ADSactly Short Story - Wisdom of the Gods

in story •  7 years ago  (edited)

Wisdom of the Gods

It was the end of the third week in June, and the sun was shining from vertically above the village of Umudum. Three children ran around the hut closest to the iroko tree, playing hide and seek. A few adults could be seen emerging from the dirt road leading out of their farms on their way to their homes. The temperature was almost thirty-two degrees centigrade under the sun. But the heat under the tree was much lower.


Wikipedia CC0

The iroko was the oldest tree in Umudum village and possibly the whole Enike town. The trunk was so broad that it rumour has it that some long-dead servants of Eziokwu bu Ndu, Truth is Life deity, still, live inside the tree. From there they crawl out at night to assist the present chief priest in some of the trickier parts of his duty of upholding justice. But on this hot June afternoon, this little-known fact about the tree is not the most significant thing about it. It was the temperature beneath it.


Under the tree Ada, the first daughter of Akwara, whose hut was closest to the tree, sat on a root of the iroko tree that protruded from the earth due to more than a hundred years of erosion. Standing behind Ada was
Nneka, her friend.


Nneka patiently parted Ada's coal-black hair with one long quill of a porcupine. With a skill born out of years of practice, she dipped her forefinger in a small calabash containing a black liquid made from burning palm kernel and extracting the oil. She ran her finger along the partitions she had created to ensure that weaving the hair would cause her friend as little pain as possible. It was at this point that it happened: Mazi Akwara stepped down from a commercial motorcycle, paid the rider, walked a few steps and collapsed.


Ada was only fifteen yards away when her father collapsed. She sprang to her feet, knocking off the calabash Nneka held in her left hand. It took her less than ten seconds to reach her fallen father, but he was dead by the time she could reach him. His tongue was hanging loosely out of his mouth, and there was a look of surprise on his face. She knelt down, lifted his head up and placed it between her laps as she rocked herself back and forth, screaming at the top of her lungs at frequencies that were alien to her. A crowd of the villagers, men, women and children gathered.


"Get away from him," ordered Mazi Aziza, one of the elderly men that arrived at the scene. He instructed the younger men to remove Ada from the scene. The men lifted her quickly and led her to her family hut. Ada could not believe what was happening. She was only seventeen years old: how were she and her mother going to manage without a father and a husband?


Mazi Aziza stood on a spot, petrified. He shook his head sadly and slowly. "I have seen this before, a very long time ago. But this should not happen to Akwara because he knew the rules. He was the custodian of the rules! Quickly, we must take his body to Ofiansi, Evil Forest. The night must not fall upon us. They were about leaving for the evil forest when a stranger appeared in the midst.


When the stranger saw the body of Mazi Akwara lying there, he took two steps back and fainted. He was about thirty-five years old. The men resuscitated him, and he started screaming when he came to. His name was Okon. According to him, Mazi Akwara left his house in the neighbouring village barely half hour before.


He narrated how Mazi came to his home barely two hours before his arrival at Umudum. Mazi Akwara had come to summon him to attend the proceedings of a case in which another villager had sued him to the Eziokwu Bu Ndu deity.


Before his recent death, Mazi Akwara was the substantive chief priest of the Eziokwu Bu Ndu deity. The people of Umudum had twenty-one deities that served different purposes, ranging from security, protection of the land, rainfall, thunder, fertility of the soil, abundance of harvest, the fecundity of the populace. Among these, Eziokwu Bu Ndu was the most feared and revered. It was the deity of justice. Its justice was swift, impartial and ruthless. There was only one punishment for being found guilty - death.


If someone summoned another person to the deity, only one of the two would come out of that judgement alive. Over the years, many Umudum residents had lost their lives to the ruthless justice of Eziokwu Bu Ndu. The elders of the land had an emergency meeting. They feared that the community might go extinct if something was not done quickly. In that meeting, the elders unanimously agreed that no Umudum resident would use the services of the feared deity. The residents were free to explore other options to settle disputes. This decision stuck through the years.


According to Okon, his half-brother, Akaraka had summoned him to the feared deity, over dispute concerning the inheritance of a house their father left behind.

IMG_20180127_154958.jpg


Mazi Akwara had visited his home to deliver the message himself. This information caused a few murmurs among the elders there present. There were whispers that Okon may have poisoned the chief priest, Mazi Akwara for fear that the deity would find him guilty and kill him. He noticed this and quickly explained that the priest did not sit. He arrived on foot, delivered his summon and turned to leave.


Okon invited him to sit, but Mazi Akwara declined. Then Okon offered to at least pay his transport fare to return to Umudum, and Mazi Akwara accepted.


"An abomination! Sacrilege! A priest of Eziokwu Bu Ndu never accepts gifts from invitees." Mazi Aziza interrupted. "Akwara should have known this! Accepting a gift from you, young man, was a grievous offence and grievously he has paid for it. By accepting a gift from you, he has corrupted the incorruptible Eziokwu Bu Ndu, and he must give way to another priest. Go home, son. You shall be summoned again when a new priest is chosen."


Wikipedia Creative Commons


The young men brought a stretcher made of bamboo, lifted the dead man onto it, raised him on their shoulders and turned towards the direction of the Ofiansi forest where his body will be surrendered to the deity. This surrender would be followed by the surrender of all his possessions. Historically, anyone else who attempts to take possession of the properties of someone killed by Eziokwu Bu Ndu would lose his life and properties too.

As soon as the young men departed from the scene, the elders gathered in the village square and began the process of selecting the next chief priest. Selecting a new priest was a rigorous process of scouring the bloodlines of the ancestors of Umudum, from which a list of every male child, young or old, home or abroad, is compiled. None of the elders was sure of the consequence of missing out a name because to the best of their knowledge, there was never a time when the elders, to whom this assignment was given, ever missed adding a name to the list. When the list was deemed complete, the elders matched to the forest housing Eziokwu Bu Ndu and read out the names one after the other. By the time they read the last name on their list, they turned around and went to their various homes. The job of selecting a successor was left for the gods. In due time, a son of the land would appear from wherever he resides to answer the summons of Eziokwu Bu Ndu and whoever presents himself is accepted by the people as the true representative of the deity that accepts no lies.


Authored by @churchboy


Click on the coin to join our Discord Chat



Go Adsactly

Vote @adsactly-witness for Steem witness!
Witness proposal is here: https://steemit.com/witness-category/@adsactly-witness/adsactly-steemit-witness-proposal
In the bottom of the page type: adsactly-witness and press vote.

Use small letters and no "@" sign. Or, click here to vote directly!
Thank you!


Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

@adsactly your choice of images often trill me. I study it and want to implement your pattern on my blog posts. Imagine how much the tree image look like your description.

Alright the story cool. A display of a typical Nigerian story formed by our african traditional setting.

Human sacrifice to deities... Will it ever stop to be told of our african context? Nice story line...

Well, this one is not really about human sacrifice. It is about justice and how the gods deliver it albeit in a cruel and often swift manner. Because of the unfairness of the human justice system, some people in some places still opt for the justice of the gods because after all that is said and done about them and their cruelty, they offer fair judgement to the parties involves. Of course these practices are not known to all. Thank you.

In some settings, the administrators or mouth piece of the deities often manipulate outcomes of things and so, justice could be denied and the innocent punished.

Exactly. The reason this particular deity is effective is because it cannot be manipulated. Any attempt to do so or any attempt to influence the outcome of the judgement is punishable by death.

Great story!

Thanks

Great indeed! It make sense

@adsactly very cool research into putting this piece together. Where did you get your inspiration? Very real.

Wonderful story

yeah @askmee it's wonderful
the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
thank you @chruchboy and @adsactly

I feel that soon to be a fact, and the truth of what really is shall be revealed to all who are willing to see it. Followed and upvoted for my spiritual brethren.

Well said, my brother

Thank you. You certainly have words :)

very creative, using tradition was an added advantage and i just love the concept of the story. Reminds me of tales by moonlight and traditional nigerian films that i havent watched in a long time.

Yes, it does, doesn't it?

i just read your article now.it is great work . kindly follow me and upvote me plz.

As I told you earlier, this approach never works. I explained to you then what works. I see that you have not read it. Well, I wish you all the best.

20180131_210729.jpg lunar eclipse

wow.

nice story

Your article is very good. glad to be acquainted with you. Follow me and vote for me

really true. I follow you and vote you. Please Follow me. thanks

That’s a well laid out fiction!!
Great work churchboy !!

I have also started writing fiction lately. It’s amazing how you feel the responsibility to change what happens in a characters life. Lol. Makes us feel powerful .

626705E9-959A-49C6-B95D-4B7597E0F72C.png

Very true. But I always remind myself that life is not perfect and that we must not try to make it so because it is within the imperfection that the lessons are ingrained. It is nice to meet you @himshweta. I shall definitely check out your blog because I have a feeling that I might be able to learn a thing or two. And yes, we appreciate your support.

Yh he really tried in writing the story

Thanks

I'M fan of fiction and i'd love to read your work

I love this. Knowing you are a nigerian

Oh, I am as Nigerian as they get. I dey do all those good things wey dem dey do.

Exactly. Quite lovely and apt

The Justice of the gods are not always as clear cut as it appears to be, Some Chief priests can can be bought which can influence the ruling. I won't be caught anywhere submitting myself to any alien gods no matter how benevolent or fair they maybe. Great story @churchboy.You should consider writing for Nollywood.

I don't think I am that good yet. I suppose you are right about that manipulation. But you see why it does not apply here. A chief priest who went to deliver summons accepted money to pay transport fare from the person he summoned. The deity saw him as corrupt and killed the chief priest. It is also unfortunate that for this particular deity, you don't have to submit yourself there. If your enemy reports you there, you must appear or start hallucinating and finally die. It is devil's alternative, so a person really has to be crazy to summon you there because if the plaintiff is found guilty, the same fate that would have been served to the defendant is served to the plaintiff. I just realized that I made this story too short.

Thank you for reading.

beautyful story! I would like to make some of these story's o, my account! go follow me!

That's a unique post.Usually people don't post something like this.I like your thinking.It's very different from other's.I will be waiting for your next post.@upvote and following you.

Thank you. We are from different places and we ought to think differently. If you know everything I have to say, then our efforts at making connections come to nothing. I appreciate your comment.

@We are from different places and we ought to think differently. If you know everything I have to say, then our efforts at making connections come to nothing..... This is a wonderful reply, U are good and wise churchboy. Bravo

Thank you.

Its very attractive and beautiful place

wow nice story. thanks for sharing @adsactly

I love this story. It's so beautiful and it has heart. Thanks very good writing.

@adsactly your choice of scenery is very much impressive.You should carry it on......i admire you respect love for nature....!

woa very nice post

great story, thanx for sharing

sangat terinspirasi sekali apa yang di tulis itu

Beautiful story, has the Nigerian feel... I can totally relate to this. 🙂

Postingan yang menarik

This was really good.
By the way, just check you my first post and give me some suggestions.
https://steemit.com/ten/@its-abid-here/10-most-amazing-lost-worlds-on-earth
Please don't flag the comment. This is can be very helpful for me.

This reminds of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Good posting....👍👍

Excellent story :)

Your Sending Pics are Fine !

I guess Gods have zero shit tolerance no matter where you go.
I worship an Aztec Death Goddess who possess as a Saint. Nice gal until you piss her off. And if there one thing Our Holy Death hates is broken promises.
Here is a video from my occult channel

I love it when I don't have much to do I can come here and find awesome short stories.👍

the story is really fictionousand interesting keep posting such more
best regards!!
cheers!!!!!!

Fantastic content

nice one!

This is really a lessons filled story....
.worthy of sharing.
Surely, the gods are not to be blamed

Thank you

You are right. The gods are not to be blamed. Incidentally, even though the gods are silent, they are not asleep but if you do not appease them to work, they stay silent. When you do invite them, they work with their own rules which we should be aware of before giving them any job.

Thank you for your comment. All the best.

amazing story !!!

Thanks

nice @adsactly IMG_1019.JPG

Thanks

good

good

Thank you for visiting our blog. We appreciate your support.

I agreed . But I always remind myself that life is not perfect and that we always not try to do it so because it is within the imperfection that the lessons are ingrained. Thanks for sharing precious post with awesome picture for all steemians.. Stay blessed

Thanks

Everyone has already said what I wanted to say :-) Go in Peace

May the Force be with you :)

Thank you, the same to you! Brother

Awesome article, I shall definitely check out your blog every time because I have a feeling that I might be able to learn a lot of thing . Because we appreciate your support. Thank's boss. @Voted.

great post sir thanks for sharing with us :):):)

Thanks for sharing with us

@upvote

Thank you

You are a talent @adsactly . WOW!! You are one of the big reasons why i signed up for this platform. to be able to read articles, blogs or posts that make your time worth it because what you are reading is worth the read. I just want to read more from you, definitely upvoting and following you now !

Thank you. I am glad you enjoy our posts.

useful sharing

Woo ...thats nice wondrfull storyy .......plz follow mehttps://steemit.com/@geography1

nice one!!!

interesting story :)

wow great story amazingly written . One of the best stories i have seen . I am writer myself i have written a short funny story i hope you will read and give some comments and if yu like do upvote thanks

https://steemit.com/story/@diverse-thinker/google-map-making-life-easier-or-difficult

Beautiful story, very well written, bravo!

nice story

Thank you.

Could you write stories like this too?

I can write all kinds of stories as the spirit leads ....hahahaha. Thanks for asking.

"as the spirit leads" well stated. Upvote and follow for you as well!

please follow my friends

No be small thing ooooo, you really can write no be small. This is pure Nigerian South East stuff, the Iroko, Mazi, Village etc are terms we are quite familiar with. Nice one compatriot.

Interesting ...i love this story @adsactly

Thank you so much. Your support is appreciated.

Chinua Achebe lives on... while the world knows Chiamanda, one greater is rising fast. Ndewo @churchboy

Chinua and all the people following his footsteps shall never be forgotten because they have written their names in the sands of time and we appreciate all the sacrifices they made to leave behind words that is evidence that they were here.

You're appreciated. Ndewo ri.

wonderful post

Thank you

This is what creative thinking is all about. Great job

Thank you. All the best.

Stunning fantastic story! I just finished reading and I can say that I liked the way it is written. The author has created an excellent and instructive story. Although it has a more tragic ending, it does not make it dramatic. I liked the priest and how he behaved and acted.
@churchboy thank you, you are a good author

Thanks a lot for the compliment. I appreciate the fact that you read the story.

I love this
great work churchboy

Thanks.

good story..thanks i need help ..plz follow me and kindly upvote for me

This request never works. Please just be nice and make friends: they will automatically follow you, upvote you, resteem you and ask, "Is there something else you would like me to do for you because you are so awesome?". But you have to be awesome first. I hope this reply helps you on your steemit journey. All the best.

Very good advice

you are very lucky to visit there with your family. I get jealous when you see your holiday to eastern India is very beautiful view. let alone anta mengatkan lies between oceans. I can imagine how beautiful on the beach. surely you are happy and happy because you can take your family to that amazing place.
thanks, because after I read your post story, I was immediately innovated to bring my little family to that location.

We can't compare the wisdom of God Allah with anyone or anything, God Allah is all above and more than unique. I do believe.

Well, it is always a good idea to believe in something greater than us because that would be a good place to fall back on in times of trouble. Thank you for visiting our blog.

Thanks adsactly for telling us this amzing story,,i'm going to tell it again to my best friend

Thank you so much. I am glad you liked the story. Your support is appreciated.

well @adsactly while looking at your Sbd figures I can say rich are getting richer on steemit. :) lets invest them on poor ..... :p

When I read your comment, I thought about just how rich poor me is getting because of @adsactly. Thank you so much for your observation. I would not have thought how fortunate I am to be writing here today if not for it. You're appreciated.

@adsactly..really your are a great writer. your article is very interesting...

@adsactly Great story! this had me stuck until i was done! is there going to be a next chapter?

In life, the story never ends but we may not be able to tell it all. There may be another chapter. Thank you for reading.

Wooowww! Nice History!! Upvote!, thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much. There are still some parts of Nigeria where these things do happen. The amazing thing about these deities is that they remain dormant until someone goes to appease them. In other words, it would seem that they are non existent until people who know its history would go and wake it up. As surreal as these things sound, they really do happen. I am glad you like the story. Your support is appreciated.

your article is great.. very nice.. plz upvote me..

Thanks

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

Beautiful story @churchboy.
The words used in this story most certainly painted a vivid picture in my head while I read it. This story takes the reader back to an era rich in culture and superstitious folk who attributed unexplainable occurrences to the acts of unseen "deities" . These often led one to wonder - were these "deities" real or the actions attributed to them just coincidences?
This was a beautiful work of art which had some lessons to be learned from it.
Great work!

Nice photography frnd great post on steemit

Thank you

good !!

Thank you

Where is that lovrly place :)

Great storyline. ......learnt something......Obedience is indeed better than sacrifice.....If mazi had obeyed the rules he wouldn't have died....

very good story^^

i just love it. <3

good story

10-bucks-a-month-pish-posh-id-rather-continue-smoking-these-refined-100-dollar-bills.jpg

Thanks for sharing this amazing story with us !

The story is wonderful but i love the pics of nature beauty ...... thumbs up from my side

Amazing story @adsactly and @chruchboy

Impresionante, narración me gusto mucho conocer sobre este tema gracias...

woww...pemandangan yang indah. terimakasih sahabat steemit @adsactly dalam membagikan postingan anda. kami tunggu blog anda lainnya.

I don't understand your language, but if this

woww ... beautiful scenery. thank you friend @adsactly steemit in sharing your post. we wait for your other blog.

is what you meant, then I thank you, my friend, for visiting our blog and for leaving us a comment. You are appreciated. Please go and enjoy your day and if you haven't done so yet, check out our community and vote @adsactly-witness. Thank you so much.

Good post!

Wow, wonderful. A case study of the eastern part of Nigeria. Thumbs up

Interesting read 🤓.

God has given us the wisdom to identify the right from the wrong and the wrong from the right... Godspeed bro!

I love the story, indeed it was worth reading 😊.

An interesting story from an interesting place.
At once foreign and familiar.
I am learning more each day.
I have joined the discord to learn more.
Be blessed and be well.

Wow

Life and nature is full of mysteries and creations of supreme beings that we call gods and these every time we contemplate them we are more amazed and do not doubt that there is great wisdom in them, greetings from Venezuela.

Nice story about life and its' unexpected turns and twists.

Smiles , the first picture just reminded me the way to my village , oh how i miss those red sands and scary bushes at night . U won't want to walk all by yourself when its 8pm on that road . Nice story .

Best Story i ever see before lul

Vanity upon vanity,all is vanity!!!
Its just a pity that Ada had to loose her father at that tender age and agony of his window!
We sure needs Gods wisdom to live right

Beautiful story line! Kudos @adsactly

Yes it is sad that these things happen at all. I appreciate you stopping by. Followed! Looking forward to see what you would create.

https://steemit.com/writing/@tis-jasmine/the-plague-of-nigerians-kin-s-fall-apart

Please don't flag me, I'm just a newbie trying to get followers and upvote.
Please check out my new post on the deplorable state of Nigeria, please encourage me by upvoting and following. Thanks

Wow, interesting story. I need to read it one more time

Thank you for visiting our blog.

What a beautiful quite place

Woooow this is amazing, wonderful story

Thanks

This is a very good one, analysing African gods and deities

Just talking about one and how swift and brutal their judgement could be. Thanks for stopping by.

Really a good story and wow photography!!

Nice

Cool post bro... keep more coming