My Water Spirit

“Life is like a river, it never flows past a place twice”.

I don’t recall much from my childhood. I remember being a very sad child, or so everyone assumed. On the contrary, I don’t think I was sad. I know I was overly quiet; I never smiled. You could call me many things, but not sad. But all these were in my mind of course.

I remember my great-grandmother always calling me, trying to make me talk, but to no avail. As a small child, I never understood what all the fuss was about. I remember always thinking, “I’m being quiet, not problematic like my siblings. Shouldn’t you all be happy?”

This is not my story as that is for another day… another time. This is just a part of my childhood that helped me during trying times. When I was eight or so, just shortly after the death of my father, my great-grandmother called me to the room. “Sit my child, let me tell you a story,” she said.

I must let you know that she always tells me stories, at least once a week, most of which I can’t remember. But for this story, whether it was the seriousness in her voice or the way she looked at me, I never forgot, not even for a second. In her aged voice, she began.

“Long ago, before your mama and papa were born, before great-grandma even got married, something happened. This, my dear child, is the tale of an event in your big-maw’s life.” Big-maw is the name we all called her.

“In those days, before civilization came here, there existed kings and queens. I know they still exist now, but they had more power when I was a girl. Now pay close attention to this story. You see, this is the time where twins were still abhorred and anyone unfortunate to have them had to watch their crying newborn babies thrown into the evil forest. They were seen as the mark of the devil.

This was a time when your father decided your husband for you; too many female children were seen as a weakness, but too many sons were praised and even celebrated. This was a time when the importance of festivals were upheld. If you had the misfortune to miss it, a certain amount of sacrifice had to be offered to the gods.

This was a time when a daughter who does not marry as a virgin is despised and hated by the whole community, don’t let me get started on those children born out of wedlock. This was a time when, once a king takes an interest in you, even if he was sixty and you fifteen, you automatically become his wife. No other man was allowed to even look at you.

This was a time when Africa was Africa, a far cry from what you see today. And this, dear child, was the time your big-maw was born.

You see, I was very much like you; quiet, always keeping to myself, obedient of course, and a daddy’s girl. I went to the farm, swept the compound, removed all the leaves from under the trees, picked up all the ripe fruits, cooked, served my father and his kinsmen. In fact, I was the perfect daughter.

I’m not trying to over-exaggerate dear but it’s true. Coupled with the fact that my food was always tasty, I was the favorite of my father. Of course, being the only daughter might have contributed.

In those days, girls started having suitors as soon as they got their first menses. Before you even ask how the men knew, those were different times; an elderly man could tell just by looking at your face.

Now I always loved to seat by the stream. So much so that my father took me to a native doctor one day to check for “mammy-water spirit”. Luckily, the spirit of a goddess was found inside me which was considered a good thing. Anyway, there was just something about the water that drew me.

Whether it was the clear surface that felt like it could purify me, or the green lustrous trees that seemed to never wither, up till now I can’t say for sure. But I do know that I was my happiest whenever my mother asked me to fetch water from the stream as there were no taps or wells or even bore holes then. This is where my story begins.”

“It was a sunny day like any other. In fact, it was a bad day.

My uncles visited our house and my mother called me to serve them, which I did. The next thing I heard was, “Is this our daughter!? She has grown so much. When will we come and break kola nut?”

That, of course, is another form of asking, when will you marry her off? I recalled my mother’s mate asking her the same thing the previous market day. “I knew I should have found a way to cover these breasts”, I thought somewhat bitterly to myself.

During those times, once a girl starts having breasts, it’s mainly assumed she’s started seeing her period. I looked down at them in anger, I knew I should not have gone to listen to the habitual tales-by-moonlight commonly told by the village elder. It’s a folk tale everyone gathers to listen to in the village, well, every child.

Anyway, as I normally go to the stream after every slight inconvenience, I went to sit by the banks. I did not bother to tell anyone as the main source of my anger was everyone. So, there I sat, staring at the water as I always did. It was getting dark and I knew I should be getting home, especially at the third cock’s crow, but for some reason, I stayed back. It was then I noticed a boy hiding behind a tree.

Well, it looked like he was hiding but on a closer look, it was more like he was injured. I went closer to see and there he was. I could say he looked like a spirit, fair, handsome, tall, and muscled, just like a hunter. My God! He was fine.

Now it should be said that I never went to the palace. My family was more of the average ones, and my father was not a chief but a mere farmer, so there was practically no reason for me to go to the palace. so that turned into the family business.

Ok, back to the story. So there he was, lying down face up. On closer inspection, it seemed he was bleeding. “Should I do something?” I thought to myself, looking at him from a distance. Of course I did not dare to get closer, what if he was dead? As soon as the thought came to my mind, fear also came.

As if nature wanted to accentuate the issue, the stream suddenly looked eerie, like a quiet place yet filled with eyes and life. Of course it was just the eyes of the hooting owls. I looked at him again, biting my lip, “maybe a little help won’t hurt”. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t have.”

With my mind made up, I slowly dragged him to the bank of the stream. From the looks of it, it was a wild animal that attacked him. I usually treat my papa anytime he encountered wild beasts in the forests, so I was not scared by the sight of the blood. I went ahead to look for bitter leaves, plantain leaf and little bit of stones to light a fire.

With these in my hand, I ran back to him to find him still lying there, looking half dead. I hesitated, “what if I unknowingly killed an important figure?” I remembered my friend Nkiru being banished from the land, just because he was there when a chief’s daughter died. I looked at him again, at his blood soaked wrapper and made up my mind.

I squatted close to him, his eyes were closed on a pale face that did not seem to be breathing. “Looks like he has lost a lot of blood,” I thought silently.

Thank the ancestors I had a small calabash with me. I quickly fetched water and put the bitter leaf in it, allowing it to soak for a while. Then I removed his wrapper slowly, gods! was he handsome! But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts. He was injured from his waist down. Looks like the beast was really angry. Maybe it was a lion. It was common to see lions in the forest, though they rarely came out.

After making sure his middle region was covered, I neatly washed the blood away so as to get a clearer view of it; a claw line stretching from his waist to his ankle. I quickly squeezed the bitter leaf, put it on the injury, and wrapped it with plantain leaf. After that, I wiped his face and chest with the stream water while chanting in my mind, “please be fine. gods please don’t let anything happen to him.”

I’m not sure what happened after that but when I opened my eyes, it was to the sound of wolves howling. I looked up to see the day fully dark and the handsome god still sleeping. “Mama is definitely going to kill me today”. I looked back at the stranger, wondering if I should drag him home but immediately discarded that idea.

First of all, coming back at that time of the night with a man, whether injured or not will definitely not go well. Secondly, my house was a little bit far, I’ll probably join my ancestors before I reached halfway. I was interrupted from my musings by the sound of someone shivering.

I turned to look at him, hating him a little bit. Couldn’t he show up a little while after I’ve left? I sighed softly and stood up to gather some leaves to start a fire.

Notwithstanding the mosquitoes, I stayed beside him throughout the night. I was already in trouble anyway. In order not to feel lonely, I started singing. It was in the early hours of the morning, a little while after dawn, I heard my mother calling for me. I turned to look at him, all scared, only to see him watching me. Startled, I quickly jumped back.

“You are awake?” I spoke softly so as not to alert my unnecessary search party. He didn’t speak, he just kept looking at me. Who knew a man’s stare could be so intense?

“I saw you injured so I helped you,” I said even though he didn’t ask.

At this point I heard my mother’s voice louder and it seemed like they were closer. “I have to go,” I whisper softly to him. But before leaving, I quickly put fresh bitter leaves on the already healing wound and wrapped it in the new leaves I had plucked during the night.

“I plucked some mangoes. You can eat that and there’s a stick beside you. Maybe you can use it to walk back home?” I say the last part in a questioning tone. He still didn’t make a sound, he just kept looking at me with those beautiful eyes.

Did I really save a spirit? I did not have the time to follow the train of thought as I could already see my mother in front of me. I quickly ran to her. Needless to say, after being beaten to an inch of my life (I probably could have died if not for my father), I was banned from going out for a period of three market days. I thought that was the end, little did I know that it was just the beginning.”

I turned to my grandmother and complained a little in my tiny voice, “You said the title is my water spirit. I thought they’ll be mermaids and stuff like that.” My big-maw just looked at me with a mysterious smile and continued.

“After the period of my punishment was over, I still did not go out. I had heard rumours that if you saved a spirit, the spirit will surely visit you. It was in this state of my mind I heard my father call me from the main hut. “Papa”, I answered, running to him.

I did not want to get into more trouble. “Sit down my moonlight,” he says in a serious tone. I quickly sat down. In those days, you can’t argue or say anything when your father is talking.

“Are you still not going to tell me what happened that night you ran away from home?”

At this point I’m almost in tears. I knew anything I said will just be turned against me.

“It’s enough. That’s not why I called you here. Besides no matter what anyone says, you are my daughter and I know you,” my father said, patting my hair. It seemed the news of my staying out had already spread around the village.

My father was still talking, “The King has ordered all those who have grown up daughters to report at once to the palace. It looks like he wants to take a new wife.”

“But isn’t the king already seventy? What is he doing with a new wife?” I asked him in a somewhat confused tone.

He just looked at me and smiled, “He is dear, but don’t allow anyone to hear you say that. Anyway I am bound by law to take you there so my advice to you is, make sure to stay at the back of all the other girls. Make sure he doesn’t see you. Okay?”

I look up at him and ask, “don’t you want me to marry the king?”

“Do you want to marry the king?”

“No papa”.

“So don’t ask foolish questions”, he said.

“Don’t worry papa, I’ll stay out of the King’s sight,” I responded.

“Good girl”.

The truth is if I had my way, I wouldn’t even go. Most of my mates had already married, but whether I was too plain, or ugly I don’t know. I had even heard my mates sneering at my back in the last new yam festival.

Where my mates had overly long and lustrous hair, mine was short, you could even say brittle. Where they had full breasts and a well-rounded bum, mine was in one word, average. All I had was this unnecessary height that made me taller than almost all the men in the village.

So the gathering day began.

My mother woke me up at the first cock’s crow and made me dress in my finest material, it was nothing special but I had cowries, necklace, and leg chain to match. And so our journey began, with Papa and mama at my side. I guess no one wanted to miss the day their daughter became queen.

It looked like a royal decree must indeed be followed, the place was packed on all sides with girls of all ages. I think I was the only one my parents followed, maybe because deep down, they knew I’ll probably just go to the stream again. As I was tall, I didn’t need to stretch to see the King.

“That is who wants to get married?”

African Tales: The Witch Tree

He was as wrinkly as you would expect any old man to look. So the ceremony began. I say ceremony because we all had to dance; call it a form of parade in front of the king. If a daughter did not dance, and it got to the ears of the king, the girl will be considered a shame and disgrace to the whole community and condemned to live a lonely life.

I looked at my father in pleading eyes only to find him staring at a distance behind the tree. I turned of course to follow his line of sight but could not find anything. Just as it was getting to my turn, I quickly came up with the excuse of wanting to relieve myself. Immediately it was granted, I left the premises and went to a place I felt was a safe spot.

“Maybe I’ll just stay here and go last and dance really horribly,” I thought and nodded to myself. It really sounded like a good plan. It was in this state of mind I heard a voice behind me

“What is a beautiful maiden doing at this side of the palace?” I jumped, turning round with lightning speed and lo and behold, it was the spirit from the stream (that was what I had began to call him in my mind).

“YOU!!!”

He acted as if he didn’t hear me and walked closer.

“You’re alive!!!” I say squealing a little.

He just stood there, but this time with a surprised look on his face.

“What? I’m happy to see you” I said, looking down at his leg. “Are you alright now?” Even I don’t know why I kept talking, I guess I felt a form of familiarity with him based on the night we spent together.

“You don’t talk very much, do you?” I said, looking up at him. It was then I noticed, he was actually taller than me. But where it made me look and feel manly, with him, it just helped to accentuate his royal aura. That’s right, I was certain that if there ever was a prince, he would probably look like him. With this thought I looked at his material, assessing him. Even the cowries on his neck seemed of high quality.

“Are you really a spirit?” I ask somewhat tentatively. This time, there was a smile in his eyes.

“You know, I got punished because of you,” I said.

I felt drawn to him, like I could tell him anything and it’ll be ok.

“But it’s alright, as long as you are fine. I know, you’re wondering why I’m here right? The king wants to pick a wife, again, and even though I know I can never be picked, better safe than sorry. I mean he’s already too old. You’ll think he’ll be wiser”. Immediately I said it, I cover my mouth.

“You must never tell anyone what I just said okay?”

“Why do you think you won’t be picked?” He ignored me and asked with genuine confusion on his handsome face.

I was so shocked he could talk that it took my brain a while to register the question.

“So you too are now mocking me?” I say with a self-deprecating smile.

But maybe because of his face that looked truly confused, I say somewhat angrily, “look at me!”

“I’ve not been able to look at anything else,” he said, and I was immediately rendered speechless.

It was in this state of shock I heard my mother calling for me. I turned to look at her and turned back to the water spirit only to find him gone.

“Where are you!?” Mama screams louder. “I’m coming mama!”,

How did she find out where I was?

So that was how I was dragged back to the dancing circle. Immediately we got there, they called my name. I stepped forward and prepared to dance the worst dance ever. When I opened my eyes and saw the water spirit standing beside the king.

“Dance, what are you waiting for?”

I just froze, looking at him and him looking at me. I would never understand how I danced so well but I did. So much so that the king picked me. Needless to say my mother was beside herself with happiness while I just stood, staring at the spirit.

After a while, he bent down to whisper something to the king and I saw the king frown.

“Dear ancestors, please, let him not tell the king what I said,” I prayed silently still looking at him, but with a bit of tears in my eyes this time.