Amarachi a young girl of about sixteen years of age,sat on a long bench outside a clay mud hut. She thought of what her father said to her mum;
"I am going to take in another wife as a result of your shortened limit to pregnancy"
Her eavesdropping attitude had now caused her different problems. Thinking of different Solutions to different problems and making sure she did them. She was a certain young woman who stood by her words but,who was she to stand against her father 's decision?. This was one of the questions Amarachi could not answer.
Just then ,her mother walked past her, looking elegant in her blue blouse and native wrappers." This woman was not to blame" she thought, how could a woman looking blossomly beautiful be so infertile,am I the cause of her mothers problem,or was she an ogbanje? .
Her mind , stopped thinking immediately and her heart skipped a beat as that question shocked her immensely.
She knew how wholeheartedly the people of her village hated and despised ogbanjes. They were said to bring misfortunes and unfortunate loss of lives. But the village,LAIDE,was owned by Amadioha the god of thunder and he engrades the range of ogbanjes. Were the villagers true worshippers of Amadioha? , If they were why would they be so strict against ogbanjes.
All these numerous questions hung in the air; left unanswered. Amarachi looked at
herself and felt so amazed at her brown ebony skin, a direct replica of her mother .
She stood up from the wooden bench and walked towards her father's hut. Just before she entered, she heard light whispers from the parlour and she recognised it as her father's voice. She heard him say,
"I have to rush unto Adugo's place" . Who was Adugo?, she asked herself. Amarachi quickly ran back to the bench she was sitting on in order to not be suspected by her father. A few minutes later,Pa Ade walked out of the hut. He was dressed in one of his famous hunting and fishing wears. Pa Ade,a bald headed and wrinkled bodied man who looked farther than his age (50) turned towards Amarachi and said,
"Amarachi,tell your mother that I went fishing,ok"
"Yes papa " Amarachi answered, acting like she did not her father was lying.
You may know that Pa Ade was lying by the look of things; the way he scurried of like a squirrel in pursuit of its food. Amarachi smiled at her Father then she went inside the hut. A few moments later, Onyinye, Amarachi 's mother returned and met Amarachi lyeing down on a bamboo bed meant for visitors in the sitting room.
She walked up to Amarachi and tapped her. She immediately responded,
"Mama,you are back already"
"Yes my dear daughter, I also brought the items we would use for our meal for the night,by the way where is your father"Immediately, her mind went back to where her father had went but she decided to tell her mum what her father told her,
"Mama, Papa went fishing"
"Isn't it to late for him to fish"
"He said he wanted to go night fishing "
"Ok, let's leave that for now, I'm so stressed, please cook the food let me eat my share,then he will eat his share when he comes back "
"Ok mama " Amarachi answered and carried the nylon bag which z stored the items. Amarachi swore to herself to find the whereabouts of Adugo and her relationship with her father.