Frog is Eaten While It's Hot
"Welcome back, Ológbojò. The ants were not real friends of the sweet weeds. You've done well. Enemies were struggling for nothing. They had failed in their foolish endeavors. However, you should make haste to Aiyétẹ Kingdom. Àlárúgbóiṣu is expecting you..... "This time, many more Ìṣẹ̀dá are joining hands, the struggle for the Scale Balance will be interesting. The Ìṣẹ̀dá Àgà had already issued more Entrance Passes. Thank Kátikàti for me when you met. He had done a good job on the Àgà this time around." The Oracle inside the secret room in Ológbojò's house spoke to him.
"Hummmm...., what about the Phyton that was sent after me today? Who was behind the scenes, beating the war drums?" Ológbojò interjected. "It was the Ìṣẹ̀dá Ràwùràwù. When you meet up with Àrẹmọ-Ọfọn and his group you will understand better. The enemies wanted to take advantage of your people's ineptitude, misplaced loyalty, laziness and the lost of many Origins." Ologbojo nodded his head as he exited the room. "Johnson Ọmọ-Owú is set to go to his mother's Town. Kasumu had briefed him. Ibú Akinsoro had been destroyed. Ọ̀kínja Ẹjadibúmú is now homeless ...." Oracle continued. Ológbojò stopped on the spot, at the door, and look back into the room. "Who is Ọ̀kínja?" "You will be working together later ...." The Oracle chuckled mysteriously. "At that time you will understand. The world had changed. What seemed to be working well is no more. The Ràwùràwù people wanted to take over the shrine at Òtútù your ancestral home land." "Ha...! What were these Ìṣẹ̀dá's thought?" Ológbojò interjected again. "Prepare well, there would be war, War ... War....!!!" His voice faded away.
Ológbojò fell into deep thoughts for some minutes, without moving a single muscle, before he later shook off the thoughts and shrugged his shoulders as he called on his wife to bring some food for him.
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Meanwhile, at another place, many miles away. "Aunty Olóbì, you are the eldest in our whole family and you were the only one that was close to Ancestor Alagbẹdẹ out of us. It was said that history would not perish, as far as there were people to pass it on to other generations.
"You sent for us to attend a special gathering that involved other clans, to be witnesses to what would happen. You Elders said, that the Bata drum used to cry - "clear it for me !". All that happened at Elder Kasumu's place was confusing to many of us. Can you please let me know what is happening between ours and others Aunty?"
"Hummmm ... Lanpejọ, thank you. You will prosper. Your father and my mother were born by same father and mother. Therefore, we are closer kins and even closer than those other two who went with us. They were from different mother, though of the same father with our Grandpa. Is that not so?" Aunty Olóbì asked Lanpejọ. "Yes, you were correct." "Humm ... Your father was my mother's junior brother. I want to tell you something today that you probably had not heard from anyone. The first wife of our Great Ancestor did not have any child. The second and third wife were those that born the parents of the other two. It was the first wife that married our Great Grandma to our Great Grandpa. She even did it with grandeur and fanfares. She was the one everyone knew as Amọbíigóòlù shortened to Onígóòlù at times. She married our great grandma to our great grandpa to slit the other wives and show them who is powerful and in control !" Olóbì explained. "Hahahaha...." Lanpejọ broke into hearty laughter. "Our great grandma Onígóòlù was too outrageous...! " Lanpejọ said as he kept chuckling heartily. " You've never heard anything. She did many funny and confrontational things during her life, that was not today's topic ; may be at another time." "Ẹn ẹn ... You said it yourself now, you must tell me those interesting history later." Lanpejọ said.
"Humm... That's not a problem. Nevermind, I heard that the other two branches of our family had turned traitorous. Those who were having designs about the land had been having secret dealings with them. Do you know who owns the land?" Aunty Olóbì asked. "Are we not part owner of the land?" Lanpejọ answered with a question of his own. "That was why I had asked all of you to witness today's affair. We did not have any relationship with the land owner other than our ancestors were friends to theirs. The ancestor of the inheritor of the land was the one that established this place before he invited other friends to join him. There was a shrine inside the land expanses which only him and any invited person could enter.
"Although it had been closed down for a long time now, however it was not something that just anybody can obtain." Aunty Olóbì stated emphatically. "Let me warn you strictly today, never partake in anything that has to do with that land. I suspected that the other people had been given some money on the landed property. I hope nothing bad befell them. Some people had tried it in the past, no one knew how they died, mysteriously on the same day!" She stated. "Ha .....! That's wicked!" Lanpejọ interjected. "It was not wicked, why should anyone tried to snatch another man's properties? Even if permission is given to use the land, that land is not an ordinary piece of land. It held mysterious secrets." She continued. "Is that so my Aunty?" Lanpejọ asked. "Just know that our clan's duty was to secure the land for rightful owner and ensure that the land did not fall into the hands of strangers. It's the best for all of us." Aunty Olóbì was silent for a while. Lanpejọ kept his mouth short and waited for her to continue. "The land ...., I suspected have something to do with Great Grandma Amọbíigóòlù....." She then erratically changed the subject of discussion. "Do you know why nobody contested the Kola and Beater Nuts Farms with me, including your father? Has he ever told you anything about it during his life time?" Aunty Olóbì asked Lanpejọ. The later shook his head negatively. "I did not even had the opportunity to ask him about it before he died." "The reason was nobody could do so. Who ever tried it without my consent would meet a bad end. It was all done by Great Grandma Amọbíigóòlù. She willed the farms to me directly, long before I was born. How she even knew I'm going to be a female child nobody knew. When I was born and father saw that I was a female child he knew he could not went against Mama's wishes. That was why he sent me to live with Ancestor Alagbẹdẹ when I became old enough. Great grandma had told him to ensure that I learned Kola Nut Trade from Ancestor Alagbẹdẹ's wife; and the Kola and Beater Nuts Farms belongs to me."
"Humm ..... It seemed today is going to be a memorable day for me." Lanpejo said.
"Nevermind, Elder Kasumu was one of the living relation to Great Grandma Amọbíigóòlù. You can now see why he was the one leading the "No Go Area" Crusade on the land, and why WE the descendants (although adopted) of Great Grandma Amọbíigóòlù would and must support them. As large as the Cocoa farms both at Orile and Oke-Igbo, had any of my children or I contested it with you despite being our Grand father's?" "Never, you hadn't. It's one of those things that I would like to know about. Few years back when I brought some of the proceeds from the farms? Do you remember what you said on that day?" Lanpejọ asked. "Why can't I remember? And I will repeat it to you now. 'I've told my children about it, should an outside tell them deferent story in future - the farms are yours and my duty was to ensure nobody snatched it from you. I will go to any length about it." Aunty Olóbì affirmed. Lanpejọ released the breath he did not know he held before. "I need to be coming to you often. There were many things that I should know about. May the Ancestors' Spirits continue to strengthen you and make you live longer for us. Thank you my dear Aunty." Lanpejọ was emotionally touched by the love extended to him by Aunty Olóbì. "You need not be like this. It's my responsibility..... Lest I forget, Elder Kasumu want to see the two of us. Frog is eaten while it's hot. Let's check on him before you went back to your place."