Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty (15 page)

When Ishola insisted that we should leave his mother’s house together with the heavy lumps of the iron. The three of us made a meeting and we agreed to leave in the midnight of the day that he told us to leave. But Ojo asked from him that how we could leave the house together with the three terrible heavy lumps of the iron. He replied at the same time that he would help each of us to put it on his head to carry it away. When he said so, the three of us sighed at a time. We then
began to blame ourselves that we had made a great mistake as we branched to the town of the god of Iron when we were returning from the town of the Creator. Although the Creator did not give us money but he referred us to Devil that he was the possessor of the money. I added to our blame as well that although we were returning to our village now with our usual poverty but with another trouble which were these three terrible heavy talking lumps of the iron which the god of the Iron gave us instead of money which we were seeking about. But of course he (god of Iron) referred us to Devil as the possessor of the money as well.

But I hardly despaired like that with great sorrow when Alabi interrupted that it was even shameful to us more than to steal if we carried the talking lumps of the iron back to the village instead of money. We failed to get money which we were seeking about since about four years that we had left the village but we were easily successful to bring the trouble back to the village, Alabi emphasized like that when he thought over all the punishments which we had encountered before we could reach the town of the Creator, the town of the god of Iron and especially when we were in the custody of the witch mother who later turned into the pupils of the eyes.

However, when it was midnight, Ishola woke the three of us, he told us to stand up. When we did so, he told us that we should be preparing to leave his mother’s house immediately. Without hesitation, we took our matchets, then he helped each of us to put each of the three terrible heavy lumps of the iron on head. Having done that he pushed us to the outside of his mother’s house. As soon as the three of us staggered to the outside, he bade us good-bye and then he slammed the door heavily with great anger. It was like that we carried these three terrible heavy lumps of the iron along with us without our wish. So without hesitation we started to carry them along in the darkness as quickly as we could so that we might be able to leave this country of the witches and wizards far away before the dawn.

When we had travelled about one-eighth of a mile to this country, we were unable to carry them further, because each of them was so heavy that the neck of each of us was bent so much that it was nearly to touch his back. So willing or not we did not know when we threw them on the ground and then without hesitation, we began to run away for our lives. But we hardly threw them down when they started to chase us along in the darkness. As
they were chasing us along fiercly with their usual
terrible
noises it was so we too were running along as fast as we could so that we might be able to lose to their view. But to our surprise and fear, as we were running from them it was so they were getting nearer to us.

As they were getting nearer to us it was so they were rolling on the ground so heavily that all of the mighty trees, hills, ground, etc., were shaking as if they were going to sink down within that moment. And it was so they were warning us very loudly and continuously:

“Wait and carry us along with you!”

“If you wait, you wait for dangers!”

“But if you don’t wait, you don’t wait for money!”

“It is better for you now to wait and carry us along with you!”

“But if you carry us, you carry troubles, misfortunes, poverty, etc. along to your house!”

“If you don’t wait to carry us, you fail to carry
good-luck
along to your house!”

“If you don’t wait but we catch you by ourselves, your right arm and left leg will be torn away from your body; and all will be given to the god of Iron!”

“Better you wait now and carry us along with you!”

“But if you wait and carry us along to your house!”

“It is certain that you carry vanity, poverty, troubles, sickness, and uncountable of money along to your house!”

“Better you wait now to carry us along with you to your house! Wait! Wait! Wait for us, the money seekers!”

It was like that these talking lumps of the iron were
warning us loudly and continuously as they were making fearful noises and were chasing us along fiercely. But when we ran with all our power for about two hours, we were tired. We were so tired that we fell down and we were unable to stand up until they met us there.
Without
hesitation, when they saw that we were so tired that we could not do anything that time unless we rested for some minutes, they surrounded us and then they were repeating their usual warnings to our hearing.

However, after we rested for one hour, we put them on head and then we continued to carry them along with us. It was like that we were carrying them on and on until we reached the village after the third month that we had left the country of the witches and wizards. We reached the village at about eight o’clock in the morning. But as we were carrying them along in the village to Ojo’s and Alabi’s house and as we were entirely wetted by the perspiration and as our necks had already bent and were touching our shoulders. The whole people in the village saw us but as we were now strange to them although they recognized us, they gathered together and were
following
us with wonder. They were also shouting on us as they were following us: “Why the moneys you bring from your journey are nearly to kill you? Why? Are these the lumps of the iron which you carry now are the moneys you bring? Wonderful!” It was like that the whole people of the village were making mockery of us. However, as they were still shouting on us like that, cry with great shame, we reached Ojo’s and Alabi’s house which was at the extreme end of the village. And without
hesitation
, we carried these three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron into the house. Then Ojo threw his own in
one room, Alabi hastily threw his own in one corner of another room and I hastily threw my own down in one corner of the third room as well.

The three of us were now in the village which we had left for more than six years in respect of the money. As soon as the whole people of the village followed us to the house and made a mockery of us, went back to their houses. Ojo, Alabi and myself entered the sitting room. The three of us sat on the floor, we were resting because we were entirely tired for the neck-breaking loads (the three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron) which we had carried back to the village instead of money. After we had rested to our satisfaction, as the whole house had become almost dust and was full of refuses before we arrived. We swept the whole of it although all the walls were cracked and were nearly to fall down and the roof which was thatched with leaves by Ojo’s and Alabi’s father when he was alive, was nearly blown away by the breeze.

Immediately we finished sweeping the house, the three of us went back to the sitting room. We sat down and then we began to think of our journey which became to vanity at last. But of course it came to our minds this
time that “One who relies on legacy is on the road to poverty.” The three of us believed this proverb this day, because before we set on our journey to the town of the Creator, we had a strong believe that we would return with a lot of wealths and moneys that which would set us free from this our chronic poverty. But instead, we returned home with another trouble. As the three of us were still thinking like that with great sorrow. I
interrupted
that: “It is certain now that I shall not be free from the poverty which I had inherited from my father and mother before they died!” And Alabi cut in at the same time with sorrow that: “I am quite sure as well that I shall die in poverty soon!”

But as both of us had despaired like that Ojo reminded us that: “If it be that we are going to die in poverty, we have to try our best to see Devil first. Because the Creator, the god of Iron and the wicked witch mother, had told us that Devil is the possessor of the money! Therefore, we must go to him and tell him to give us plenty of moneys!” When Ojo reminded us like that, I asked from him that: “Where does Devil live?” He replied that: “I do not know the exact place that he lives but I know one wizard who will take us to him (Devil)!”

When Ojo had explained to us like that, I was not happy to get money from Devil although I was in great need of it. However Alabi and myself agreed to see Devil for money. After we had finished the discussion of how to meet Devil, then we began to think of how to get food to eat because we had nearly died of hunger this time. To get the food to eat was another great problem to us, because we did not return with even one penny except
with our usual poverty, matchets and the three talking lumps of the iron. However, Ojo stood up, he told us that he had known one foodseller before we went on our fruitless journey. He said that he would go to her perhaps she would agree to sell some food-stuffs for us. Ojo explained to us further that although he had owed her a lot of money before we went on our journey.

But to our fear again, Ojo hardly stepped one foot to the outside when one of the three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron (the very one that he carried to the village) made a horrible shout that: “Please come back and carry me along with you!” This talking lump of the iron hardly shouted horribly like that when it rolled heavily on the ground to the outside. It stopped in front of Ojo as it was still shouting greatly to carry it along with him (Ojo). But as soon as some people began to hear the terrible shout, they rushed to the front of the house and were listening to this talking lump of the iron with great fear. Because it was too strange to them to see that a lump of the iron was talking like a human being but they did not know that the three of them had punished us even more than our poverty in the jungle or before we had carried them to the village.

Now, without hesitation and with great shame, Ojo ran back to the inside of the house as a large number of people had gathered round. But these people were greatly feared when they saw that as Ojo was going back into the house this talking lump of the iron was following him. It did not allow him to leave it at the outside at all. Then with great fear, the people shouted greatly with one voice: “Yay! Ojo, Alabi and Ajaiyi (myself) had brought the monsters to the village!” And then all ran back to
their houses at once. Now, as this talking lump of the iron did not allow Ojo to go to the foodseller for our food, it meant we would be starved to death soon.

After about two or three hours later, Alabi stood up, he said that he would go to one foodseller probably that one would sell some food-stuffs for him in credit although he had owed her more than one hundred pounds before we went on our journey. But as he stepped to the
outside
of the house, again, the talking lump of the iron which he carried to the village did the same thing. It shouted horribly to come back and carry it along with him to wherever he was going. Then with great shame Alabi ran back into the house as the people were just gathering round. When he ran back into the house the three of us sat in the sitting room. We began to think how we could be able to get the supply of food without going out. But there was no way for us to get the supply of food unless we went out. So we remained in the house for three days without eating anything.

But in the morning of the fourth day that we had not eaten anything and we were then nearly to die of hunger. Ojo told the rest two of us to put his own talking lump of the iron on his head. Then he told us that he was going to one of his old foodsellers to beg her to sell some
food-stuffs
for him. He explained to us further that although he had owed her some money before we went to the town of the Creator, but he was sure that she would sell some food-stuffs for him because she was kind to him. Then he went out as he carried his talking lump of the iron. It was like that Ojo was carrying his talking lump of the iron along in the village to the foodseller. He
carried
his talking lump of the iron along with him otherwise
if he had left it at home it would not allow him to go out or to his foodseller.

Two hours later, he returned with plenty of the
food-stuffs
. Having put the talking lump of the iron back in the room, he brought the food-stuffs to us in the sitting room. As soon as Alabi and myself had seen that Ojo had brought the food-stuffs, I put my own talking lump of the iron on head with the help of Ojo and Alabi. I then took the pitcher, I went to the river which was not so far from the village. I brought the water with it to the house for our use. And without hesitation, we cooked some of the food-stuffs and we ate it to our satisfaction. Having satisfied our hunger, the three of us did not go out to salute our old friends but we stayed at home and we began to play the native game (warry). Because we were not allowed to go out by these terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron.

But at last when we became tired of staying at home always, each of us put his own talking lump of the iron on head and then we went out. We began to visit our old friends. Unfortunately, as we visited the last friend, we put our talking lumps of the iron down in his parlour and then we began to drink the palm-wine with which he welcomed us. After a while we were so intoxicated by the wine that we did not remember to put our talking lumps of the iron on head before we went to the front of the house just to take some fresh air. But all the people in our friend’s house and all people around were nearly to die of fear when these talking lumps of the iron shouted horribly that we should come and carry them along with us to the front of the house.

So without hesitation, all the people of that house
drove us away with our talking lumps of the iron at the same time. It was like that we carried them back to the house with great shame. So since that day we stopped to visit our friends and they too were fearing to visit us. Not only our friends feared to visit us but also the whole people in the village. But of course: “No one claims relationship with a poor man; but of course when he is rich, everyone becomes his relative!” It was so the three of us stayed lonely at home with our three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron which had become our lord But of course if we were lucky enough to bring money and other wealths to the village instead of these talking lumps of the iron, the whole people of the village would rush to our house to share from them.

But when it was the seventh day that we had arrived in the village. One morning, Ojo, who had told Alabi and myself that he knew one brave wizard who would take us to Devil for money, he told us to let us go to that wizard. Then everyone of us put his own lump of the iron on head. Then we went to the next village in which the wizard lived. We reached this village in the midnight because it was far away. When we came to this village, we saw that there were only two small houses and Ojo took us to the house of this brave wizard. But when he saw these three talking lumps of the iron on our heads he knew what they were at the same time. Then without allowing us to put them down in his house, he took us to the shrine of his gods. He told us to put them down before his gods. The shrine was in the heart of a jungle.

Having put them down before his gods, he sat on a big skull of human being, after that he asked us to sit down on the floor before his gods. After that he asked us
what we came to him for. Ojo did not waste time but he replied immediately: “The three of us had wanted to see you since last few days for help!”