THE UNKNOWN HANDS (EPISODE TWENTY-THREE)

STORY SERIES

…Immediately I saw some of the men with lamps scatter searching for something around. I reasoned that if I tarried too long where I was, they would see me as I could see one of them coming directly towards me, I quickly jumped down from the table and tip-toed off

the place in a jiffy banking on the cover of the darkness that pervaded the whole area. I was soon inside the bush at the back of the market and having hidden myself in a place I knew was secure enough, I looked ahead of me to watch their new stance. All I could now see was that they had started moving away from that place, led by the girl carrying the pot while the other followed in silence. After a short while, I began to hear the sound of gongs again fading away gradually. I heaved a sigh of relief, got to my former position and I was lost in thought. What was the mission of these people? Was I not going to be affected by all I had seen? Would I lose my sight as a result? I rubbed my eyes with my hand to be sure that nothing has happened to them. Having assured myself that everything was alright, I lay down again trying to sleep. I just couldn't and realized that the saying that a child who sets his eyes on fear itself would be overwhelmed by fear was quite true. Then, since I had learnt that an unwary victim who first beholds a sacrifice would be visited by misfortune, I left Ifofin the following morning through another route and before anyone could see me.

I got to Isokun and then, Ijofi along the way, wondered around them for a while before I journeyed on to Imore where I halted. Throughout the period, I survived mostly on fruits found along the way and other gifts of providence. It was at Imore as I had informed you earlier in my narration, I met Pa Ogunjinmi who could not give any satisfactory answer to the question I had asked him concerning ghost before I had taken a decision continue my journey to the unknown.

My decision to halt at Imore was due to two major reasons. For one, it was very far from Ayedaade and not in the same way in the same direction as Orija, for, while those two were situated where the sun rose, Imore had its own location where the sun set and I knew my stay there would not provoke any unnecessary exposure. Besides, I was perhaps lucky to come across a group of young boys of my age who worked as laborers for anyone needing their service. I joined them in this venture after my wounds had healed up, when I was able to regain my health.

I was almost getting used to my various predicaments and I was only always prayerful that God should see me through them all. Not even when I had a slight quarrel with one of my new friends and he started spreading rumors about me was I bothered. I realized one could never rule out that sort of illicit attitude where human beings were concerned. In actual fact, our quarrel would have been nipped in the bud in the first place if the boy concerned, Gbobaro, had cooperated. We had worked together for a man for a full week and initially we did not receive our wages from our employer. The money was eventually paid to Gbobaro and he only deemed it fit to give me just one fifth of the whole amount. At first, I did not take offence since I didn’t know the truth of the matter. He lied to me that the farmer had apologized that he could no longer afford the amount we had earlier agreed on. I could not argue with him because it was not in my nature to argue. Experience had taught me that one needs to be submissive and to avoid argument to get on well with one’s friend and fellow man. Besides I was sure that if a man tells a single lie, he would be rendered helpless when the lie comes to the open in the most awkward manner. A farmer who having planted fifty seeds of yams tells his friends that he planted a hundred will after uprooting his fifty normal yams, also uproot fifty lies…...to be continued on Thursday.

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