Ara

It was beautiful…the magnificence of the skies was a spectacle to behold. I was awestruck, yet excited at the same time as I soared into the heights. It kept cajoling, beckoning; fusing into my being.

I was one with it and it was one with me. I had existed since eternity, once lost, but now found, found by the glory of the skies, enthralled by its endlessness.

I delved downwards, searching for an end to its depths, but it had no end. The feeling was amazing. I lost myself as I plunged into its abysmal depths, losing my breath, losing myself.

Have you ever experienced freedom, true freedom that had no boundaries, no limits, and no restrictions? This was it.

This was the moment I had always dreamed of, the day when I would soar into the skies like an eagle and lose myself. 

As a kid I had heard the tales. Fairy tales people called them, but I believed. I believed with all my heart. Every night my grandfather would tell us the tales of our land, the beautiful and magnificent Ara.

As kids, most of us believed the stories, but as we grew older, we stopped believing as those who before us had stopped believing when they grew older and those before them too had stopped believing, but I never stopped believing.

The stories were a mixture of myth, adventure, and defeat, for in the stories, no one had ever reached the end of Ara.

Brave soldiers, great magicians, noble rulers, had all tried but failed. To get to the ends of Ara, travellers had to go through treacherous mountains and deep forests, filled with demons and spirits and creatures that could devour the souls of men. Even bravest men had fallen.

I never relented in my dreaming and imagination. Everyday I dreamt of myself reaching the ends of Ara. I didn't care who had tried and failed, all I cared for was the day I would jump off the nose of Ara, the giant tortoise, and fly with its magic. Yes, the stories told us Ara was on the back of a giant tortoise flying in an endless sky.

Nobody believed the story to be true. It was absurd to think that all these men and houses, and animals, and mountains, and rivers, and seas, and forests, would be on the back of a giant flying tortoise.

I had once asked my grand father if he believed the stories he told us. 'Child, whatever you believe in, if you believe it hard enough, is true to you,' that was his answer. To him, they were all tales, passed to him by his father and in turn passed to his father by his father's father from one generation to the next.

My father always got peeved by the stories. 'Why tell children stories that are not true,' he would tell his father. It all didn't make sense to him. My father was a typical Ara dweller, he was a hunter and farmer like most of the men, while the women helped at the farm, cooked, and made garments.

My father thought the stories should be about the great hunters of Ara, the men who risked their lives daily to provide for their families. Left to me, there was not much to be told about men throwing spears at running meat, there was no magic in that.

My father had always wanted me to be a great hunter, like him. He had once killed a wild beast that was terrorizing the villages. He instantly became a hero amongst the village dwellers. To him, that was a story worth telling.

'Gori my son, one day you'll be a great hunter like me,' he'd tell me every single day. I guess he knew the value of emphasis. He also made sure he took me hunting every single day as a child. I had become quite dexterous at hunting from a very tender age.

I was named Gori Akpata because I was born at the top of a mountain. I was sure my father had arranged that, to him that would have been a story worth telling. He always wanted to stand out in everything he did. He was a special man, I wondered where he would want his next child to be born, in the middle of a river was a very likely possibility, and I was very sure he would figure out how to do that.

I was like him in a lot of ways, the great Okutamasun, fearless, bold and stubborn. Though he was adventurous, he was also very pragmatic, while I was more open-minded.

From a tender age, I had decided to go on the adventure that would change my life and the whole land of Ara forever, and since then, I had been dreaming of the day, preparing for it. One day, I finally told my father what was on my mind, 'next week, I will journey to the ends of Ara,' I told him.

My father just stared at me and said nothing for a long time. Then he stood up, 'come with me,' he finally said. We walked on saying nothing for a long time. We went into the bushes, and then joined a path up hill.

'Father, where are we going?' I wanted the silence to end. I wondered what was on my father's mind.

'Just follow me,' he replied.

The great Okutamasun, stern and decisive as ever…

I followed him up hill for hours until we got to the summit. Then he stopped.

'My Son, Goriakpata, the son of the mountains. I have taught you to be strong and wise. Why have you decided to take up such a futile journey?' my father looked straight into my eyes.

'Father-'

'Quiet! Look straight ahead,' my father pointed to the view to the north of the hill, 'what do you see?'

I was a bit reluctant to answer, I sensed where he was going, but I still answered anyway, 'hills and forests.'

'And?'

'Rivers…'

'What else do you see?' he asked.

'More forests and hills,' I said resignedly. I was almost too sure of what he would say next.

'Son, there is no end to the hills and the forests and the rivers…there is no such thing as the end of Ara. Can't you see Ara has no end? Does a Circle have any end? Do you know where the rivers come from or where they go to, or are there any barriers to the sky above?' he looked at me, silent for a while, and then continued, 'Son, you would only wander for the rest of your life.'

I thought about what he said, and I trusted his judgement. He was a strong and wise man, and he taught me to be wise and strong also, to be able to make my own decisions, but I had made up my mind on this. If Ara had no end, then I would be a wanderer, and ply the roads of Ara for the rest of my life. Not to try is even more futile, I would eat my heart out from desperation if I failed to embark on the journey. 'I have made up my mind,' I reiterated my thoughts to him.

'Very well my son, may the gods of Ara follow you, may they guide your path and protect you from evil,' he looked away from me and stared at the landscape that stretched endlessly ahead of us.

'Leave me and go and prepare for your journey,' I could send the disappointment in his voice. I didn't see him for the next six days, then he finally came home a day before my departure. We hardly said anything to each other.

That night, my sleep was tumultuous. Doubts, fears, dreams of adventure, and disaster…dreams of insanity, but I had made up my mind.

The next morning, I had packed everything I needed and was ready to embark on my journey. Outside the house, my father was already waiting for me.

'Come here my Son,' he stretched out his hands, and we hugged each other for almost eternity. 'My Son journeys,' he smiled at me, 'you should know that I am very proud of you. It takes a real man to be bold enough to follow his dreams.'

'Thank you father,' a tear formed in my eyes. I tried to hold back the tears.

'I know your mother would be very proud of you,' I saw tears run down my father's face. I had never seen tears in the eyes of Okutamasun. He had always told me how much he had loved my mother and still loved her even in death. My mother had died giving birth to me.

He wiped his tears. I also felt tears all over my cheeks, my face was soaked in it. I always had an aversion for crying, but I could not control the tears that now flowed down my eyes. Another lesson, even strong men cry.

As I departed, my father called me, 'Son!' he paused for a while, 'If Ara does have an end, please come back and tell me.'

'I will father. Goodbye father,' we shook hands and hugged tightly one more time before I turned back and headed for my unpredictable journey to the end of Ara.

I was not sure if I was ever going to see my father again, but I promised myself, that no matter the cost, I was going to see him again. It was a promise I intended to keep.

'Goodbye son,' the great Okutamasun waved at his son, I saw pride in his eyes, a part of him would always believe in me. He also had the look that said he wasn't so sure he was ever going to see me again either, a look of loss.

As I walked farther from my father, my mind went deeper in thought. I thought about the dangers I would face. I thought about the hardship, I thought about the pain of being away from home for too long, the pain of possibly never seeing my home again, and I thought about the three friends that had insisted on coming with me.

I had tried everything I could to dissuade them from coming, but all to no avail. My dream was also their dream, they had told me. 'Friends are supposed to support each other,' they had said, and they thought getting to the end of Ara and being able to fly wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I wondered what I would do without them.

Alaba was fat, chubby and very funny. He also had strength in his weight. There was a time Alaba took on almost ten boys at the same time, and at the end of the brawl, he was sitting on all ten of them.

Atupka was slim and almost fragile, but very smart. He knew all the songs of the elders, the songs that had been passed from generation to generation. He was the only one who knew all the seventy seven songs. Atupka knew about a lot of things; nature, culture, human behaviour, animals. Sometimes, he would just wander into the forest and would come back days later excited about new things he had discovered.

Eniola could not be described; he was never the same person twice. Today, he was smart, the next day, he would act stupid. One day, he knew all about the life circle of a butterfly, the next day he had never heard such a thing. Eniola could convince a goat that it was a bird, and make an eagle think it was a duck. Eniola the sly as we usually called him was also an excellent spear thrower. He once caught a green sweeper bird, one of the fastest birds of Ara, with his spear. 

Together, the four of us embarked on a journey into the unknown, a journey that would forever change our lives. As we passed the last hut in the village, we knew we had crossed the threshold, from known, to unknown. 

Though most of us had explored the forest before, we knew this was a journey that would take us deeper than we'd ever been, a journey that would take us to the end of the world, if we succeeded. This was where the story really began.

It started like a normal strode in the forest. Throughout the first day, nothing eventful happened. At the end of the day we chose a spot to camp, we roasted some bush meat we had caught on the way. At the fire, we talked about the adventure that lay ahead of us. We had heard different stories and wondered how many of them were true.

Seven more days passed without incidence, and we had almost reached the clearing that led to Ile Okuta, the land of the rocks. Ile Okuta we had heard was covered with rocks the size of hills. We had also heard of the dangers that lurked in Ile Okuta.

Everybody in the village had heard stories about the Ibales, the tribe of the rocks, a hostile tribe that welcomed no visitors. Rumours had it that they usually fed strangers to their beasts. None of us wanted to end up as meal to the beasts of the Ibales, yet, we knew we had to pass through Ile Okuta. It was the only way.

As we approached the edges of Ile Okuta, we knew our resilience and strength would soon be put to a test. An old village song kept playing in my head.

The people of the stones

The People of Old

Fierce and Strong

Dressed all wrong

See them and Run

For they are no fun

They'll cut you and dice you

In a boiling Pot of stew, they'll cook you.

I remember cowering in fear with all the other kids as the old men sang the song to us. It served its purpose quite well, and kept us from venturing too far into the forests.

We had passed the first few rocks and had not said a word to each other. We were yet to see any Ibale person. Only the rocks stared at us, 'Where are the rock people?' Alaba said with apprehension in his voice. He must have hated the silence. I guess he just wanted them out of Ile Okuta, and away from the rock people.

The rest of us stayed silent. There was nothing much to say, and besides, we did not want any sound to attract any inhabitant the place might have. We intended travelling through without incidence too. We knew what any incidence could lead to.

As we walked on, I could not help but marvel at the beauty and enormity of the terrain. Giant rocks stretched on for miles and miles unending. Everything seemed to possess a peculiar oneness. Everything that was there seemed to have the same colour…dull, drab and sullen, as if the god's out of pure fun sucked the life out of it and left it for dead. Everything about it was eerie and creepy. The reptiles scampered about, almost transparent in the dull rocky background.

Sometimes it only seemed as if a cloud of dust just moved by. The trees were gaunt and stone-like. They looked like old men bent by age. Even the birds were dark and stone eyed. Everything there looked sinister and dark.

We had walked for miles unending without incidence and the land mass still seemed to stretch on to infinity.

Looking at my friends, I could not help but be afraid for us. They looked distant and forlorn, man and dust had become one and they were beginning to also look like the rocks. I was beginning to really worry for our lives. I could not help but feel guilty for putting my friends through the torture. 'Are you okay,' I asked them.

They just nodded at me without saying a word. They looked like corpses walking aimlessly in the land of the living.

Alaba stopped; I knew it was only a matter of time before his weight caught up with him. It was only his strength that had taken him this far. 'I can't,' was all he said.

'You can't what,' Eniola replied him impatiently.

'It's okay Eniola. Alaba, are you tired, we can rest here,' I knew nerves were flaring and I had to calm them down, and besides I thought we needed to rest.

'I can't go on,' Alaba said, 'this does not make any sense. We have been walking unending for over seven days and we have not even seen the edges of Ara. How can all this even be on the back of a giant tortoise?' he stopped talking and sat on the floor. He looked up at us envisaging a response; we all just stared back at him. When none of us said anything, he continued, 'Gori, I admire your courage, I envy your dreams, I yearn for your insight into things; but don't you see the futility in this quest. Man can not fly, flight is for birds. Even if the world had an edge, I am sure any man that jumped from it would plunge to his death,' he paused, expecting someone to say something, but he only got silence in return.

I felt sorry for him. I felt guilty for putting them through this, yet I had not forced any of them to come. All I could muster was, 'I'm sorry.'

There was a pause for a while, then Alaba replied, 'don't be sorry. I should be sorry for myself for giving up so easily, but you must understand this is not easy for me. I am sorry Gori, for giving up on you…and myself,' he buried his face in his hands, 'I just can't go on.'

Atupka and Eniola both kept staring at Alaba, saying nothing.

'I'm sorry, but I have to go. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you find the edge of the world,' Alaba picked up his bag and nodded his head, 'this quest is not for me.' He then turned his back and went the way we had come, back to the village. That was the end of the journey for Alaba.

We all stared at him as his figure got smaller as time elapsed, until he completely disappeared into the dust, man and dust becoming one.

The silence continued; it was like a weight that pressed down on us like one of the huge rocks of Ile Okuta. It was becoming unbearable; I just had to say something though I didn't know what exactly to say. 'Does anyone else want to leave,' I paused, but there was only silence, 'I assure you this would not be an easy journey. Its just about seven days going back, and it would not make any sense going further and then turn back. I would not allow anybody to do that-'

'Keep quite,' Eniola snapped, 'what is wrong with you. I am sure the journey is taking its toll on you too. Who said anything about quitting? If you believe we are on a flying tortoise; all the forests, the hills, the mountains, the rivers, the animals, the men, all these are on a flying tortoise,' he looked deep into my eyes, with an intense look in his eyes, 'then we are.'

Atupka smiled, and we all laughed.

Eniola continued, 'we are in this with you, are we not,' he turned to Atupka.

'Yes we are,' Atupka replied. 

'And if I hear you say anything about being sorry, or quitting, I would feed you to the rocks,' we all laughed, Eniola was just unbelievable.

'Thank you,' was all I could say. 

'Darkness approaches, lets find a place to rest,' Atupka said, he seemed to be in deep thought, but that was Atupka, he was always in deep thought and didn't say much except he was trying to explain some phenomenon or talking about one of his new discoveries.

We found a place to rest our heads for that night. I was plagued by nightmares as I slept, I got to the edge of the world, and looked down to the endless abyss I was about to jump into. I thought I was going to fly when I jumped, but instead, I plunged, deep into endless space. I seemed to have fallen for an eternity before I landed hard on solid ground. I looked around and it was the Land of the Rocks, Ile Okuta. The rocks started to take human form, and they started approaching me, taunting and stretching.

I started running, running from the rocky forms that had started pursuing me. I looked into the face of one of the human rocks that was close in my pursuit. It was Alaba's face I saw, and he was laughing and mocking, 'I told you, now the men of the rocks will get you and cut you and dice you, into a pot of stew, they'll cook you,' he kept on taunting as the chase continued.

'Hahahahahahahaha!' Alaba kept laughing, his voice echoing all over the rocky terrain.

'HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!' the stone men laughed along.

'We'll cut you, we'll dice you, in a pot of stew, we'll cook you,' they all chanted.

'In a pot of stew, we'll cook you…'

'In a pot of stew, we'll cook you…'

'Cook you…'

'Cook you…'

'Dice you…'

'Cut you…'

'Cook you…'

'Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!'

'Cook you…'

'Nooooooo!' I jerked out of my sleep, trembling, drenched in sweat. I could still hear the chanting of the rock people in my head, but as I looked around, I knew my nightmare had followed me into the real world.

Staring down at me were the dust caked faces of the rock men.

'Cut you…' I could hear the chant from my nightmare re-echo in my head. As I looked around at the men clad in brown dried leather, the possibility of being cut, and diced, and cooked became real.

They had Eniola and Atupka tied up in a corner, well guarded. Then I was also bundled and tied up. We were led to an unknown destination, sheep led to the slaughter. I wondered if this was the end of it all. Would we end our adventure in a pot of hot stew, I wondered.

For the first time, I knew what it was like to be a prey, or more appropriately to be a meal as we were soon going to be. The men of the rock were all strongly built and they held spears made of wood and metal with sharp rocks at their tips. The rock men looked very similar to the rocks that surrounded them, rugged, jagged, roughened, and dusty.

For almost two hours, we journeyed through the sand and rock not knowing what our fate would be. Throughout the journey the men of the rock sang in dialects we couldn't even understand. Even their language sounded tough and rigid, like the rock.

Finally, we got to an opening of a cave. The cave opened on the outside of a steep rock enclosure digging deep into the earth, and all we could see inside was darkness, pure utter darkness. Our hopes had finally being sealed, this was definitely the end of the road, I thought. 

They took us deep into the cave where we saw others like them. They all stared at us curiously. We must have looked very strange to them, I was sure they were salivating; we were going to be their next meal.

The cave had other caves joining it intricately like an interconnected maze. It was like nature itself, everything was linked to everything else. Each network must have stretched for miles because it took us a while before we got to a small empty cave where we were dumped and a large boulder was rolled over the entrance, locking us inside. We, the meal, definitely had no way to escape.

In the absolute darkness, we awaited our fates.

'Gori…Eniola, this is amazing,' Atupka whispered.

'What is amazing?' Eniola replied annoyed, I also didn't see anything amusing in all of this.

'This,' Atupka said, his voice assuming a high pitch unable to hide his excitement, 'the men…did you see the caves? Don't you wonder how these caves came to be? Was it nature, was it carved by these primitive men? Just ama-' he was abruptly interrupted by Eniola.

'Would you keep quiet? We are about to become meals to these men you call amazing. Are you a fool?' Eniola was enraged.

I suddenly started laughing. I wondered if I had gone berserk, I thought…maybe.

'What's funny,' Eniola grimaced.

'Nothing…nothing…its just that I remembered the old song about the people of the rock,' I replied.

'And what's so funny about that. Is it the part where we'll get diced, or the part where we'll get cooked. Which part of the song, tell me?' Eniola had gotten hysterical with anger.

'Maybe the boiling part,' I replied.

We all burst into laughter.

Eniola calmed down, 'You amaze me Gori. You are both brave and stupid. To be able to face death with such a light heart, and strange Atupka here is also making discoveries when he knows he won't live to share those discoveries. You both just amaze me,' Eniola said, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

'What can we do Eniola? Kill ourselves before they kill us. Besides, we might still have a chance to escape. Who knows?' who knows? I thought. I was also afraid, and it was okay to be afraid, but I was not ready to die. I was going to reach the end of Ara, I had made a promise to myself and I intended to keep it.

'Who knows?' Eniola replied, 'Who knows?'

After that, we all receded into our individual thoughts. Time seemed ethereal in the darkness of the cave. It was hard to tell how long we had been in the darkness of the cave, hours…maybe days. I had drifted into dreamless sleep and came back several times, but it was all the same, utter darkness.

Suddenly, we heard the stone gate of the cave being rolled aside. The huge boulder that had caged us in this torment of darkness for time unending was finally being removed. Finally we were being freed, but freed into what? To our deaths, I wondered.

I felt the sturdy and firm grip of a man of the rock grab me, then he lifted me to my feet. My feet wobbled as I tried to find my balance. I was almost grateful for the help except I knew it was help to our deaths. Was this the time to take our chances and fight? We didn't even have the strength to fight these men who looked like they had been fighting even before we were born. I thought it would be wise to wait, I looked at Atupka's forlorn face, and his eyes revealed he had the same thoughts. But would the right moment ever come, I wondered.

Atupka and Eniola were also deep in thought; I wondered what it was that plagued their minds, as we were being led to our deaths. We were led deeper into the caves, until we got to a chamber. It was probably the king's chamber; it had a large stone sitting at the end, most likely the king's throne.

We were led to face the throne, and forced to kneel face down in front of the huge stone throne. A moment later, they also bowed and mumbled some words in their language. I could hear footsteps, most likely the footsteps of the Ruler and an entourage. Only the ruler would make all of them bow in that manner.

I looked up and what I saw was truly shocking. So shocking I almost burst into laughter, on the throne sat a boy, or one who looked like a boy. He looked like someone who had not even reached age ten.

'Are these the guests?' the boy said in a majestic tone, king-like in everyway.

'Yes my lord,' replied a large, bulky figure that stood beside him.

The Boy-King smiled at us. 'I'm sure you must be amazed,' he said.

Atupka could not believe his eyes. A look of astonishment filled his face; this was another astounding discovery to him. Eniola remained indifferent.

'I am Okpa, the ruler and king of the stone people,' the king continued, 'and I am not a child as you might think, I only have features of one.'

'I have ruled my people for over a hundred years,' he continued, 'which means I am over a hundred years myself.'

Atupka was awestruck. Eniola remained indifferent, or he appeared to be. I was amazed, not just by the features of the king, but also because he spoke our language fluently. Right in front of us was the one who would determine our destiny, our life or death was in his hands, and the boy-like ruler knew it judging by the look in his eyes.

'So why have you come to spy on us,' he asked.

'We are just travellers. We have no such intent, we were just resting our heads after a long journey,' I quickly replied, knowing how precarious a balance our lives were on.

An almost permanent smile stayed on the face of the ruler, a face of a child, but his eyes…his eyes were deep and intent, filled with knowledge and experience, and when our eyes met, it bore right into my soul. A knowing smile creased his face.

'No intruder has ever lived to tell the tale of his intrusion, neither has any spy,' he paused and smiled, 'but you are neither, therefore, you will be my guest, and you shall live.'

'Thank you my lord,' I quickly replied. To know that our lives were at the moment safe was so much good news. I had not seen anyway we could have escaped if they wanted to kill us.

'Stand up my guests. Tonight, you shall feast with us. My people would be glad to show you our rich culture unpolluted by the outside world. Agala! Take care of my guests and get them ready for tonight,' he called one of the men.

'Yes your highness,' the man replied, and bowed beckoning to the three of us to follow him.

'You,' he said pointing to me, 'Goriapkata, come with me.'

I was shocked and surprised. How did he know my name? I had not told any of the soldiers my name, and I had never seen the king before in my life. I suddenly became afraid to move. Could he read my mind? His eyes were deep and penetrating; piercing deep into the recesses of my mind, probing and searching. Could he look into my mind with those eyes? The King, yet a man, yet a boy, yet the Ruler…I wondered what else he was.

'Don't be afraid, Gori, come with me. We have a lot to talk about,' he smiled at me and stretched his hand.

I stood up and reluctantly took his hand. He then led me down a corridor still holding my hand. It was as if Iwas being led by a child, I could even lift him up like a child if I wanted to. Yet, I knew in that small body was a wise old ruler. 'How did you know my name, your majesty,' I asked.

He laughed, 'my son, you've asked a very good question. Let's say I've been blessed with the spirit of discernment. I know your name my son, because it's been revealed to me. It's in your eyes.'

I followed him in awe and fear and so many other emotions mixed up inside of me. I was usually the strong and bold type but I felt very minute next to this minute figure, I just could not explain it.

'I know what you seek,' the child-looking king paused to see the effect that would have on me, which he saw and smiled, then he continued, 'you seek to reach the end of the world, an almost impossible task.'

I was ready to believe anything he said. He seemed to be so sure of everything he said, my name…I could see the wisdom in his eyes, 'then I have ventured on a futile journey.'

'No you have not. I said, an almost impossible task, not impossible. For some other, yes, impossible, for so many others before you, it ended their lives, and for who ever after you, it surely will,' the ruler of the rock people said, patting me encouragingly.

'But I don't understand,' I was confused by what he was saying.

The ruler continued, 'I see the fire in you. I see the sign in your eyes. This is your destiny, Ara has trusted only you with its magic and it awaits your coming.'

'I still don't understand,' I got more confused with everything the king was saying about magic, and destiny, I really did not see myself different from anybody else around me. Or was I different from everybody and it was my destiny to reach the end of Ara? At least that was what the ruler was saying.

'You, my son, Goriakpata, are the chosen one. Chosen to conquer the perils that lie in the path to your destiny, chosen to reach the end of the world and tell its tale. You've been chosen to possess the magic and powers that's been hidden for all time by Ara. My Son, Ara has chosen you to be the wielder, the one who would share its powers,' Okpa, the ruler of the rock people said, smiling, unable to hide his excitement.

I was dumfounded. Was all this true? Was I really the chosen one? Only time will tell, 'I don't know what to say my lord.'

'Say nothing. Just believe and beware. Yes! Beware of great evil,' the ruler's face suddenly turned stern and serious, 'for your greatest enemy is within,' his eyes told me he knew more than he had said, but would not go further.

'What does that mean?' I wanted to know what he knew and was hiding. The Enemy within…I needed to understand.

'At the right time all will be revealed, but you must be prepared. Take heed to my warning and you shall possess your destiny. Ignore my warning, and you will die,' he said in a morbid tone.

'I still don't-'

'I would say no more,' the king suddenly reverted to his jovial self, 'oh! We have a feast tonight, and you must be tired, I will ask for you to be groomed for tonight's celebrations,' the king jumped, excitedly.

'But-'

'Say no more, tomorrow you shall continue your journey, I hope you have a good memory,' he turned and left me to myself before I could ask him anything else.

I did have a good memory, and it was haunted by everything he had told me. 'Beware of the enemy within,' his exact words still rang in my head. I later went to join Akpata and Eniola.

'Where have you been?' Akpata jumped up as he saw me. He ran to me and gave me a hug, 'we are going to be alright,' he said.

'Yes, we are,' I replied.

'You were not harmed, and we've not been harmed either,' Eniola said in an indifferent tone. 'I'm sure we'll be fine,' he forced a smile.

It seemed as if something was on Eniola's mind. I could see it in his eyes, but Eniola always had something on his mind, he'd always been the sly and unpredictable one, but he had always been a good friend, 'Are you alright?' I asked him.

'Of course I am,' he answered, 'we all are…for now' he retorted cynically.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Eniola's very nature was always up to something.

'Exactly what it means, can't you see? Why are they suddenly nice to us? Remember we were locked up for who knows how long. You might feel relaxed, but I don't trust these people. Who knows, we might just be sacrifices for tonight's festival, festival animals that must be well fed to be acceptable to their gods. I say we leave now,' Eniola said, pacing around frustratingly.

I could have shared in Eniola's fears, but somehow, I didn't. After meeting with Okpa the king of the stone people, and hearing everything he said, I knew I could trust him. I had also always trusted Eniola's judgement because he was a young wise crook and we all knew, 'You make a lot of sense Eniola, but we would be putting ourselves in more danger if we tried to escape now. What if we get caught?'

'Get caught?' Eniola interrupted abruptly, 'we are not toddlers you know.'

'I know, but I think its better we wait till tomorrow, I'm sure we won't be harmed. Besides I spoke with Okpa their ruler, and he has assured-'

'Assured…the midget…' Eniola burst into a cynical hysterical laughter.

'Eniola, I think you should listen to Gori. If he said we would be okay, then I trust we would. He spoke to the king and you did not, we've been treated well since they realised we were not intruders or spies, and I'm sure we were only locked up because they were only being careful, it would be a dishonour to their hospitality to leave abruptly,' Atupka spoke in a calming soothing tone, knowing that both our tempers were flaring, 'let's wait till tomorrow, I'm sure everything will be okay,' Eniola was silent which was a rare occurrence, Atupka had come to the rescue.

We were all silent for a while.

'I was just afraid,' Eniola finally spoke after a while, 'if we all die, what good would that have been. If you say we should stay, I guess we should,' a smile formed on his face, 'I just hope we would be safe.'

'We would,' I replied and patted Eniola by the shoulder, 'Thank you, what would I do without friends like you?' 

'What are friends for?' Atupka said, hugging both of us, 'I think we would be safe. From my observation, the stone people are a fierce but honourable people,' the researcher in Atupka was speaking.

That night, it was all drinking, eating and dancing. By midnight, we were replete with food and liquor. The people of the stone had kept their word, nobody harmed us, and we were treated to an absolutely good time. Eniola's fears were only an illusion.

The next morning, we were on our way. Our bags were stocked with supplies from our hosts. The king gave me special items that he thought I would need on the way, a power bracelet to protect us from evil spirits, and kola nuts.

'What are the Kola nuts for,' I asked.

'You would know when the time comes. Sometimes, life can be bought, or rather; death can be kept at bay for a little price,' the king spoke in a parable I could not understand, 'you will understand when the time comes,' he said, as if he could read my mind.

We left the people of the rocks and their great but miniature king and continued our journey.

We journeyed many days through forests and waters, mountains and deserts. We came across strange creatures and beings, evil spirits and demons, but they all kept their distance. It was as if we were guarded by an unseen force. Evil could only stare from a distance, but non came near us.

Each day we journeyed; I could sense we were nearer to the edge of Ara. I could feel the unseen powers of Ara beckoning me; I could even hear the song of Ara in my ears. Though faint at first, it increased as each day passed. Maybe I was the chosen one, maybe it was my destiny to reach the end of the world and possess the magic of Ara. The song I heard was so beautiful, so beautiful I could not describe it.

Days and nights passed, and we had almost given up hope until we saw it. Though it was a dark night, we knew what stood right in front of us. It was Iroko, the guardian tree of Ara, planted on its back in the beginning of time. We had heard the stories again and again, and here we stood before it, the gate way to the end of the world.

I had never seen anything so big and so majestic in my life. We were like mere ants next to the giant tree. The song of Ara was now loud and clear.

Ara,

Mighty and great,

Soaring through endless skies,

The whole world on its back…

The people wonder and ponder,

About the greatness of Ara,

The old men sing songs and tell folklores,

About its magic and its grace.

The magic waits for one,

None other but the one,

To soar with grace like Ara,

Burning with its magic like an endless fire.

'Can you hear it?' I screamed with joy, Ara's song was far beautiful than anything I had ever heard in my whole life…I was lost in its euphoria.

'Hear what?' Eniola asked, puzzled, he had not heard anything.

'The song, the beautiful song of Ara,' I could not control my joy, I turned round staring at all the giant trees, the beautiful birds, until I was dizzy, 'it's beautiful,' I could not stop yelling. Atupka and Eniola stared at me strangely, as I if I had been bewitched. I could not blame them; I had been totally bewitched by the beauty of Ara's voice.

Atupka smiled, 'I can't hear any song, neither can you Eniola. Only Gori can hear it. He is the one chosen by Ara, the chosen one,' Atupka was now laughing aloud with joy, he hugged me excited, 'Ara has chosen you, Gori,' he said.

'Can't you hear it?' I wanted them to also hear it. We were supposed to share the moment together.

'No, I can't,' Atukpa reiterated, 'listen to the song, and heed to it, you've been chosen,' he smiled and shook my hand.

'Why!' Eniola screamed.

'What do you mean by why?' Atukpa asked him.

'Why is he the chosen one? He is just pretending to hear the song,' Eniola said facing me, the look on his face far from benign, 'you can not be the chosen one, why would Ara chose a weakling like you to possess its powers. You don't deserve it, I do, and this is where the story changes…right here.'

'What story,' I was perplexed by Eniola's behaviour, he had suddenly changed into someone I could hardly recognise.

He snatched the power bracelet from my wrist. I could have stopped him, but I did not. I was too shocked to. Eniola was my closest friend, 'what are you talking about,' I asked, 'why snatch the bracelet.'

A sinister smile formed on his face, 'without the bracelet, you are powerless against me, and Gori, forget the song you hear…or rather, enjoy it, because it might just be the last you'd hear,' I had never seen such a look on Eniola's face, facing me was not the Eniola I knew. My child hood friend had turned into someone else; his face was filled with such evil and contempt.

'Eniola,' was all I could mutter.

'Eniola,' even Atupka could not believe what he was seeing.

'Finally, I can possess the powers of Ara, and you my friend, Goriakpata, have been of tremendous help. All the preparations haven't been in vain. From birth, my father had prepared me for this moment, even my mother had to be sacrificed. Now the moment has finally come, to possess the powers of Ara, and rule Ara and its people, and you my friend must die,' Eniola spoke in an evil diabolical tone that Atukpa and I didn't recognise.

'Eniola,' I still could not believe it was my friend that was in front of me. Then I remembered the words of the midget king of the rock people, 'beware, your greatest enemy is within,' the meaning of his words finally sank in, 'Eniola…why?'

'Quiet!' Eniola barked, a contorted frown on his face, 'Your time to seize to exist has come,' Eniola said, followed by twisted laughter.

I saw evil reek out of Eniola, and wondered how he had hidden himself for so long. His eyes had turned red, as if they were filled with blood.

'I will stop you,' Atukpa screamed, charging at Eniola.

'Atukpa, don't!' I knew Atupka was about to meet an evil fate, I saw it in Eniola's eyes.

'How dare you, you goat,' before I could move, Eniola stretched out his arm at Atukpa and he froze in his tracks. Then his features began to change.

'Eniola, don't harm him,' I wondered how much more evil powers Eniola possessed. I had never seen such magic, right in front of me, Atukpa slowly and painfully turned into a goat.

'Noooo!' Atukpa screamed as he slowly morphed into an animal against his will, 'meeee,' the goat bleated, running about frantically.

'What have you done?' I was shocked at what I had just seen. I was afraid for Atukpa, who was now a goat, and I was afraid for Eniola. What more damage could he do with such evil powers? If he ended up with the powers of Ara, the fate of its people would surely be doom.

'I won't let you continue this,' I drew out my knife and charged at Eniola.

He laughed, stretching out his hand at me, 'you can't stop me…you dirty pig.'

Immediately I stopped moving. No matter how hard I tried I could not move; it was as if I was held by some unseen force. Suddenly, I had the strangest sensation; my world seemed to collapse in front of me. My head started to spin, and then everything started to spin. I shut my eyes tightly; then opened them. The strange feeling stopped in that instant, abruptly. I brought my hands in front of me, they were human hands. A feeling of relief swept over me.

'It can't be…why are you still human?' Eniola yelled in amazement. He had a look of bewilderment on his face.

I was surprised myself, after seeing Atukpa turn into a goat right in front of me; I thought I would have been staring at Eniola from a pig's view. I was also glad his spell hadn't worked on me, and the look on Eniola's face suggested he was shocked that his spell did not work.

'Now you shall feel my wrath,' Eniola screamed, he was red with rage as he began reciting some incantations. I just stood where I was and stared at my one time friend who had turned into a monster right before my eyes. 'Your time has come,' he said, with an evil sinister laughter.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking, as if there was an earth quake. Portions of the ground started opening up, sulphurous smoke emanating out of the openings. 

'Behold, the Sigidi have come to take you to the place of torment,' Eniola raised his hands, laughing, as the ground shook around him. His eyes were dark with evil and his laughter was pure darkness.

Sigidi were sturdy dwarf-like demons that held massive clubs. I had only heard of them in stories until that moment. It was an ugly sight; they wore contorted faces, with an expression mixed with torment and excitement, excitement at the prospect of destroying another soul. 

All their attention seemed to be fixed on me. The distance between me and the horrid creatures got closer with every passing second, and there was nowhere I could run. I was surrounded, and my fate was sealed. I had been stabbed in the back and was about to be destroyed by someone who was once a dear friend.

'Why?' I asked Eniola, it was the least I could do at the moment. It was all I could do.

Eniola only smiled back, a poisonous, caustic smile, filled with loathe. 'Goodbye Gori,' he said with so much finality, as if he had sealed my fate, stamped my doom.

I could smell the sulphur that oozed from the pores of the Sigidi, their bloodied mouths grumbling with the anticipation of tormenting the dejected soul that stood before them. I could not take my eyes away from their mouths…Mouth…mouth…mouth…that part of their beings could not leave my eyes, it was as if something was pointing to their mouths, but I could not understand.

Mouth…yes! I remembered the Kola nuts the King of the stone people, Okpa, had given me. Though he had not told me what to use them for, he had told me I would need them. Then I remembered his words after giving me the kola nuts, 'sometimes, life can be bought or death kept at bay for a little price,' that definitely was it, a little price. Could I appease the Sigidi with the kola nuts?

I quickly unwrapped the kola nuts from the pouch I had kept them and held it out in front of me, 'a gift from my humble self,' I spoke at the top of my voice.

The Sigidi stopped and stared at each other. They stared at each other; they seemed to be deciding my fate. I could not see Eniola anywhere.

I awaited my fate as one of the Sigidi approached me; the others just stared at me, their faces softening a bit. I wondered if the demons had any emotions, or if they would even go for the kola nuts, my life stood in a balance. The Sigidi stood in front of me and observed me for a while. I bowed my head low, stretching out my hands with the Kola nut in them. Sometimes, to stoop to an enemy was the only choice you had; it was the only choice I had at that moment.

A life time seemed to pass, still the Sigidi just stood there. I stood on a thin rope that could snap, plunging me to my doom, mercy or destruction must have been the options vacillating in the mind of the demonic being.

Finally, he took the Kola nuts from me, I had been spared. Blood started to flow through my veins again, as I heaved a sigh of relief. The strange being took the Kola nuts to the rest and they all took one each.

'What!' Eniola screamed, 'I summoned you to destroy him and he bribes you with kola nuts?' the Sigidi only stared at him, eating the Kola nuts, 'I command you to seize him now!'

I stood where I was and watched, not saying a word.

The Sigidi looked back and forth between Eniola and me. It seemed as if they were trying to make a choice between myself and Eniola, as they kept eating the kola nut which they seemed to be enjoying. 

'I said get him, now!' Eniola let out a shriek, he could not believe the turn of events.

The Sigidi kept staring at the both of us, and then they suddenly turned to him, it appeared that they had made their choice. They suddenly made a guttural, deafening sound, beating their chests continuously. All of a sudden, they all charged towards Eniola.

'What? I said you should get him,' Eniola yelled, confused at the fact that the Sigidi were about to attack him, the hellish creatures kept rushing toward him, 'I'm your master, I summoned you, so get him,' his orders fell on deaf ears as the Sigidi pounced on him.

'I said-' he was stopped abruptly by one of the Sigidi's clubs. He lay there, dazed and weak from the blow, he tried standing, but he could not. The Sigidi lifted him as he screamed; he was being destroyed by his own folly.

I could only watch in shock, a bit of me felt sorry for him. As they took him, I wondered what had happened to the Eniola that was once my friend, even I could not save him, he had been consumed by his own evil.

'Don't let them take me!' he screamed. The ground opened under him, thick yellow smoke oozed from the chasm below. 'Please!' Ic could see tears in his eyes as he was been dragged by the Sigidi. For a moment, I saw Eniola my old friend, but I knew he was lost. He was led to the place of torment, a place he had planned for me.

'Nooooooo!' a faint shriek seeped out as the chasm closed, Eniola was gone forever.

I stood there, shocked and speechless. My face was suddenly wet with tears; I could not understand why I was crying for Eniola. He had tried to kill me. I tried to paint him as the evil person that was taken down to the abyss by the Sigidi, but the only memory I could muster was that of the friend I knew growing up. I wiped my tears, sorry for his soul.

'Gori,' Atupka called from behind me, more human than ever, 'what happened?'

'Eniola has been devoured by his own evil,' I said as we held each other, 'are you okay,' I was glad he was back to his human self.

'Yes,' he replied, 'it was so horrible being a goat.'

We both laughed. 

'I think its time,' Atukpa said, pointing at Iroko, the giant tree of Ara.

'Yes, I think so too,' in front of me was the most amazing spectacle I had ever seen. First, an inscription appeared on the barks of Iroko, as if written with fire. It read, 'behold, within lies the end of Ara.' Then the most brilliant light I had ever seen radiated from the middle of Iroko. The light had all the colours of the rainbow including white and black, then each colour separated and danced round like tentacles in the most amazing choreography.

'These are the colours of life,' a voice came from the tree, 'and to have the powers of Ara, is to be one with Ara, and to be one with Ara is to be one with life.'

Then lights came towards me and engulfed me, consuming every part of me, I could feel its power moving all through my being. I had never felt such power…such power…such magnificence. All I could see in front of me was light. 

Suddenly, I was no more in the forest, but at the edge of a cliff. I looked down and searched for a bottom, but there was none. 'Atukpa,' where was Atukpa? I looked back and what looked like a gigantic mountain stood in front of me. I looked closer and realised it was no ordinary mountain; I knew exactly what it was. A part of the mountain moved as if an eye blinked, I was sure it was an eye that blinked, the very eye of Ara, and I was standing on its nose. I smiled, allowing my self to feel every bit of excitement that surged through me.

'It is time,' I heard a voice that seemed to come from the ground under me.

My dream had come true; finally I had reached the end of Ara, and I stood before Ara herself, or rather on her nose. 'It is time,' I said to myself, tears of joy streamed down my cheeks.

I jumped off the cliff, diving into the endless depths, and then I soared high into a boundless sky as the powers of Ara surged through me. I had reached the end of a story, and started the beginning of another.