THE LEGEND OF DAYO 1: THE EMERGENCE

ly in the small Nig

minous clouds that seemed to get angry by the second.

, turning the town into fearsome flashe

s something they had not seen before. It was as violent as it was scary, and many huddle

ld not be an or

he gods were angry and were speaking through the

fast-flowing pools of water, rush

n with her family to the ground floor where their little shop was.

the shop got flooded. Neji saw her father standing near one of t

till rising, Baba?” s

rom the University for vacation. She shuddered when a particularly vicious thunder rocked t

e, her father. “They constructed new gutters down at

,” Neji insisted as she joi

sheepishly

Akanke,” he replied. “

htly as she looke

with some concern. “W

an arm around her sh

he yam harvest. He was so weak that they thought him dead. But they brought him to town, and the Medicine Man treated

i said, alarmed. “And his parents

said. “Not a little boy. They call him Mu

a hunchback? Oh, Baba, that’s too gr

hichever village he came from. Now he’s here in our town, and I must say people

ve me, there are worse medical conditions that have nothing to

moment, and suddenl

,” he said gently as he glanced at her upturned face. “

ay he kept glancing out the window, made N

n she s

oad. The rainwater was swirling around

ing on tightly with both hands. He was almost bent double un

g some dark clothe

ely by the rain, and it s

n. “We must help him! If the water knocks hi

ly. “Folks here believe he carries a curse, an omo epe, and they want him gone, dearest. Th

at her fat

a blind man, also a hunchback, deaf and mute, standing all alone in knee-deep wate

fiercely rolling on top of the pool of water

as hurtling forward with such speed, directly toward the blind man, and there

her hands digging into the arms of her fat

ear…an ogbanje!” O

unable to watch the imminent deat

dn't turn he

almost, and staring wi

smash the man, bright lightning lit up the sky in very sharp relief, turning the darkness to daylight,

other half was carried to the right by the currents. Incredibly, the two sides of

at each other, stunned to t

!” Mr. Osuola

o favour that man!” Neji Hel

hat formed an X across the back of the door, and then she turned the key

front of the shop so the water couldn’t spill

r father crying out a warning, but she was already tread

as she wallowed through the water carefully, lookin

igure of the man in the storm, and she

dawned on her that in his helpless sta

times be. Surely, a boy like this had parents

he turned his face toward her. Although she could not see his f

her, making her teeth chatter, and she could imagine what a torrid time t

began to lead him gently through the water. Neji Helen could feel h

him safely out of th