FRIDAY FOR FOLKTALES(FFF) — THE MYSTERY OF THE POWERFUL RIVER!

Friday for folktales!

Children dance in merriment to the rhythm of the local drum. On the sight of their mothers, they form a group of attention sitting in excitement, blooming under the illumination of the moonlight.

Mother starts with the ibibio popular platitude;

Ekön nke!

And the children reply in unison;

Nkekön Abasi!

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Ette Ekpenyong a renowned hunter popularly known for his great catch and tremendous hardwork also owned an animal farm where he reared goats, sheep, fowls, pigs and dogs.

Ette Ekpenyong was a comical individual whose jovial nature made him astonishingly annoying to this two wives.
He was all 'women's man' and neither did he give his two wives all the attention they sought and their heart desires.

Ette Ekpenyong would cook his own pot of soup claiming that of his wives to be 'Efere inön' salty soup or 'mmonmmon Efere' watery soup.

His actions were dubiously created by him as a result of greed and stinginess.
Ette Ekpenyong aside being a lover of food, also loved rich protenaceous content in a soup.
He loved to eat about 10pieces of meat coupled with fishes, stock fishes and perewinkle in a plate of soup.

To his own wisdom, if his wives prepared soup, the animal protein content would be limited due to the fact that they had to share it amongst all their children.

Ette Ekpenyong was so sceptic about his meal that he did not entertain any sort of joke in his food properly, neatly and richly cooked by him.

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On this fateful day, the cock crowed unusually and thus provocatingly interrupted his dream of being crowned king and he shouted angrily,"Will this stupid cock allow me to wake up on my own?"

As he barked at the peak of his voice willingly draining all his energy, his first wife Ikwo responded from outside, "Ette Ekpenyong, come out, your goat is dead!"

"Eh!" He exclaimed as he hurriedly tied his wrapper loosely around his waist rushing outside his Hut.
Ette Ekpenyong was provoked at the sudden death of his goat. Seeing that it wasn't close to the market day and the goat would be purchased at a cheaper price, he butchered the animal, and prepared a nice goat pepper soup.

He got himself ready for the days hunt and called out his wives, "Ikwo! Ikwo!"
Ikwo came out wiping her hands on her wrapper.

"How long does it take you to respond to my call?"
"Sorry, I was washing clothes at the backyard."

Ette Ekpenyong scanned her, confirming the trueness of her reply.

"Mma Itoro! Mma Itoro! Mma Itoro..." He continued screaming as the bearer of the name, his second wife reluctantly walked out not even responding to the call. She took her steps like a magnificent princess on a stroll round the village. "What is it?" She asked placing her right hand on her waist as a sign of trouble invention.

Ette Ekpenyong sighed in amazement at her incongruous attitude. "Well, I don't have all the time to waste getting provoked at your intolerable behaviour but listen to me the both of you, I am heading to the big bush for hunting, I don't want to hear that goat ate yam and also ate it's fellow goat that has been cooked."

Image Source : Pixabay

As he spoke, mma Itoro interrupted with a strong hissing sound indicating her apathetic unseriousness on the subject matter.

"Shut up, you lazy daughter of your Father!"

As he articulated this, Mma Itoro mockingly laughed out.

"When I return, I will distribute the goat peppersoup amongst you to prepare your usual watery salty soups for your children. Nobody, I repeat, nobody should go near that pot. I will not take it lightly."
He stormed out of his compound displaying a strange behavior.

Mma Itoro laughingly spoke out, "He is already angry like the meat has been stolen already."
Ikwo looked at her agape at the need of a comic relief in an instruction openly announced to the house, she asked, "What is so funny? Eheh What is so funny?"

"Nothing is funny to you? Can't you see as he keeps being serious with his own meal? What manner of man is so stingy that he cooks his own food?" Ikwo transitted her funny mood into a serious conversation facial display.

"All this personal coking of his started since you stepped into this house." Said by Ikwo as she accompanied the words with a loud hiss that followed her into the backyard.

As Ikwo swung her buttocks walking speedily and madly to the backyard to continue her chores, Mma Itoro in amazement of her reactions laughed and voiced to her self, "What could be their own cause of getting angry this early morning? Ha. Please let me prepare and go to the grinder's place to grind my cassava oooo."

Bittered Ikwo at the backyard murmured to herself, "This stupid second wife. After all my loyalty to Ette Ekpenyong, he still married her, she cannot cook, she cannot wash and that obviously made him to start cooking thereby insulting my meal." As she murmured, her mind journeyed from anger to wickedness, "Yes I have just the perfect idea!"

Mma Itoro packed her cassava into a sack bag and properly sealed the bad, placed the bag on her head, with a big basin on her right hand, she made her way out of the compound. Ikwo was at a corner peeping. Immediately the view of Mma Itoro faded, Ikwo followed that route to confirm her disappearance. Ikwo hurriedly came back, pushed Ette Ekpenyong's hut's door slowly, tiptoed into his room not to cause any distractions, she scooped a very huge amount of the goat meat pepper soup into the big bowl she had with her. The amount was so much that anyone would observe the sudden disappearance of some pieces of meat.

She threw a piece into her mouth chewing as she carefully closed the pot and walked away to her own kitchen.
She sat down on the little stool in her kitchen and started chewing the meat piece by piece. She ate the meat quietly and happily feeling fulfilled in life at that moment.

Then the thought of Ette Ekpenyong's warning struck her head and she came up with a unique idea. She ate all pieces and took the pepper soup left in the plate into Mma Itoro's kitchen. She brought out a plate from a corner, poured it into the plate and placed it on top of a basket. She poured some water into the plate to fill it up so that a quick lift of the plate would spill the condiment all over the victim. She rushed out, washed all her dishes and cleaned herself up to avoid any suspicion.

Shortly, the beautiful and always happy Mma Itoro walked into the compound majestically, singing a local song,

Amami oooo di ooo Di oooo Di nwod ima!

My love, come, come and show me love!

She dropped the basin of grinded cassava on the floor and made her way to the kitchen. She went straight to her pot, scooped the meal she had prepared earlier and was set for consumption when her eyes directed her to the plate strangely placed. At the same time Ette Ekpenyong walked into the compound and she could hear him shouting their names as usual. She had a quick thought if to look at the content of the plate placed in such way or if to run straight to her husband to listen to his unbearable complains.

Conclusively, she stood up, went to the corner the plate was placed. She stretched her hands and picked up the plate, the content splashed on her clothes and immediately Ette Ekpenyong walked into the kitchen. He was already screaming about her attitude of not responding to his calls when he perceived the goat meat aroma all around the kitchen.

Ette Ekpenyong looked at Mma Itoro who was coincidentally holding a plate of goat meat pepper soup. Ikwo was at a corner wearing a very innocent look like a child who was amazed at the loss of his best toy. Mma Itoro was speechless as she knew where this action was heading to. A wrong accusation perhaps but she would rather laugh out any strange feeling of hers on a normal day. Mma Itoro looking at the shocking face of Ette Ekpenyong and Ikwo could not condone this one with laughter at all. It was very annoying to her.

"How can someone set up this silly trap on me. I just returned from the grinder's place, where did I even have the time to steal goat meat?" She said softly.

"Oh! But you had the time to splash the pepper soup all around your body? And when you heard your name, you rushed into looking for a way to hide the peppersoup but your ancestors left you today."

"I did not steal any pepper soup, what will I do with an empty peppersoup without meat?"

Ette Ekpenyong laughed out loud and Ikwo accompanied him by producing a very mocking reaction rubbishing Mma Itoro's proof of innocence.

"So you ate the meat and now lie about it saying you stole only peppersoup." Ette Ekpenyong kept quiet for a moment then added, "you see this house, you are leaving today!"

"Me, I did not steal any meat, why would I steal your meat? Here is the soup I dished to eat, I already prepared it since morning and it's cooked with beef not goat meat..."

As Ette Ekpenyong angrily stormed into her Hut throwing out her properties, she held him begging and crying of her innocence. Then she added, "I swear with my life. I did not steal any meat. I swear on my late Father's grave!"

"Then you should be prepared to swear at the river!"

"Yes I will. Take us there, take Ikwo and I. I am very sure she must be behind this."

Ikwo angrily ranted at Mma Itoro for accusing her. But those rants were all in vain as they made their way to the river set up by the gods for swearing of oath, prayer rendition and sacrificing to the gods.

As they made their way down the river, some other villagers accompanied them on hearing the case at hand. The river had always been a very interesting place to visit when it was time for judgement. The river would swallow the guilty and let go the innocent. The scene was always that which one wouldn't want to miss out.

Image Source : Flickr

As they approached the river, Ette Ekpenyong kept calling Mma Itoro, "Inor Unam Ebod!" 'Thief of Goat meat!' At this angle, Ikwo did not utter a word anymore as the fright of being swallowed by the river had overcome her.

They got to the river and the cold atmosphere brought everyone to order. Ette Ekpenyong pushed Mma Itoro into the river bank and ordered, "Now get into the water and sing to the goddess to prove your innocence, Inor Unam Ebod!"

As Mma Itoro walked into the deep side of the water some villagers shouted at her,

Why not speak the truth and let this craziness go! Thief!

Mma Itoro was in a very bad situation and tears rolled her eyes! She stood in the river and started singing to the goddess of vengeance,

Etok idim yogoyogoyogoyo
Anwan nnyin Ata Ebod ata ebod
Akaña ufik Ebod anyokidem
Akporo mme ta Ebod mbennyoñ
Akporo nkitaha nsio ntop
Nsaha usukusuk ndidadunan
Ntop usukusuk bandidadunan...

Small river shake shake shake
My fellow wife ate goat meat
And set the sauce to pour on me producing odour
If I was the one who ate the goat take me with you
If I wasn't the one throw me gently
So I can walk without injuries
Throw me gently so I don't get injured...

As she repeated the song, the river waved and pushed her out of the water with a soft current. The entire witnesses were amazed at her innocence. Ette Ekpenyong was dumbfounded knowing that the river never lied. He turned to Ikwo, "Ikwo get in and prove your innocence too!"

Ikwo walked slowly into the river, it was like the longest trip in her life. She was nervous and fear entrapped her facial expression.
She walked not too deep into the river and as she uttered her own song, her voice was low and trembling.

Etok idim yogoyogoyogoyo
Anwan nnyin Ata Ebod ata ebod
Akporo mme ta ebod mbennyöñ
Akporo nkitaha nsio ntop
Nsaha usukusuk ndidadunan
Ntop usukusuk bandidadunan...

Small river shake shake shake
My fellow wife ate goat meat
If I was the one who ate the goat take me with you
If I wasn't the one throw me gently
So I can walk without injuries
Throw me gently so I don't get injured...

As she uttered the song the first time, a heavy current moved towards her, the wave was uncontrollable, the water swallowed her and she was nowhere to be found.

The entire villagers screamed at the amazement of her guilt. It was a very shocking episode because she was never accused by anyone. Mma Itoro was set free and her husband apologized to her for accusing her wrongly. They all went home and the mystery of the river kept on coming, coming and coming.

The story of this mighty river and the wives has passed on from generation to generation... And mothers tell their children educating them on the need for honesty, kindness and righteousness.

Ekön Nke! Nke akweñe

Story time! The story is finished.

Itoro Archibong, pen addict! 📝✍