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My Village. Chapter 1.
Part One.
Jumoke looked out of the window in her room, with tears in her eyes. She dropped herself with reckless abandon on her bed covered with a bamboo mat and began to cry profusely. Is this how she was going to continue her life?, being forced like a tethered goat waiting for slaughter? Sometimes she wondered why she was born into royalty.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she could not. The pain was too much to bear. The frustration was overwhelming. Tears continued to flow like a stream, forming a bitter river. What happened today was a turning point to a great rebellious daughter and princess. She stood up and beat her chest in affirmation to her desire.
Her sadness changed to anger when she spotted the guard assigned to monitor her looking closely at her. She glared angrily at him with distaste and retreated deeper inside her room. Expecting the day her lover would be punished like a thief who stole gold from its store. This returned her to her former state of sadness.
She was just coming from her father's court. Unfortunately for her, her father judgement agreed with that of the chief priest, so she had a lot to lose, but more doom to Joba her lover. Her father's tenure was tied to the customs and traditions of Yoruba land which was totally against her wish and will but there was nothing she could do about it.
She heard the gate open and Joba was dragged in by the palace guards. He was stripped to his shorts, looking hopeless and helpless. He had some bruises on his body as he was being dragged into prison but he followed meekly like a lamb for slaughter. He was ready to pay the price for their love if only Jumoke knew what he had in mind.
She began to feel guilty for not being punished alongside her lover. Because she was a princess? It was very unfair and callous. She continued wailing. Then she remembered what the chief priest of the land " oluawo" said:
" In order to cleanse the land and prevent the wrath of the gods, she would carry the " etutu"( sacrifice in Yoruba language) to the Jedge forest ( lonely...
Jumoke looked out of the window in her room, with tears in her eyes. She dropped herself with reckless abandon on her bed covered with a bamboo mat and began to cry profusely. Is this how she was going to continue her life?, being forced like a tethered goat waiting for slaughter? Sometimes she wondered why she was born into royalty.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she could not. The pain was too much to bear. The frustration was overwhelming. Tears continued to flow like a stream, forming a bitter river. What happened today was a turning point to a great rebellious daughter and princess. She stood up and beat her chest in affirmation to her desire.
Her sadness changed to anger when she spotted the guard assigned to monitor her looking closely at her. She glared angrily at him with distaste and retreated deeper inside her room. Expecting the day her lover would be punished like a thief who stole gold from its store. This returned her to her former state of sadness.
She was just coming from her father's court. Unfortunately for her, her father judgement agreed with that of the chief priest, so she had a lot to lose, but more doom to Joba her lover. Her father's tenure was tied to the customs and traditions of Yoruba land which was totally against her wish and will but there was nothing she could do about it.
She heard the gate open and Joba was dragged in by the palace guards. He was stripped to his shorts, looking hopeless and helpless. He had some bruises on his body as he was being dragged into prison but he followed meekly like a lamb for slaughter. He was ready to pay the price for their love if only Jumoke knew what he had in mind.
She began to feel guilty for not being punished alongside her lover. Because she was a princess? It was very unfair and callous. She continued wailing. Then she remembered what the chief priest of the land " oluawo" said:
" In order to cleanse the land and prevent the wrath of the gods, she would carry the " etutu"( sacrifice in Yoruba language) to the Jedge forest ( lonely...
