The Undisputed Writer

REBIRTH OF AN ÒRÌSÀ 2

"For one who has been born, dēath is certain and for one who has díed, birth is certain"

"Àgbède!! Àgbède!! Where are you?" His friend shouted frantically, panting like one who just escaped dēath as he made his way into Àgbède's workshop at the outskirts of Ifè.

"I'm right here Dúrójayé." He answered without casting his focus away from the sword in the soul of the fire before him. "Catch your breath. You know where the chilled water in the water container is."

"I'm not here for visitation. I know you haven't heard the news so I rushed over to tell you. You need to come with me now because your wife and child are in danger. The king has made a decree that no woman is allowed to be pregnant and every child under the age of five should be kílled. You have a pregnant..... " He was cut short by the loud clang of the unfinished sword àgbède was creating on the ground.

Dúrójayé blocked his way before he was able to run off.

"I've taken them away from your home to the forest with my brother."

"I still have to pick something at home." He said hastily, trying to brush Dúrójayé aside.

"What? your metallic bangle? your wife has it with a few other things you might need." Dúrójayé grabbed his friend by the arm. "Your wife is a smart woman. She had it all figured out immediately she heard the news. She knew I was going to come to her aid immediately I heard the news because you and I aren't just friends, we're family. Brothers from different mothers. Now, let's go to where your pregnant wife and daughter are."

Àgbède's tender heart began to thunder like the bellow of a forge as Dúrójayé led him out of his workshop to the "safe haven" where his family was. From afar, they saw pregnant women ran helter skelter with their husbands and kids as the soldiers speared their bellies and smitted the heads of their little ones by the king through his soldiers.

"We can't go through this chaos. You won't get to your family if we do. We have to go around it." Dúrójayé said, grabbing his shoulder.

"No, that's going to take a lot of time. We have to go through it and avoid getting kílled at the same time. My wife and kid can't..... "

"What will you tell your wife and kid if they catch and torture us to dēath? what will your dēath mean to them?" Dúrójayé asked rhetorically, Interrupting him. "My wife and kids don't reside here on earth and this is the last standing kingdom on earth, the first in the beginning but now, it's the last. They live with God in heaven but I'm not safe because everyone knows you and I are brothers from different mothers and we won't betray each other but ones we're caught, it'll only be a matter of time before your wife and daughter are caught too and do you know the worst part? watching them suffer, knowing that there's no salvation for you, for us and for them."

The silence between them was louder than the cries of those that the wrath of the king befell. Watching them from their hiding place, together with Dúrójayé's words was more than convincing enough to go round the chaos instead of going through it.

"Let's go. Lead the way, my friend." Àgbède eventually said.

The cries of the victims followed them as they crept quietly through the forest but couldn't make their way into àgbède's heart because it was filled with thoughts of his pregnant wife and daughter.

"We have to get to my family quickly!!" He kept saying repeatedly beneath his voice.

His friend held his hand firmly, knowing fully well that he'll only be in his right mind when he sees for himself that his family is safe. Slowly, the day crawled away, pulling the night behind it and the moon in its full form, melted the sun's energy away until it was no longer in sight.

Soon, the night creatures began to emerge in their numbers but invisible to the two best friends.

"Kri-kri-kri-kri-kri!!" The crickets sang beautiful songs.

"Hee hee hee hee hee hee!!" The hyenas laughed at them but they forged ahead, not minding the invisible creatures of the night.

For what seemed like forever, they forged ahead through and thoroughly until they saw a small hut just a few yards ahead.

"That's them, your wife and kid and that's my brother standing guard." Dúrójayé said.

Àgbède smiled.

Dúrójayé looked at the now happy man beside him. "Now it's time to reconcile with your family." He said, hugging his friend.

After just a few steps ahead, the bang came. Dúrójayé's brother slowly drowned in his own pool of blood and almost immediately, about ten soldiers surrounded the hut. They knew from afar that he was hiding a pregnant woman and her three years old daughter.

"No!!" Àgbède shouted, charging towards the hunters with vigor.

He singlehandedly fought and kílled all ten of them vehemently, sustaining a few deep wounds while Dúrójayé stood there in disbelief as he never knew his friend was so skillful in fíghting. Àgbède staggered towards the hut. He saw his wife and daughter sitting and shivering fearfully in one corner of the room.

"I'm here now my love!" He smiled and collapsed.