Chapter 64

Vincent opened the wooden door and stepped into the bedroom of the small one-story house that he was given then he knelt down before the bed and prayed. After praying, he got up and keenly observed the bedroom. It was sparse and well-ventilated by the two windows it had. 

The room contained a wooden wall hanger, a big spring bed and a table and chair. There was no bulb and fan and he knew that he would have to go to the church if he needed to charge his phone. He opened one of the double wooden windows and looked out and the smell of damp earth and green leaves filled his nostrils from the rain that had fallen a few hours ago.

 He took a deep breath as he admired the scenery behind the house and he smiled. The place was beautiful. The house was located in a secluded part of the village which had only a few houses close to it on either side; and behind it, was a wide stretch of bush that thickened into a mini forest beyond. 

He had been told that there was a short route in the bush that led to the stream. Several fruit trees surrounded the house and gave a big shade from the sun, and even though Vincent knew that he would be tormented by mighty mosquitoes because the window had no net nor a burglary proof, he was pleased with the house he was given; at least he would be able to commune with nature whenever he wanted and take a lot of pictures too. 

He pulled out his smartphone and realized that there was no network coverage. He placed his luggage on the bed and opened it. He began to unpack and arrange his stuff in the room. He slipped his shirts onto iron hangers and hung them on the wall hanger. He was still sorting his stuff when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, then Babatunde walked into the room.

"Ha! Father, you are already unpacking... I must apologize that you were given this kind of place, it's the only other available places we have apart from the two places closer to the church which your colleagues quickly occupied before you left the children you were surrounded by."

"It's fine, sir. I actually love the place; as a matter of fact, the only problems are the lack of electricity and mobile network coverage."

"There's network coverage in the church. A mast was installed close to the church two years ago...and if you want to charge your phone or camera, you can also go to the church. But do not worry because these problems won't exist for long. The Kabiyesi has promised to assist the church by giving us funds to order individual generators from the city for you and your new colleagues." He said cheerfully. "He now uses one himself."

"Well, that's very thoughtful and kind of him. I should probably thank him when next I go towards the palace." Vincent said.

"That's a wise idea... You see, I like you the most among the three priests who arrived today. Just from the few hours that I've spent with you, I can attest that there's something very special about you, though, I haven't figured it out yet. I feel that you are a great man of honor too and you serve the Living God with all your heart." Babatunde commended. 

"Although my people do not get married outside their tribes, but if not for the fact that you are already an ordained priest and have chosen to surrender all of you to Christ, I'd have asked you to marry my eldest daughter. She shies away from men and has turned down every suitor that has come to seek her hand in marriage, both great and small and rich and poor. Most time, it baffles me what that girl wants and it also worries me if she'll ever settle down and have a family of her own...she seems to be less concerned by the fact that she's not getting any younger."

"You seem to worry a lot about this daughter of yours." Vincent said.

"A father can't help but want the best for his child." Babatunde answered. "Anyway, that aside..." He cleared his throat now. "I have been appointed by the Kabiyesi to teach and enlighten you about our culture and tradition. Although I've already informed your colleagues, but I've personally come all the way here to inform you alone. 

Number one, for peace to reign between both religions, the villagers won't tolerate the desecration of their shrines or any other areas of the village committed to their gods for that matter. Two, you are not allowed to flirt with the girls or women; the Kabiyesi specifically stated that we do not need any mixed-tribes babies in our midst. 

Three, you are to obey the laws of the land- like, you are to honor every invitation given to you or the king will perceive it as an act of defiance and disrespect."

"What if what I'm being invited for goes against my faith?" Vincent asked, adjusting his glasses.

"The parish priest has already explained to the king what our religion forbids, such as indulging in sacrifices or partaking in anything meant for the idols and the king has accepted to respect our wishes in that aspect."

"Fair enough."

"But you must be present at all the festivals that will be held in the village, such as the New Yam festival, Fishing Festival and the Festival of the Dance of Chaste Maidens which is held biannually."

"Okay." Vincent answered.

"You must not go out on the sacred day set aside for the gods and spirits." Babatunde added.

Vincent frowned now. "A day set aside for gods and spirits? They believe in such?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes... It occurs just once a year." Babatunde replied. "It is a day set aside for the spirits to roam around, undisturbed."

"What else?" Vincent asked.

"You must stay indoors for your own safety during Osun's Wrath Day."

"Osun's Wrath Day? Are you saying that there's a day for the goddess to pour down her wrath on the people of this village?"

"Yes... Heavy rainfall ensues and anyone who steps out during this storm is swept away and never seen again; so please, for your own safety, endeavor to just look up your doors and windows and lie very still. For no reason should you step out of your house."

"Right..." Vincent murmured, very skeptical about the existence of the goddess. "Anything else?"

"That's all for now." Babatunde said.

"Very well then, I'll like to finish unpacking."

Babatunde turned to go but paused when he remembered something. "Lest I forget, after unpacking, we are to go meet the King at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow evening. He has decided to throw a feast on your behalf and that of your colleagues in order to officially welcome you to this village. 

A woman who will act as the housekeeper and will cook your meals, do your laundry and clean the house will be here in a few minutes to give you the Yoruba traditional attire the King has sent. She will tell you how to wear them then I shall come later to pick you up tomorrow evening."

"Thank you very much, Babatunde." Vincent said in appreciation and continued to unpack and arrange.

                                                                                     ★★★

"Osun, you are late." The Queen Mermaid of Cuba, who is first in command, said, as all the Queen Mermaids turned their heads towards Osun who was gracefully swimming towards them. 

The Queen mermaids representing each country in the world had swum all the way to Cuba to convene in a desolate island cave, and they had all been waiting for Osun before she finally arrived. They all had lengthy hairs of different colors and textures, and their tails differed too in sizes and shapes. "It took you six days to get here." The Cuban Mermaid said, sounding a bit displeased with Osun's lateness.

"Coming from a mermaid who easily transports on the back of dolphins in the high seas, I beg to differ." Osun stated. "Unlike any of you here, I came all the way from Africa, precisely Nigeria...you all know how tough it is for the waters to connect." Osun answered as she swam into their midst and the other Queen mermaids parted, making an aisle of passage for her so that she could swim through and join the two other Mermaids who were heading them all.

"That's why we decided that the meeting won't commence until you have arrived." The Queen mermaid of Scotland who is the third-in-command stated.

"Thanks for such consideration, Eleanor." Osun said as she mounted the second throne seat in the water, turning to stare down at the gathering of mermaids. "Why this impromptu meeting by the way?" Osun asked. "It's not yet time for our annual convention, is it? Or am I missing something?"

"No, you are right, it's not." The Cuban Mermaid Queen answered. "But I called for this meeting because there's a problem."

"Well, the problem had better be worth my time. This lengthy journey through the high seas which you have made me embark on has made me quite cranky, dear sisters, so do not blame me for any outbursts." Osun said unapologetically.

"Well, let's get down to the reason why we have convened here, Sha we?" The Cuban Mermaid Queen said to the other mermaids.

"My daughter was taken three nights ago." The aggrieved Queen mermaid of Russia said.

"Mine was taken five years ago." Another Queen from Brazil lamented.

"I lost mine nine years ago!" Said the Queen mermaid of Ireland.

"Are your daughters being kidnapped?" Osun asked, perplexed. Are with at war with another creature of the sea?"

"No, we are not." The Cuban Mermaid Queen replied. "If it were another creature of the sea, perhaps, we might have stricken an alliance and called a truce by now, but no, it's our mortal enemy who has not only polluted our worlds with their plastic and toxic waste but has also come into the depths without seeking our permission, because they think that they are superior to us all! 

They have been kidnapping our daughters and harvesting their blood to cure or tame several illnesses and even slow their mortal processes of aging. They have gone from one continent to the other, luring out our daughters through several deceptive means and taking them away, never to let them return to us. We don't even know if they are dead or alive. We can't even locate where they are being kept hostage."

"Most of you at sea are gifted with echolocation, use it!" Osun stated.

"Even if we are, we are weaker in man's territory and we might only end up being captured if we dare venture far away from the protection of the waters." The Queen Mermaid of Miami replied.

"Why do you fear them so much when you can simply teach them a lesson by capsizing their boats and sinking their ships when they come on the waters?" Asked Osun. "Why do you relent from fighting back? Have you all gone soft?"

"The world has greatly evolved, Osun." The Queen Mermaid of Japan said. "Technology has gone a long way in helping man carry out the impossible! They now have big guns, stronger nets, harpoons, explosives and other weapons to fight against us. We are almost no match for them. We can't risk going on a suicide mission."

"Osun, news has reached us that their next hunting ground is Africa, precisely Nigeria." The Cuban Mermaid Queen stated.

"They won't dare!" Osun hissed. "My daughters are very dear to me and I won't spare any man who attempts to hurt any of them!" She vehemently said.

"That's why we have to work together to stop them once and for all!" The Mermaid Queen of New Zealand declared in anger and the other mermaids agreed in unison.

"So, what do we do? Ask our siren sisters for help? I won't have anything to do with those evil lot! They are vile, lawless and uncontrollable!" Osun spat.

"We don't need the help of the sirens because we have already figured out the solution, Osun." The Cuban Mermaid Queen said and all the mermaids fixed hopeful looks on Osun now.

"Why are you all giving me such looks?" Osun asked, glancing from one face to the other.

"We need a mermaid with uncontrollable anger to fight back." The Mermaid Queen of South Africa said.

"Then go fetch one!" Osun replied.

"We have all searched from our regions, but none of us have the amount of rage that is strong enough to control the four elements." The Queen Mermaid of India explained. "We need the elements of the air, water, earth and fire to win this battle."

"Then start training your maidens for war. Make them angry!" Osun said with a wry smile.

"This is not funny, Osun! The Cuban Mermaid Queen chided Osun. "This is a matter of high importance and needs to be treated as such!" 

Osun's smile faded now and was replaced by a sober look now that she understood why they were all staring up at her. "Wait a minute! No, no, no! I won't!" She shook her head in refusal. "I definitely won't!"

"You are our last hope, Osun!" The Mermaid Queen of Norway cried out. "You have to help us!"

"Yes, we have all assessed one another and we have reached the conclusion that no one is as wrathful as you are!" Said the Mermaid Queen of Egypt. "You easily get upset and you are quick to spew out your wrath!"

"Am I supposed to accept that as a compliment or what?" Osun shot the Egyptian Mermaid Queen a look, feeling insulted.

"When they come to your waters to abduct your daughters, what then will you do?" The Cuban Mermaid Queen asked.

"We will fight!" Osun declared. "We will destroy them all! No man will leave the waters alive!" She said boldly.

"You sound so sure of yourself, and by doing so, you demean the abilities of the rest of us! You think that we didn't do enough to protect our own... Don't forget that if they fight back, you'll also have a lot of casualties! The fact that we live longer than humans does not make us complete immortals. We can be killed! Osun, we need to destroy these people once and for all, or they'll keep abducting and using us for experiments! They might even go as far as displaying our stuffed bodies in their museums!" The French Mermaid Queen lamented.

"Is there any one of your daughters whose rage is uncontrollable?" The Japanese Mermaid Queen asked.

Osun hesitated then lied, "No... There's none..."

The other mermaids exchanged doubtful glances amongst one another, murmuring.

"None at all?" The Mermaid Queen of Ghana asked. "There should certainly be one who took after you, Osun."

"I know all my daughters, Morowa!" Osun hissed in defense. "None of them are choleric." Then she slid off the seat into the water with a splash. "I believe this is the end of this meeting and I must head home now, sisters. I'll be at alert and fully prepared when the hunters come hunting on my waters. If I need help, I'll not hesitate to reach out to you all, but as for now, I must return to my kingdom; I can't leave it unattended for long... Goodbye sisters; till we meet again!" She said then turned and swam out of the group. When she reached the mouth of the cave, she suddenly leaped up into the air and dove into the water with a big splash, and with lightning speed, she shot forward under the water, instantly vanishing from sight.