HELLO FRIENDS!
I know I have been away from steemit for quite a while and I took off without warning. I just concluded the semester's exams, things were pretty tight on my end...and I'm so sorry.
But I'm glad to be free again to continue steeming!
Also, I really hope you like this piece.
We squatted there in the cover of some tall shrubbery, bare feet in the dark, amidst the chirping of insects and the crowing of the night witches. Somewhere farther in the dark, one of the witches hooted. I squeezed my brother's hands. They were rough and callous.
Mama always told us at midnight, the village witches turned into crows and owls and would sing their dirges in the evil forest. I and Ali would quiver under the ankara sheets, frightened to our toes...But Ali was no longer frightened. He was still in the dark next to me, I could hear his low breathing in spite of the annoying humming of the mosquitoes.
I knew they should not have sent him away to read the white man's book. Ever since he returned from the city, he had been different. Daring the local customs and questioning the village tradition. It frightened me, i could barely recognize my brother.
Another witch began hooting above us. I squeezed Ali's hand."shhh" Ali hushed, using his free hand to press deep into my shoulder. Another mosquito hummed near my ear and I smacked myself, immediately regretting when i felt the sting of the slap.
"Shhh!" Ali frowned at me. It was dark but i could make out his face. The canopy of branches above us had shut out the night sky and the moon's stare. The air was still but cold. Silvery moonlight filtered in through small holes where the greenery gave way, illuminating the great hollow Iroko tree a few feet from where we hid. The chief called it the staff of the gods. Its lean length rose high and past the canopy of the trees, its peak could be seen all the way from Umoba hill, a huge red mound on the outskirts of the village.
My heart stopped when I realized where my brother had brought me. The ancestral grounds. Custom Laws forbade anyone from coming close to this forest...or even close to the ancestral grounds. The urge to run came upon me but my brother grabbed my hand as if reading my thoughts.
"When will you man up?" He snickered. He had brought me here to see the Devil's child. A fearsome creature that had plagued our lands for ages. My mother said it always cried like an infant and drew pity from even the hardest of hearts, drawing passersby to their deaths...and here we were, a few feet from its nest.
"SHHH. Listen. It has awoken." Ali grinned and I remained still, prying my ears to get a whiff of what he was sensing. ALL I COULD HEAR WAS THE CHIRPING AND HOOTING.
UNTIL...CRACK!
A twig snapped! Somewhere near The Great Staff, a branch swayed and the leaves rustled. My bladder sighed in my groin, threatening to spill its contents as I shivered in fear. I looked at my brother. He had one finger raised to his lips. We both remained silent for the next five minutes...and then he moved, gesturing with his hands that i follow immediately. I hesitated, eyeing our surroundings, he had already sneaked ahead and was just a few yards away from the tree. I waited to watch him.
He stopped by base of The Great Staff and stooped over its roots. This was desecration! Mama would lie me down bare in the hot sun and whip me senseless with the raffia cane if she heard about this. She would not punish my elder brother, he was now a Man. Papa was away to other villages with his local wares, he would not be home till a fortnight but if he knew what we had done, he would make me lie in his Ataro pepper all day. I should run and get away!
BUT WHAT IF THE DEMON DEVOURED ALI, WHAT WOULD I TELL MAMA AND PAPA.
I was busy nibbling at my nails when Ali's call disrupted my thoughts.
"Come and see!" He laughed in the still night like an imbecile.
I squinted until I could make out his form. HE WAS HOLDING SOMETHING IN HIS HANDS AND STARTED MOVING TOWARDS ME.
"Come and see the devil's child." He giggled, still approaching. He stopped in the beam of moonlight coming from a break in the canopy above, marveling at what he had in his hands.
i summed up courage and crept out of our hiding place to him. He lowered his hands so i could see and i bent to peer at it...
It was beautiful...
Its large brown eyes and a small pink nose stared up at me.
"No, it can't be." I whispered.
"Touch it, Obi." Ali urged and I did. Its fur felt wholly and plush. My lips curved into a smile. The fear of before had disappeared.
"HOLD IT, OBI. IT CANNOT KILL YOU." Ali urged, putting the small creature in my hands. It felt so small and frail, like ball of wool. I giggled nervously.
"No, it can't be. Mama says it cries like a child." I said to Ali in doubt.
Then a shrill cry from The Great Staff made me jump back. It sounded like a small child crying profusely.
"LOOK!" Ali pointed to a bough on a nearby tree and I quickly saw it. It was the same creature but bigger and its bigger eyes were staring at us.
I was utterly speechless. I would have sworn those cries had come from a child but it had come from a small big-eyed monkey. The creature my people called the devil's child. It had been rumored to draw people to their deaths for ages upon ages, but here I was holding it in my arms...and I was still alive!
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
The Devil’s child refers to a small primate commonly called the Bush Baby but also known as a Galago. They are agile leapers that live in Africa, south of Sahara. They prefer dry woodland regions and the savannah.
They can see completely in darkness owing to their large eyes. Their hind limbs and long tails give them balance while their fur can range from a silvery grey to dark brown. Their big ears help them hunt insects at night.
So how did this cute cuddly creature become an epitome of evil in portrayed in the African setting…Nobody knows. Folklore and Tales by midnight depict them as horrid monsters that lie in wait crying like a human child, drawing passersby to their dooms.
African children sent off to boarding schools in the western region, especially Nigeria are familiar with the heart rending tales of the bush baby and its tactics to steal souls. I would know because I went to boarding school myself and I would spend sleepless nights in the dormitory if by mistake any of the student’s spotted a big rat that resembled this creature.
Until later on after graduating, I did my own research on the web and was opportune to see one on a visit to my rural hometown. Bush babies don’t eat human beings, they are actually seasonal animals with a mixed diet. They eat greenery, nectar, honey and insects. They could also eat smaller rodents…So in a way, they typically feed like humans!
They are said to have red fiery eyes in folklore and rumors…Well that’s just wrong. Their eye color varies from a shade of dark brown to Yellow. This could look scary if seen at night, so it could be understood why it is often depicted as demonic.
Overall, they are cuddly and timid creatures that can almost never be seen in the day and they make beautiful pets too. Here is a video proving that point!
