19. Amọla and the Hunter
A long, long time ago, in Kasawa, a town in a faraway land there was a girl called Amọla. Amọla, an only child, lived with her parents. Her mother was a market seller, but it was Amọla who took the goods regularly to the market to sell. She was a very beautiful girl – tall, slim, with lovely, glowing complexion, and glossy, black hair.
As Amọla grew up she became increasingly beautiful, and as she approached the age when she was expected to get married, many men wanted her hand in marriage – among them, titled, rich and prosperous, renowned, and well-placed men, as well as Ọbas (rulers) and their courtiers, who all sent advocates to Amọla – to woe her on their behalf.
However, to everyone’s amazement, Amọla turned down all of them. People were shocked because they believed that it was a great honour for a woman to be singled out for her beauty by very rich, titled, well-placed, renowned, and illustrious men of the land. Many women went along with this but there were a few exceptions, like Amọla , and Kerebuje in another town, Makeke, who did not. Amọla wanted someone to marry her not for her looks, but because he loved her. However, she kept this to herself. People thought that she was proud – that she did not think that any of the men was good enough for her.
“Don’t you know how lucky you are? Your beauty has attracted the wealthiest of men, famous men, men in high positions, and you’re only a market seller”. Amọla ’s friends and family kept on telling her, nagging her constantly. However, Amọla was not impressed by any of these things – wealth, position etc, – and she turned a deaf ear to what others were saying to her. At that time, some women who refused to listen to their parents on the question of husbands were married off to the Ọba of their towns who did not refuse any woman in those days.
Finally, when Amọla ’s parents saw that Amọla was not paying any heed to their words they gave her an ultimatum.
“If you don’t find a husband soon, we’ll hand you over to the Ọba”.
“In that case why don’t you find me a man who is extraordinarily good-looking, and is sought after by all the women of the land for his looks? Even if I’ve never met him before and don’t know anything about him, I’ll follow him to the end of the earth!” she said flippantly. “Why is it always the other way around? Why should women be singled out only for their good looks and not men?”
Amọla knew perfectly well that that was not how things worked, but she was frustrated. Most women would not go on and on about a man’s good looks, asking to marry him for his looks, sending delegates… Amọla was very unhappy about her parents’ threat. The last thing she wanted was to be one of the Ọba’s strings of wives. She would rather run away. However, she refused to give in to pressure.
“I’ll choose the person I want to marry myself, and when I’m ready”, she added.
When the parents, neighbours and friends, saw that all their persuasions or threats (in the case of the parents) were in vain, they folded their arms, and just looked on to see where it would all end. Amọla did not seem to be bothered about getting on in age, and this was heart-breaking for the parents who believed that it was time for their daughter to be married.
One day a stranger arrived in Kasawa. Nobody knew where he came from. He became the talk of the town for he was unusually good-looking, and mysterious. He was very tall, and slim, broad-shouldered and narrow at the hips. His eyes were beautiful and arresting, his gaze piercing. All the women were talking about him. He made them want to swoon. However, he paid no attention to any of them.
“Perhaps this is the man for Amọla ! Perhaps this is the man Amọla has been waiting for! All that’s necessary is for him to attract her attention, and for her to seek him out for his extraordinary good looks alone”, some of Amọla ’s friends who had met the mysterious stranger joked among themselves. They had heard about Amọla ’s flippant remarks in this connection.
One day Amọla was at the market selling her mother’s goods. She was arranging the provisions on the shelves when she heard someone asking:
“How much is a packet of sugar?”
Amọla looked up into the eyes of the most incredibly good-looking man she had ever seen. Her eyes locked with his, and she found her heart beating fast.
“What on earth? Who’s this man, and why does he have such an effect on me?” she wondered. She suddenly realized that she had not answered the stranger, when she heard him asking the question again:
“How much is a packet of sugar?”
She answered the man quickly and breathlessly, and then, at his request, served him. She expected him to leave with the sugar and one or two other things he bought from her and was surprised when he asked if he could sit down for a while. Quickly Amọla cleared some space on the bench she was sitting at and invited him to sit down beside her. They started to talk to each other, and very soon they felt as if they had known each other for long.
“What’s your name? I’ve never seen you around here before”, Amọla asked.
“Singbade. I live far away from here, but once a week I feel like a taste of town life, and I come to Kasawa – to spend a couple of days before going back to where I live”, he said.
“Can I help you with that?” he asked when Amọla was about to open a container of tinned milk and arrange the contents on a shelf.
“Yes, please”, Amọla answered, pleased by the offer.
“What’s your name?”
“Amọla ”.
They continued to chat, completely at ease with each other. From time to time they stopped talking and just gazed into each other’s eyes and found that it required a great deal of effort to look away. The instant attraction that they felt towards each other was not lost on the people around them, who wasted no time in discussing it in hushed tones.
“As if we knew…”.
Once a week Singbade returned, and spent more and more time with Amọla , helping her with her work at the market. Amọla found that she could talk to him about anything – about herself and the threat about marrying her off to the Ọba, which she knew she should not dismiss lightly. Singbade listened attentively to everything she said. He was very understanding. However, when Amọla said to him:
“You haven’t told me anything about yourself, except your name, and where you come from”, Singbade answered:
“It is better you don’t know much about me”.
“Huh?” Amọla looked at him enquiringly, but as Singbade did not continue the conversation, she kept quiet. However, she prompted him again and again after that first time, but he always gave the same answer. This puzzled Amọla tremendously.
As time went by Amọla realized that she had fallen in love with Singbade, and that the man’s good looks played only a small part in how she felt. It was his ways – tender, kind, considerate, and understanding. He was strong, and yet gentle, and most of all there was a sadness about him that pulled at her heart strings.
Singbade was equally drawn to Amọla. He found her irresistible – not just her beauty – but her sweet and gentle ways. She was an intelligent, kind-hearted young woman – popular and well-liked by everyone around her, including her customers whom she attended to with patience and politeness. She was also full of laughter, fun to be with, and this he welcomed whole-heartedly.
As the love between Amọla and Singbade grew, the people around teased Amọla relentlessly, about marrying a man for his good looks.
“Propose to him. What are you waiting for?”
Amọla did not want to say anything about Singbade to her parents until he proposed to her. But as time went by, what struck her most was that Singbade did not say anything about wanting to marry her, unlike the other men, and this surprised and intrigued her. One day Amọla broached the subject.
“Don’t you love me and want to marry me?” she asked curiously.
“I love you.” he replied. “I can’t offer you more than there is between us here and now; there’s nothing I wouldn’t have liked better, but alas I can’t marry you”.
“What do you mean by that?” Amọla wanted to know.
“It’s better you don’t know. One thing you can know for sure is that I’ve fallen in love with you”.
“Are you married already?”
“Good gracious, no!” Singbade laughed.
“You don’t love me enough then?”
“You know I do. If you marry me your life will be in danger”.
“In danger?” Amọla asked, aghast, her curiosity mounting. She knew instinctively that something was seriously wrong and wished that she could put right whatever it was. She begged him, yet again, to tell her more about himself – about his circumstances. The more Singbade resisted, the more intrigued Amọla became.
“You still refuse to marry one of your admirers?” Amọla ’s mother asked her a few days later. Amọla was not surprised.
“I’ve told you I’d rather marry someone of my own choice”.
“Then produce him! Otherwise, you know what’ll happen to you?” her mother threatened.
“Actually, I’ve met someone I’d like to marry” Amọla said. “Perhaps you can now leave me alone?”
Amọla ’s mother jumped up for joy.
“When are we going to meet him? What’re you waiting for?”
“It’s not as simple as that”, Amọla replied.
“What on earth do you mean, child?” her mother exclaimed in disbelief. What could be easier for her daughter than to find a man to marry her!
Amọla said nothing. After a while her mother continued.
“Well, if you can’t produce this man you want as your husband soon, I’m afraid…”. She did not even need to finish her sentence. Amọla knew where she was going with it.
Amọla also knew that she would rather run away with Singbade than be married off to the Ọba. Sooner or later the Ọba’s consent would be sought by her parents, and once an Ọba agreed on something, the incumbent would have to comply.
“If I can’t marry you, then I can just live with you”, Amọla said suddenly to Singbade the next time he came to her stall in the market.
“That’s out of the question as well”, he answered.
“Please tell me about your circumstances”, Amọla implored him.
“I once lived in this town and was going into the deep forest to hunt – at a place where two rivers joined the sea, that is to say that the forest is near the sea, and to get to the sea you have to cross two rivers.” he began, reluctantly. “I had guns and I shot a lot of animals with them. I was very successful, but alas, my success got me into trouble”.
Singbade stopped. When he realized that Amọla was expecting him to elaborate further, and knowing that he did not want to go into too much details, so as not to scare her off, he added briefly:
“Now I only come into town once a week”. He knew that if he were to scare off Amọla, he would never see her again, and he did not want that.
Amọla, realizing that Singbade would not elaborate further on his circumstances, decided here and there that she had no choice but trace his footsteps to wherever he lived, without his knowing – without anyone knowing. She knew that he was not going to agree to take her along with him.
“I need to attend to some urgent business. Please mind the stall for me”, Amọla asked a friend of hers – a seller like herself whose stall was next to hers at the market. It was on the day, and around the time that Singbade usually passed by her stall on his way out of town.
“Sure. What about Singbade? What do I tell him?”
“The same thing I’ve just told you. Tell him I’ll see him next week”.
Unknown to the friend and everyone else, Amọla went to hide behind a tree, close to her stall, where she could observe what was going on around her stall, without being seen. That was where she was when Singbade passed by the stall, talked to the friend, and left. Then Amọla started to trail him, hiding quickly away anytime he happened to look back. He walked through the middle of town, on and on until he finally left town, with Amọla still following behind. It was soon after that he spotted her hiding behind a tree and was shocked.
“So, you’ve been following me, Amọla? What have you done? Go home! Please go home now”, Singbade begged her, his voice full of pity.
“Turn back right now!”
“I can’t and I won’t!” she replied stubbornly.
“If you continue further it will cost you your life”, Singbade implored her.
“My life is meaningless without you.”
Singbade was deeply touched by her answer and wished things could have been different.
“Have you any idea where we’re heading?” Singbade asked, with desperation in his voice.
“I don’t care where we’re heading. I’ll follow you to the end of the earth if necessary”, Amọla answered, completely overwhelmed by her love for him – hot, passionate love. His pleas were in vain – they fell on deaf ears.
“You don’t know what you’re saying, Amọla . Turn back Amọla . Turn back now. Go back home. We’re heading towards the forest and will be crossing the two rivers I mentioned to you – Odo-Aro and Odo-Ẹjẹ”.
“Well, as long as I’m with you, I’m not afraid”, she answered, un-swayed. “I’ll never leave you, and I’ll go with you wherever you go!” she continued, stubbornly.
“You’ll regret it. You’ll be afraid when you learn about these two rivers”, he said sorrowfully.
“Try me!”
That was when Singbade started to sing. In those days it was not uncommon for someone to start singing suddenly, when they felt strongly about something. Singing conveyed emotions such as love, hate, wish, sorrow, warning, fear, anxiety. Some people also believed that singing could bring about a desired change in the singer’s circumstances. Singbade sang as follows:
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla , turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo aro If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Aro
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo ẹjẹ If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Ẹjẹ
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata ọrun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o se o
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla , turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
A ni ko dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Jowo dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata orun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o ṣe o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Odo-Aro and Odo-Ẹjẹ remained a mystery to the people of Kasawa. Not everyone had heard about them or believed in their existence. There are all kinds of speculations; there was even a song – the one sung by Singbade (with variations) – inspired by the two rivers, warning someone (Amọla in this case) not to go anywhere near Odo-Aro and Odo-Ẹjẹ – to turn back immediately. It was this same song that a mysterious woman sang to Olailo, a hoe trader (Ọlọkọ) when the latter, besotted by her, insisted on following her to where she lived…
Amọla refused to turn back still, and Singbade had to continue on his way.
“’Odo-Aro’ is an unusual river – strange and mysterious, out of this world. As the name implies, the river is the colour of ‘aro’ (indigo blue). But it’s not only the river, and everything in it – fishes, etc that is this colour. All the surroundings are: the bushes, the trees and flowers, etc. It is a strange river (abami odo).”
Amọla said nothing, although she was amazed and disconcerted by what Singbade was telling her.
“What’s more” Singbade continued, “everything there is completely still as if there’s no life, yet when you get there a boat will leave the other side to come to you, with no one inside it. As soon as you enter it, it will take you across the river”.
“How decidedly odd”, Amọla said, still baffled and disconcerted by the whole story.
Singbade noticed her bewilderment and thought to himself, “This is nothing compared with what you’re going to hear about Odo-Ẹjẹ, and I wonder how you’ll feel then!”
“’Odo-Ẹjẹ’, on the other hand” he continued “is not only strange and mysterious, but deadly. The river and everything in it, is red – the colour of blood as the name implies, as well as the whole surroundings”, Singbade looked at Amọla and saw her shudder.
“But while Odo-Aro is lifeless, Odo-Ẹjẹ is the opposite – full of weird and dangerous activities. There are all kinds of spirits who lived at a place just outside Odo-Ẹjẹ called “Isalu-ọrun ”, who carry out these weird and dangerous practices at the river, and at “Isalu-ọrun ” itself. “Isalu-ọrun” is perceived as an ‘abule’ (village), but at the same time as a strange ‘dwelling’ hovering between heaven than earth, even though it can be reached by human beings. Some of the spirits have more than one head, some have only one eye, and at the forehead, some have one leg…Need I go on.”
The look of horror on Amọla ’s face did not escape Singbade. Nevertheless, he continued.
“To cross the river, one has to walk across a thin metal strip with a pair of Salubata (type of shoes) especially made for that purpose, and this is very dangerous, unlike at Odo-Aro, where you’re taken across in a boat.
“The spirits at “Isalu-ọrun” believe that they own Odo-Ẹjẹ, and that no human beings should cross it. Any human being who tries to do so, do it at their own peril. The spirits lie in-wait for them at Odo-Ẹjẹ and at “Isalu-ọrun”, and they have to fight for their lives. They’d have to fight the spirits, one after the other – kill them or be killed by them. Those who fall victim to the spirits have their heads cut off and hung on the trees that are on the right and left of the river, and just outside at “Isalu-ọrun”.
“How barbaric! How ghastly!” Amọla exclaimed horrified by the whole narration.
“The fighting usually takes place at an area of “Isalu-ọrun” where ten spirits would come out to face the human beings, their leader possessing ten heads. The rest of the spirits have nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two heads, and the last one head”.
“I had to fight them the first time I crossed Odo-Ẹjẹ, and won, and now they can’t touch me”, Singbade continued. “The only person who’s allowed to cross without difficulties is an old woman, who’s seen as the Goddess of the River and the Forest, and who has special powers.
“I should know about her special powers…”, Singbade hesitated, looking suddenly very sad. Amọla saw the look on his face, and knew instinctively again that something very serious must have happened to him in the past, but what?
By the time Singbade finished telling Amọla about the two rivers they had almost got to Odo-Aro. Singbade started to sing the same song again, hoping that Amọla would turn back.
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla, turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo aro If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Aro
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo ẹjẹ If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Ẹjẹ
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata ọrun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o ṣe o
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla , turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
A ni ko dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Jowo dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata orun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o ṣe o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
However, Amọla refused to turn back, and they got to Odo-Aro. Immediately a boat left the other side – across from where Singbade and Amọla were waiting. There was no driver inside it. The surroundings were, as Singbade had described it, dark – colour of aro: trees, flowers, hills, bushes, etc. Amọla knew that the fishes and other inhabitants of the sea would be the same colour as well.
Singbade got into the boat, hoping that Amọla would be too frightened to continue, and would turn back, but she quickly got in after him before he could stop her, and the boat took off. Amọla very frightened but tried not to show it. Singbade was deeply troubled. When the boat took them across the river, and they got out of it on to the river bank, Singbade tried again to reason with Amọla.
“Amọla, a far worse fate awaits you if you continue to come deep into the forest with me. Turn back now. Your life is at risk”.
“What could be worse than crossing the next river, Odo-Ẹjẹ, which I’m determined to cross with you. From what you’ve told me, I’m most likely to die there anyway. My fate was sealed once I took the decision to follow you, and I’m prepared to continue to do so, rather than go back to my life. In fact, once I met you my fate was sealed”.
“The boat can still take you back now, and when you get to the other side you can make your way home, the same as we came”, Singbade pleaded yet again.
“No!” Amọla said emphatically. I’m not going back in the boat by myself, so I’ll have to stay here until you come this way again”.
Singbade knew that Amọla was capable of doing what she had just said. He also knew that she would die of hunger, if not of fear, were she to stay at Odo-Aro by herself.
“You remember I told you that my success as a hunter got me into trouble in the past?” he asked her. Amọla nodded.
“I caused offence in some quarters. A curse was put on me, so that I’d experience what it’s like to be hunted like the animals I hunted…”
Singbade began but was interrupted by Amọla.
“I’m not going back from here no matter what you tell me about yourself now, and I’m going to cross Odo-Ẹjẹ with you, no matter how serious and dangerous it is”, Amọla replied, fiercely.
Singbade was at a loss at to what to say or do next. He pondered over the whole thing and realized that everything was beyond his control. Even if Amọla were to change her mind and turn back after crossing Odo-Ẹjẹ with him, he knew she would be killed. He had visions of her head hanging on a tree any time he crossed Odo-Ẹjẹ in future and shuddered.
“How I wish things could have been different! How I wish I’d never set eyes on you!” he lamented. I’ve nothing to offer you but death”, he continued, deeply chagrined.
“So be it!” Amọla replied. She knew that what Singbade had been trying to tell her was very serious – that her life was in danger one way or the other, but she did not care. All she knew was that she loved this man, and even if she had to die because of it, so be it. Singbade knew, without doubt, that she loved him, and that he loved her, but nothing short of divine intervention could change the doom hanging over them…
By now they were approaching Odo-Ẹjẹ. Singbade started to sing once more:
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla , turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo aro If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Aro
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Boo ba dẹhin wa a d’odo ẹjẹ If you don’t turn back, you’ll get to Odo-Ẹjẹ
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata ọrun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o ṣe o
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Amọla dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo Turn back Amọla , turn back from this journey
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
A ni ko dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Jowo dẹhin , Amọla dẹhin ajo
Dẹhin o mee dẹhin
Agogo aye n ro kangokango o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Bata orun n ro kereju k’ẹru b’ọmọ
Amọla dẹhin o ṣe o
Dẹhin o, mee dẹhin
Although Amọla was petrified, she was still determined, now more than ever, not to turn back, and Singbade felt that he had no control over the matter any more.
They got to Odo-Ẹjẹ, which was exactly as Singbade had described it. To cross the river Singbade had to wear a pair of Salubata, which he promptly brought out. He remembered that he had another pair with him – the ones he had taken into town for repairs, and had collected just that same afternoon – and gave them to Amọla to wear. They both started to walk on the thin metal strip.
Amọla glanced at her surroundings – at the spirits, who looked very scary, at the heads of people hung on trees, which were horrifying. She started to shiver – so uncontrollably that Singbade was afraid that she would trip on the thin metal strip and fall into the river. The spirits wanted to attack her.
“She’s with me, so don’t touch her!” Singbade shouted authoritatively. “Otherwise, I’ll kill you!”
They had no doubt that Singbade would do as he threatened, because they knew him – they knew about his skills in this area; he had had to fight them before and won. So, they left Amọla alone, and just looked at the two of them as they passed by.
Singbade and Amọla both made it to the other end of the river. They walked for a while, deeper and deeper into the forest.
“So, this is what Singbade means by ‘I’ve nothing to offer you but death’. He’s afraid that I’d be attacked in this forest by a wild animal!” Amọla thought. “But with him here to protect me, how can that be? Is he not a very successful hunter after all?”
Suddenly she stopped short in her track as she remembered exactly what Singbade had said to her when he was talking about himself:
‘I once lived in this town and was going into the deep forest to hunt at a place where two rivers joined the sea. I had guns…I was very successful, but alas my success got me into trouble”.
Amọla also remembered what he had said when he was telling her to turn back after they had crossed Odo-Aro, about causing offence in some quarters:
‘…A curse was put on me so that I’d experience what it’s like to be hunted like the animals I hunted’.
She had not let him finish what he had wanted to say because she had been adamant about not going back. Now she wondered what it was he had wanted to tell her – what it all meant – and knew instinctively that her life was in very grave danger.
As Amọla was pondering over what to do next Singbade was already heading towards a clearing in the bush on which stood a big tree with wide-spreading branches. Close to the tree was a disused barn and hanging on a branch of the tree was a lion skin. Amọla took in the setting and wondered why Singbade had hung the skin of a lion that he must have killed on the branch, close to a disused barn, and why Singbade was heading there. Surely this was not where he lived!
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
Singbade did not seem to have heard her. He just went on to the tree branch, removed the skin from it, and threw it on himself. In the twinkle of an eye, Amọla saw before her a lion, which was now coming towards her, roaring, and about to devour her. She would have been rooted to the spot with shock if at that moment something did not click in her brains – something that must have been building up to this moment. Instead she ran quickly away from there, her complete awareness of the situation lending speed to her feet.
Roaring, the lion ran after Amọla, and Amọla continued to run, heart pounding wildly, wondering if she was indeed going to end her life there. It pursued the terrified girl, wanting to devour her, but could not catch up with her. Suddenly, as they were approaching the sea that Singbade had told Amọla about, and they came to a narrow pathway, there was a gust of wind, and a huge tree fell in front of the lion, just as Amọla moved away from the same spot. The lion turned this way and that way and could not proceed further. Amọla made haste for the sea without looking back. By the time she did the lion had disappeared.
When Amọla got to the sea shore, she sank to the ground with relief, heart still pounding. She had been badly shaken, and as realization of her situation sank in, she started to cry her heart out. Here she was all alone in the middle of nowhere – far away from home, not knowing how she was going to get back.
“I’m surely going to die after all” she said to herself.
…
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Amọla ’s parents had been deeply worried and unhappy, wondering what had happened to their daughter. When Amọla did not come home at the close of the market they sought out friends and neighbours, some of whom were sellers at the same market as Amọla , to find out if anybody had seen her that day. It was the friend Amọla handed her stall over to when she decided to follow Singbade that was able to finally throw light on the situation.
“Amọla said that she had some urgent business to attend to and asked me to take care of her stall for her. When she didn’t return, I just put her things away, locked the stall, and took the key home”.
“Would the business she had to attend to have anything to do with the man she told us she’s met, do you think – that’s if the man actually exists? After all she’s never brought him home”, Amọla ’s mother asked her husband.
“He exists all right, and they love each other”, Amọla ’s friend could not help volunteering the information. But he’d made it clear from the beginning that he couldn’t marry Amọla, and from one or two things he’s told her, Amọla believes that something is seriously wrong…”.
“Oh dear! What does this all mean?” Amọla‘s mother asked of no one in particular.
“Ah! There’s something else that could have bearing on where Amọla is. Amọla has said a few times that she’d rather run away than be married off to the Ọba”, the friend continued.
“So perhaps she’s run away with the man!” Amọla ’s mother exclaimed, and burst into tears, blaming herself and her husband for this turn of events.
“We’ve pushed Amọla to this. We should have left her to marry whomever and whenever, instead of threatening to marry her off to the Ọba. We may never see her again”, she wailed.
“Steady on! Amọla may still come back home”, the father tried to reassure the mother.
The next day Amọla ’s parents, with the help of others, started to look everywhere in the town for their daughter when she still had not returned. She was nowhere to be found. They went to nearby towns and villages, and they still could not find her. So, they returned home, weighed down by sorrow.
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Amọla remained at the sea shore until the next day. She was very frightened, but happy to be alive’.
“Would I have been better off married to the Ọba or any of those other men than to be in the situation I’m in now?” she was wondering, when she woke up in the morning.
“Perhaps, but I don’t love any of these men, and it’s unfair to marry one of them. Now that I’ve experienced love, I don’t think I can marry anyone unless it’s for love”.
She suddenly remembered Singbade, and started crying, sobbing uncontrollably, head bowed.
“What’s the matter, my lovely one?”
Amọla looked up to see an old woman who was gazing down at her with such kindness, and Amọla was taken aback. She seemed to have materialized from nowhere.
“Who’s this woman, and what’s she doing here”, Amọla wondered.
Amọla found herself recounting all that had happened to her, to this stranger – pouring out her heart, leaving nothing out – the pressure put on her to marry, and now when she had finally found someone she loved, it had to come to a near disaster for her…
“I was almost killed. Now I can’t even go back home or make it safely there. Not only don’t I know the way back, but I’ll also be too frightened to cross Odo-Ẹjẹ and Odo-Aro; I’d more likely to die at Odo-Ẹjẹ, and my head will be hung on a tree!” Amọla started crying again, sobbing uncontrollably.
As Amọla was telling her story the old woman remembered suddenly the hunter she had cast a spell on and knew that it was the same man Amọla had fallen in love with. She remembered how it all happened…
A long time ago, the world was very different. Humans and animals had much in common, lived side by side, spoke the same language and generally behaved the same way. Some animals, like the Ijapa (tortoise) possessed remarkable physical and mental capabilities.
A lion had approached her, the Goddess of the River and the Forest with special powers and asked her to help him. The lion had gone on to tell her about Singbade, a very brave and successful hunter, shooting lots and lots of animals with his guns, and how, whenever an animal saw him it fled as fast as it could, but how the hunter was skilful and still caught many of them.
“Finally, as the leader I summoned all the other animals to a meeting” she remembered the lion telling her. ‘I’m the king of the animals’ I said to them” the lion had continued. ‘I will take revenge on this fearless hunter. The Goddess of the Forest will help me’. This is why I’ve come to you. Please help us take revenge on him”.
The old woman, the Goddess of the River and the Forest had felt very sorry for all the animals at the time; she was not happy that they were being killed en masse and had decided to help them. She had weighed up how to bring about this revenge, using her special powers.
“I’ll turn the hunter into an animal”, she had said, “a lion like you and force him to live among you in the forests, and experience being hunted. At the same time, he would be allowed to go into town – any town he chooses – as a human being once a week for a couple of days, leaving his skin on a tree, to see what he’s missing. Any time anyone happens to come into the forest with him, he’d turn into a savage beast, and devour them. So, either way he’d never be happy; he’d be afraid for his life as an animal, and lonely as a human being, unable to develop any relationship with anyone – male or female”.
“You’ll hang your skin on this tree when you leave for a taste of town life, and when you come back, you’ll put it back on”, she had said to him.
The old woman had gone on to cast a spell on Singbade. She had thrown a lion skin on him, and he had changed into a savage beast there and then.
Hearing Amọla ’s story, the old woman felt deeply sorry for her – for her predicament. She decided that Amọla needed her help as well – that she had helped the animals long enough. She knew, without doubt, that if she were to reverse the curse that she cast on Singbade, and he went back to his real self, he would never return to the forests, let alone bother the animals again.
Singbade had a home in town and would go back to live there – especially now. The old woman sensed that Singbade and Amọla cared deeply for each other, and this touched her heart. She alone could break the curse, and she decided to do so.
“Don’t worry, my dear” the old woman told Amọla . “Dry your tears. Your problems are over. I’m going to help you. You’ll not be forced to marry the Ọba or anyone else you don’t want to. You’ll marry Singbade”.
Amọla gasped, shocked by what she had just heard.
“What…? How…?” she tried to form a sentence, but could not, because she was bewildered by the turn of events.
“Don’t worry. I’ll do the talking” the old woman continued. She then went on to tell Amọla she was, all that had happened to Singbade, and of her intention to reverse the curse.
“Wait here. I’ll bring Singbade back to you, and you’ll both go back to your town. He’ll never need to return to the forests – to put on the lion skin and turn into a lion again. He’s suffered enough and making a life with you will compensate for the sufferings we’ve put him through. He’s a good man and has done nothing wrong really. I know that now. He was merely doing his work as a deep forest hunter like others, and it wasn’t his fault that he was very successful and brave. It’s a way of life”.
The old woman went to look for Singbade, to reverse the curse. She removed the lion skin from him for ever. She told him how she had found Amọla on the sea shore, and how she had told her everything she had gone through.
“Go back to your town. You and Amọla deserve to have each other, and to be happy”.
The Goddess of the River and the Forest led Singbade back to where Amọla was sitting and took her leave of them.
Amọla and Singbade could not believe their luck after all they had been through. They rushed towards each other, and were instantly locked in a long embrace, exchanging wild kisses, unable to break away except once or twice, to gaze adoringly into each other’s eyes. They started kissing again, whispering tender, loving words. They finally broke apart.
“To think I might have killed you…!” Singbade said, pondering over the whole thing, trembling. He looked at Amọla in fear and consternation.
“Don’t think about it…”, Amọla said, holding him very close to her.
“Let’s get out of here!” Singbade continued, nestling against Amọla . “I still have my home in Kasawa, and I’m looking forward to taking you there. I couldn’t bring myself to go back there after the curse had been put on me. I would have felt very sad, not being able to go back to my old life, but then one day I just decided to. It must have been fate; I wouldn’t have met you, otherwise”.
Singbade and Amọla left the forest, crossing the two rivers – Odo-Ẹjẹ and Odo-Aro. Amọla was hardly aware of these strange and bewildering rivers and their surroundings, or of the spirits at Odo-Ẹjẹ, and their devilish and dangerous practices. She was so wrapped up in Singbade, and in what they were saying to each other. It seemed as if the journey back was much faster than the other way around. They talked mostly about Singbade’s prior ordeal.
When they got to Kasawa, Amọla took Singbade straight home, where she found her parents sitting down, with bowed heads, as if they were in mourning. The couple had returned home after their failed efforts to locate their daughter’s whereabouts, thoroughly dejected and mortified.
The parents sprang up quickly when they caught sight of their daughter and rushed to embrace her, not even bothering to listen to her explanations for her disappearance. It was enough that she was back home safe and sound. No explanations or apologies were necessary.
“Father, Mother, meet Singbade, the man I’m going to marry! We’ve been through the most extraordinary experience together”, Amọla said, introducing Singbade, whose presence they had hardly registered, since their daughter’s return. Amọla asked her parents to sit down, and then recounted the whole incident to them.
“Our insistence that you should you should get married, and threats to hand you over to the Ọba could have cost you your life. So, we thank God this hasn’t happened. We should have left you alone to choose whomever you wanted to marry, and whenever” Amọla ’s mother said.
“Yes, but I’ve learnt a lesson too. Singbade had refused to marry me or take me with him, and yet I decided to trail him into the forest”, Amọla started to say. “My disobedience in following him because I was blinded by my love for him, almost cost me my life. But God so kind, I didn’t die”. Laughing suddenly, she turned to Singbade.
“Singbade, how many times did you tell me to turn back, and in a song as well, and I refused to turn back?”
“Countless of times, stubborn girl”, Singbade answered, teasingly.
“Despite all you’ve been through, you and Singbade seem destined to be together, and we’re happy for you both” Amọla ’s father told them.
“We’ll make sure that others learn from this experience – that, from now on, women aren’t forced to marry, just because well-to-do men seek them out for their beauty!” he added.
Singbade took Amọla to his home, the two of them still in raptures, and from that day on, until they got married, they were inseparable. They were so much in love, and their love-match set a precedent for other men and women of their town.
Other parents learnt from the experience of Amọla and Singbade, like Amọla ’s father wanted. Not only were women left to choose whomever they wanted to marry and whenever, but they were also not threatened with being married off to the Ọba of their town!
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