It was in the 50s that six like-minded college students met at Beaufort County, South Carolina, where ifa traditional worshipers gathered to honor and thank the Orishas (deities) for their blessings during a spring equinox ceremony.
These people are not just ordinary college students seeking adventures. They are special individuals with different elemental powers and supernatural abilities. They are also lost and confused souls seeking answers and a sense of belongings.
At the end of the equinox ceremony, these men and women who finally found answers to what they seek decided to form an exclusive fraternity. A place where there is a sense of acceptance and inclusion. A place they would belong to. A place where they can freely be their authentic selves without being looked at as a freak.
From inception, life was great with these fraternity members. With the combinations of each of their powers and special abilities, they supported and helped each other's growth. Paving ways and amassing great wealth for their generations yet to be born.
Many years after, differences in opinions and ideas happened, and the group began to show signs of falling apart. They were now like two fraternities inside one. One fraction against the other. Unity was no longer their watchword, their interest and ethics no longer align.
One fraction of the fraternity wanted their children promised and forced to marry each other so the fraternity would grow into a bigger entity. The other fraction was against that idea. They argued that their kids should have the right to choose whoever they wish to spend their lives with and this right should not be tampered with.
A fraction wanted their children's akosejaye (predestination) checked and celebrated at birth while the other fraction argued that a child's predestination should only be known by the parents to avoid jealousy and evil eyes on the child that has been destined to be great in life.
One day, during a meeting, an argument between two members belonging to the different fractions came to a boiling point which eventually led to the group breaking up for good into two fractions of...
Fashina (Oracle). Aderinsola and Adebisi (Mama Silver).
The other fraction was;
Afolabi Awonubi. Makinde Badru and ²Adejoke Beckley
***
Oracle was an Ifa priest, a diviner, and also a teacher to young, budding Ifa priests. He lives in Badagry. A serene, coastal town full of history and culture.
Mama Silver and Aderinsola arrived at Badagry for their scheduled meeting. Oracle who was teaching his students when they each arrived, beckoned for them to sit with the class while they wait for him to be done teaching.
"Oyeku Meji from the elision o yeye iku means spirit of the mother of the death..." Oracle continued with his teaching
"Oyeku is the mystery of the unknown. It refers to the end of a cycle... Many misguided folks freak out when Oyeku is cast because it signifies death. But it rarely signifies physical death; and even if it does, so what? In Ifa we say, 'Earth is the marketplace, heaven is home." So who would be afraid of going home?
The issue would be if it was a warning of premature death. In positive manifestation, Oyeku brings a blessing of peace. In negative manifestation, it would mean a premature ending of a cycle..."
Oracle suddenly stopped talking.
'Premature ending of a cycle!...' He considered to himself and cocked his head to one side like somebody was whispering something unpleasant into his ears. The gentle smile he had on his face while teaching slowly disappeared to be replaced with a frown.
"What kind of a sign is this?" He asked himself loud enough for the others to hear.
"We are stopping for today. We will continue from where we stopped next week." Oracle said and dismissed the class. He beckoned to Aderinsola and Mama Silver who hurriedly followed, flanking him on both sides as they walked.
"Does any of you feel what I just felt!?" Oracle asked both Aderinsola and Mama Silver in alarm
"Yes! Like death is looming..."
"I thought I smelt death..."
Aderinsola and Mama Silver both said at the same time. A deep frown marred all of their faces.
The three hurriedly walked to the back of Oracle's white mansion where another white bungalow building that he used as his shrine was located. Like everything owned by Oracle, the inside of this bungalow was also all white. Designs and implements used for praying and divinatory purposes were everywhere.
Oracle hurriedly brought out his ifa divination tray, some sacred palm nuts, and a divination chain to consult with. During the divination consultations, he started chanting verses from Ifa literary corpus in poetic language, after which he translated them into English...
"Oyeku-Ogbe: Do not fight me; you will invite the wrath of Orunmila
Respect me because I have the mark of Orunmila
Whoever fights oyeku will have trouble with ogbe
Whoever fights oyeku will be dealt with by eji ogbe..." Then he started explaining when he was done reading the verse...
"Ifa teaches that everyone has a maximum lifespan and that this potential can be shortened or disrupted by ill-advised actions.
Ifa teaches that if we live our life in alignment with destiny, meaning if we fully develop gentle character we will receive a blessing of long life." After his explanations, Oracle then started praying...
"The averter of death, the averter of death, the averter of death, I call you three times.
I beg you, if death is coming, help us to avert it.
Avert death for all our children and avert death for all those we include in our prayers.
May they not die young, may they not die in fire, may they not die in tragedy, may they not die in shame, may they not die in water. We are praying for protection from all forms of adversity that can be created as a result of ill-advised actions..."
"Ase! (Amen)..." Aderinsola and Mama Silver both answered to the prayers. When Oracle was done with consulting with Ifa, He looked straight at his two friends and continue talking...
"This verse of oyeku that is speaking about death was not what I was teaching to my students before both of you arrived... It just suddenly came to my mind after you both came... And it is about death in its negative form."
He explained to them with a very serious expression on his face and paused for a while because what he was about to say was difficult. How do you break such news to your friends?...
"These children... Ayinke and Ademide are in danger!..." He said straightforwardly and sighed deeply.
"Was that what you saw while teaching!?"
"Can we avert it!?" Mama Silver and Aderinsola eagerly asked at once.
"Hmmm!... Oracle sighed deeply, shaking jus head from side to side sadly. There is still more my friends..."
Seeing the grave look on Oracle's face, Mama Silver couldn't sit still anymore, she was now very scared. Aderinsola on his part wouldn't break eye contact with Oracle, dreading the bad news that would come next.
"Did you hear the part of the verse in Oyeku-Ogbe that says;
'Do not fight me; you will invite the wrath of Orunmila
Respect me because I have the mark of Orunmila?' Oracle asked them
"Yes, yes! How does that affect the children?" Aderinsola asked hurriedly
"Your grandson..." Oracle said emphatically pointing towards Aderinsola "...would kill her granddaughter and the wrath of Orunmila would be on him if he does that! The wrath of Orunmila would come to him through Silver..."
Aderinsola and Mama Silver were both shocked speechless.
"B-but how!?... How is that possible!?... T-they have not met before... H-how..." Aderinsola was asking in confusion when Mama Silver shouted...
"They will meet today?..." She suddenly sprang up from her seat, pacing around and acting like she had tiny cinders burning under her white loose garment. "...or rather, they are meeting right now! He might be about to kill her right now Oracle! What are we going to do!?..."
"They're meeting right now! How!? Why!?..." Aderinsola slowly stood up from his chair, looking straight into Mama Silver's eyes. "Adebisi don't tell me you set them up to meet..."
"What kind of thinking is that!? Why would I set them up to meet when I was the one that specifically objected to our children being forced to marry each other during the days of the old fraternity."
"Then why are they meeting right now! Explain to me why they're meeting, Adebisi! Our children don't even know we're friends so why would they meet!? Aderinsola demanded in anger
"She didn't go there to meet him! She went there for an internship interview! Not to meet and seduce him Aderinsola, understand that fact right now!
"How dare you!?... How could you send your granddaughter near my grandson when you knew what she carries around with her!?" Aderinsola shouted furiously.
"Mama Silver went very still then! She was shocked hearing what just came out of Aderinsola's mouth. The dark color of her iris began to flicker from its natural color black to white and then color silver. Her voice went from angry to deadly cold.
"What she carries around!?... What does she carry around!?"
...
¹A Babalawo (diviner) uses the Opele to communicate with (Orunmila), the deity of wisdom/knowledge in the Yoruba tradition
² Does the surname Beckley sound familiar to you? Read my other book 'Fire & Ice' if it doesn't.