Knock. Knock. Wura, dressed in her colourful iro and buba with her gele well tied in the latest fashion that the young maidens have adopted in her village, walked for an hour to Ikirun, the next village. After her best friend's wedding, she had promised Kikelomo she would visit after a month to give the new couple time to know each other before she appeared on their doorstep though Kikelomo wanted her to visit earlier.
Wura heard some shuffling of feet inside the house and then the clatter sound of lock being pulled back before it opened to reveal a glowing Kikelomo.
Kikelomo's eyes widened at the welcome sight of her friend, Wura.
"Haaa! She's here at last ooo!" Kikelomo exclaimed while pulling Wura into her arms. Both young ladies hugged each other for a long moment in silence. Wura broke the embrace and stared into her friend's eyes.
"You are glowing!"
Kikelomo laughed shyly. "Glowing? Stop with the jokes and come in."
"No, I am not joking. You are glowing. This means Bayo is being a very good husband?"
Kikelomo could not stop her heart-shaped face from widening into a shy smile. "Ah-han, you can't ask me things like that."
Wura laughed. "Oluwa o! She's shy now. I should be the shy one, not you. Tell me jo." She urged Kikelomo.
"Fine. Bayo is a good man. He has been very nice to me."
"Ehen! That is what I like to hear. Is he around?"
"No. He went hunting with his friend, Olukanmi. One of the chiefs wants a big size bush rat and you know Bayo is very good at hunting."
"I know! No wonder you glow so."
Both girls burst into laughter, holding each other's hands when Wura looks around the room. There was a big, wide spring bed with a flat mattress on it in a corner of the room and small stools arranged in a circle in the middle of the room.
"Is that a trapdoor?" Wura asked pointing to the door hinged to the mud floor. Kikelomo followed the direction of her finger. "Yes, it is. Bayo stores smoked fish and meat there for our use."
"Ehen, that's nice. Can I have some to take home for mama Agba?"
Kikelomo stared at her friend strangely and said with a straight face. "Of course not. You are the one who wants to consume it, not mama Agba. She no longer has the required set of teeth to chew meat. Tell the prince to buy you some."
"Ha, she beni? Then it means I won't come visiting again and mama Agba must hear this insult." Wura said jokingly as Kikelomo laughed heartily.
I hope you enjoyed reading my piece. This short story is a five-minute freewrite inspired by the prompt "trapdoor". Join community to receive daily prompts, hosted by
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Check out more of Wura's tales--
Fly, My Little Dove
Pre-Wedding Dance Fever
An Unwanted Match
The Gods Must Be Crazy