Prologue

In the tumultuous year of 1967, the echoes of war reverberated through the heart of Nigeria, casting a dark shadow over the village of Ikaezere. Obiagu, a valiant defender on the warfront, faced the perils of conflict, leaving his family vulnerable to the chaos that unfolded.

As bombs thundered from the sky, Chinyere, sought refuge in the dense embrace of the bush alongside fellow villagers. Her husband was definitely dead, she thought. He was at the war front where the first bombs were dropped. Fear gripped the air as explosions punctuated the once serene landscape, tearing apart the fabric of the lives of the villagers. They ran into the wild forest without any particular direction. Chinyere found herself alone in the middle of the forest when the sounds of the bombs were finally inaudible. She kept feeding on leaves, fruits and grasses and singing the song of her husband.

"Obiagu nwa kere ka mbia n'agwo o

Egbugo nwa mbia m'awa n'agwo o

O bu ochi o ya

O bu ochi ya"

"Obiagu is a man who does not fear war

A brave man does not fear war

It is a spirit that does not fear death

It is a spirit that does not fear death"

One fateful night, the cacophony of war gave way to an eerie silence. Chinyere, weary and burdened by the weight of uncertainty, found a moment of respite in slumber. Yet, in the quietude, a sinister presence emerged. A giant monkey, a creature of the supernatural, descended upon the vulnerable encampment.

Chinyere stirred, her dreams disturbed by a force beyond comprehension. The moonlit shadows danced, revealing the grotesque silhouette of the mystical intruder. In her half-conscious state, she spoke words that mingled with the night breeze, "Obiagu, Is that you?"

The air crackled with tension as the creature, driven by inexplicable impulses, violated the sanctity of her rest. With the morning sun, Chinyere awoke to a disorienting reality. The monkey, a spectral memory, vanished into the depths of the jungle, leaving behind a woman haunted by an unspeakable encounter. "Was it a dream?" Of course it looks like a dream but there in the far distance, was the creature scurrying away.

"Bombs from the sky and creatures from nightmares," Chinyere whispered, her voice carrying the weight of the ordeal. As she recounted the tale to her fellow villagers, their eyes widened with disbelief, mirroring the surreal nature of their wartime existence. It sounded like a dream to some, like a lie to some and some actually thought she has gone mad. "Tufiakwa!! Abomination!! Don't let anyone hear about this again. Does it make sense to you? A monkey slept with... YOU? Are you crazy?" That was Amaka, Chinyere's older friend who is married to the palm wine tapper that ran mad when his 2 sons were killed in battle.

Little did Chinyere know that within her, a life-changing event had unfolded. Unbeknownst to her unborn child, the very essence of that mystical encounter would shape the destiny of generations to come, marking the genesis of a tale woven between the threads of war, tragedy, and an unexplainable connection to the supernatural. It was not a normal monkey and it's not a normal tale. She was pregnant.