CHAPTER 12

Ada was not so certain; the image had come like a flash. She had seen the head of a black mamba snake, the type that would send a man on his heels. But, like a puff of smoke, it had vanished with the fog—the darkness of the path serving as a good camouflage. Maybe she was being paranoid; maybe the sleepiness night was getting to her, making her mind play tricks. Either way, she decided to trace her steps carefully, that was the best thing to do, at least, until the grace of the sun was golden enough.

The beat in her chest was racing. It was as if her heart was immersed into her stomach, and the resilience shooting up to her throat. She couldn’t continue, though she tried convincing herself that what she had seen was not real. Everything within her protested against it. In Alaocha, people avoided the black mamba, as best as they could, because, a single bite could kill instantly. Its appearance was mostly perceived by the elders, as a bad omen—mostly death. An encounter with one of such snakes—no matter how small—leads to series of sacrifices, offered to appease the reptile gods. It was believed that failure to do so, death would ravage the land.

The coldness of the morning did little to the bead of sweat rolling from Ada’s forehead down to her face. She was heating up inside, but the opposite was surfacing on her skin. The hairs were all standing and she could feel a chill that has nothing to do with the weather. The finger creeping in her stomach, made the taste for hunger pleasurable. Her head was aching slightly, even as she found the guts to blink, just to make sure she was not dreaming.

The morning fog swerved around and smoked the path ahead. If the sun was at its zenith, it would have been easy to pick out the figure lingering in the shadows. But, now, she only stared, with fright threatening to burst her brain.

“Chim oo!!! (My god),” Ada screamed and jumped back as her fears became a matter of reality. The snake had raised its head and was creeping towards her. Small flat head, with eyes too little to be seen in the poor lighted environment. Its body was long, twice the height of any average man. Scales shimmered with the moist leaf, blaring with the fog, as if mocking the sun to shine.

A good distance from the circle of danger, Ada paused and looked behind. No sound could be compared to the beat of her heart, which was reverberating in her ears like a metal gong. Nothing last forever some adage says. Even tomorrow is dependent on life, that’s why when death pursues life, life pants like a stressed farmer.

Confusion and wonder suddenly became an unwanted company, when she noticed the disappearance of the snake. The mamba that was hot on her heels had disappeared again into the thin air.

Ada let her eyes scrutinize the place. Some said the snake was smart, others said otherwise, either way, she was not willing to take any chances. The mamba, according to legend, was not known to pardon its victim. It would hunt and until it satisfied its desires—if it had any—the only thing that can stop it was a death shot.

Where is it? Ada swallowed whatever liquid was left in her mouth. The disappearance of the snake didn’t help the pumping of her heart. She let her coppery eyes jump from one grass floor to the next, from one moist leaf to the shrubs lining the place. There was no revelation of the black snake. It seemed to have extinct from the surface of the earth.

A little light from the rising sun, brightened the cold morning, and its penumbra glint, made the shadows fleeting. At least it was a bit clear even with the foggy air. She could see some distance away.

Ada’s eyes brushed the area to her left, but paused when they settled on something, sitting on the grass bed. It was a thick dense cloud, almost like the fog of the morning, but this was different. Where the fog meanders randomly and murk the air, the cloud sitting on the grass bed was calm and static. Nothing testified to its fleeting nature. Ada had not seen a fallen cloud before, though she had heard stories about a woman who saw a cloud fall from the sky. Until now, she never believed the story.

The new revelation instantly brought this sense of peace within her. It was a divine tranquility, which clearly was unfathomable. The thought of the snake clearly was forgotten for some minute, as curiosity made her walked closer. She needed to be sure it was real. She wouldn’t mind touching it if she could. She would be the second woman in Alaocha who did not just see a fallen cloud, but had touched it as well.

“Amadioha!!!” Ada shouted and ran back. The cloud had yawned in its sleep, flashing spotless white teeth.

Ada’s fear was tripled. What she had mistaken for a fallen cloud, turned out to be a white lion cub. Even though it was still asleep, she would be damned to wake it. For as the saying goes, ‘onye etetela nwa agu no n’ura (do not wake a sleeping cub)!

Twice, they say was a coincidence, but thrice really is a sign. First, it had been the sleepless night, then the black mamba snake and now a white lion cub. Sweating under her skin, Ada needed no prophet to tell her that the path was too dangerous. She decided to find another route. It was true nobody cared whether she lived or dies. Right now, she was living for nobody, she was living for herself. She was not ready to die yet.

The noise in the grass made her turn sharply. She gulped and wiped her sweating palms on her animal cloth. The black snake had appeared again. This time it crawls swiftly towards the lion cub that was still sleeping.

Ada became alarmed. She should be far away from the two dangerous animals, but something rooted her feet to the spot. How unfair it was if the lion cub was killed in its sleep.

Does it matter? A voice said in Ada’s head. But she didn’t reply as she searched the grass, hoping to find a twig or anything she could throw. It was only a matter of time before the snake gets to the lion cub and kills it.

“Perfect,” Ada hurriedly picked the log of a broken branch. It was oddly heavy and it took all of her strength to carry it to her shoulder level.

Wait, what am I doing? Ada was confused. She should have gone for a twig which was easy to throw from a distance. At least, that would wake the cub without jeopardizing her life in the process. But, on a second thought.

With all her might, Ada hurled the log, which came down with a boom sound, loud enough to wake the lion cub.

The lion cub raised its head with an admirable alertness. It hurriedly backed away when it saw the head of the black snake, some away. The snake could not move further as the heavy log was on its neck, trapping it to the spot. With a loud roar, the lion cub slapped the head of the snake with its paws. Blood trailed on the grass carpet as the head of the snake flew into the distance.

Ada watched the headless body of the snake. The log still held it in place even as it danced painfully in all direction. The lion cub roared again, and just then, Ada realized the mistake she had done. She should have gone for a lighter twig.

The brown eyes of the white lion cub were studying her carefully. They contrasted the white face and body. Those golden eyes were strong and brave. Each glint in them reminded her of Ikedi.

Now I have lost it. Even in the middle of what could be my death, I am thinking of Ikedi! The gods help me, I’m such a fool. Ada cursed as she stared back at the lion, contemplating what move would be best. Was running the best option or to arm herself, but with what?

Ada backed away slowly, but paused when she noticed the expression on the lion’s face changing from anger to friendliness. The lion cub walked towards her, waggling its tail like a tamed animal. It circled her legs with its fur, which was warm despite the cold air. Ada stooped and stroked the neck of the cub. She was rewarded by a smear of saliva, as the lion licked her face.

“Ah-ha, that’s enough little guy,” Ada chuckled and wiped her face, “and here I was, praying to the gods to accept me in their house on the other side. What a blessing in disguise?” Ada laughed again. It felt good you know. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy.

“Now, what do I call you?” as if it understands, the lion raised its head and stared into her eyes expectantly.

“Dike (hero)…you displayed an act of bravery when you killed that snake,” Ada stroked the neck of the cub again “I shall call you, Dike.”

Dike licked her face again but this time Ada protested and stood up. The day was bright now. It was time to continue her journey. This time, she was not alone.