The Legend Of Dayo…
AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN
THE LEGEND OF DAYO
FINAL SEASON: THE REDEMPTION
[avatar]
The Author
CHAPTER 14
[wp_ad_camp_1]Temi read out the words carved into the wooden floor of the porch of the C-shaped building.
Love Lives Here
Welcome
Odesola Kehinde
Rosalinda Kehinde
Ziloux Escobar Adeyeye Kehinde
Roselyn Amaefule Kehinde
Temi straightened up and looked down at her, his shock slowly giving way to understanding.
Rose, weeping unchecked now, ran up the stairs and stood to look at him with indescribable joy and sorrow on her face.
“The house I grew up in, my father’s house in Dayo, was styled just like this one!” she said, sounding breathless. “Until we were forced into the orphanage when my mother died and my father was imprisoned in the White Lands!”
“You think your father lives here?” he asked softly.
She nodded fiercely and brushed tears from her cheeks.
“Yes, my love!” she whispered. “My father, Odesola Kehinde, lives here!”
“Well,” Temi said softly. “Amazing.”
Rose stumbled toward the front door.
Temi noticed the light inside the room spilling around the door and throwing beams into the porch as if a figure inside the room had moved quickly away from the door.
Rose raised her hand and hammered on the door.
“Pappy?” she said in a broken voice as her tears fell uncontrollably. “Pappy, are you there? It is Rosy Pawpaw, Rosy Lavender, Rosy Diamond, Pappy!”
Watching her, so vulnerable and shattered, Temi felt a rush of pity and compassion toward her, and as he began to take a step toward her, the whole area shuddered and trembled as if from an earth tremor, and a horrible roar shattered the air, so fierce and malevolent that Temi dropped instinctively into a battle crouch and the two swords jumped into his hands.
What on earth could give such a demonic roar?
Rose hesitated for a moment, and then she hammered on the door again.
“Pappy, Pappy, open up! Rosy is here! It is Rosy Diamond, Pappy!”
Now, the ground began to shake rhythmically, as if something huge was taking steps, and the roar shattered the silence over and again! Temi walked to the edge of the porch and looked out, and he scowled with confusion when he saw a huge, dark shape looming over the community, coming down the mountain, a figure so huge that its black outline seemed to disappear into the sky!
It looked like the shape of a human, but this was a gigantic shape, bigger than a giant, grotesque and horrible to behold, definitely an ogre of sorts!
And, as the figure drew near, it seemed to bend its head, and then its eyes turned a fiery white, like lasers, and seemed to stare straight at Temi!
And, just at that moment, the door flew open behind him, and light spilt fully on the balcony.
Temi whirled around and saw an elderly man in the doorway.
He had a wild growth of grey hair. He was wearing a pair of shorts made from some coarse material, the same shimmering thing the roof was made of. His face was thunderstruck as he stared at the incredibly beautiful young woman facing him.
“Oh, it is you indeed, my Rosy Diamond!” he murmured, his body shaking badly. “Come in, come in! That ogre will eat you if it gets here!”
“Temi, come!” Rose screamed in a shattered voice.
Temi quickly ran toward them and entered the room. The old man slammed the door shut with evident terror, and crossed two bars behind it, and then he turned and swept Rose into a fierce embrace.
The two of them began to weep pitifully and murmured endearments, but Temi was standing still, appalled by the way the building shook uncontrollably as the ogre walked past, and how each bellow from him grated painfully on the ears!
It took a long time for the horrible tremors and bellows to stop.
During that time, four more men came out of the rooms to the crude living-room of Odesola Kehinde.
They were all very old men, and they were wearing the same coarse clothes as Kehinde was. They were all horribly bearded and had to squint to see well. The light was from a sort of odd-looking stone that was lying on a piece of coarse material.
The men all stopped sharply when they saw Temidayo, but they all bowed to him and treated him with reverence, acknowledging him as a prince of Dayo. This revered reception surprised Temi greatly because he had expected animosity from these men who had been imprisoned in such a horrible place by his father and his ancestors.
The room had a few log chairs and tables, and that was basically all.
Rose and her father could simply not have enough of each other, and they cried emotionally as Temi stayed near the window and looked at them. Finally, they broke apart, and Kehinde introduced them to the other men.
“How is Ziloux, my son, doing?” he asked finally.
“Your son lives well,” Rose said sadly. “He and I tried to get revenge for your imprisonment here, Pappy, and it ended in great tragedy and loss.”
Kehinde nodded sadly.
“Yes, we’ve heard of the Apocalypse on our dear Dayo,” he said sadly.
“You have?” Rose asked, greatly surprised. “But how?”
“Oh, that traitor, Temitayo Anubi, came through,” Kehinde said, and the other men nodded. “You know, both evil spirits and humans are trapped here inside the White Lands. We humans stay here in the Brown Rocks, because the only fresh water is here, and we have logs too from the woods and covering from the backs of the woods.
All other places are uninhabitable, except The Damned, where really murderous prisoners are taken. The spirits stay at the White Ashes. So, that evil Leke Olugbade Bally dropped off Temitayo here, and left him with his father, Peter Igwe Pedro.”
And that brought Temi moving away from the window with a low growl as fury rippled through his body.
“Temitayo Anubi and his traitorous father live here?” he asked tautly.
“Yes, my Lord,” Kehinde said softly. “But you can’t touch them. Nobody can touch them because the vile spirits protect them. Peter Igwe Pedro is a reformed man, though, and has obviously regretted the part he played in the downfall of our beloved Dayo.
It is not so with Anubi! He’s such an unrepentant sinful soul! He’s been bragging about how he brought the Apocalypse on Dayo, and how in a few days Dayo will cease to exist because no one can go for the Dead Olive in the Desolates. That is why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Temi nodded savagely.
[stextbox id=”alert” caption=”WARNING”]Exclusive Content to http://www.aaron-ansah-agyeman.com Do not copy or share on any other site. Do not share on any WhatsApp, Facebook or Social Media page. ONLY SHARE THE LINKS TO THE STORY[/stextbox]“If Temitayo Anubi is here, indeed, then he will taste the wrath and vengeance of a Dayan Prince!” he said softly, but his voice carried a tone of steep venom that briefly chilled his audience.
“But wait, Pappy!” Rose said desperately, taking her father’s hand. “Let me ask you one question, please. We were told King Demi wanted to lay with our mother, and when she resisted, he then killed her and imprisoned you here!”
Kehinde looked at his daughter, and there was a great shame on his face.
“Hush, my daughter, hush!” he said sadly. “I received just punishment! I could have been killed, but King Demi was merciful. It was your mother, and I don’t mean to sour her name, because I still love her even now…but it was she who wanted to be the queen, and so wanted me to rule Dayo.
She filled my head with ambition, and yes, we did a bad thing, and sent assassins to the palace, and were caught out. Still, she tried to kill the king, and the Grand Oracle had no option than to strike her down. Only then, did I know she was of the bloodline of the spiritual sirens.
We did evil and received the ultimate. This young man’s father was merciful. Very merciful.”
Rose stayed very still for a very long time, and her face was suddenly the saddest Temi had ever seen. She turned from her father and walked slowly toward him, and then she reached out and touched his shoulder.
“I’m extremely sorry,” she whispered, and even though the speech was difficult because of her tears, she forced herself to continue. “I have been so wrong, and I carried hatred in my heart for all the wrong reasons. I allowed the lies from Temitayo Anubi to feed on my soul and crystallize into a canker I could not control.
My hatred was a venom, and it made me do such horrible, horrible things I’m bitterly ashamed of today. I’m so sorry, Temi. Do forgive me, and if you want my life, you can take it.”
They looked at each other for a long time, and then he sighed softly.
“I hold no ill against you, Roselyn,” he said finally, his voice gentle. “I hated you, yes. Indeed, could not see myself ever forgiving you, especially since Nneka and Danny died. But I see your heart, and I understand how hatred, indeed, reigned over your reasoning. I do believe your remorse is sincere, and because of that I do forgive you unreservedly.”
She put her lips between her teeth and just stared at him with a mixture of relief, love and remorse that turned her beautiful face into something breath-taking.
She moved closer into his arms and hugged him gently.
“Thank you, my Lord,” she whispered quaveringly.
Temi held her and was appalled to discover that he wanted to hold her tighter and that he was reluctant to let her go. Now, that just wouldn’t do!
Not yet, no! It would not do at all to start feeling sentimental about Rose whilst he was in the White Lands, or anywhere else for that matter! Apart from forgiving her, any other feelings for her would be a sort of betrayal for Nneka, and he could not allow that to happen, no, at least not so soon!
He pushed her back from him reluctantly.
“Now go and get some water to drink,” Temi said.
Kehinde went to the corner of the room and poured water from a clay jug into a clay cup, and then he brought it to his daughter.
“Water is the most important commodity here,” he said as he handed her the cup. “The water bodies are poisoned. The only clean water is a fountain yonder, but that is where the ogre sleeps. We only get to it when he goes out to forage for food. Which is about four hours of the day.”
As Rose drank thirstily, Temi crossed his arms and spoke.
“Four hours each day?” he asked softly. “Does the ogre attack you people?”
The men looked at each other, and then they started laughing.
“He eats us,” one of them, the oldest called Babangida, replied. “If he finds you outside, he picks you up and swallows you whole.”
“Is that why all the doors are locked?” Temi asked.
“Aye,” Babangida replied with a nod. “He leaves you alone if you’re shuttered up inside. You go out, he eats you. We only have four hours a day to forage for food and water. Some have planted seeds for food, and tend to their farms and everything within the four hours. Life is hard here because of that murderous ogre, my Lord, awfully hard.”
And as he looked at them, Temi felt great compassion for them and knew that he could not allow them to live in this situation.
“Something needs to be done,” he said calmly.
Kehinde shook his head.
“Nothing can be done,” he said sadly. “Twelve horrible years have I spent here. He has killed more prisoners than old age, thirst, sickness and hunger. No weapon or trap can harm it because he is simply too huge.”
“And where does he sleep?” Temi asked again.
“Inside the poisoned waters near the spring,” Kehinde replied. “Did you come down the mountainside?”
“We did.”
“Did you see the water in the east glinting?”
“We did.”
“Ahuh,” Kehinde said. “That’s where he sleeps. Inside that poisoned water.”
“Well,” Temi said as he came off the wooden wall. “Time to meet this ogre friend of yours, I guess.”
“No!” all the men cried in unison with utter consternation.
Their faces were extremely terrified!
[wp_ad_camp_3]The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption, The Legend Of Dayo, Redemption
THE LEGEND OF DAYO :: FINAL SEASON :: CHAPTER 13
[layerslider id=”6″]
Get INCOMPATIBLE for Ghc 20
WhatsApp Eunice on 0244084955
[layerslider id=”8″]
Get RHYTHMS OF LOVE for Ghc 20
WhatsApp Eunice on 0244084955
[layerslider id=”7″]
Get BORN BAD for Ghc 20
WhatsApp Eunice on 0244084955
Join Our WhatsApp Family.
Click HERE To Join Our WhatsApp Group 2
[/stextbox]
[stextbox id=”info” caption=”JOIN GUEST WRITER PORTAL“]
Are you a writer?
Do you have a story you want to share with our audience?
If so, let us give you the exposure by running your story on our Website
Click Here to join GUEST WRITER PORTAL
[/stextbox] [insert-comment-form]
4 Comments
Leave your reply.