Flash Up Story

It's been 18 moons since the last rain in the land of Kwabenya. The cracks on the land was like the heels of a Dagomba kayayoo who works on the streets of Makola and forgot to bring her shea butter from up north. The lines on the earth was like a kindergarten kid's drawing of the slums of Korle Gonno.

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Nana Prempeh, King of Kwabenya had called for a meeting at the palace grounds. There was dust in the air due the strong monsoon winds blowing from the east all around the Kingdom. There was nothing keeping the dust on the ground as they've lost all moisture and become as light as the feather of a baby chicken in the late afternoons.

Odumakoma, priest and spokesperson of Ikedja oracle had been invited to tell the King and people of Kwabenya what they could do about it. Odumakoma recited some incantations whiles turning like a whirlwind set ablaze by the fires of well. The only way this drought will end is if they could get leaves from the neem tree on the outskirts of Dawenya, a rival Kingdom.

Nobody knows who planted this tree, but it's been there since before every living person on Kwabenya land. Papa Nkonya, the oldest person on the land even came to meet it on earth. Akwasi, leader of the palace guards was to lead a team to Dawenya, deep into the night when even the owls were sleeping and the coyotes had retired.

They left that same night, bidding their friends and families farewell not knowing what laid ahead of them. That could be the end of their lives as the people of Dawenya had deep hatred for Kwabenya since their queen had been found dead between the bothers of the two lands. Akwasi, looking at the skeletal features of her once plumb wife and vowed to get the leaves from the neem tree even if the heavens sends fire from the skies as in the days of Elijah to consume him, the tree or both.