PART 29

The director had what one could safely call a convenient problem. Convenient one should say, to Bewin and not to him. I mean if any problem could endear anyone to his boss, I guess one can safely call it a convenient one.

At least that was the basics of the philosophy behind Bewin's thought or reckoning.

The director wanted to meet with someone whom he considered a very important person; important not only to issues for which he wanted Bewin's help, but also to those persons who had made the recommendation to him. The recommendation being the person of the rector of the Christian Academy - Father Joshua Aiken.

Bewin was promptly mandated to arrange a meeting between the rector and his boss....the details of the reason for this meeting, he was made unaware of thereof.

But you all should be able to guess what that meant in the very least - someone would be getting paid soon; if only to fare the journey back to the Academy.

And knowing the geniality of the director, paying the fare of the trip to the Academy would be as good as paying one's wages. Or perhaps it simply would be paying one's wages; bonus and all.

PART 28

At exactly 11:46 am the firm's director sent word that he should assemble in his office. What for - one could hazard any guess save for the possibility that the director wanted him paid off. He wasn't about to let his hopes be raised up and then sourly shattered again.

Inside the office of the firm's director he felt the ease and genial attitude of the director as he introduced him to the issues for which he wanted his audience and contribution.

The long and short of it was that the director wanted to conduct certain inquiries about what he believed and what was rumoured about Bewin's ongoing relation with the Christian Academy - in and outside the city.

PART 27

So you could imagine his chagrin when the firm's director, directed that no one person should be paid - just yet. And that was about a week before the aforementioned morning.

On that said morning, Bewin was already in his cubicle in the firm, three hours before noon, swotting over spreadsheets and figures. He had the simple task of cross - checking figures and editing spreadsheets. It was a simple task but he was no near disillusioned: that it wasn't an important task or that it wasn't an arduous one. One wrong turn of the pen could have the firm talking out of the wrong end of it's mouth

PART 26

By any standard, you could say the building, his office was located was a highrise. A skyscraper? Perhaps not, but a highrise of eight floors all the same.

The street on which the building was located was not your every day African venue littered with people, rubbish and that smell that can only be found in most African streets and marketplaces; the smell of perspiration.

The street in question, you could say was in a very highbrow-ish part of the city and not only was it highbrow, it also attracted the sort of fees that only the wealthy, in the beloved and most populous black nation of the world, could afford.

PART 25

The early morning sun on a different morning, was not hot enough to counter fully the effects of the morning dew and the cold morning humid wind that blew as in the north-east trade winds, blowing across the Sahara down the Niger Delta. Like earlier mentioned, it was the dry and hot season of the year. It's just that the time of day was not yet at that temperature and time when the sun blazes on at high noon.

Bewin Smith was at his wit's end, one should quickly say. He was supposed to have returned, some days ago, to the Unction of the Spirit Christian Academy and resume participation in academic activities. But his boss had refused to pay him off. And he was at a loss about what to do for money, especially now that end of year festivities demanded extra expenditure.

PART 24

Seeing that the upperhand in the situation belonged to him, the rector made to gently apply a superior injunction to the effect that though the Academy would not stop organizing church activities on the village grounds, they would not attempt to do the same on days the village may be having it's own festivities. At least to avoid discord of any sort that may arise out of having two different festivities on the same day, and in the same surroundings.

With this the meeting was brought to an abrupt end. The old man called Enowman could not help but feel, he had only succeeded in giving himself away. Now it looked like they were the ones who would need permission before they organize any celebrations or festivities in their own village.

PART 23

Quietly the four emissaries from Igunma village listened to the vote of trust from the rector and did not as much as speak until the head of the Academy seemed not to have anything more to say.

After the uneasy silence that followed the oration by the rector, the man called Enowman stood up to once more address him.

''It is the express desire of the royal kinship of Igunma village that your Academy should seek it's permission before participating in or organizing any crusades on the village's grounds.''

''At least....until the goddess sends word about a new oracle,'' he added.

This injuction about the goddess and a possible new oracle wasn't part of the message from the royal kinship of the village. That addition was an attempt at compromise by the old man from the Igunma village. Revrend Pieterson smiled, or more to the point, grinned. He knew none of the villagers could physically do anything to stop them from organizing any event on the village grounds, provided they had the consent of the state goverment. He could tell that the old man was willing to compromise.

That last response from him was a confirmation of what he had always suspected.

PART 22

Remarkably, as one would have otherwise anticipated, the red old dragon did not as much as cough or sneeze in response to the oracles the bearer had delivered. Instead he offered kola and refreshments as peace offerings. These the emissaries of Igunma village gently declined.

There was an unspoken battleline drawn and it seemed the four representatives of the Igunma village were in no mood for any entertainment or refreshments.

The red old dragon eventually cleared his throat to address them. It was the eldest one among them he chose to address himself to directly. As if he hadn't heard much of the accounts the oracle bearer and the one called Enowman had made, he proceeded to paint a brilliant picture of the relationship the Academy has had with it's neighbouring communities.

PART 21

But it wasn't him who spoke about the last oracle of the goddess of the Amenawon river. That recount was by a shrivelled-skinned short man who looked too fair in complexion to be from this village.


There is a person whom the oracle has pointed her divinity rod at. Who this person is, we do not know. What we know is that this person is from this school and is the full bearer of the catastrophe that is set to befall this village.

There is a season the oracle has pointed her divinity rod at. What season, we do not know. What we do know is that the season is nearer than we think. It may even be now, or it may be much later. We are not certain. What we are certain is that this season is for our own time.

There is a way, the oracle has pointed her divinity rod at. What way, we are not sure. What we can clearly say is that this way is not the way we have always known.

PART 20

The name of this one was Enowman; a highly respected member of one of the senior men's clan-group in the village. He was a titled man; a chief of the first class and a regular emissary of the royal family of Idunma village.

It was he who spoke up, when the secretary eventually ushered them into the rector's office. It was he who narrated some of what had been happening in and out of the village shrine and the village square the last year to date. It was he who recounted the mysterious deaths and omen that have been happening in the village since the Academy had decided to invade the village with it's crusades.

PART 19

What they whispered about, one could not easily tell, but guessing from their apparels which indicated they were from the nearby village, one could say they were talking about their surroundings which I must say is not anything like their own village's surroundings.

The four of them seemed almost reverent in the manner they refered to the things in the room, that they were not used to....as if by some twist of fate they were made witnesses of such holy, or more to the point: such modern surroundings.

The oldest one among them ensured that the others did not show too much ignorance by speaking loud enough to be heard by the discerning secretary at the other end of the room.

PART 18

The four persons were sitted on four of the six chairs available to visitors, huddled together and talking in whispers.

PART 17

The exact room, they were in was quite noiseless save for the clicking away of an old computer and the infrequent opening and shutting of the room's two doors. The air in room was stale and stuffy. The air-conditioner had been switched off to make way for the computer, which tends to glitch when the air-conditioner is on. The windows had been opened but it served little purpose, for such a crowded room.

PART 16

Elsewhere...somewhere in a more busy section of the Academy; where the administrative building of the Academy is, were four persons, whom I should say are essential to the incidence I am about to narrate to you.

The four persons were in the section of the administrative building where we normally gather to complete certain aspects of our academic registration.

PART 15

It may seem, I may have touched a soft spot - I did not mean to hurt or embarrass her. But knowing her I knew it was uncharacteristic of her to avert her eyes. she looked down into the half-eaten cup of yoghurt and said, ''he proposed to me.''

I screamed or more the point, squealed in delight. This was the best gossip ever. You are going to tell me everything, I left my bed to join her on hers. Don't spare even the teeniest detail.

''There is nothing to tell,'' she said, ''he just went on one knee and I told him - yes.''

''Aha you don't want to share the moment with me.''

This was equally uncharacteristic of her. Naturally she would be only too eager to share every detail with me. But on this occasion she chose to talk about me instead.

''What about Bewin ? When did you last speak with him ?,''she asked.

PART 14

''Do you know we now have a new rector ?''

''What happened to the old hallowed owl ?''

''No one knows,'' Oye explained,''some say he has gone on a sabbatical, others say he has retired.''

She opened the small refigerator and shifted things aside until she got to a plastic cup of yoghurt. The door of the refrigerator shut with a soft thud when she closed it.

''I very much prefer Old Ollie, this new rector; Revrend Pieterson breathes out fire and spits lava....he already has a name....the red old dragon.

I laughed again and stared with a bemused smile out of one end of my mouth,''you are supposed to tell me how you finally dealt with Timothy.''

''Which Timothy ?''

''Ah ah...your Timothy of course,'' I retorted,''Timothy Adebayo....your gentleman.''

PART 13

She smelled so nice, inspite of the fact she was just getting out of bed. I could have chided her about this though, but I chose to listen to her chatter about all that had ensued while I was away from the Academy. I breathed the floral-perfumed air in the room, grateful to be back and rolled my tiny-wheeled suitcase to my own corner of the room. I could hear muffled sounds of gospel music streaming in through the open window from the room below. The soft feel of my already made bed was a welcomed place to rest my weary legs.

PART 12

I smiled at her and quickly made to hug her before she got the opportunity to call me names, in reference I suppose , to my leaving the Academy while others had remained behind. ''Daddy's girl'', she often called me, whether implying I was spoilt by my dad or that she equally had no one to dote on her, I never was quite sure. But like the sensitive character I am I would struggle to find an appropriate byname to entitle her with.

''How is my pretty young thing, then?''

''Pretty young lady, you mean'', she responded,''lady of the bouquet''.

I laughed, or more to the point, half giggled-half laughed at what it was, her response reminded me of.

PART 11

Having retrieved the said key, I proceeded to open the door. But just at the moment I made to turn the handle of the door, someone yanked it open from the other end. Standing in the door way was Oye; Oye Osadolor my long term room mate and my greatest critic.

Oye in pink polka dotted pyjamas. Oye with a little disheveled look; hair and all. Oye with a comical and quizzical expression on one of the fairest and prettiest faces you could find in the Academy.

PART 10

I stooped to pick up an envelop that fell from my mini bag, which I had over my shoulder and which was half open and full of every imaginable bric a brac you could think of. I was at this point already at the door to my room in the women's lodgings.

Being that the room was a room shared by two other young women, I decided to knock in anticipation of someone being in it. There was no response from the other side of the closed door. Setting my mini bag on top of my suitcase I rummaged in the bag for a key I had collected from the porter's office and had slipped in the bag, before stepping out on the south lawns.