'The End' by Maryam Atoyebi

The old man looked from where he sat atop the hills at the young man in the bushes in and smiled. The drums of spirits began to sound slowly.

Prince Adewale had it all. He was the heir to the throne of the most powerful kingdom of his time.

The most learned scholars were his teachers and he had his own little palace. The maidens swooned not because he had perfect white teeth on a beautiful face, or was the strongest man in the three surrounding villages, but because his sonorous voice sounded like voices in a sweet dream. It was even rumoured that the spirits blessed him with gifts of honey and a serf to protect him from spells.

“Bright as the sun,

giver of light to the moon and stars and all man”

The kolanut that elders rever”, the old man said to himself nodding to the slow beat of drums.

Adewale’s biggest duty was to lead the villagers in worship of Olodumare at dawn and the end of the day, He did that with utmost devotion and everyone loved him more.

It was late evening and a young woman was approaching Adewale carrying a portly gourd in her arms. She sat on the grass and pushed the guard to him.

The drums beat faster this time and the old man jumped up rather abruptly and shook his head.

“You will meet the gods today as promised”, she said with such surety even the leaves of trees nodded slowly in agreement.

“Well done, segilola”, said he, wearing his most triumphant grin yet.

A gulp of the mixture of wine and the blended special leaves in the gourd was what burned out this fire.

The end of the candle that burns itself out and leaves others in darkness. Minutes became hours and hours, days and weeks. He became segi’s pawn, or rather pawn to the leaves that took him to the den of old revered gods. His soft voice had become the unfriendly clap of thunder, his eyes became fire and finally, he began to actually converse with the said gods about the amusing ways of men and even how to change the weather. To men of the world, he babbled and laughed at nothing, He was nothing.

Maryam Atoyebi is an elliptic Yoruba woman. She loves travelling, arts and she eats her Chicken sharwama in flat plate. She blogs at queenontheroad.wordpress.com and follow her on Instagram @malikah_maryam

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