Chaos

Dedicated to OmowumiAnike

Rage is one emotion that shows how savage we are. It is a souvenir from the Neanderthals that we're stuck with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~moi

Bili ka m bili - live and let live was the story of the Onwuegbusi's and umuikpo till the gong of madness sounded on that faithful morning.

The smell of knock-out or banger which the villagers used to usher the new year in, still lingered in the air. Smoke could be made out in the atmosphere and the children prowled the streets and bushes in search of sticks of the bangers which did not explode the night before.

Ịchụ afọ as they termed it was one of those days mapped out for not just noise pollution but burning of unwanted belongings from different families. It was the final activity of the year which was naturally imposed on the 31st of December annually.

"Afọ gbara aka lawa" was the common chant during this organized disturbance.

It had been a grand send off for that year and the joy of the new was still overwhelming.

Most families went to church to affirm their faith and also to make declarations for the year, other families met with their chi bearing sacrifices. Seemingly the witches and wizards whom some villagers claimed were bats and owls had also begun to prepare for the new year.

Men and women were seen on the roads welcoming each other into the new year. Children on different errands which they enjoyed because the reward would be hefty plates of rice and a sizeable piece of meat.

Their village umuikpo was a peaceful place. The palm trees that decorated the bushes danced to the tunes of uguru (harmattan) and the partly burnt bamboo trees whose leaves were the color of a faded white swished in acquiescence to the same tunes.

All these were aftermaths of ịchụ afọ with the bangers. Many palm wine producing trees also met their untimely death in the fire.

"Daa maazi oo!

Kaa nkà!"

Iheanyị bellowed in salutation as he strolled out of his compound. The recipient of the greeting was an older woman daa mgbeodi who was passing by, her speed propelled by the old and rusty bicycle she rode.

Iheanyị was the father to Chijioke, Adaugo and the fraternal twins Obanmanjuru and Obinna. His wife Ngozi had promptly sent him out to get a goat which would be slaughtered for the new year celebration. It was evident in their marriage that Iheanyị loved his wife dearly. Everyone in the village knew of his obsessive love and his protective nature. His temperament was also known by all as they had witnessed many get beaten just by staring inappropriately at his wife.

The woman was very beautiful even though iheanyi's gene seemed to have over powered hers in his children. It was only her last daughter who persevered and became even more beautiful than her mother. Hence her name Obanmanjuru "A basket filled with beauty"

For long the villagers had referred to the woman as a mermaid "nwanyị mmụọ mmiri" But Her involvement in their local church subdued those claims.

Daa Mgbeodi was considered half sane and when she ignored Iheanyi's greetings, he bore no grudges. It was often considered a bad omen for the first greeting of the day to return without response but everyone knew it didn't apply to daa mgbe odi.

He could see her lips moving as she mumbled to herself while riding her bicycle.

His children had gone with their mates to the bushes and he had sent their eldest sister Adaugo to fetch them. He had sent the young girl in the wee hours of the morning but she was seemingly delayed by what kept her siblings.

"Dee good morni, happy new year ooo! " Ukamamaka a young girl excitedly greeted when Iheanyị approached their village market.

It often irked Iheanyị when certain English words were mispronounced but he smiled radiantly at the young girl and wished her well.

Their villagers were fond of recreating the white man's words. It was either "good money or good morn" Either way consonants and vowels were always swallowed.

He had gone in search of a male goat which he would slaughter and distribute to other members of the family as the eldest son, before allocating the remaining portion to his family.

Chidozie had just finished his bath which was carried out in a deft manner because of harmattan. His body was covered in Vaseline and his wife had teased him of looking like a freshly fried puff puff.

He had moved to umuikpo with Chidiogo, his two sons Onyedikachi and Arinze because of the fast growing rate of commerce in the city, Aba.

They had migrated from Onitsha despite the warnings of his father. He had heard stories about the indigenes of the land and how they were cannibals yet his instinct and conviction was not wavered.

" His family had not been eaten yet" were the words he always taunted his old father with.

Nze Obiora his childhood friend had been the one who had told him to move to the city, his fleet of cars and mansion did the rest of the convincing.

For years they had lived peacefully in the land and soon other people migrated to join them in their businesses. Chidozie's adept knowledge of business established him in the city and his wealth had grown quite measurably.

He had decided to stay behind during the Christmas period while his business counterparts practically ran to Nnewi.

"Biko nyelu m Ngozi ife a* please give this to Ngozi" His wife had instructed as he secured the trousers on his waist with a belt.

Ngozi and Iheanyị were their neighbors and the two families had coexisted peacefully for years. Their children also attended the same school and Dozie as his wife fondly called him was particularly fond of the ụmụ ejima whom he had driven their then pregnant mother to the hospital in his white Volkswagen to be delivered of the babies .

His two sons who had joined the village children in ịchụ afọ had not returned yet and he had been planning to get them before his wife beckoned on him. Chidozie quickly headed to the next compound.

His wife could still hear his voice as he greeted people unbeknownst to her.

His occasional "happy new year nụ oo!" could still be heard till his voice faded away.

Onyedikachi couldn't tell why he was inside a bush searching for a love letter that had been addressed to his elder brother .He knew returning home without Arinze would invite queries from his mother so he grudgingly helped in search of the paper. His brother's naivety was something that baffled him and how girls still found his somewhat witless brain attractive was dumbfounding.

He had told Onyedikachi that he secured the letter in his shorts while they practically ran round the whole village shooting bangers. Onyedikachi would have been less angst about situation if the question of the shorts his brother claimed to hold the letter hadn't been torn in the pocket . Arinze was well aware of the fact but had still placed the letter there.

The bush where they were scouring were filled with children, the occasional screaming and loud bangs gave Onyedikachi a clue.

"Ifu go ya? Have you seen it? We need to go home o" Onyedikachi yelled as his brother came to a halt

" I haven't seen it oo, have you seen it?" He promptly asked drawing a loud hiss from Onyedikachi.

"Would I be asking if I have " He muttered to himself feeling even more angry.

His eyes wandered to where he brother stood,unmoving and his curiosity was aroused.

"Why did you stop?"

"Onyi a mad man is stooling in the Bush" He replied chuckling

Onyedikachi didn't feel even slightly amused by his brother's comment as he trudged ahead.

"Mommy will not be happy,we should be at home helping her"

"I haven't even read the letter!Do you think I would be searching for it if I had read it before it got missing? Eh!"

"You should have given it to me"

"Ka gini mezie?what would you have done?" Arinze angrily enquired with a scowl

" I would have read and memorized it for you"

Arinze was about to make a comment before the man jumped out.

He stared at the children menacingly before giving a loud cry that startled the pair.

" Keep your wife safe ,ọnwụ nọ n'ụzọ .Death is coming!" A strange laughter ensued from the man's mouth and he gave Onyedikachi a sound slap.

The sting of the slap brought tears to his eyes but he withheld sobs to avoid being taunted by his brother.

The man was indeed insane, neither him nor his brother had a wife.

Were Onyedikachi's thoughts as he rubbed his cheek furiously.

The man's lice infested hair was long and his torn clothes left nothing to hide from the eyes of men.

Arinze's gaze fell on the man's round black buttocks and he held his mouth to stop a chuckle that almost escaped.

The man laughed once more before leaving the two. Onyedikachi's eyes trailed him as he muttered to himself occasionally slapping his forehead.

He turned to see Arinze smiling sheepishly.

"ọ furu gị ụfụ? Was it painful? That man's buttocks is so dirty and hairy! O yiri nnọọ anụ ofia. He looks like an animal"

Onyedikachi still pondered on the weight of his brother's foolish question and only shook his head. He hadn't even challenged the man who had beaten his younger brother.

"Arinze ana m! When you find your nonsense letter you can come back home"

Onyedikachi started marching back to their house, his ears immune to his brother's relentless pleas.

He was almost out of the bush when he saw the twins that lived in the next compound.

The little girl was trying to pluck something from a shrub while her twin brother struggled to hold her steady.

Onyedikachi was slightly amused with their appearance. The girl clad in an oversized pants which was secured by a knot that was tied to her side and the little boy dressed in only tear filled boxers, leaving his round belly bare.

Onyedikachi knew the boy had an illness called apa afọ which made his stomach big giving him a funny look. The disparities between a kwashiorkor patient and the little boy being so little.

"have you gotten it?" The little boy enquired obviously tired of holding his sister. His tiny legs were wobbly and Onyedikachi could tell the strain that was on his poor figure in the bid to keep his sister steady.

"Mba! Chere nụ! I'll get it" The little girl assured him.

Onyedikachi had a penchant for the girl even though he was few years older than they were. He loved her curly hair and her very light skin, in contrast to his own rich ebony black one. He knew the villagers claimed she was a spirit child.

He was only twelve years old and she was six. Their parents, neighbors even before the little girl was born. Arinze had nicknamed the little girl "I ga eri" because of how eager she was to share her food.

She was also a very happy child that always seemed to have a smile plastered on her face at all times.

"Onyi! I ga ara?" The little girl enquired with a smile plastered on her face which Onyedikachi returned.

She was very smart too!

Enquiring if he wanted to eat whatever fruit they were trying to pluck was a passive way of telling him to help them out. He was taller and could reach the said fruit.

Obinna's legs finally gave out and he landed on his derriere with his sister. The pair stood up laughing heartily as Onyedikachi moved forward to pluck the achịcha .

He split the item in half and handed the two parts to the twins.

Obinna quickly sank his teeth into his own portion while Obanma eyed Onyedikachi hesitant to eat her own .

She quickly handed the fruit to him as she saw that he had taken none, but Onyedikachi rejected. She didn't take a bite out of the fruit instead she continued asking him the same thing while he led them home.

"Onyi Iga ara achịcha? Will you eat achịcha?" Obanma asked for the umpteenth time while Onyedikachi simply shook his head and replied

"Mba oo... no!"

They were very close to Iheanyi's compound but their footsteps were hastened by a loud cry that startled Onyedikachi. Obinna ran ahead while Obanma struggled to run with her piece of clothing as it kept dangling off her waist.

Onyedikachi was hesitant to leave the young girl even though curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Onyi biko kechie nụ m ihe a! Please help me tie this thing" Obanma pleaded

Onyedikachi bent down and added another knot to the oversized pant before lifting her onto his back and running to the source of the cry.

The children arrived the compound to see a screaming Ngozi and two men struggling with a gun.

Obinna ran to his mother's side who's disheveled appearance was the least of their worries.

Onyedikachi was surprised to see his father struggling with Iheanyị. A hunter's gun in iheanyi's hand, with a hardened look.

Something was amiss!

"He will kill him ooo, please o help me" were the words on Ngozi's lips

He could see that his father was clad in only his white singlet and shorts which was strange.

Onyedikachi wanted to help, but the terrified little girl on his back seemed to be his top priority.

She was calling out to her rage filled father, who kept swearing to kill Dozie.

A loud bang sounded and both Onyedikachi and Obanma landed on the floor. She screamed and suddenly went quiet while Onyedikachi held his ears.

The two struggling men stopped as they finally saw the after deal of handling a loaded gun poorly.

Ngozi was hovering over her little boy as blood trickled from his head down to his body. Dozie froze at the sight, regret and remorse dancing in his eyes.

Iheanyị stood unmoving, the gun still in his hand. The shock of the event had moved Dozie's hands of the weapon.

Ngozi continued wailing as villagers started trooping into the compound.
Onyedikachi had barely registered what had happened before another bang went off, leaving his father lifeless on the floor.

Iheanyị was always known to have rage as his flaw. He was known as a temperamental man onye iwe ọkụ and the two lifeless bodies in his compound had turned him into a killer as well.

Onyedikachi ran to his father's body tears streaming from his eyes, Obanma by her mother's side tears streaming from her eyes as she held her twin brother's unmoving hand.

Iheanyị stood unmoving as the villagers surrounded him. He only kept yelling "ọ kwara iko! She committed adultery" as he was pulled away. Arinze and his mother met a lifeless Dozie and a wailing Onyedikachi. While Adaugo and Chijioke met a dead Obinna, with their father being dragged out of the compound.

What would have been a celebration turned into a sorrowful event, marking the beginning of a bitter war.

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Author's note

Hello everyone!

This is the first chapter of this book and I hope you enjoyed it. Yes I know, there are lots of characters and names we should be mindful of and it started on a sad note😕

Remember to share your thoughts by commenting, feel free to ask questions especially about the words in Igbo,which ever you don't understand.

Do not forget to vote, comment and share!

Love you all❤️❤️❤️