Had You Wishing

"He would usually start with a' Once upon a time, in the land of might and magic. There existed forces with wild abilities that we of this world can only conclude as fiction. But make no mistake, for it is real and very much still existing".

'He knows!'. I thought, alarmed by the opening scene of the story my aunt was telling.

Surely, if my great-grandfather mentioned all that, it would mean that he is in on the family's legacy.

It is too much a coincidence that he just happens to be telling a fantasy tale connected to the family to his grandkids in the form of a fairytale.

To the ears of a child, it would be just that. A fairytale. But to the ears of a child who has discovered a world beyond another world, it would be more than just a fairytale.

"Whenever he spoke, he would always see to it that he addresses our family as Oduduwa, rather than our actual surname, Greyson". She continued.

"You never asked him why he did that". I enquired, not exactly curious as I already knew the answer.

"I did not. I was always carried away whenever he started telling those tales. The events were inspiring and I wanted to know more, eager to see what else was going to unfold in his tale. Your father, my brother however was a different case".

She looked at me, before diving further into reminiscing about my father's childhood.

"He had always been curious and every chance he gets, he would stop grandfather to ask about the Oduduwa. Grandfather would then halt and look at him".

"You. He would say as he placed his finger on your father's chest. You are an Oduduwa, never forget that".

Her story riled up some certain unwanted emotions in me. Do not pride myself on the emotional kind, but it is what it is.

"That's it, Raul. That is everything I remember about my childhood with my grandfather. Now it is your turn to tell me what is going on, and how you came to know about the Oduduwa and the name's relation to our family like grandfather always says".

She questioned, this time showing a stern expression that she wasn't going to let go so easily.

I sighed as I realized there was no truthful way for me to get out of this.

Two options lay in front of me, both involving telling her the truth, but with inconsistencies placed in the truth for me to manipulate.

If I did that, I would be able to control the flow of information and build up the story according to the truth I want it to be, not for the truth that it really is.

"I was cleaning the house when I stumbled across a book".

And so it began with a smile gesture from me.

"The book was old and too heavy for me to bring over. If not, I would have done so".

That wasn't a lie. The book was too heavy for me to bring over. Also, in the case that she does come to the house, I have evidence to back up my story.

"When I saw the front page of the book, its title was written as' Tale Of The First Oduduwa".

Aunt Lin looked surprised. A reaction that was within the realm of expectations.

"I started reading it, and it turned out to be the same as what you have just said. A fantasy book about events of another world, one filled with people using superpowers and such to make their dreams come true".

This is it. This is the moment of truth. At this very moment, telling the story alone won't be enough. I need to give the proper reaction to my story.

I erased any sense of unseriousness in me as I wore my childlike attitude.

"I was really, really fascinated by the storybook, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish reading it in time due to how huge it is, and also because I have work to attend to all the time".

At this point, I displayed a certain trait that I have seen children do. You know, that time when they come into the convenience store and their parents get them exactly what they wanted.

That happy carefree expression. That was what I emulated in front of my aunt.

"So, I thought of something even better. Coming to my smart aunt Lin who i am sure would have the knowledge I wanted, being the smart person you are".

I flashed my teeth her way. Not so open that I came off as demanding.

"That is it?!". Asked my aunt, expecting there to be more to my story.

"You came to me, got into a journey that would take hours because you were curious about the events of a story?!".

You know what makes a good story? A short yet enthralling and captivating tale.

Sure my story has a lot of plotholes. But you can't deny that the mood of things does not permit her to see through those inconsistencies.

"If what you said is true, why was the first thing you asked me about the Oduduwa name? Why not anything about the content of the story".

Yikes Aunt Lin. Trying to corner me now, are you?

"I was curious Aunt Lin. The book had the Oduduwa name and all it ever talked about was Oduduwa, not the Greyson. It made me wonder if we had changed our family name along the line".

With a smile that showed she finally understood what was going on, she came closer to me.

"Raul, Raul". She said, her hand patting my low cut.

"No matter how mature you try to be, you are no different from kids your age".

Yes, Aunt Lin, I'm not. I can vaguely assume what she is thinking right about now, mostly because I led her through that path.

"Reading a story about such a great family capable of using supernatural powers must have had you wishing the story was about your family. Aren't you".