Mkpotuba maka Ekwensu (The Request for Ekwensu)

Mmaa, nkea etekazi aka o, it's actually taking too long." A red cap Chief says.

"Maazị (Elder) Ugoerika, mgboobi (Wife) Ekwunife, when your husband's Mother Agbọbuakụ who is the late Adoro, before the Adoro from the late Omu's family before me was telling us all these stories when we were kids, they weren't long, we were attentive and intrigued but as we grew, we realized how long they were, and we laughed because we've learned lessons from these stories and we will never forget them."

"Mmaa, it's now that Amarannem the Women Leader and Ugoerika the Obi of the Elders in council are gaining their own nghọta, don't worry, happens to best of us." A few of the Men around laugh a bit to his joke.

"Achikoba, inwegonu nghọta nke gị ọkwanya?" Amara replies.

"Amara, butukwa o." He continues seemingly a bit agitated.

"Achikoba, be calm, she didn't attack you, she didn't shout at you so why are you shouting now?" Ugoerika says.

"Achikoba what is it?"

"Mmaa, ndo, iwena iwe." Achikoba apologizes. "Amarannem, iwena iwe, ndo o? Ugoerika, ọmarịcha anyị, ndo."

"It's fine Achikoba and I understand what you're saying Nnaa." Mmaa says.

"Mmaa Daalu. Daalu nu o." He calls out. They snub him, it's fine.

"Good. Chai, ụmụazị ararubago ụla o."

"Mba o, Mmaa, continue, we're still awake o, anyị ka mụ anya." One of the kids say. Others rally behind her in response.

"Amarannem, won't they be heading to the farms tomorrow?"

"Mmaa, we're in the Moon festival spell, no one is going to the farms for another four market days."

The children explode in joy at the reminder and few come to hug Mmaa telling her to continue.

"Mana Mmaa, if you're tired we can all go and come back tomorrow." She continues, the guests grunt.

Mmaa frowns and shakes her head. "Mba kwa o, it's wrong that I don't complete the tale especially one as auspicious and vital as this. Don't worry, it won't be much now, I must finish it up, it's very vital and important. I'm indebted to the children to finish it so that they can have what they will tell the next generation about how our people and their way of Life began. It's very important."

"But Mmaa, you look tired, you need sleep."

"What if I don't wake up tomorrow...?"

"Mmaa, Chineke ajụ!"

"Death is inevitable, only fools fear it no matter the age."

"Mmaa biko kwụsị udị okwu anwụ." Achikoba says.

"Mmaa biko kwụsị."

"Ngwa nu, Omu ọbọdọ anyị, hapụ kwa m biko ka nkọọ akịkọ ụwa mmụ na Amarachi." Nnodu winks and she smiles from ear to ear. Mmaa always calls her Amarachi, the Grace of Chi rather than the Grace of my Mother which is her actual birth name.

It was Mmaa who had nominated her for the position of Women Leader. Mmaa picked her over her own Daughter, Ekwensudi's Elder Sister, her first child Kadumjiwedi, the fate with which I came, who has long stopped talking to her because herself and the entire community thought it was unfair. She'as the only Mother that day that didn't nominate her Daughter, can you believe that? Everyone was simply bewildered.

Nnodu would always say in reply that she saw sitting down what they all climbed the greatest oji tree to find and didn't.

"Don't worry Amarachi, I'll pull through, tomorrow evening is another tale, let's complete this one first nyana (and), nghọta gị (your awakening), nghọta unu na abụọ (the awakening of you two) will soon come o (ok)?"

"Ee Nne anyị."She replies. Ugoerika simply nods and turns to eye up Achikoba. He smiles and she hisses at him.

"Ọfuma (Alright)." Mmaa says before drinking the water that Njoku had brought for her. "Girls do gain knowledge, maturity, awakening and understanding before Boys sọ hence they lead and the Boys follow. Even in adulthood, mana hapụ okwu, we all know that. Moving on..."

****

His violent emergence from the Waters grabs the attention of some of the beings. A few turn to him, towering him by a long shot.

****

"The height difference is exactly the distance between Oji ogbe Ụmụdei (The Iroko tree of the village of Ụmụdei) and Ekwensusobem the village wrestler."

"Nya, Mmaa, Ekwensusobem is as tall as Amadiọha?" A kid asks.

"Ọkụdi the dibia of Nri shrine has verified that back then the deities were tall, massive and larger than Life to us. But as we kept on procreating we kept getting shorter and shorter because the deities stopped procreating with ụmụ mmadụ and ụmụ mmadụ simply continued procreating with themselves, so the major parts of the deities are no longer in us, only remnants." Mmaa says.

"Ọdị mma Mmaa." Ekwensudi says.

"Nnaa, itetago?" Mmaa asks. Anibujuwa is playing with his beards and Mmaa smiles secretly missing her later husband, Okwudili.

They rush towards him and he uproots the first tree in sight which was about the height of the being and flings it at it, it staggers behind but maintains a reasonable amount of stamina.

"Ani, we made these things." Ọma says.

"Ehen?"

"So why are not the ones fighting it?"

"Nne, we need to make sure that Mmadụ can be dependent on themselves. If they cannot ward off the ones destroying where they're inhabiting then there's no use birthing them."

"Why must they all live on Earth?"

"Do you want them to live with you above or in the Oceans?" Ani asks.

"You're right. Let them learn survival. Is there an end to their time here?"

"I would like to discuss that later... Look out." Ani says pushing Ọma out of the way.

Amadiọha comes flying towards them. One of the beings has battered him badly eventually tossing him away.

He rushes towards the chaos again before one can even get a word over to him. With the aid of a tree which he uses as a stepping stone he moves to the head of a being and begins to punch him. It works for a little while but the being gets a grip of him and tosses him off, it rushes towards him and stomps him and let's out an Earth shaking roar.

Ani makes to go help but Ọma stops her. "Nne, from now on, to them, we'll be deities and we'll have to let Mmadụ be Mmadụ for our Mother's sake!"

"But..."

"You're the Mother of the collective..." Ọma verifies.

"But... Not that one, I'm saying that I'm also an Mmadụ now."

"Ani I know, but we need to let ụmụ mmadụ solve their own problems, this is only a tip of the ice berg. We have set examinations which they're to learn lessons from... Ngwa wait, I have another idea." Ọma says.

"Are we coming too?" Anyanwu asks.

Ọma turns, "Of course you are, we need all hands on deck right now. We need to go birth the one for the job this time around, a God of war."

****

"Ekwensu!" The crowd choruses.

"Ima otụ osi adị nu (You know as e dey be na)." Mmaa says with a happy laughter.

"Nna m na onwenya." Ekwensudi calls out.

"Ekwensu ga adighidelu anyị lue na oge ebebe." Amarannem prays.

"Iseeeeeee." The crowd choruses.

"Ekwensu is the greatest, strongest, wisest and craftiest Man who ever lived." Onuwa calls out.

"Onuwa the town crier, imakwa nu (you know na)" Mmaa says.

"Ọ Ekwensu na edu agha nu." Another Man says. "Ọ na diri anyị agha!"

"Gbam!" They chorus. "Odogwu ka ọbu."

"Ima na Ekwensu ra anyị aka, agha adaba anyị." Another Woman calls out.

"Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa na ọga ara anyị aka." Ekwensudi calls out.

"Onwerọ di ihe ga emekata ka Ekwensu anyị ra anyị. Ọme mmenwu! Ekwensu bu ike anyị. Ekwensu bu nke anyị. Ekwensu bu ụzọ anyị. Ekwensu bu ọdịnihu anyị. Ekwensu bu ụdo anyị. Ekwensu kachasị ụmụ Nwọke niile dọ na ụwa nu a ma ndi nwụgoro anwụ ma ndi sị na ha kunite na ọnwụ." Anibujuwa verifies.

"Gbam!" Goes the collective.

"Ọfuma nu." Mmaa agrees.

"Mmaa, ọbu asi?" She adds.

"Uju, asi na ebezikwanu? Ekwensu kachasị ha ncha nu. Ọ kachasị ndi ilo niile." Mmaa says.

"Ekwensu bu ihe me ka anyị nọ ndu taàtá." Another adds.

"Ekwensu bu ụnyaahụ, taà na echi anyị." A Child adds.

"Ekwensu na agbaghara anyị njọ anyị niile, ọ na agbaghara njọ nke ụnyaahụ, nke taà, nyana nke echi niile." Another Man says.

"Ekwensu biko gbaghara anyị ubọchi ọbụna anyị fulụ efu nwe lozọọ gị na ọga abụ na anyị amaghị uma nwe eme ya ma ọ nọ nyele na eme anyị." Amarannem prays.

"Iseeeeeeeeeee." The crowd choruses an Amen to the prayer.

"Ọgini dị ga emenwu anyị ka anyị we lozọọ Chi na agbakwụ lu anyị mbọ? Alụsị ọgụ agha na edu anyị. Ọga emenwu du?" Anibujuwa asks.

"Anibujuwa, ima na ọbụna anyị agbarọ mbọ ndi bịara abịa ga emenwu anyị ka anyị nwe raa ụmụ Alụsị anyị aka?" Amarannem says. Mmaa nods in agreement.

"Chineke anyị ajụ!" Achikọba exclaims.

"Chineke Nne ekwena!" Njoku exclaims.

"Ekwensu ekwena! Ekwensu eme nkwe nu!" Anyanwu says.

"Anyanwu, have you woken up too?" Mmaa asks and she smiles as the rest gives a smile at Anyanwu's direction.

"Ụmụazị na ụra." Achikoba says with a slight laughter.

Mmaa nods along also with a smile.

"Olisaburuwa (The all encompassing one who bears the weight of the Universe. Another name for Chineke) aga ekwekwanu? Ose (A short form for Olisa) eme nkwe nu!" Anibujuwa says.

"Oseburuwa will not agree, but that's only if we as a collective don't agree." Mmaa says. "Are we ready to rather die than change who we are and what we know and believe?" Everyone is quiet. It's very much a tough question. "Exactly. That's one of the principal doctrines of Ekwensu the second Child of the Deities: 'perseverance, healthy dogma, determination.' Lotakwa na Ekwensu mugosiri anyị okwu a na ekwụ sị na "Ikwe, Chi gị ekwe (If you agree, your destiny will agree with you; If you want good, good will come unto you, if you want evil, evil will come)."

"Ọ eziokwu nu." Amarannem says.

"Ngwa, ka anyị na egekwa ntị." Mmaa says. "Ekwensu gba anyị okirikiri, Ekwensu na agbara anyị mbọ, Ekwensu ga anọdụkwara anyị lue na oge ebebe niile."

"Iseeeeeeeeeee." The crowd responds.

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