home. Discovering the goat-shed, he peeped in but found nothing there. Searching for some more interesting things to explore, he found the three old cashew trees at the back of the hut. He was amazed by the colourful cashew fruits he found. Bees and butterflies hovered over the sweet-smelling fruits, while the house flies feasted on the rotting ones. The little boy stood still, watching the dancing trees and listening to the music their leaves and branches played. He also observed the dead leaves and little dry branches being ripped off as the wind hurried past them.

Shortly after, the little boy got bored and went back to Egonna. He found her in exactly the same position he left her. Planting himself in front of the old woman, with his arms held together across his back, he gazed at her with compassion and pity.

She suddenly collected herself and saw the bored child standing motionless before her.

"Don't worry, grandma, we shall be fine." Somayina said slowly.

"You still remember me, little boy?" Grandma asked.

"I do remember you, grandma."

"You must be as smart as my father. He was a great man."

"I know, grandma, everyone says I am smart."

"Well said, little boy. What would you want to do now?" she asked.

"I want to see what's in the hut," replied Somayina curiously.

"Come right in and have a look." With that, the woman got up and entered the cottage. "Take your things along," she commanded.

"I do not want them anymore," answered Somayina.

The old woman, turning about, threw a penetrating glance at him. The child's brown eyes were sparkling in expectation of all the things to come.

"He is definitely like my father, not lacking in intelligence," she muttered to herself. "Why don't you need them anymore, son?" she asked.

"I want to go about like Lamido's light-footed goats and dance like the cashew trees behind the hut!"

"All right! You can do all those things, but for now, fetch the things. We'll put them in the cupboard."

The old woman opened the door and led the orphaned boy into a fairly spacious room that took the entire expanse of the hut. In one corner was a table and a chair, and in another, Egonna's bamboo bed. Opposite the bamboo bed, a large, hand-crafted raffia door was neatly sewn into the wall. This door shielded two cupboards where Egonna kept everything she needed for her subsistence. Beside the raffia door, three baked clay pots of different sizes were neatly arranged.

Somayina pushed his things as far behind his grandmother's clothes in the cupboard as he could because he did not want them found quickly.

smelling aroma of the blended hot pepper, onions, crayfish, and fresh red palm oil. It was amazing.

Before his grandma brought the dinner into the hut, Somayina nicely set up two plates, two rusty table knives, and two spoons on the small side stool he had seen in the hut.

"Wow! You certainly can help yourself, but where shall you sit?" asked Egonna, who occupied the only chair.

"Can I sit on the floor, grandma?" the little boy asked excitedly.

"Good suggestion!" exclaimed the old woman. Before the tap of two fingers, Somayina landed his bottom on the bare floor.

Egonna filled a green bowl with the boiled white yam, poured some drops of the fresh red palm oil sauce, and juggled them like a yo-yo up and down the plate. She was trying to make sure the red palm oil soaked into the white pieces of yam. Soon after, the bowl of white pieces of yam turned into a bowl of glowing, yellow delicacy.

The greenness of the bowl, the glowing yellow colour of the yam, and the tiny bits of red coloured pepper skins looked very cute. The colourfulness of the meal made the little boy's hungry mouth water.

Egonna pushed the bowl as close to Somayina as possible. The little boy ate the food hurriedly, without stopping. He was really hungry.

"Do you like the food?" she asked.

"Nothing could be better than this grandma. I am enjoying every bite of it," the child replied.

"Then you shall have more." With that, Egonna added more yam from her own plate. "I would have offered you something better, but this is all I have," the old woman apologized.

"When I was as young as you, I used to have a lot of bournvita chocolate drink and soft buttered bread rolls as snacks. Unfortunately, I can't afford them for you. I miss them so much," she continued.

"Don't worry, grandma, when I get money, I will go to Ginika's house and buy you enough hot chocolate drink and loaves of soft buttered bread. We shall have it again and again and again."

"Thank you, grandson," Egonna said. "I believe God will make you rich like your granddad."

By the time Somayina finished his meal, Egonna was already busy in the goat-shed. Standing in front of it, he watched his grandmother sweep the shed and neatly put down some fresh straw for the goats to sleep on.

At last the evening came. All the trees were rustling because a mighty wind was roaring and howling through the tree-tops. The sounds thrilled Somayina's heart, filling him with happiness and joy. He danced and jumped about under the trees, for the sounds made him feel as if wonderful things were happening all around him. Egonna stood by the door, watching the little thankful child.

Suddenly, there was a shrill whistle in the distance. Somayina stood still, and his grandmother joined him outside. Down from the heights came one goat after another, with Lamido in their midst. Uttering a cry of joy, Somayina ran into the middle of the flock, greeting his old friends who he'd met on his way up the hill with Ginika.

When they all reached the hut, they stopped, and two beautiful slender goats came out of the herd, one of them black with white spots and the other brown with black patches. They came up to Egonna, who held out some salt in her hands, as she did every night. Somayina caressed the adorable creatures one after the other, seeming beside himself with joy.

"Do they both belong to us? Are they going to the stable? Are they going to stay with us?" Somayina asked with great excitement. His grandmother could hardly put in a "yes, yes, surely" between the boy's numerous questions.

Egonna was amazed at her boy's boldness. She felt like Obinna was back to life. Alas, she had something to be thankful for.

"Go inside my son," Egonna instructed. "I will be outside for a while, so after you rest a bit, you can go to bed. Let your food go down well before you lie down. Ok?"
"Yes, grandma."

"Good lad! If you need anything, you will find it at the bottom of the cupboard. Remember, Ginika has left a bundle for you. Now, good night, I have to take care of the goats and lock them up for the night."

"Goodnight, grandma! Somayina said.

"Good night, son," replied the old woman as she turned her back to the little boy.

"Oh, sorry, we forgot one more thing. You didn't tell me the names of the goats," called Somayina after the old woman.

"Oh my sweet boy, I never really thought of naming them. Ok, let's call the black one with white patches Sempe, and the brown one, let us call Supepe."

"Goodnight, Sempe! Good night, Supepe!" the little boy called loudly as the two beautiful creatures were disappearing in the darkening shed. The wind continuously got worse, nearly blowing Somayina off his feet. He ran as fast as his tiny feet could carry him into the hut and dived straight unto the sofa bed. Not long after, Egonna ran to bed too because the weather got too unfriendly.

It was a wild, stormy night. The hut was shaking, and all the boards were creaking. The wind howled through
the roof top. The trees shook so violently that many a dry branch came crashing down. In the middle of the night, Egonna got up, worried that Somayina was afraid.

Getting up slowly, she went to Somayina's bed. At first, it was completely dark. Suddenly, the moon came from behind the clouds and sent its brilliant light across Somayina's bed. Somayina's head lay peacefully between his round, chubby arms, with a large smile across his face. His grandmother stood and watched him till a cloud flew over the moon, returning everything to total darkness. The old woman sang joyful songs in her heart as she went back to bed. My little cutie! she thought.
Somayina slept in his new bed as a prince would on his royal couch.

End of chapter three, see you next week in chapter four.

I am @udyliciouz