Ekpenyong,
the traditional ruler of Eyoima village, a farming settlement in Ura
was a force to be reckoned with among his subjects. Apart from being
the overall decision maker and the owner of most of the farmlands in
the village, his aged mother Ikwo mma was so psychic people virtually
feared her more than her son.
She
was a very old woman, people said she had been so old at a time a
funeral was arranged for her when she went into a coma without warning,
one hot afternoon, then just as the son was about to send for the
embalmer, she woke up. Since then, she had gone blind with age and then
regained her sight later; she lost the use of her legs and started
working later. All the hairs on her head stood up and fell back again
at one point. Now, she was wobbling around on her famous walking stick
that was about six inches longer than her.
Ekpenyong
had three wives; He was looking for a child and he believed that his
chances of having one would be enhanced with each successive marriage;
Ikwo had nothing to say in opposition or support of her son’s belief
but the moment each of the wives is presented to her, she would
immediately predict that the heir to the throne of Eyoima would not
come from that one.
She did this from the first wife to the third wife.
His
mother’s attitude has always been frustrating to Ekpenyong. “I don’t
understand you mother, he voiced out his exasperation when his mother
shook her head negatively as Atim, the third wife was presented to her
“I know you can tell me exactly what to do but you keep quiet until I
have brought in yet another wife, then you disapprove” “I can tell you
what to do” his mother replied, I am waiting for you to marry all the
women you want to, she remarked and lapsed into silence.
Two
days later, a pregnant female beggar crawled up to the palace terrace,
looking very frail with blistered hands and lips. For a very strange
reason it was a little after the
break and Ekpenyong was alone
in the palace at the time; she somehow managed to gain entry into the
inner court without any of the servants noticing.
He
almost stepped on her as he came out of his room, as he bent down for a
closer look; he discovered she was still alive but very weak. He was
about to call one of the servants but restrained himself in time to
pick the woman up, carry her into the room where he gave her a sip of
warm milk. He continued giving her the milk in progressive few drops
until he felt that she was strong enough to take substantial amount of
the liquid.
Thirty
minutes later, the woman was able to sit up; she had not uttered a word
since she was found. “Let me call one of the servants to fetch the
local doctor for you, Ekpenyong said as he started getting up from his
chair beside the woman. “No, please, don’t call…. we have a very short
time” so saying, she started wincing in pain,
Ekpenyong
was alarmed “you are not feeling fine, let me get you the medicine man.
“No. The woman protested a little too forcefully, he must admit, she
made her uneasy somehow; he bent towards her once more. “The
baby is coming, she announced, don’t go out, you may not meet me alive,
just hold my hand, he complied like a man in a trance.
The
whole process took less than ten minutes, Ekepenyong could not quite
explain how it had happened but when one of the servants came in to
give the king a message, he met Ekpenyong with a baby in his hands and
a dead women lying at his feet.
“Oku”
the servant addressed him by his traditional title of reverence, “is
everything okay my Lord? “Everything is okay, Ekpenyong replied; don’t
stand there like a blind and dumb man. Call me elder Ufot and elder
Nket.
When
the servant left, Ekpenyong gingerly wrapped the baby, a boy child with
a blanket and took him to his bedroom. He had uttered the first wailing
sound as he came out of his mother’s womb, after that he fell into a
very peaceful and deep sleep. Ekpenyong placed him on his master bed.
“So
this was it, this was the son the old woman had always mentioned in one
of her rare vocal pronouncements. Ikwo did not talk, as he and the
villagers knew, she kept quiet until there was something to predict.
She sometimes sent people running helter skelter when she made one of
those predictions. People avoided coming in contact with her for fear
of hearing something awful about their future.
One
day, when he had expressed fears that he might end up passing the crown
over to his distant cousin for lack of a son to succeed him, Ikwo had
told him that his thinking was wrong. “You will have a son, one who
will succeed you.
Looking
down at the sleeping child, he mentally thanked his stars. The battle
for the crown of the throne of Eyoima raged in their family through
three generations of blood relations. The family had for decades been
engaged in deep-rooted conflict and there was bad blood among the
members because of the succession issue. Passing the crown over to his
cousin would terminate the right of the Ekpenyong faction of the family
to the throne.
Nobody,
not even Ekpenyong or the all knowing Ikwo mma could recount the
genesis of the feud but there was a strong suspicion among the rival
faction that the patriarch of Ekpenyong faction of the family had
actually obtained the by murdering the rightful heir.
Now, here on his bed was a son, just as his mother predicted, the gods had sent him a successor. TO BE CONTINUED…
Now, here on his bed was a son, just as his mother predicted, the gods had sent him a successor. TO BE CONTINUED…
The above reminds me of Naija home videos,just that you forgot to include TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
Anyways,
The article was quite interesting especially the arrival of the son and the king's sudden happiness despite the fact that he didn't father the so-called successor.
May be the part 2 will clarify all these and more.
=aringaranso;4295058662>The above reminds me of Naija home videos,just that you forgot to include TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
Anyways,
The article was quite interesting especially the arrival of the son and the king's sudden happiness despite the fact that he didn't father the so-called successor.
May be the part 2 will clarify all these and more.
Cheers
Oh dearie, I forgot to do some introdutions for this serial. I am actually starting a book. But TO GOD BE THE GLORY all the same!
Does the kingdom accept children of unknown paternity as king then? What will the rivals to the throne have to say about that? Also are we to assume that king Ekpenyong is incapable of fathering a son of his own and so never will?
Authors 
Posted by Robot| 20.06.2008 13:13