Okike: The Mystic: Okike One

The bridge over the Udemba river which connected the two towns of Umuizu and Amankpa, had shown some signs of weakness at two points, which one of the women pointed out, on their way to Umuizu; fresh omu fronds had been tied at the rail-like ropes lining the side. Now as Mgbechi got into her elements, she was singing and urging a follow on from her backers, when she stepped on the weak plank, which gave way under her. Ebele the ogene woman was about to call out for her to be careful, when Mgbechi went down. Her right foot had broken the plank and she had slid under the rail like rope into the river, in a split second. Shock and wailing accosted the early evening sun. Some of the women could only open their mouth dumbfounded, unable to make head or tail of what has just happened, peering down into the Udemba River, bent over with their hands clutching their throats in a manner designed to stop them from retching. But the women from Umuizu gave out the alarm; running back to the town in search of men to the rescue. Ebele sent some women of Amankpa to go back with the children of the deceased to inform their kinsmen of what has happened. But the Udemba River has a history of never letting go of an unfortunate victim, whose turn, either by fate or providence; it was to be sacrificed to satisfy the gods of the river. Mgbechis slip in to the river was an accident that lived a tragedy. When the men came, from both towns, the fit and unfit, the swimmer and the non swimmer, they chased the evening into the night to no avail. Not even the morning could yield an answer to the lingering question, what happened to Mgbechi? The river was deep but not swift. If she drowned we are supposed to see the body sail said a young boy of about ten years who had come from the immediate kindred in Umuizu yes my boy that is what one hoped for, but not with the Udemba River, when you drown in this river, you disappear entirely. There are no tell-tale signs. Since we built this bridge, it has curtailed the sudden disappearances associated with this river. Even as it is very welcoming to the good swimmer, it hides the bad ones in its entrails responded an elderly man sitting at his side by the bank of the river. Chike was yet to recover from the loss of his mother, when Okories trip to Afor Ogwe, 16 market days from that incident, met with the inexplicable. He had gone to sell one of his he-goats. He did sell it as confirmed by one of the people who saw him leaving the market with some fish he had bought Asa. I am going to prepare ji mmiri oku he had said and the woman selling vegetables teased him okopkoro, you wont go and marry. Your mates have two children now, and you are still cooking for youself. You dont want a woman to look after you. You are handsome, hardworking and kind-hearted; whoever did this to you is evil. she spat out as she clapped her hands, by her side. Okorie laughed at her and quipped its you I wanted to marry but unfortunately you were gone before I could announce my intentions its not nwa Udo that you were hoping to marry, when did this one begin? Please go and collect your towel where you left it. Even if, are there no more women in the whole of Igbo land? She queried. Try as hard as the community could, these were the last known conversation he had with anybody that day. Okorie never came back from that trip to the market and remained at large. Even the harvest was poor that year. The late crops were not growing well. Though they now were supposed to inherit Mgbechi and okorie, there was no immediate agenda to do so. They still hoped for their return as the eji-asikwa syndrome paralysed them into allowing members of their extended family plunder Mgbechi and Okories goods. The child came into the world laughing. He did not cry like other children do. He was bedecked with amulets and charms adorning his neck, wrist, ankle and his torso. It was hideously beautiful to behold. Astounding in its uniqueness; border