AMARACHI THE BEAUTIFUL POOR CHILD
Amarachi The Beautiful Poor Child - Chapter Seventeen (Part 2)
Theme: And Her Journey to Destiny-Discovery
By Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor
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plagiarising, commercialization, or rewording of
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The two girls went to Akunna, pulled her up and they all encircled each other
in their friendly arms.
At this point, Ego Oyibo’s tears became pronounced. She had to use the
tissue too to get her eyes cleaned and dried.
After the emotional moment, Akunna cleared her throat and said: “Amy,
keep the food. I think I’m okay now,”
Amarachi kept the food and still stood beside the bed with Uremma.
“Seems you have information to pass,” Amy said as she looked pitifully at
Akunna, “go on, please,” Amy dropped the food flask and covered it. The spoon
fell and clanked as she tried to position it well on the drawer. She picked it and
kept it back in position.
Ego started leaving because she knew that there could be a secret that the
three girls wouldn’t want her to be abreast of.
“Mommy, you don’t need to go,” Akunna said, making Ego to stop, and
then closed the door so that the information would remain a secret if Akunna
didn’t want it to be heard by any other person outside those in the ward.
“You can now talk, my daughter,” Ego said and came closer too.
After taking a deep breath, Akunna said: “When someone is initiated into
the brotherhood or sisterhood, you’d think that there are benefits just as we
were made to believe when we were newbie,” Uremma nodded in agreement
with her speech because she had the experience too. “I was promised the
position of the queen by professor Nwoko who happens...”
“What!” Amarachi snarled with surprise. The entire women in the room were surprised, even Uremma who never
knew that the professor was among the cartel.
“Are you sure of this?” Uremma asked looking surprised because through
her dad, she knew many of the cartel members but not Professor. “How was I
not in the know?”
“I think it’s because of a personality clash between your dad and the
professor,” Akunna said looking so bothered still.
Amarachi was so surprised that professor Nwoko was among the men
that overheat the polity.
“My daughter, are you sure your strengths can lead you on with the
revelation?” Ego asked as a caring mom to be sure the young girl was fit.
“I’m stronger than you think, ma,” Akunna said and smiled, “believe me
when I say that I couldn’t wait to get out from the coma just to reveal these,”
she added with a deep sense of achievement, “the entire things happened in
this ward were like dreams to me. There was even a time I talked with
Amarachi but couldn’t remember what we discussed about,”
That last sentence got Amarachi afraid and surprised because it was the
exact trance she passed through that Akunna dreamt about too, but she didn’t
talk but kept listening.
“Go on,” Uremma urged.
“Professor Nwoko and Ozo Odenjinji are arch enemies right now,”
Akunna went on, “even though the professor is much younger, he’s stronger
than we all could imagine; both in mind and spirit. But generally, he’s a good
man,”
Amarachi picked the bottle of water from the fridge and gave Akunna to
drink. “You may need it for your strength,” she said and gave Akunna to drink.
Akunna was so happy the way Amy treated her. She took a sip of the
water and gave her back to keep.
“Professor Nwoko was the one that got the juggernaut involved in my
case that led to my release,” Akunna continued, getting Amy so interested to
know who the Juggernaut was.
“Please, who’s this juggernaut that I’ve heard severally?” Amarachi asked
listening with rapt attention and interest.
“Igwe Akajiaku 1 of Okporo is the juggernaut,” Akunna revealed, getting
everyone bewildered and wowed.
“Dave’s father?” Uremma asked absently as she got more confused
because the last time she checked, Dave’s dad had nothing with the cartel and
wasn’t even a member of any fraternity.
Amarachi sat on the bed because she suddenly developed trembling feet
when she had that Dave’s dad who disowned his son was involved with the
deadly group.
“Let her continue,” Ego Oyibo urged, so that the revelations wouldn’t last
long to avoid being hindered by intrusion of a visitor to the private ward.
Quietude returned again and stole the moment while everybody became
attentive for more.
“Do not be too quick to judge,” Akunna said and smiled, “The king of
Okporo is a man respected and even feared by all and sundry because of his influence, connections and high spirit. The cartel was afraid of him, but he
wasn’t a member,”
Amarachi heaved a deep sigh of relief because she knew that if fate
allows it, she’d end up with Dave, and she wouldn’t want a dubious father-inlaw or someone drowned in fetishism. She was happy hearing that the King of
Okporo was a man of honour and not ignoble like Ozo Odenjinji.
“So how did you get released,” Amarachi asked and placed her hands on
the bed to support her aching back.
“I wasn’t released but rescued,” Akunna said, making them surprised and
curious.
“This is getting interesting,” Ego Oyibo said and adjusted her wrapper as
the gossip became friendlier to her hearing.
“Dave wasn’t tortured because the cartel was afraid of his dad meddling
in their ritualistic business,” Akunna replied in continuation of the story, “I was
tortured, molested, assaulted and maimed,” she said and pulled up the bedsheet
and showed them that one of her toes were already mutilated during the ritual
of terminating her tenure as the queen mother.
“This is inhuman,” Uremma blurted with anger, “my dad must pay for
this,”
“He’s not your dad,” Akunna added, getting everybody more shocked.
Uremma began to faint as the information landed with a hefty blow on
her that got her ear tingled. As she was about to collapse, Ego and Amarachi
rushed at her and held her while Akunna tried to help too but she couldn’t get
up from the bed to do the strenuous job.
“You may need to stop now,” Ego Oyibo said as they slowly made Uremma
sit.
After a while of rest as Uremma tried to understand what Akunna just
said, she smiled angrily and said: “Continue,”
Amarachi held Uremma closely to find solace in her companionship and
then held her by the nape. “Are you okay with the decision?” she asked.
“I wished he wasn’t my dad and now it seems to be a dream coming
through,” she said as she felt consoled, “I’m eager to hear it and I’m more eager
to meet my real dad,”
Akunna observed Uremma and felt that it was better she knew the truth
than being kept in the darkness of vagueness.
“Ozo Odenjinji used Uremma as a money-making machine,” Akunna said
and looked at Uremma whose heart was broken, “he has a maximum number
of years he was meant to make use of Uremma before discarding her to die.
Initiating her to the slay queens was a way of making her more powerful. I
overheard them talk about one madwoman whose lineage brings fortune and
wealth. According to him, Uremma’s mom and the madwoman were twin
sisters. Or was it that Uremma was a daughter to the madwoman? I can’t
really be sure, but there is a connection she has with the mad woman,”
“Wait, what are you trying to say?” Amarachi cut in, “did he mention the
name of the madwoman?” she asked with utmost curiosity, “did he mention
any name like Mkpulumma?”
Akunna remained mute thoughtfully as she went down memory lane to
know if she could remember vividly or in parts what she heard but she
couldn’t.
“I really can’t tell,” Akunna replied, making Amarachi more intense.
“Does it mean that Uremma is my sister?” Amarachi asked looking both
confused and bewildered.
Uremma didn’t understand that part but was so keen to, so she got up
from her sitting position and went to the bedside to understand it well.
“Don’t be too quick to conclude because this is just hearsay and we’re yet
to get the real truth from the Ozo,” Ego Oyibo advised, making Amarachi calm
down but that never stopped Uremma from that quest to dig for answers.
“Amy, can you explain please,” Uremma said and held her by the shoulder
observing her closely to know if she could spot a resemblance with her, “are
you a sister of mine?”
Thinking about Ego Oyibo’s caution, Amarachi didn’t want to go on with
that conclusion until the truth is revealed from the horse’s mouth.
“I don’t know again,” Amarachi said in a foggy tone, “My mom died a
madwoman, though she wasn’t twin,” she added to weather the storm until
when the chips are down.
“As I said, let’s have more evidence or be hopeful that one comes up to get
all these mysteries solved,” Ego informed, making everyone calm.
As lots of questions and curiosity thrived among them, calmness set it;
each person thinking about her part and how to get the mystery solved.
“But how did you get to know all these?” Amarachi asked. Others nodded
in support of the intelligent question.
“They cut my toes,” Akunna proceeded, “according to the ritual, my toe
would be cooked for the incoming queen mother to eat it, signifying that she’s finally going into the shoes of the outgoing Queen who would be murdered.
They make us believe that the outgoing or retiring slay queen ends her life in
the UK or any country of her choice but we never knew they murder them in
cold blood.”
Uremma couldn’t bear this because she just realised why her dad kept
forcing her to go into ‘Akunna’s shoes’ without knowing that what he actually
meant was for her to eat her maimed toe. She shrugged with disgust as her
hatred for her dad escalated.
“Aku, does it mean that you ate someone’s toe before becoming the
leader?” Uremma asked, sounding uninformed.
“Yes, I did,” she replied regrettably and hissed, “Yuck! I was outwitted to
believe that it was the toe of a gorilla but never knew the real truth behind the
ritual. I don’t want to remember other things that happened then during my
initiation,”
“It was unheard of that such people still existed in the society,” Amarachi
said out of anger, “I think it’s time we took the bull by the horn,”
“I’m with you, Amy baby” Uremma said with anger, “let’s deal with this
man and end his reign for once,”
“Dave was rescued because the juggernaut ordered his immediate release,
though he didn’t want his son to know about his involvement in getting him
freed,” Akunna informed, “but in my case, even though professor Nwoko
intervened by alerting the king of Okporo, I still wasn’t granted freedom until
his men came for a rescue mission. There was a shootout because I couldn’t be
freed without a fight. In the fight, the two parties lost some men but I was still
rescued,"
finally going into the shoes of the outgoing Queen who would be murdered.
They make us believe that the outgoing or retiring slay queen ends her life in
the UK or any country of her choice but we never knew they murder them in
cold blood.”
Uremma couldn’t bear this because she just realised why her dad kept
forcing her to go into ‘Akunna’s shoes’ without knowing that what he actually
meant was for her to eat her maimed toe. She shrugged with disgust as her
hatred for her dad escalated.
“Aku, does it mean that you ate someone’s toe before becoming the
leader?” Uremma asked, sounding uninformed.
“Yes, I did,” she replied regrettably and hissed, “Yuck! I was outwitted to
believe that it was the toe of a gorilla but never knew the real truth behind the
ritual. I don’t want to remember other things that happened then during my
initiation,”
“It was unheard of that such people still existed in the society,” Amarachi
said out of anger, “I think it’s time we took the bull by the horn,”
“I’m with you, Amy baby” Uremma said with anger, “let’s deal with this
man and end his reign for once,”
“Dave was rescued because the juggernaut ordered his immediate release,
though he didn’t want his son to know about his involvement in getting him
freed,” Akunna informed, “but in my case, even though professor Nwoko
intervened by alerting the king of Okporo, I still wasn’t granted freedom until
his men came for a rescue mission. There was a shootout because I couldn’t be
freed without a fight. In the fight, the two parties lost some men but I was still
rescued,
They were all so surprised to hear this. They never knew that Akunna
went through such.
“What’s the location of this ritual, or do I say animalistic gesture?”
Uremma asked while others listened.
“Ogbunike Cave,” she replied, “many people come for tourist visits but
never knew that there was a part hidden away from the public where such
treacherous and inhuman activities take place,”
Ego snapped her finger severally because she’d always heard
Mkpulumma talking about Ogbunike without even knowing what she meant
by that. A madwoman could reveal lots of things according to her
dementedness but couldn’t express it in a way that a listener could make
meaning out of it.
in their friendly arms.
At this point, Ego Oyibo’s tears became pronounced. She had to use the
tissue too to get her eyes cleaned and dried.
After the emotional moment, Akunna cleared her throat and said: “Amy,
keep the food. I think I’m okay now,”
Amarachi kept the food and still stood beside the bed with Uremma.
“Seems you have information to pass,” Amy said as she looked pitifully at
Akunna, “go on, please,” Amy dropped the food flask and covered it. The spoon
fell and clanked as she tried to position it well on the drawer. She picked it and
kept it back in position.
Ego started leaving because she knew that there could be a secret that the
three girls wouldn’t want her to be abreast of.
“Mommy, you don’t need to go,” Akunna said, making Ego to stop, and
then closed the door so that the information would remain a secret if Akunna
didn’t want it to be heard by any other person outside those in the ward.
“You can now talk, my daughter,” Ego said and came closer too.
After taking a deep breath, Akunna said: “When someone is initiated into
the brotherhood or sisterhood, you’d think that there are benefits just as we
were made to believe when we were newbie,” Uremma nodded in agreement
with her speech because she had the experience too. “I was promised the
position of the queen by professor Nwoko who happens...”
“What!” Amarachi snarled with surprise. The entire women in the room were surprised, even Uremma who never
knew that the professor was among the cartel.
“Are you sure of this?” Uremma asked looking surprised because through
her dad, she knew many of the cartel members but not Professor. “How was I
not in the know?”
“I think it’s because of a personality clash between your dad and the
professor,” Akunna said looking so bothered still.
Amarachi was so surprised that professor Nwoko was among the men
that overheat the polity.
“My daughter, are you sure your strengths can lead you on with the
revelation?” Ego asked as a caring mom to be sure the young girl was fit.
“I’m stronger than you think, ma,” Akunna said and smiled, “believe me
when I say that I couldn’t wait to get out from the coma just to reveal these,”
she added with a deep sense of achievement, “the entire things happened in
this ward were like dreams to me. There was even a time I talked with
Amarachi but couldn’t remember what we discussed about,”
That last sentence got Amarachi afraid and surprised because it was the
exact trance she passed through that Akunna dreamt about too, but she didn’t
talk but kept listening.
“Go on,” Uremma urged.
“Professor Nwoko and Ozo Odenjinji are arch enemies right now,”
Akunna went on, “even though the professor is much younger, he’s stronger
than we all could imagine; both in mind and spirit. But generally, he’s a good
man,”
Amarachi picked the bottle of water from the fridge and gave Akunna to
drink. “You may need it for your strength,” she said and gave Akunna to drink.
Akunna was so happy the way Amy treated her. She took a sip of the
water and gave her back to keep.
“Professor Nwoko was the one that got the juggernaut involved in my
case that led to my release,” Akunna continued, getting Amy so interested to
know who the Juggernaut was.
“Please, who’s this juggernaut that I’ve heard severally?” Amarachi asked
listening with rapt attention and interest.
“Igwe Akajiaku 1 of Okporo is the juggernaut,” Akunna revealed, getting
everyone bewildered and wowed.
“Dave’s father?” Uremma asked absently as she got more confused
because the last time she checked, Dave’s dad had nothing with the cartel and
wasn’t even a member of any fraternity.
Amarachi sat on the bed because she suddenly developed trembling feet
when she had that Dave’s dad who disowned his son was involved with the
deadly group.
“Let her continue,” Ego Oyibo urged, so that the revelations wouldn’t last
long to avoid being hindered by intrusion of a visitor to the private ward.
Quietude returned again and stole the moment while everybody became
attentive for more.
“Do not be too quick to judge,” Akunna said and smiled, “The king of
Okporo is a man respected and even feared by all and sundry because of his influence, connections and high spirit. The cartel was afraid of him, but he
wasn’t a member,”
Amarachi heaved a deep sigh of relief because she knew that if fate
allows it, she’d end up with Dave, and she wouldn’t want a dubious father-inlaw or someone drowned in fetishism. She was happy hearing that the King of
Okporo was a man of honour and not ignoble like Ozo Odenjinji.
“So how did you get released,” Amarachi asked and placed her hands on
the bed to support her aching back.
“I wasn’t released but rescued,” Akunna said, making them surprised and
curious.
“This is getting interesting,” Ego Oyibo said and adjusted her wrapper as
the gossip became friendlier to her hearing.
“Dave wasn’t tortured because the cartel was afraid of his dad meddling
in their ritualistic business,” Akunna replied in continuation of the story, “I was
tortured, molested, assaulted and maimed,” she said and pulled up the bedsheet
and showed them that one of her toes were already mutilated during the ritual
of terminating her tenure as the queen mother.
“This is inhuman,” Uremma blurted with anger, “my dad must pay for
this,”
“He’s not your dad,” Akunna added, getting everybody more shocked.
Uremma began to faint as the information landed with a hefty blow on
her that got her ear tingled. As she was about to collapse, Ego and Amarachi
rushed at her and held her while Akunna tried to help too but she couldn’t get
up from the bed to do the strenuous job.
“You may need to stop now,” Ego Oyibo said as they slowly made Uremma
sit.
After a while of rest as Uremma tried to understand what Akunna just
said, she smiled angrily and said: “Continue,”
Amarachi held Uremma closely to find solace in her companionship and
then held her by the nape. “Are you okay with the decision?” she asked.
“I wished he wasn’t my dad and now it seems to be a dream coming
through,” she said as she felt consoled, “I’m eager to hear it and I’m more eager
to meet my real dad,”
Akunna observed Uremma and felt that it was better she knew the truth
than being kept in the darkness of vagueness.
“Ozo Odenjinji used Uremma as a money-making machine,” Akunna said
and looked at Uremma whose heart was broken, “he has a maximum number
of years he was meant to make use of Uremma before discarding her to die.
Initiating her to the slay queens was a way of making her more powerful. I
overheard them talk about one madwoman whose lineage brings fortune and
wealth. According to him, Uremma’s mom and the madwoman were twin
sisters. Or was it that Uremma was a daughter to the madwoman? I can’t
really be sure, but there is a connection she has with the mad woman,”
“Wait, what are you trying to say?” Amarachi cut in, “did he mention the
name of the madwoman?” she asked with utmost curiosity, “did he mention
any name like Mkpulumma?”
Akunna remained mute thoughtfully as she went down memory lane to
know if she could remember vividly or in parts what she heard but she
couldn’t.
“I really can’t tell,” Akunna replied, making Amarachi more intense.
“Does it mean that Uremma is my sister?” Amarachi asked looking both
confused and bewildered.
Uremma didn’t understand that part but was so keen to, so she got up
from her sitting position and went to the bedside to understand it well.
“Don’t be too quick to conclude because this is just hearsay and we’re yet
to get the real truth from the Ozo,” Ego Oyibo advised, making Amarachi calm
down but that never stopped Uremma from that quest to dig for answers.
“Amy, can you explain please,” Uremma said and held her by the shoulder
observing her closely to know if she could spot a resemblance with her, “are
you a sister of mine?”
Thinking about Ego Oyibo’s caution, Amarachi didn’t want to go on with
that conclusion until the truth is revealed from the horse’s mouth.
“I don’t know again,” Amarachi said in a foggy tone, “My mom died a
madwoman, though she wasn’t twin,” she added to weather the storm until
when the chips are down.
“As I said, let’s have more evidence or be hopeful that one comes up to get
all these mysteries solved,” Ego informed, making everyone calm.
As lots of questions and curiosity thrived among them, calmness set it;
each person thinking about her part and how to get the mystery solved.
“But how did you get to know all these?” Amarachi asked. Others nodded
in support of the intelligent question.
“They cut my toes,” Akunna proceeded, “according to the ritual, my toe
would be cooked for the incoming queen mother to eat it, signifying that she’s finally going into the shoes of the outgoing Queen who would be murdered.
They make us believe that the outgoing or retiring slay queen ends her life in
the UK or any country of her choice but we never knew they murder them in
cold blood.”
Uremma couldn’t bear this because she just realised why her dad kept
forcing her to go into ‘Akunna’s shoes’ without knowing that what he actually
meant was for her to eat her maimed toe. She shrugged with disgust as her
hatred for her dad escalated.
“Aku, does it mean that you ate someone’s toe before becoming the
leader?” Uremma asked, sounding uninformed.
“Yes, I did,” she replied regrettably and hissed, “Yuck! I was outwitted to
believe that it was the toe of a gorilla but never knew the real truth behind the
ritual. I don’t want to remember other things that happened then during my
initiation,”
“It was unheard of that such people still existed in the society,” Amarachi
said out of anger, “I think it’s time we took the bull by the horn,”
“I’m with you, Amy baby” Uremma said with anger, “let’s deal with this
man and end his reign for once,”
“Dave was rescued because the juggernaut ordered his immediate release,
though he didn’t want his son to know about his involvement in getting him
freed,” Akunna informed, “but in my case, even though professor Nwoko
intervened by alerting the king of Okporo, I still wasn’t granted freedom until
his men came for a rescue mission. There was a shootout because I couldn’t be
freed without a fight. In the fight, the two parties lost some men but I was still
rescued,"
finally going into the shoes of the outgoing Queen who would be murdered.
They make us believe that the outgoing or retiring slay queen ends her life in
the UK or any country of her choice but we never knew they murder them in
cold blood.”
Uremma couldn’t bear this because she just realised why her dad kept
forcing her to go into ‘Akunna’s shoes’ without knowing that what he actually
meant was for her to eat her maimed toe. She shrugged with disgust as her
hatred for her dad escalated.
“Aku, does it mean that you ate someone’s toe before becoming the
leader?” Uremma asked, sounding uninformed.
“Yes, I did,” she replied regrettably and hissed, “Yuck! I was outwitted to
believe that it was the toe of a gorilla but never knew the real truth behind the
ritual. I don’t want to remember other things that happened then during my
initiation,”
“It was unheard of that such people still existed in the society,” Amarachi
said out of anger, “I think it’s time we took the bull by the horn,”
“I’m with you, Amy baby” Uremma said with anger, “let’s deal with this
man and end his reign for once,”
“Dave was rescued because the juggernaut ordered his immediate release,
though he didn’t want his son to know about his involvement in getting him
freed,” Akunna informed, “but in my case, even though professor Nwoko
intervened by alerting the king of Okporo, I still wasn’t granted freedom until
his men came for a rescue mission. There was a shootout because I couldn’t be
freed without a fight. In the fight, the two parties lost some men but I was still
rescued,
They were all so surprised to hear this. They never knew that Akunna
went through such.
“What’s the location of this ritual, or do I say animalistic gesture?”
Uremma asked while others listened.
“Ogbunike Cave,” she replied, “many people come for tourist visits but
never knew that there was a part hidden away from the public where such
treacherous and inhuman activities take place,”
Ego snapped her finger severally because she’d always heard
Mkpulumma talking about Ogbunike without even knowing what she meant
by that. A madwoman could reveal lots of things according to her
dementedness but couldn’t express it in a way that a listener could make
meaning out of it.
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