Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty (4 page)

After a while, when I could not trace them out in the bush, I told Aina to let us go away from their town. But as we were going along in the town as fast as we could, the kidnapper who sold us to the slave-buyer or the Chief Idol Worshipper, met us. As he was dressed in a big costly garment, he stopped and he proudly told us—“I am sorry
that it is too late before you do understand that—‘Remember The Day After Tomorrow’ is not the name of a person but it is a warning or proverb. And it should have been better if you have asked for the meaning of it from your father before he died. So there would be no a deceiver and kidnapper like me who would be able to kidnap you and sell you as slaves. And it is a good practice for a person who does not understand a word, warning, proverbs, etc., to ask for its full meaning before it is too late! Goodbye!” The kidnapper explained to us as hastily as he could but as I rushed to him just to behead him with the sword, he jumped into the bush. Then Aina and I left that town as quickly as possible to an unknown place because we did not know the right road on which to travel back to our village. That was how we were saved from the chief idol worshipper or the slave-buyer who wanted to sacrifice us to his idol. And it was in this town Aina and I had understood the meaning of “Remember The Day After Tomorrow.” The meaning of it was also—“One will reap what he sows.” So if we sow a bad thing we must reap a bad thing in future.

Immediately we left that town, we began to run away in the forest as fast we could so that the Chief Idol
Worshipper
and his people might not be able to capture us.
Because
we believed that all of them would chase us to catch. But of course, as he had wanted to sacrifice us to his idol, this had taught us a sense not to hesitate in one place and I still held the long sword which I took from the shrine of his fearful idol. It was with this sword I drove he and his people out of their town before we were able to escape into the forest.

Having travelled in the forest till eleven o’clock in the night and when we were sure that we had been freed from the Chief Idol Worshipper and his people. Then we stopped under a big tree and we sat down just to rest. But as we had been tired and we were very hungry before reaching there. We did not know when we fell down and slept. We enjoyed this sleep so much that we did not wake till when the noises of the birds woke us at about ten o’clock in the morning.

As soon as we were woken by the terrible noises of these birds, we stood up but as there was no river or pond which
was near there. We went to the nearby weeds and then we washed our faces with the little dew that which we could collect from them. Having washed our faces with the dew we came back to that tree, I took the sword from the ground and then we continued our journey in this endless forest. When we travelled for about one hour luckily we came to a mighty tree and we stopped under it. And when we looked at it very well we saw that it was a dika-nut tree or wild mango tree with uncountable ripen fruits on its branches.

But as we had been nearly starved to death and as there was no chance for other matter in the stomach of a hungry person. Therefore, as we could not think any other matter in our minds this time because of hunger, I did not waste time at all to climb this tree. I hardly climbed it to the top when I began to pluck the fleshy fruits on to the ground. Without hesitation, Aina, as she held my sword, began to collect the fruits in to one place under this tree.

When I was sure that I had plucked down about one hundred, I came down. Then we began to eat them one by one and we enjoyed them more than any other cooked food. Of course when a person was not yet hungry he would avoid many kinds of eatable things but it was not so for us this day in the forest, but we enjoyed these fruits of the wild mango even more than any of cooked food.

But as we were still enjoying the fruits there we heard unexpectedly that somebody was squabbling repeatedly as he was coming to us as quickly as he could. As soon as we glanced with fear at the direction from which we were hearing the horrible squabble, there we saw faintly at a long distance a fearful old man. He was coming to us with great anger as fast as he could. So without hesitation,
both of us stood up and we stared at him with fear as we held the fruits which we were eating and I also held my sword firmly this time.

But as we were still trying our best to see him clearly just to make sure whether he was a human being or a dangerous forest spirit. He had come nearer with his squabble which was shaking the ground like a strong lightning. As soon as he was visible to us, we saw him clearly this time that he was not a real human being but we had not yet known what kind of a living creature he was. He had about six followers who was following him. As he and his followers were at a distance of about two hundred yards from us, we saw that he was in front of them and all were coming to us directly immediately they saw us. When he and his followers came very closely to us, then we saw him clearly this time that he was the Spirit of Fire. But as he was in front of his followers he shouted greatly with anger and as he opened his mouth very widely and shouted on us, a large quantity of big fire was sparking out from it and it (fire) was spilling upon us continuously. This fire was burning us so much that Aina and I did not know when we began to shake our bodies so that the sparking fire might be missing us.

As both of us were still shaking our bodies to left and right just to avoid the fire, yet we managed to look at this fearful creature and we saw him clearly that his head was three times bigger than his body and it was about six feet long and taper towards the end. The whole head was curved a little bit towards his back. As it was a little bit curved towards his back, it was so both edges of it had many long and wide feathers which were also curved together with the head. His nose was thicker than a round
pillar of about three feet diameter and it was so much curved like a sickle that it was touching his chest. Each of his ears was as big as a big hat. Both his eyes were at the point where his curved head started. Each was seeing faintly in his skull and it was sparking out fire
continuously
to all directions to which he was turning his head.

His lower jaw was also large and was so much curved up that it was touching his forehead. But both his tongue and teeth were exposed for his wide mouth was
permanently
opened. Furthermore, his mouth was opened throughout the day and night in respect of his non-stop squabbles and the fire which was sparking out from it continuously. His neck was very thick with uncountable of thick veins which were surrounded it like that of a big tree. All of these veins were rested on both his shoulders, chest, etc. Each of his arms was longer and thinner than it should be. But each of his palms was as flat as a flat
hand-fan
but it was thicker than a plank of two inches. Each of the five fingers on each of his palms was very long and the nail on each was about eight inches long. His chest was as thin as a string. Both his thighs down to the toes had no shape at all. Each was long like a stilt and it seemed as if there was no flesh but bone.

From his taper head down to his feet was entirely fire. He and his followers were in the same form but his own appearance was more terrible. He was so old and dried up that if it was not for his terrible shout, squabbles,
movements
, etc., there would be nobody who might see him would believe that he was a living creature.

As soon as he and his followers came nearer to us this morning, they stopped at a distance of about ten yards
from us. But as Aina and I were about to start to run away for our lives. This cruel Spirit of Fire moved his mouth and shouted greatly on us. His shout was so fearful that we could not run away as we had been trying to do. Because as he shouted terribly on us a large quantity black smoke was then rushing out from his mouth and it covered both of us at the same moment. And without hesitation, as he and his followers stood on the same spot and as he held a heavy club of bone with both hands and raised it above his curved head, he began to tell us loudly with great anger: “You these two squanderers are certainly perished today! Hah, I say, whosoever you are, you are certainly perished this day. I shall take both of you to my town, the town of fire, to be burnt into ashes because you have eaten my fruits!” this Spirit of Fire shouted on us like that as he was wheezing with extreme anger.

When he paused and thought what he wanted to do for a while and then he squabbled with anger for some minutes, he continued to shout with extreme anger: “You these two human beings, probably you don’t know who I am! Let me tell you first what I am before I shall take you to my town! I am the Spirit of Fire, the most cruel creature on earth! I am the owner of the fire with which the people of the world cook their food, etc. Without me, there would no fire for the human beings to use, yet the human beings hate me. But for the hatred they have on me, I am so cruel and merciless to them that I used to send great fire to every part of the world to burn
uncountable
houses, property, etc., everyday! As I hate the water it is so I hate the human beings because they use the water to quench my fire whenever it is burning them or their houses, property, etc! Although the water was
first created and I was the second who was created by the Creator! As I am a living creature of fire it is so the water has its own living creature who is the goddess of the river or Nymph. As I am cruel to the human beings it is so I am kind to them in some ways but instead to be kind to me in return they take my kindness as an odium. Although the water is kind to the human beings and many other living creatures but thousands of them are drowned in it a year and their houses, property, etc., etc., are damaged also by it every year and I shall not forget to remind you of that! I am living in the greatest fire which is near this place and which is under the mountain of desperation. My followers who are uncountable and are cruel and merciless like myself are my messengers whom I am sending to all parts of the world to destroy the human beings’ blongings!

“And it is so the Goddess of River who is living in the largest river or ocean with her messengers is sending out her messengers to damage as well the human beings’ blongings! I have been living inside this mountain of desperation since the beginning of the earth and it is so for the Goddess of River! Now, to remind both of you again about my fruits which you have eaten. I am taking you to my town of fire which is in the biggest fire and there you will be burnt into ashes within a second! Please, my followers, push them along to my town!” When this cruel and merciless Spirit of Fire told us his story like that as the thick black smoke was rushing out from his mouth and the fire was also sparking out continously from the same mouth so much that every part of that place caught fire and within a few minutes the fire became a big flame.

He hardly related his story to us with various fearful
voices when he bent forward, he lifted the heavy club of bone which he held firmly with right hand above his curved head and then he started to come to us slowly to grip us with the left hand which was also sparking out a large quantity of fire continuously as he stared at us with his fearful eyes. Having seen this his fearful attitudes, Aina and I became extremely feared that we did not know when we twisted together when the fear could not allow us to run away for our lives. At this moment we did not know whether both of us were still alive or dead.

But as the hand of this Spirit of Fire was nearly to touch us. The Creator Almighty was so good that it came to my mind unexpectedly this time to cut his hand of fire with my sword perhaps he and his followers or messengers would run away. But as I lifted up the sword and cut his hand with all my power and fear. He stopped suddenly in one place as he drew his left hand towards his body.
Without
hesitation he then ordered four of his followers to come and push us to him. As soon as they came to us and as they were preparing to push us to him, I began to cut them continuously with my sword, but the sword could not do anything to them.

However, when they overpowered me, Aina and I surrendered ourselves to them, then without hesitation, they pushed us to their cruel master, the Spirit of Fire. So we stood before him but at a little distance from him and then we were trembling with fear. When he stared at us for a while with anger and as he was still squabbling and the thick black smoke was rushing out in large quantity from his mouth with the fire which was sparking out from the same mouth and was spilling on us
continuously
. He shouted greatly: “I shall not kill you here but I
shall take you to my town first before I shall burn you into ashes! All right, my followers, be pushing them along to my town now!” This Spirit of Fire hardly shouted like that to his followers when they began to push us roughly along to his town of fire which he said was under the mountain of desperation.

As his followers were still pushing us roughly along in this forest and as he himself was following them with his great and fearful non-stop squabbles, all of the nearby trees, weeds, etc., began to burn at the same time because the fire of his mouth which was spilling on them was very powerful. Having seen this, then I began to think in mind that probably this was the end of our lives. It came to my mind as well this time that although my father and mother had died in poverty but Aina and I were going to die in fire now.

As I was still lamenting in mind like that they pushed us to one strange mountain. The mountain was at a distance of about four miles to the place that they had caught us. This mountain was about six miles high and was about forty miles circumference. It was the mountain of
desperation
under which this Spirit of Fire, his followers and the uncountable creatures of fire lived. This Spirit of Fire was their king. There were no trees or any other kinds of plants which were grown on either side of this mountain of desperation. Because it was so dried that there was no any kind of plant which could grow out of it. There was very thick smoke which was rushing out in large quantity continuously from the inside of this mountain through its top to the sky. This kind of thick black smoke was so much thick that it could be held with the hand like a hard thing. So when Aina and I saw this strange thick
black smoke, we believed at the same time that there was no doubt, a great fire was inside the mountain.

As soon as the followers of the Spirit of Fire pushed us roughly to this mountain of desperation, they stopped. Then without hesitation, their master, the Spirit of Fire, knocked at a part of the mountain heavily for several times as he was still squabbling continuously. He knocked at that part so heavily that both the mountain and the land which was surrounded it shook heavily as if they were going to sink down. So Aina and I were so feared that we staggered to a distance of about quarter of a mile before we could stop ourselves but two of his followers ran to us at the same time and both of them pushed us back to their master. We were hardly pushed before him when he shouted greatly on us and said: “I say, both of you are certainly perished this day! You squanderers! I am going to burn you into ashes very soon!”