'A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing, it is either something is chasing it or it is chasing something. I have not committed any crime and cannot remember owing anyone. Ten of the Chief Priests can come to my house, I’m not perturbed.'
Emma concluded before he responded to the greeting.
“I greet you, Chief Priest. What do I owe this visit?”
He requested angrily.
“Mr. Aaron, I greet you, and I also bring you greetings from the gods of our land.”
Said Chief Priest after he walked into his hut. He was holding his ofor – a symbol of power and authority, which was calved from a wood. He wore a red cap with numerous eagle feathers, which indicated his present and past achievements.
Meanwhile, Mr. Aaron was seating in his hut when the Chief Priest walked in. His sitting position in the hut was conspicuous, and no one dared to sit on it, whether in his presence or absence. Now, the Chief Priest dragged the small wooden chair in the hut and sat close to him. Then, Emma responded.
“Yes. I also bring you greetings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What do I owe this visit?”
He asked for the second time.
“As you are aware, a toad does not run in the daytime for nothing; it is either something is chasing him or he is chasing something.”
“You are right. So, what brings you to my house?”
Likewise, Emma abhors his presence and wished to see him leave his compound at once. So, he kept asking why he paid him an unannounced visit. Then, the Chief Priest continued.
“I have not seen your brother, Beck, and my spirit is troubled. He was supposed to bring words to me yesterday.”
He paused and looked at Mr. Aaron, who lost interest in his rubbish the moment he heard his younger brother's name.
As a matter of fact, he was tired of stories concerning him. Then, the chief priest continued.
“I gave him some charms that will make him hypnotize his victims. He was to administer it before the next Eke (market day) that was after four market days and send words to me immediately. Yesterday was Eke, I have not heard from him. He also borrowed the money he used for the trip from me. Please ask him to return my money. If his life is not relevant to him, my money is important to me.”
He pulled his ear, as he spoke, to express the gravity of the message. Not only that, an indication that the matter required an urgent attention. Now, Emma, who was puzzled when he heard the word charm, adjusted his seat. He hoped to hear the regular stories about his brother. Ranging from that he drank liquor and fell into a gutter or ate at an eatery without settling his bills, but the issue of charm and hypnotisation baffled him.
“How come I'm just hearing it, and what did you say the charm was for?”
He asked as he looked at him with anticipation. Then, the Chief Priest explained.
“It is for the controlling of anyone you wish to. The victim will only do as you wish. You will be running the person's life the way you please.”
“I see. How do you apply this charm on your target without his knowledge?”
“All you need is to wake up by the middle of the night and drop it on the floor for the victim to step on, and that is it. Once it's done, the person becomes your slave for life.”
Now, Emma, who was already fuming with anger over the whole discussion, quizzed.
“I thought this was supposed to be a secret between the two of you, why are you involving me now? If it had gone as you had planned, would I have known?"
Now, he was almost raising his voice as he observed the countenance of the Chief Priest, who was lost of what to say. Then, he gathered momentum.
“Anyway, as you can see, the day is too young for a long talk. If you know where he is, ask him to see me. The wrong application of such charm has a terrible consequence. More dangerous if there is any form of delay in the application. Above all, ask him to return my money.”
He said as he took his leave without ceremony. Then, Mr. Emma retorted.
“What I do not know; will not know me. Whatever the consequences are, they will rest on the head of the one, who contracted you and not the whole family. Will I run away because I have a brother like Beck?”
Nevertheless, as the Chief Priest of the land, he served and worshiped Ikenga, the deity. Previously, the deity was potent when the entire community worshiped it. It had the capability to dictate and take action against any evildoer in the land. The people saw it as their protector and defender.
Once upon a time, the land had a clash with the neighboring community due to land ownership. They sought the help of Ikenga to give his blessings to the warriors of the land to ensure that they would not be defeated by their enemies. To their surprise, the Chief Priest then, who was the grandfather of the present one, advised them against engaging in a war with the community because the land in dispute actually was theirs. But, Umuaku community refused to heed to the advice. They claimed that the Chief Priest was old and very close to his grave, and as such could not decipher the message of the gods. So, they spoke their minds one after the other.
“How can the gods stop us from going to war to recover our land?”
“I could remember, as a kid, I accompanied my grandfather to our farm on that land.”
“Yes, you are right. I could also remember that as a kid, I used to accompany my grandmother to harvest on that land.”
“Yes, my grandfather also told me how those people snatched that land from us.”