Steemit Engagement Challenge (week 2): Create your original story by @msquaretk — 15% Payout to @ColombiaOriginal

Hi everyone. It's another week of the Steemit Engagement Challenge. It's the second week. Today, I'm going to be submitting my first entry in Colombia-Original. We have been asked to create our story by using one of the art works shared by Colombia Original. So, I'm going to pick one of these art works and create a story around it. So, follow me closely.

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Create Your Original Story

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I want to pick the second image shared by Colombia-Original to create my story. The work of art is Two figures in the forest. Below is the art work.

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SOURCE

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Now, looking at the image above, I can see two people, a man in Black and a woman in green. They are going into the forest.

• Story begins...

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Love in the Forest

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In 1830, in a small village called Amoro, there's was a young woman who was very adorable and beautiful. No woman in the village could be compared to her in her beauty. She wasn't only beautiful, but was also respectul, hard-working and honorable. Although, she was from a low background, but everybody in the village loved her. There was no one in Amoro who didn't know who she was. Èwàtómíwá is the name of this young woman. And her name means "beauty comes to me".

No day goes by without the youth of the village talking about Èwàtómíwá. When the youth of the village gathered together to play in the evening, they would talk about her, when they went hunting, they would discuss about her. She was so beautiful that every youth wanted to have her as a wife. It's one thing for a woman to be beautiful, it's another thing to have character. Èwàtómíwá had both. She was someone whom young men prayed for to be their wife.

It was in the evening of a weekend when Èwàtómíwá went to fetch water at the village river. She already fetched the water and was coming home when a man suddenly appeared to her. "You haven't given me face just once. I have tried all my best to get to you. It's either you say I do today or I don't let you go" , the man said to her. Èwàtómíwá replied, "I beg of you, let me go. I have told you time without numbers that I don't love you. I can't marry you."

"Why are you doing this, Èwàtómíwá, Am I not handsome enough?, the man replied her arrogantly". You are going no where, today. The man was trying to put the container off her ahead but Èwàtómíwá was begging her that the container is for her mummy and must not break. The container which they used to fetch those days are calabashes. So, they are always careful so that the container doesn't get broken.

The man kept drawing Èwàtómíwá into the bush. Èwàtómíwá was shouting but he told her not to shout, that even if she shout, there's nobody to rescue her. As he was about to climb her, a man rushed in from nowhere and rescued Èwàtómíwá. "Oh, sorry young lady. Hope he didn't hurt you", the savior asked her. "Thank you so much, if not for you..." She replied. "Don't mention", the man responded. The man told Èwàtómíwá his name and saw her off to their house. As they got to the outside of their house, Èwàtómíwá thanked her and they departed.

Some weeks after that incidence, Èwàtómíwá was going to the market when she met her savior, Akinwumi. She went to meet the man and thanked her for the other day. She told him that she really appreciate what he did that day. Akinwumi was with two of his friends when they met Èwàtómíwá. They talked and Èwàtómíwá was heading to the market.

Akinwumi's friend asked him how she met the young lady, and he explained to them. "The lady is very beautiful and have a sense of respect", said one of his friends. "Yeah. She's" , Akinwumi replied. That was how they kept talking about Èwàtómíwá as they were going back home from the market.

In the evening of that day, Akinwumi kept thinking about Èwàtómíwá. By this time, he has started having feeling for her. He was just thinking of what how great it could be if Èwàtómíwá could be his wife. Akinwumi is a son of one the popular chiefs in the village. So, taking care of Èwàtómíwá wouldn't be a problem.

But Akinwumi didn't want to embarrass himself. He wouldn't like to ask a woman out and meet rejection. But day after day, his heart was with Èwàtómíwá. When he slept, he would dream about her. His love for her was already giving him sleepless nights. He couldn't but just think of her every moment, everyday and night.

Being the first time he would develop affection for a lady. He didn't know how he would go about it. Then, Akinwumi decided to tell his friends, the two friends that were with him the day they met Èwàtómíwá, if they could help and give him suggestion on what to do. One of his friends said to him, "you are a man, summon the courage and approach her. Tell her how you feel about her, let her know how you are loving her."

The suggestion Akinwumi's friend gave him gave him courage. And he decided to go meet Èwàtómíwá. The day he would meet with her, he had first rehearsed the the words he would use, how would comport himself and all of that. So, in the evening of a day, Akinwumi called his friends and they went to Èwàtómíwá's house.

On getting to her house, they met her mother outside sitting and receiving cool fresh air. Akinwumi was already shivering when she saw a woman outside, but they couldn't go back because the woman had already seen them. He quickly asked his friends what they could do. But they said, "we can't go back. We will go and and ask about her".

Then, they moved closer to the woman. "Good evening mama", Akinwumi and his friends greeted. "You are welcome my children. Who are you looking for?" Mama said. "We are here to see Èwàtómíwá", they replied. "Èwà, you have visitors o", her mother shouted her name and told her to come out.

She was shocked when she saw them outside their house. She said to her mother, "this is the man, Akinwumi I told you about that helped me that day". "Wow.. Thank you so much my son. Your helpers will not be few in life" , Èwàtómíwá mother said to Akinwumi.

Then her mother gave them space. She went in to the house. Èwàtómíwá offered them seat. But the friends said "we won't be able to stay because we have somewhere we must go". They intentionally wanted to leave Akinwumi to complete the job. Then, they left.

Èwàtómíwá still thanked Akinwumi for what he did that day. But he said that she should not bother. She has thanked her enough. Then Akinwumi began what she was there for. He began to praise her that she was a virtuous woman and all and all like that.

Eventually, he mentioned what was in his mind. When Èwàtómíwá heard it, she could not talk. She didn't give him an answer. But Akinwumi said to her "I know you didn't expect it, just think about it; I will come later for an answer". Then, that was how their conversation ended that day.

Èwàtómíwá told her mother what had happened. Her mother encouraged her to follow her heart. Although, the man he saw seem to be a good man, but she would not want to decide for her. Èwàtómíwá had been having the same feeling Akinwumi had, too. But she was just waiting if the man would come. So, some weeks after. Akinwumi and Èwàtómíwá met, and she said yes to his proposal. That was how they began their love journey.

Their love began to grow to the extent that, they barely went to bed without seeing each other daily. Whenever Èwàtómíwá visited Akinwumi and she was going home, Akinwumi would escorted her and when Akinwumi was going back, she would also escorted her. Their love was something else. They loved each other so much. In fact, everybody in the village already knew about their love.

As you know, nothing good will not encounter challenges. There was a problem when the first son of the King came back from college. He had been away for a very long time. He attended both high school and higher institution in a city where the King's Uncle lived. So, he didn't know much about the village. But one day, when he was going around the village square, he met Èwàtómíwá and he liked her. He asked about the woman from his entourage. They let him know whom she was and that she had already been engaged to Akinwumi, the son of Chief Akinyemi.

The King's son, Adejare said, "this kind of lady aren't for people like that. They are for us, the king lineage. How can a woman be so beautiful like this and would not have place in the palace?" He told his entourage to call her for him. Adejare talked to her and said he will marry her. The lady, Èwàtómíwá refused his proposal immediately. That got him angry and Èwàtómíwá left him and went on her way. It was very embarrassing to Adejare. Although the woman didn't embarrass him, she only refused his proposal politely.

Adejare was very furious that she turned down his proposal. He told one of the people that used to follow him that he wanted to meet Akinwumi, he wanted to know who he's. And so, he met Akinwumi. He told Akinwumi to leave Èwàtómíwá for him. He told him, "I'm not begging you, I'm commanding you." Akinwumi didn't talk nor reply him. Then he left.

Day after day, Adejare kept threatening Akinwumi. When the threat began too much, Akinwumi met with Èwàtómíwá and discussed what he had been passing through. He reassured her that he loved her, that it's only death that could separate each other. Èwàtómíwá also made him know that he's only her.

On a faithful day, Adejare went to Akinwumi house. He said to Akinwumi, "this is your final chance, it's either you leave Èwàtómíwá or you pay for it." But this time around, Akinwumi replied him. He said, "I can't pay anything. She's mine and nobody can take her from me."

As this word was being spoken by Akinwumi, a hot slap landed on his cheeks. Then, Akinwumi reciprocate. He slapped Adejare back. Adejare told the two people that followed him to beat him up. Then, they began fighting. Two men on him. But Akinwumi was stroger than them, he beat them. Then he moved to Adejare and beat him half dead.

What happened caused a lot of trouble in the village. Some people sided Akinwumi while many sided the King's son. Then, the king ordered that Akinwumi should be taken to the palace by the guards. It was a very bad day for Akinwumi. Before he was even taken to the palace, the guards, about 13 of them, sent to him had already beat him. Upon taking him to the palace, he had already met his father begging the King to forgive Akinwumi. But the King didn't agree.

"How dare you raise your hand and beat my son? You have overstepped your boundary and today you will know that the King is over all." The king abused him and cursed him. Then, the King banished him from the village.

Nobody knew that the King would go to that extent. He was taken out of the place and brought to the outskirts of the village. The news had already reached Èwàtómíwá. Then she quickly went to meet his love. She met Akinwumi where he was left by the guards at the outskirts. He was weeping. Èwàtómíwá called him and was also weeping.

It was a ver bad day. They both wept heavily. Then, Akinwumi wanted to leave and said she should forget about him. "What? I can't forget about you. My heart is yours and yours is mine. Wherever you go, I go. Whatever you eat, I eat." Èwàtómíwá decided to follow Akinwumi. Then, they entered the forest. And that's how the love in the forest began. Below is the picture of Akinwumi and Èwàtómíwá when they were going in the forest. Love is deep.

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_{Pictures of Akinwumi and Èwàtómíwá I the forest | SOURCE}

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Conclusion

In this post, i have used one of the art works shared by Colombia-Original to create a story. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you all for reading through.

I invite @beautybb, @ebunoluwani @beckie96830 @fredquantum @steemdoctor @wentv @jueco @focus @ngoenyi @ijelady @sammylink @nane15, @ilhorgic to participate. Thanks you.

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