After listening to the tell-tales of those enviable humans, Baba gave each of us three slices of roasted yam to eat because he so caring to think we all so tired from our adventures.
I didn't know that baba even brought food along with him.. So baba-like.
I took a slice of yam in hand while my mouth was stuffed full like a balloon as if it was a jewel or something: It was brown; golden brown, roasted perfectly with the perfect heat and it tastes slightly of heat blended with the delicious sultriness it has, once it's enters your mouth. Oh, don't forget to add roasted coconut along.
Those two takes you to meet Olodunmare.
I kept romancing the slice of yam in my hand without feeling a hand on my head or a voice calling my name.
I was in a different world entirely. umm, you could call it: Aye ti ounjẹ ti o dara julọ julọ. (The world of the most delicious food.) where everyone is welcomed to eat the most delicious cultural foods.
I felt embarrassed with myself because I wrote a poem for that very yam and it goes thus:
Goolu bi Are-ona-kakafo ni sanma
Brown bi awọ Oya
dara si pelu pupa pupa
Iyebiye ti o dara julọ julọ ti o wọ julọ ti o dara julọ
Ọrẹ rẹ agbon ti o ni irun ori wa pẹlu
wàrà rẹ̀ di àwọ̀ bí oyin
ohh yummu yummu
(Golden as the Are-ona-kakafo in the sky
Brown as Oya's skin
adorned with red oil
The most beautiful jewel ever worn by the most beautiful
Your friend the haired coconut came along
her milk turned brown as honey
ohh yummu yummu)
" Keji"
That brought me back to reality of noticing the others staring at me like something was wrong and baba asking me to follow him somewhere.
I instinctively did after throwing the yam into my mouth...oh! it was so delicious.
He was leading the way and I obediently followed behind.
He took to me to a small stream running from the west side down to north side.
It is rumoured to be a part of River Osun which hot and cold never mix.
River Osun compromise of both cold water and hot water but they never mix at all.
He squatted in front of the stream and dipped both hands into it before scooping up water to his face.
I watched him keenly interested in what will happen next.
Probably Osun will come out of the stream. Probably!!
After he was done washing his face, he called me while still squatting.
I squatted beside him careful with the obsession of overstaring of the reflection on the river.
" o jẹ o mọ ìdí tí mo fi pè ọ́ síbí? (Do you know why I called you here?)"
I shook my head and he stared at me like...I don't know.
He heaved out a sigh " Nitorina o ṣe awọn abọ ti Mo kọ?(So you did the spells I taught?)" he chuckled"Mo ro pe o ko ni ṣe ( I thought you won't)"
I laughed " Kí nìdí? (Why?)"
He taught me so why did he think that i won't put it to good use.
"O le jẹ eewu fun ọ ati ... ( It could be dangerous for you and...)" he eyed me several times and shook his head "ohunkohun (nothing)" he went on staring at our reflections on the stream.
Those spells are not as dangerous as Baba think it could be.
Before I could force him to teach me, I rolled on the mud outside his house several times, came all most everytime to pester him, do all his house chores and My dear Baba, being as stubborn as he is, he won't teach me until one day I saw him doing it and took notes of every incantation he said and went to him purposefully and tactfully reciting it back to him which made him scream "OBATALA!!"
And gbam! he taught me since he had no choice at all.
The spell involves two things :
Blood of the person doing the poem
and....
A Body.
Back then, I secretly recited the incantation and poke my finger so blood could drop to the invisible mouth that was opened.... the ground mouth was wider than a calabash.
" Kola sọ fun mi pe okunkun ṣokunkun fun wọn ati pe oun ati alabaṣiṣẹpọ rẹ jiya pẹlu awọn ojiji ti iberu (Kola told told me darkness fell upon them and he and his partner dealt with shadows of fear)" Baba sat carelessly on the bed of grass "Amotekun kini si? ( tiger what to it?)"
I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to do or say.
After a while, we both went back to the others who are either sleeping or still talking about their adventures.
My eyes searched for the most annoying human and landed right in his eyes staring at me.
" it's time to leave now" Baba alerted with a singing voice neither hurried nor scared.
That was his playful voice... that means we're going straight to the river once we get home.
I was so excited to go home and jump on my mom and run my mouth like a tap till the whole earth is full of water.
We all packed up our things and left the forest using the way we came from reciting the incantation of earlier.
We all left the forbidden forest alive and healthy along with some condiments and prizes.
People were waiting for us far from the forest waiting for our arrival, and when they saw us coming they began to beat the bata drums, the goggon, the women shook their bodies and parents hugged their children.
They do this almost every time.
My mom was there,she was waiting for me, her arms spread opened and I ditched everyone and jumped right into her loving arms.