Read Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty Online
Authors: Amos Tutuola
As she was still fanning herself, Ishola, her only son, entered. But as he wanted to sit on the same sofa on which the three of us sat, his witch mother told him to take us to the garden and to show us where we could kill the field rats. Without argument, we followed him to the garden. In this garden he gave one stick to each of us then he showed us where the rats lived in a part of this garden. Then he and the three of us began to hunt for the rats. When the whole of us struggled for about two hours, we found one and then we started to chase it about in the garden to kill. As this rat was dashing here and
there we were mistakenly beating ourselves with the sticks instead of the rat. However, having tried all our efforts, we killed it. When we took it to the witch mother, without thanking us, she snatched it from us, she hung it on the rack together with one basket which she had just completed. As soon as she had hung both basket and the rat on the rack, she told Ishola to take them to the market in the following morning for sale. After that she told the three of us to follow Ishola to the kitchen to help him cook some yams which the whole of us would eat that night.
Having cooked the yams, we took it together with the pot to her. After she picked the best ones into her wooden bowl, she poured plenty of palm-oil on them. As she began to eat it she told us to take the rest to the other room and eat it. So Ishola took this pot and the three of us followed him to that room. Then we ate it. When it was about nine o’clock in the night, this wicked witch mother slept in a separate room and Ishola with the three of us slept in the room in which we ate the yams. As soon as we lay down Ojo, Alabi and Ishola fell asleep but I lay down awoke. I was thinking in mind how the three of us could escape before daybreak.
As I was thinking in mind like that the witch mother began to snore so I was sure that she too was fast asleep. Then I woke Ojo and Alabi, I told them with a lower voice to let us escape. But Ojo reminded me that the witch mother had told us that if we tried to escape the terrible heavy lumps of the iron would chase and catch us for her. When he reminded me like that I told him that we should not keep ourselves there for the witch mother to kill us for her witch members but as we were
men we must try our best first to escape. Then without hesitation, the three of us took our matchets, we went to the door of the front of the house. I opened the door very gently so that the witch mother might not wake. Then the three of us jumped to the outside and left the door open.
But to our greatest fear was that we hardly went to a short distance from the house when these three terrible heavy lumps of the iron began to roll on the ground with their horrible noises which woke the witch mother at the same time. As soon as she woke up she ran to the door, she was hastily commanding the three lumps of the iron to catch us and then bring us back to her house. Willing or not, when these lumps of the iron obstructed our way and that they were preparing to crush us to death. As soon as we entered and the lumps of the iron
returned
to their respective places, she slammed the door. After that with anger, she stood before us and then she repeated what she had told us: “I have told you that you have already been caught by my trap! There is no way for you to escape but soon you shall be killed one by one for my witch members! But you should put in minds always that these three terrible heavy lumps of the iron (she pointed hand to them) are keeping watch of you always! All right, go back to the room and sleep! Good-night!” Then she entered her room and slept. So with great fear we too entered the room and we lay down but Ishola did not wake at all till we had escaped and recaptured.
Hardly in the morning when Adeola, the most wicked and the chairwoman of the witches of this country, woke up and called the three of us to her usual sitting room. She told us to go to the garden to cut plenty of the
palm-fronds
and bring them to her. She told us that she wanted to start to make some new baskets from them. Before we left for the garden, she then stood up before the dead rat and the basket which were hung on the same rack in this sitting room. Then she called out loudly: “Ishola, will you come out and take this dead rat and the basket to the market for sale now! It is time! And this morning is fine enough! Please make haste to go!”
As soon as she called out like that Ishola answered loudly from the other room: “I am coming, my mother! But I am looking for my hat first!” Then his witch mother shouted: “All right, make haste!” After a while Ishola came out with the hat on head. He walked to the sitting room, he took both the dead rat and the basket from the rack and he asked from his mother as he held them: “How much shall I sell the rat?” His mother paused for a while and then replied: “Yes, sell it for sixpence!” Ishola asked again: “But what of the basket?” “Yes, you can sell that for one shilling but not less than that!” the witch mother said with a sharp voice. Ishola: “All right! Goodbye!” So without hesitation,
Ishola went out with the dead rat and basket and he slammed the door loudly as he left for the market.
When Ishola had left for the market which was at a distance of two miles from the country. Ojo, Alabi and myself went to the garden to cut the palm-fronds. When we cut some and brought them to the witch mother, she told us to start to split them into pieces. Having done that she herself dressed them finely. After that she told us to go and cook some yams. When we were cooking the yams in the kitchen she started to weave the basket from these dressed palm-fronds. As soon as the yams were ready and we took it to her with the pot and as she was taking her own into her usual wooden bowl. Ishola
returned
from the market with the food-stuff and many other things which he bought from the money that he had sold the dead rat and the basket. Then we ate the rest yams together with him.
It was like that we were doing everyday but the three of us were not happy at all since when we had heard from this wicked witch mother that she was going to kill us one by one for her witch members. One midnight, as I was trying all my best to see that the three of us escaped from this mother. When I noticed that she had slept, I dug a round hole on the part of the wall of the room in which we slept. When I did so, I woke Ojo and Alabi and the three of us passed through this round hole to the outside. But as we were running away in the darkness. Again, the three terrible heavy lumps of the iron rolled out from their respective places and without hesitation they began to chase us with their usual fearful noises.
Within
a few minutes they overtook us and then they obstructed our way. But we ran back to the house when they were
just preparing to crush us to death. As soon as we had entered the house each of them went back to its place at the same time. And when the witch mother had made a mockery of us for some minutes she went back to her room and slept. So with tears, the three of us went back to the room and slept. It was like that we failed in our second attempt to escape from this witch mother. So since when we had failed to escape for the second time, we gave up ourselves to whatever might be our fate in this country of witches and wizards.
One morning, Ishola took one dead rat and one basket to the same market for sale. When he got to the market he exposed the rat and the basket on the table. He sat before the table and he began to shout: “Here is the dead rat for sale! It is big and fat! Come and buy it for a cheap, cheap, price! And here is a fine basket for sale! A very fine and strong basket! Come and buy it for a cheap, cheap, price! It is woven from the best palm-fronds!” But as he was still hawking loudly like that and he was expecting people to come and buy them. A few minutes later, three strange men arrived in the market. They were spirits who lived in a far jungle but Ishola thought that they were ordinary men. They were born by the same father and mother.
A
JALA
(the first spirit): “Yes, how much do you sell this dead rat!” he held up the dead rat by the tail and then asked loudly for the price of it as the rest two were looking on anxiously.
I
SHOLA
: “I am selling it for sixpence!” he replied loudly.
F
OLA
(the second spirit): “Sixpence?” he repeated the price with wonder as he was gazing at Ishola.
I
SHOLA
: “Yes, it is sixpence!” he confirmed hastily and loudly.
B
OLA
(the third spirit): “Will you sell it for us for a half-penny?” he provoked him as he squinted at the rat.
I
SHOLA
: “Please put my rat back on the table and go away! You hopeless thieves who want to buy a half-penny rat! Please go on your away!” he shouted on them with great anger.
A
JALA
: “By the way, how much did you buy the rat in the bush?” he asked from Ishola as the three of them had now become annoyed and then he (Ajala) threw the dead rat back on the table roughly.
I
SHOLA
: “Oh, but how much did you sell it for me in the bush?” he scowled at them and shouted disregardly on them.
F
OLA
: “We are not selling dead rats, poor boy!” he replied angrily.
I
SHOLA
: “If you are not selling dead rats, I too did not buy this one in the bush but my mother had killed it!” he exchanged words with them angrily.
B
OLA
: “We are not so poor to sell the dead rats!” he said with a smile.
I
SHOLA
: “But if the three of you are not thieves of the dead rats, you should have not priced this one beyond what it is really worth like that! I believe, you are thieves of the dead rats!” he shouted on them as he had become angrier.
A
JALA
: “You poor boy like this, has called us thieves!” he scowled at Ishola and he was pointing hand to his chest and panting it as the three of them had then extremely become annoyed.
I
SHOLA
: “Yes! I repeat it, the three of you are the thieves of the dead rats!” he confirmed loudly with bravery.
F
OLA:
“All right, I am going to show you now that the three of us are no ordinary men!” he shouted on Ishola with a very bad temper.
I
SHOLA
: “If you are not the ordinary men, what are you then? Are you gods or the rulers of the jungle? Tell me now!” he shouted on them as a large number of onlookers had then gathered round them.
Now, without hesitation, as these three spirits had now become extremely annoyed. Bola, who was the third spirit, looked around there and saw a small bush behind. Then he pointed finger to this dead rat and then to the small bush. He began to command loudly: “Oh, let this dead rat become alive and return to this bush now where it came from!” But to Ishola’s and the onlookers’ surprise, Bola hardly commanded this dead rat when it came alive and without hesitation it began to run back into the bush. And without hesitation, Ishola began to chase it along in the bush to catch. He was scrambling it as he was shouting greatly: “Ah, my rat is running back into the bush!”
But he failed to catch it until it was disappeared into the bush. Then he ran back, he held Bola roughly and began to shout on him greatly: “You must find my rat for me now!”
Then the onlookers began to part them as they were exclaiming loudly with wonder: “Hah, the dead rat has become alive and run back into the bush! This is first of its kind! Ishola, better you run back to your country and tell your mother about these wonderful strange men!” So Ishola left Bola and then he ran back to his country. As
soon as he had left these three spirits, Ajala, Bola and Fola, walked to another part of this market and were disappeared suddenly. As soon as they were disappeared the onlookers walked away with wonder and fear.
As Ojo, Alabi, myself and the witch mother were still busy in weaving the basket in the sitting room. And the mother sat on the floor and was singing loudly. Ishola ran in unexpectedly. Immediately he ran in he sat on the chair behind his witch mother and began to breathe in and out audibly as if he had been chased on the way by the kidnappers.
I
SHOLA
: “Oh, Almighty!” he shouted suddenly to the hearing of everyone of us.
His witch mother and the rest of us were startled. Then the mother stood up suddenly and walked to him. Then she hastily asked:
“What has happened to you, Ishola? Were you chased on the way by the kidnappers?”
I
SHOLA
: “Not at all! But I have seen wonder in the market today! . .” he explained to his witch mother with throbbing heart.
M
OTHER
: “Wonder?” she interrupted loudly.
I
SHOLA
: “Certainly, my mother! And it was the first of the wonder I have ever seen in my life!” he explained as he was perspiring continuously.
M
OTHER
: “How did it look like?” she asked with wonder as she then bent a little bit forward and paid more attention and listened.
I
SHOLA
: “It did not look like anything. But …” he was greatly confused and murmured.
M
OTHER
: “And you have seen it?” she interrupted hastily.
I
SHOLA
: “Yes …” he murmured again.
M
OTHER
: “Hope there is nothing wrong with you in the market today, Ishola?” his witch mother asked with doubt as Ojo, Alabi and myself were looking at him with wonder.
I
SHOLA:
“There is nothing wrong with me at all but I have seen the wonder in the market today!” he shouted with confusion.
M
OTHER:
“All right, tell me the wonder which you have seen in the market today!” his witch mother dragged one chair from the left, she sat on it before Ishola and she was then listening to him attentively.
I
SHOLA:
“You see, my mother, three strange men came to me in the market today. When they priced the dead rat below the price which you have told me to sell it. I called them thieves. But when they became annoyed then they commanded the dead rat to become alive and as soon as it became alive they commanded it again to go back into the bush where it came from. But to my fear, it ran furiously into the bush. I chased it but I failed to catch it. And it was like that the rat was disappeared into the bush!” Ishola explained sadly to his mother.
M
OTHER:
“So the dead rat has become alive and gone back into the bush?” the witch mother retorted after she had paused for a while with wonder.
I
SHOLA:
“Certainly! It had gone back into the bush!” he replied sympathetically.
M
OTHER:
“The dead rat?” she asked with great sorrow as she bent backward a little bit.
I
SHOLA:
“Yes! I wonder!” he replied after he had kept quiet for a few minutes with wonder.
M
OTHER:
“So you did not return with any money today?” she asked.
I
SHOLA:
“Not at all!” he replied with sorrow.
M
OTHER:
“By the way, Ishola, did you tell the three strange men or spirits that your mother is the ‘Most wicked witch of this country’? Did you tell them as well that I am the Chairwoman of all the witches of this country?” she asked as she became crazy. She stood up in wrath and walked slowly to a few yards and then walked back and then sat back on the chair as she was murmuring and beating her head: “Oh, what falls on me today!”
I
SHOLA:
“Witch! Or what did you call yourself now? Witch?” he shouted greatly as he was startled suddenly.
M
OTHER:
“I am the most powerful witch in this country!” she confirmed loudly.
I
SHOLA:
“That means you are a witch?” he gave a sudden scream as his mother confirmed that she was a witch. And he stood up suddenly and walked backward to a short distance from his witch mother with fear.
M
OTHER:
“Don’t you know before this time that I am a witch? After I change into a bird in the midnight, I fly to wherever I wish to go but before you wake I used to return and then I change back to a woman!” she told the secret of herself to him.
I
SHOLA:
“That means you are killing people each night you fly out?” he asked with throbbing heart.
M
OTHER:
“Certainly! Even I was the very one who had killed your sister a few months ago, because she offended me one day,” she leaked out another fearful secret to Ishola with a laughter.
I
SHOLA:
“My senior sister who was only the daughter you ever got in your life? Oh, it is now I know that you were the one who had killed her! Oh, no wonder she died suddenly like that!” he wondered greatly and became more startled.
M
OTHER:
“Yes! I killed her, because she offended me one day!” she confirmed with a smile.
I
SHOLA:
“What offence?” he asked sadly.
M
OTHER:
“One day, she refused to go for an errand and that pained me so much that I killed her without mercy!” she coughed and explained to him briefly.
I
SHOLA:
“That means you will kill me as well very soon!” he said after he had kept seriously for a few minutes.
M
OTHER:
But when the witch mother had seen that Ishola was then so feared that he stood up and wanted to run away from the house. She hastily stood up, she went to him and began to caress him as she was confronting and telling him more of her evil works which she had done: “My son, do not be afraid. I am not going to kill you as I had killed your senior sister. As you know, I have no any other son or daughter except you alone. Even I am preparing now to give up my cruel power to my witch members. Because one day, when I got no money to buy food and the other things which I required. I changed myself to one big fine ram with my supernatural powers. One of my witch members put one rope on my neck and then she pulled me like a ram to the market for sale. Having pulled me to the market she exposed me in the ram-stall for sale. A few minutes later, one old man bought me as a real ram and the money that he paid was taken to my house by that
my member. But as soon as this old man had taken me to his house, he took his knife and started to cut my neck, for he wanted to kill me for his god. He cut my neck with that knife for several times, but I was so lucky that the knife he used was so dull that it could not cut my neck as quickly as he wanted to. Then he left me and he went to sharpen it. So he hardly went away when I hastily changed back to my former form or an old woman. But this old man was feared and confused when he returned with the sharpened knife and met me as an old woman instead of a ram. Then without hesitation, I was going away as he was following me along with eyes. (She bent down and said with a lower voice) My son, look at my neck, you will see the mark of the knife which the old man used to cut my neck that day. So don’t be afraid, I am not going to kill you. But don’t tell any of your friends and playmates that your mother is a witch!” this witch mother explained to her son, Ishola like that.
I
SHOLA:
“But I am still afraid of you and there is nothing which can erase it from my heart that you are not a witch! You are a wicked witch, my mother!” Ishola breathed out heavily and shouted with grief.
M
OTHER:
“Ishola, you should put away from your mind as from now that I am going to kill you as I had killed your senior sister! To give you more assurance, three substitutions are already in the house. They will be killed in place of you for my witch members when it is my turn to invite them for party. These three substitutions are these three fellows (she pointed hand to Ojo, Alabi and myself). The god of
Iron had provided them for me! Therefore there is no fear for you at all, I am not going to kill you! Please take cold water, my son, it will expel your fear as soon as you drink it!” Then after this witch mother had convinced her only son, Ishola, in vain like that, she stood up and ran to the big water-pot which was at the right corner of this sitting room. She hastily poured some water into the calabash which was the cover for the water-pot and then she brought it to him. But as soon as he drank it he became very cheerful and had no more fear whatsoever.