Chapter Five Kojo's Misery

After all,the friends felt sorry for him and were ashamed for what they had done, because now they knew the repercussions on Kojo for revealing the secrets about the goddess mother of the river that granted him riches.

They were confused and unhappy with themselves .They felt sober for suspecting Kojo of any wrong-doing.How foolish and wicked they had all been ! "Now what have we done?" they muttered shamefully amongst themselves." What serious damage have we done to Kojo!"

Well,the damage had been done,whether Kojo was conscious or not when he revealed the truth .There was nothing anyone could do to change what had been done.The next day,his friends came by and confessed what they did to him.

" We put some spices in your meal so that you would tell us the secret of your riches. We're very sorry," they apologized.But oh,it was too late for apologies! Kojo cried out helplessly that day! He cried for hours,for he knew that he had offended the kind woman that had been gracious to him and gave him riches.

A few days later,the first thing that Kojo noticed was that there were no more precious gifts and jewelries in his treasure room.They had all mysteriously diasappeared over night.

He would have immediately suspected his friends of coming by night to steal his wealth, but he realized that no one had broken into his house.All of a sudden it dawn on him that the treasures had gone back to its source, because he had betrayed the strange woman.

Then after a while,he began to notice that his money was quickly running out .In a short time ,he became broke and he began to sell off his properties and personal possessions to make ends meet.Soon,he even sold his boats,his furniture and even his house!.He took whatever little money he had and moved into a very small house in the village .His friends who caused his downfall were nowhere to be found .They had all abandoned him.

Out of bitter frustration and with nothing else to do,Kojo went and borrowed a small boat from one of the neighbours and sail off into the river.He sailed very far,crying and praying to the strange and kind woman who had been his benefactor for several years.

" Mother of the river" ,he wailed,rowing farther and farther into the river." i' m sorry ,please forgive me.i need your help .I'm living in frustration and penury today.It's all gone ;the house ,the wealth, it's all gone . Please help me,Mother of the River ",he cried bitterly.

He cried all day and wailed ,he refused to go home and slept in the boat there on the water and in the middle of the night Kojo had a dream that the Mother of the River came and spoke to him and said," Kojo,I am really disappointed at you I did you a favour that should ensure you and your generation unborn be free from poverty,just to keep a secret you couldn't.Why are you crying ,you are the cause of your downfall,go back home and live the rest of your life in poverty".

Kojo replied " kind and beautiful goddess of the river,have mercy on me,I was deserved by my friends and got drugged,I wouldn't have done that in my right senses,please give me a last chance.....help me! help me !! help me !!!",he cried uncontrollably.And the kind goddess of the river showed mercy and told him," I will only give you a chance because it was not on your own volition that you exposed the secret but you were drugged, and when you had the money,you showed mercy to the needy and helped other people ,.though I will not allow you to fish treasure any longer. but any time you come to fish ,it will be abundance, you will always catch in abundance by your sweat".

From that day Kojo began to fish back and it was in abundance,though he was not as rich as before but he was comfortable and doing very well.All those his friends that deserted him at first came back again but he rejected their company and wouldn't allow them hang around him.He became a solo man and only enjoy his time with his wife and children for the rest of his life,