Asika and his friend rose and left, satisfied with Emenike’s word. They had taken their complaint to the right ear and were soberly reflecting on those words as it sounded more truthful to them. It was words of a respected person in the clan. He never ate a word he had vomited from his mouth. Emenike for the good part never behaved indecently in saying the truth. He was a man of his word in matters of trust and honesty and was held in high esteem in the whole clan by everyone. The glory of one guided him. Besides, he was a titled man with a mark on the tongue. When an nze told lies in the name of the gods in a matter, it was sealed.
Emenike for life had never felt disappointed and dejected till his children started growing to men. They reduced his personality to nothing, bringing in shame and dishonour to him every day. But he was filled with quiver for Agumba. With him, there was hope for a better tomorrow for his father’s family.
*
Emenike Nwanna lay relaxed on his bamboo bed that afternoon and slept off. It was mid-day. He had just returned from his farm and was taking some rest. That was the beginning of planting season during the clearing of bush. He had earlier on that day passed through the disputed land on his way to the farm and saw it cleared, with omu placed on every corner by the offender. Omu was a symbol of sacredness, danger, dispute and anger. It was kept there to tell the two disputing parties to keep off it till it was settled by the titled men.
As he dozed off, he had a frightening dream that woke him up. In his dream, he saw himself buried alive. He buried himself and his two arms and his head was on the topsoil. In a short while, a good number of vultures gathered to make the meal out of him. Then a strong voice was heard, cursing him to death. Nothing good was remembered about him by this voice. It was grievous and sounding weepy, complaining bitterly that he, the only one he trusted in the clan had failed him by eating with an outcast, osu and eating vulture, anu ojoo. The earth stood still not moving. It was two grievous sins. Did he eat with an outcast because there was no man in Umudi and even beyond to eat with and vulture because there was no meat in his house or that all the meat in the bush had finished? Things turned out so slowly that the world was over. Amadioha wept for his son. The sun and the moon struggled for a place in the sky. As the voice stopped saying anything further, the two vultures standing in the heart of his house chopped off his head in a hurry and started fighting over it.
He woke up sweating, stood up and wandered briefly. His house seemed to him from afar. He was no longer human. The dream was not ordinary. He went back to his seat and the sleep stole him again.
The dream showed the clear future for him, at least the first one. He could die miserably at any moment and that would be bad. He got into the dream again. He called Agumba before he died and entrusted him with his family. He was blessing him when a vulture that was bigger and taller than a man came and chopped off his head. He screamed loudly, woke up and spat off, “Oburu ogwu ogaghiere!” He spat again and again. His young children ran in to know why he was talking alone. He went and took his fan to fan off the heat that filled his body.
He concluded it was a mere dream. Though he never feared dreams, but this very dream was having the influence of the gods.
His mind quickly ran to Agumba. He cherished Agumba, and he went through a period of sober reflection before giving him the name, ‘lion of the clan’. Eagle was the king of the birds and an embodiment of wisdom. He was also Ugonna. Ugo was the eagle. All other birds came under him. The eagle stayed and watched other birds and discerned dangers. He convinced himself that Ugomba would be the clear reflection of the eagle - king of the birds.
“Sometimes we become panic stricken but if an old man like me should fear, what becomes of my white hair,” he told himself and felt his hair.
“Nna, why did you shout?” his grandson asked.
“Go back to your mother,” he replied.
He sat and thought for a while that even though his dreams were false, he still had to equip Agumba for what lay ahead.
“After all, l am not the first son of my father, but today, what we are does not depend on one’s position but on his personal achievement,” he also told himself.
Those were words of comfort one gave himself when he faced a tragedy.