CHAPTER ONE

On a very good day it was evening, Mr Vincent was sitting on the wooden bench in front of his hut and he was so much lost in thought. He had his little snuff box on his right palm, he hits his left index finger on the cover of the snuff box it was obvious he was trying to bring the snuff powder together.

As he was trying to open the airtight metallic snuff box, the cry of a newborn baby was heard loud from his wife's hut which is just close to his own. Amadi wasn't so excited as he heard the vagitus. He gently put away his snuffbox inside his breast pocket and propped his chin in the palm of his left hand.

He was still waiting a few minutes later, the local midwife came out of his wife's hut with her bag.

"How are they doing," Mr Vincent asked her.

"Very fine. Congratulations. It's a baby boy."

The local midwife replied

"Thank you," he said looking indifferent.

"Your wife needs some rest. I'll be on my way."

I will come back some other time to check how your wife and the new born baby are doing please take good care of them

Mr Vincent thanked her and she left.

He waited for some minutes before going to his wife's hut check how she was doing and the baby

He got to where his wife lay and held her hand in affection.

"Obim, how are you"

"I'm fine."

His wife answered

He moved to where the baby was laid, gently carried him up and looked closely as if he was expecting to see something. After inspecting the baby, he gently put him back to where he was.

He heaved a huge sight and left the hut.

They have had three babies before and they all died after four days of birth.

That child was their fourth baby and they were expecting that he would die just the same way as others. They had visited different herbalists (Native doctors) in their community and beyond but none could proffer a solution to their predicament.

This fourth pregnancy seemed to be their last chance of having a baby because they had delays after the third child died and they weren't getting any younger.

age was never in their side anymore

The following day, he went back to his wife's hut.

His wife placed the newborn's mouth on her nipple and was trying to squeeze out breast milk for the baby and the baby was busy sucking the nipple even though the milk was coming in drops.

"Obim, I want to go to Ebem shrine."

His wife was shocked.

"What are you going to Ebem shrine to do?"

I thought we have settled this issue before now she asked

"I want this problem to stop once and for all."

I'm tired if losing my children one after another

His wife knew that he had made up his mind and wouldn't listen to anyone who would discourage him from what he said.

Ebem shrine was in their village, situated at a huge iroko tree just outskirt of the village It had the most dreaded deity in their community. It doesn't have any priest at all one can only go take permission from the oldest man in their village before visiting the shrine.

It is usually the people's last resort in seeking solutions and justice to problems or if they believe they have been cheated upon by others.

The following day, Mr Vincent left very early in the morning with a cock and three pieces of kola nuts. He had bought those items from the market the previous day.