SCENE FIVE
The scene is somewhere in the palace. Ajaka is seen talking to himself and bemoaning the presence of the mysterious head on his hand. Looking at him is a palace guard who is standing at a corner.
AJAKA: May the gods never give us problems that are beyond solutions. For one week now, I've been carrying this (pointing to the head with the second hand) thing with me. Whether I am eating, sleeping and taking my bath, it is there. One would have thought it extends some respect and avoids certain important and private places. Not so for this rapacious head, O. Worse still, it even follows me to he toilet. As I stool, it stares, chuckles and makes a mockery of me. Yet, I really find it difficult to excrete. I squeeze the anus and after a prolong battle, the excreta comes in tiny lumps. Of course the head had devoured much of what I could pass out of my intestine. I do not know the kind of medicine men we now have in the land. No one so far has been able to counter this evil head.
ELENRE'S HEAD: (Chuckles)
You have not seen anything yet. You call me evil head? Who is evil amongst the two of us? I ask you, who is evil? Let me tell you, I have just started with you and by the time I am through, no one will teach you to abdicate. I will have to report you now for posterity. I will have to inform good people who are listening and are likely to intervene in what is between you and I.
Look O, was it not that I was here to plead for a request? Did I wrong you? Have I said anything against your Highness? Did I not fight wars for you all over this land and beyond? What reward did you give me after serving you?
You denied me permission to visit my place of birth and later ordered that i should be severed. I will not depart from you. The man who wants to die has finally met the executioner. It is you and I forever. Eni maku pade eni ma pa. Yes, it is you and I forever.
AJAKA: Though you have decided to pitch your tent here. I beg you to have mercy on me. Even if you will not allow me to eat, kindly allow me to take a lot of water.
ELENRE'S HEAD: Me? You want me to have mercy on you? You must be a joker. Did you have mercy on me when you requested that my head should be cut off? I will show you that while the wicked may take delight to plot evil, it is pertinent to think of the aftermath.
(Oluwo and Olubi stroll in chuckling)
AJAKA: (Furious) What is the reason for this? Why are they laughing? If you do not keep quiet now, I will curse you with this head, Ma fi ori oun sepe fun yin!
I will curse you with the head if you are not careful.
(The men are frightened. They keep quiet)
OLUBI: Please Kabiyesi, we are delighted we have brought his match. The man we have will deal with him.
OLUWO: The head will be struck off in a matter of minutes.
ELENRE'S HEAD: Me? Who is going to strike me off in a matter of minutes. Is it not that half-baked medicine-man call Orisawo? Right from here, I can see all the charms, and medicine he brought to tackle me. If Orisawo calls upon his leaves and medicine they will fail. Today, in this palace, all his charms will heed my command. Surely when I call on them, they will answer me instantly. Ajaka, look whenever you go for help you are finished. With me, you are done for.
AJAKA: Are you truly coming with Orisawo, the herbalist? Is it Orisawo you are bringing?
OLUWO: Yes O, We were coming with him. It was just that we walked ahead of him and we asked him to meet us here.
OLUBI: He is the one we are expecting. But how did this head know? How did he know Orisawo?
OLUWO: I'm surprised. This is baffling.
AJAKA: Strange things are happening in this palace. What beats my imagination is how this heads has foreknowledge of things. How did this head know that you were bringing Orisawo? If Elenre's head knows everything about the herbalist you have consulted and the composition of his herbs, then it is of no use expecting much from such a medicine man. The head will just not go away and I am dying of hunger.
(Enter Orisawo muttering some incantations)
OLUWO: Ha! Ha!! What incantations are you chanting now? The mystery head already knows everything about you including the composition of your herbs.
ORISAWO: (Undauntedly, still chanting incantations.)
My mothers ..... my sixteen-eyed-mothers I salute you.
Hear me and heed my call.
For when the earthworm pays homage to the soil it opens up. Open up the doors to the mystery I have come to resolve.
OLUWO: Can you see this unserious man? We told you the mystery head has punctured your plans, yet you are chanting. Of what use are these chants?
ERENLE'S HEAD: Let him continue to waste his time. He does not know that there is nothing his charms and incantations can do to me. Orisawo, you better go back home and tell them you met someone greater that you.
ORISAWO: (Stupefied) What's going on here?
OLUWO: Did we not tell you? Hear what this one is saying and he calls himself a medicine man.
OLUBI: Do you think it is a minor thing?
ORISAWO: This one beats human understanding. Didn't you hear me? Is this the kind of thing you see everyday?
ERENLE'S HEAD: Orisawo, I beg you to go home to your family in peace. Do not dare me. I'll pack problems that do not belong to you into your sac.
ORISAWO: (he retreats) Kabiyesi (Stammers) I am scared, very sorry about this development. I have no choice than to withdraw, If you have..... I mean, if you have other cases in future, you can send for me, but i want to withdraw from this particular case.
AJAKA: You mean you will leave me alone to face this predicament?
ORISAWO: I am not abandoning you. You are my leader. What I said is that I want to withdraw now. I do not have enough materials to deal with this kind of problem. Let me go and I will return later. I promise ...... I'll come back.
(Orisawo leaves hurriedly).
OLUWO: Kabiyesi, leave him alone. We consulted many of his colleagues. If this one does not know what to do, others will solve the problem.
OLUBI: Don't mind that Orisawo sometimes, he behaves like a confused person. Little things make him shiver. Thanks to the gods we visited other medicine men and we implored them to be here. If not, we would have been lost about what to do.
OLUWO: Can you imagine! A man calls himself a medicine man, he was jittery at the sight of just a human head on someone's arm.
ELENRE'S HEAD (angry) You, (speaking to Oluwo). You are just a loudmouth. How dare you insult me? If not that I decided to teach Ajaka a lesson, I would have sprouted on your very hand so that you will know how it feels.
OLUWO: Please I beg you. I did not mean to insult you. I was just trying to abuse Orisawo that he had brains, but he cannot function reasonably. I beg you how can I insult you? Even when a dog is rabid with madness, he still identifies his master.
(Awobiyi, another medicine man enters carrying a bag full of charms. As he enters, he spits.)
ORISAWO: (Stupefied) What is happening here?
OLUWO: Did we not tell you? Hear what this one is saying and he calls himself a medicine man.
OLUBI: Do you think it is a minor thing?
ORISAWO: This one beats human understanding. Didn't you hear me? Is this the kind of thing you see everyday?
ERENLE'S HEAD: Orisawo, I beg you to go home to your family in peace. Do not dare me! I'll pack problems that do not belong to you into your sac.
ORISAWO: (he retreats) Kabiyesi. (Stammers) I am sacred, very sorry about this development. I have no choice than to withdraw. If you have ..... I mean. If you have other cases in future, you can send for me, but I want to withdraw from this particular case.
AJAKA: You mean you will leave me alone to face this predicament?
ORISAWO: I am not abandoning you. You are my leader. What I said is that I want to withdraw now. I do not have enough materials to deal, with this kind of problem. Let me go and I will return later. I promise ...... I'll come back.
(Orisawo leaves hurriedly)
OLUWO: Kabiyesi, leave him alone. We consulted many of his colleagues. If this one does not know what to do, others will solve the problem.
OLUBI: Don't mind that Orisawo sometimes, he behaves like a confused person. Little things make him shiver. Thanks to the gods we visited other medicine men and we implored them to be here. If not, we would have been lost about what to do.
OLUWO: Can you imagine! A man calls himself a medicine man and he was jittery at the sight of just a human head on someone's arm.
ELENRE'S HEAD: (angry) You, (speaking to Oluwo) You are just a loudmouth. How dare you insult me? If not that I have chosen to teach Ajaka a lesson, I strange visitor in your midst. You have just started. Ajaka, if you had behaved very well and respected our feelings, this will not be happening. We begged you but you refused. You thought you are the only one that has all powers. Though you succeeded in severing me from the rest of my body, you cannot kill me. This is my new abode and I will haunt you for life. The man who wants to die has met his executioner.
(Asawo enters chanting incantations)
ASAWO: Mo juba eyin iya mi, I greet you unequalled mothers. Let my star shine today as I step into the palace. Mothers, open my inner eyes to this mystery. Do not refuse me for the needle never refuses to heed the call from the cloth. Neither do frogs refuse the call of the river. Owners of this earth, heed my call.
ASAWO (Praising Elenre's head from afar) Elenre, I greet you Elenre, the strong one. Elenre the one with a pure heart, it is you I greet. I hail you. If the earthworm hails the soil, it opens up and allows it to penetrate. Elenre, I hail your head. In fact I have come today to worship your head. I have come to propitiate your head, your god of fate. As I do so today, Elenre, let good luck be our share. As I stand before you Elenre, may the Lord of Heaven never departs from your house. Elenre's may your head never departs from your house. Let good luck be my portion.
ELENRE'S HEAD: (expresses delight) This is strange, I thank you for your soothing words. Those who came before you did not have anything good coming from their mouth. They just open their mouth as if they are at liberty to say any rubbish. But you are wise and intelligent. You are very respectful. And I will reciprocate. I will respect you too. I will yield to your entreaties, because you have respected me too.
ASAWO: I think you for your kind gestures. What do I have to say than to continue to pray to the Lord of Heaven to give you peace. Elenre, I have a request to make.
ELENRE'S HEAD: What is the request?
ASAWO: That you leave Ajaka alone so that you too car be in peace. That should go and have a good rest. Elenre, I plead that you depart from Ajaka and go your own way. The head is where the cap sits. A king sits on his throne of authority while the bird resides in its
nest.
Elenre, I remind you that the anthill is the home of termites, Ajaka's hand is not your abode. Elenre, where we call the head is never transformed into the tail. The fish can only be comfortable in water. Elenre, Ajaka's hand is not your home.
Depart! Depart!! Depart!!!
(Ijaehin rushes in crying and running)
IJAEHIN: Where is Elenre? What have you done to him?
AJAKA: Why don't you take this hag out of the way?
(The Guards rush to her. They seize her and bundle her out still crying).
ELENRE'S HEAD: I will obey you. Your words are soothing.
Now, I know what to do! Human beings are the problems of the earth. Rather than transform to other forms of life, I'll become a sweet, gentle and flowing stream. Instead of continuing to be a problem to people, I will henceforth support all forms of life on earth. I shall depart now.
ASAWO: That is what you should do. A plant that suddenly grows on the rocks withers without the sources of strength. Elenre go away. Depart your sources of strength have departed.
(Elenre's Head vanishes. There is a thunderous uproar in the palace)
AJAKA: (excitedly) Oh! I cannot feel him again.
Yeah! So, it's gone? Never again will I be present at any execution ground. Never again will any of our kings be present at such arena lest they face a similar fate. What can I do now than to thank you immensely Asawo. You have saved me from what could have become a problem all my life. I thank you very much. From today, I decree that a quarter of my landed property be given to you for this wonderful work.
I will no longer stand near an execution ground and I too will continue to do good to all men.
THE END
©2002 StoriesByEmail.com
|
