It was night. The silver beams of the moon lit the starry sky and the scenes beneath it. All was quiet and all were gone or so it seemed. No living creature walked the streets save the spirit of the night or as the villagers of Aro called it, the wandering ghost. It was a demon who had been terrorizing the villagers for six months.
The village square was crowded in the morning. Once again, a child had gone missing. The wandering ghost had visited the hut of Chief Balogun. Sitting in the middle of the square was the chief and his family. His wife wept uncontrollably and could not be consoled.
Late into the previous night, the five sentinels who watched over the Chief’s household had heard a hissing sound similar to that made by a snake. They had immediately felt an overwhelming dizziness. The rest was history. Of all the sentinels, only Tayo was half-awake in the morning. The remaining guards were still sleeping as at the time people gathered at the village square.
Of all the villagers who sighed and moaned at the square, none spoke with so much passion and vehemence as Fatokun, the one-eyed man who poured out challenging words at the spirits of the land. His eyes were sore with much weeping and his clenched fists beat relentlessly on the ground. An observer who had no knowledge of the wandering ghost’s victim would think Fatokun was the victim.
In the midst of these, the King’s messenger came. His shrill voice rang out the King’s words,
“The priests have been instructed by the gods to appease the spirits of the land. In two market days, this shall be done and peace will return to the land”. The people dispersed but fear hung in the air like a mist. Not even the king’s words could clear the mist.
**
The night was windy. Standing in the village square was a masked solitary figure entirely dressed in black, the wind blowing against its flowing garment. It appeared to visually scan through the village after which it walked in rapid strides towards a section of the village. In its wake were two other forms hidden in the shadows.
The two hidden forms crept quietly behind it, stopping at intervals to hide when it made attempts to look behind. Upon reaching a hut, the masked figure reached into its garment and brought out an indistinct object. What it did next remained a mystery to the two hidden forms but they did hear a sound- a snake’s hiss.
Suddenly, as in three nights before, Tayo and Ropo felt an overwhelming compulsion to sleep, but they were prepared! Immediately, they ate the herbs given to them by Chief Balogun. Within seconds, they were alert again and resumed the watch with increased alacrity. They watched as the figure pushed the bamboo door open, entered and within minutes had returned carrying a sleeping child.
They stalked it till it got to the outskirt of the village where it waited and five minutes later was approached by two hefty men. It was clear that the wandering ghost was a child trafficker and this, Tayo was not surprised to discover. He had thought so all along but what he saw next came as a shock to him. Upon unmasking itself, Tayo and Ropo nearly screamed as they saw Fatokun, the one-eyed man grinning from ear to ear shortly after being paid.
–END–
