FAITH & TRADITION 4
DOC: She went into coma after putting to bed.
TONY: Noooooo! (Tony gets uneasy as he laments over the news while the doc tries to calm him down)
DOC: Calm down Mr Tony. Calm down. Pull yourself together. The labour process took longer than usual but she managed to push through it. Now you’re a proud father of a set of twins. Two bouncing baby boys.
TONY: (Not too excited about the news. Continues to cry and lament) Two bouncing baby boys? But Doc what happened to my wife ooo? Why did she go into coma now? Did she even get to see the babies before passing out?
DOC: I’m afraid not.
TONY: Oh God oooo.
DOC: Mr Tony, you must call upon all your strength now. You’ll really need it. You must be there for the children until your wife awakes from coma.
TONY: How long will that be?
DOC: I can’t say how long. I just pray she comes around soon.
TONY: (Intensifies lamentation) Heiii-Hei-hei ooooo! Chai! What sort of a development is this? What will I do? Ehn? What? God ooooo!
DOC: It’s okay Mr Tony. It’s okay. It will be alright.
TONY: Chei!
SCENE 15
(Goro’s Region)
REPTILE: My lord Goro, the job has been done. Everything went according to plan. Rose passed out after giving birth.
GORO: Is she dead?
REPTILE: No my lord Goro. She’s in coma.
GORO: Why coma? That wasn’t the plan. She was supposed to die! Why did you leave her alive?
REPTILE: My lord, I did everything to ensure her death. I can’t explain why she went into coma instead of just dying.
GORO: This must be the work of the ancient of days. He prevented her from dying so that the church can rise and intercede for her life. Reptile, It’s time for our next strike. Go and instigate Ekpe-Ikot to rise and see to it that no tradition of the land is eluded.
REPTILE: At your service my lord Goro. Great army of darkness! Let us match to earth and carry out the will of Goro.
SCENE 16
(Rose’s Parent’s Compound)
NTWEN: (Everyone crying and lamenting because of Rose’s condition) I told you people, but you refused to listen. Now see where it has landed us! My daughter is dead!
MRS NTWN: Ehh oo! My first daughter! My first daughter! My first daughter is dead ooooooo!
TONY: Mama she’s not dead. She’s in coma.
NTWEN: Kokomma? What do you mean by kokomma? What is kokomma? My daughter is dead and you’re mentioning another woman’s name. Oh, so you now want to marry kokomma ehn? You took my daughter away from me, promising to take perfect care of her. You couldn’t keep to your promise and now she’s dead. And you’re planning to marry kokomma?
MRS NTWN: (Cuts in) Iyammi oooo. Ewu Aju Ami oo (The have killed my daughter oo)
TONY: No Mama, she’s not dead. She’s very much alive. She’s in a coma.
NTWEN: (Interrupts angrily) Young man stop mentioning that girl’s name in this compound. Stop mentioning that name before I lose my temper completely!
TONY: No sir, it’s not a girl’s name. It’s an English word. It means..., It means…, (Tony tries to remember what coma is in vernacular but realises he doesn’t know it. Or perhaps, coma doesn’t have an interpretation in Ibibio dialect. Does it in yours?)
NTWEN: It means what?
TONY: It means…, ehm, sir, I don’t know what it means in Ibibio.
NTWEN: Ahha! Didn’t I say it? My daughter is dead. You’re just trying to withhold that information from us by attempting to overwhelm us with the white man’s language. You think I didn’t go to school? Or is it because I decided to stay in the village with my family that you think you can just walk in and deceive me with grammar? Young man where is the body of my daughter? Go and bring us her body? And the children you say she gave birth to, bring them here as well.
AKPAN: Ntwen take it easy. You daughter is not dead. She’s just sleeping a prolonged sleep. She will wake up soon.
EKPE: (Plunges his staff in the ground and the sound of clustered bids silences everyone) Lies! All lies! Ntwen, your daughter is dead! (Ntwen’s family echo laments) I told you! I told you not to let those children marry without undergoing the required traditional rights but you refused. And you went as far as putting aside the great Isantim to follow another god. Now you and your family will face the anger of Isantim. You shall die one after the other until there’s none left to continue your name. (Ntwen’s family echo laments again) This shall serve as warning to anyone who thinks he can just wake up to dare Isantim.
MRS NTWN: Please have mercy oo. Please have mercy. Beg Isantim to spare us please. The loss of our daughter is penalty enough for our disobedience. Let him not wipe away the rest of us please. Have mercy oooo.
EKPE: Too late for that. Isantim has decreed! And nothing can stop him from doing what he has purposed to do. Your family is now under his curse!
NTWEN: Oh! Nso Iki Indong ooo? Nso Iki indong ibo nnke mia atta ye Isantim Inyang Itiaba? Oh! (Who sent me to dare the gods of the land?)
TONY: Pay no attention to this devil’s incarnate. His only duty is to go about confusing people with lies.
AKPAN: (Urges son to be careful with his choice of words just in case Ekpe is really who he poses himself to be) Hei Son, shhh. Be quiet.
TONY: No father. This man is taking advantage of the ignorance of these people. It’s high time somebody shut him up.
EKPE: And who’s going to shut me up? You? (Mischievously) So you see yourself to be a very intelligent fellow huh? How sad. Now listen to me you nonsensical elementary! You came here and took one of the daughters of this land away without marrying her, and now she’s dead.
TONY: (Cuts in) You are greatly mistaken, because I married Rose properly.
EKPE: Who gave you the go ahead to do so?
TONY: Our parents of cause!
EKPE: You needed more than parental blessings to marry Rose because she had been sold out to Isantim generations ago and was not to marry any mortal man without undergoing the terms and conditions you both failed to adhere to. By so doing you are not considered to have married her. Instead are considered to have been cohabiting with her, which is also against our tradition.
TONY: What nonsense!
EKPE: Don’t you dare interrupt me again.
AKPAN: Son, just calm down. Let him finish.
EKPE: Good! Now in our tradition, it is forbidden to take a woman away from her parents and live with her without marrying her, and that is what you did. And according to our tradition, if the woman dies in the process, the man is required to marry her corps and sleep in the same room with her until morning.
TONY: (Screams out very loudly) God forbid! Marry a corps and sleep in the same room with it till the next day? What am I even saying? The girl is not dead for crying out loud! She went into coma after putting to bed. Does no one around here know what coma means?
EKPE: I warned you not to interrupt me. Nhee, Eyen ke bre ye ek nti idi tua-tua. I won’t warn you again. Be careful!
AKPAN: Son, just let him speak. We’ll find a way to resolve everything later. Just allow him to finish.
EKPE: So you must marry the girl’s corps and sleep in the same room with it till the next morning. Go now and bring her body from wherever you took it to. And also bring the child she gave birth to. If it is a girl, she must be dedicated to Isantim before the next Ikpa Isong festival. If it is a boy, he must be baptised in the Odudu stream within seven days. If not, the child will be an imbecile. If I may ask, what is the sex of the child?
TONY: It’s not just a child she gave birth to. It’s a set of twins. Two boys.
EKPE: SAii! Abomination! (Recites Incantations) When the people begin to think that it is their right to enjoy the moonlight every single night, the moon disappears after 29 days and they go right back the darkness they were in before the moon came. There is another problem!
NTWEN: (Very downhearted) I know ooo. I know ooo. (Mrs Ntwen joins her husband to lament)
AKPAN: Ntwen, what is it this time. What do you know?
EKPE: (Interrupts) Our tradition does not allow the existence of twins.
TONY: So, what are you implying? What does that mean?
EKPE: They must be killed!
TONY: (Very Angry) I’ve had it up to my neck this time! I can’t even listen to this trash anymore! Just so you know, I’m not subject to your traditions. I have my own believes and convictions. And it is highly offensive to my God to murder another man, not to mention children. And Rose is not dead! She’s in a coma.
EKPE: You have 15 days to return to here with the girl’s body and the children. You must do as tradition demands to the girl’s corps, and the children will be killed to prevent the anger of Isantim from falling on the whole community. 15 days is all you have. If you don’t come here with them, then expect a visit from Isantim himself. I told you before; “THAT WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER SHARE THE SAME DESTINY” (Uproots his staff and leaves)
NTWEN: Chei! So this is how my whole sufferings will end? Just like that. All my family will die. What a wicked world.
AKPAN: Ntwen, don’t sound like that. Your daughter is not dead. The doctors are doing their best to revive her. She will wake up. The only thing that bothers me now is the issue with the children.
TONY: No one will harm my children! Not while I’m alive!
NTWEN: They will ooo. They will. (Ntwen’s family continue weeping and lamenting while Tony and Dad console them)
SCENE 17
(Pastor’s House)
HELEN: (Running to Pastor’s house) Pastor ooooo, Pastor! (Bangs on Pastor’s door) Pastor ooo please open. Haaaaa!
PASTOR: Ahh-Ah! Who’s banging on my door like that? Take it easy. I’m coming. (Opens up and sees Helen) Sister Helen, what is it? Why are you screaming?
HELEN: (Panting) Pastor some youths from Rose’s village in company of their chief priest came to Tony’s house and seized him. They have taken him away to Rose’s village along with the twins. They said the 15 days they gave Tony to report in the village with Rose and the babies has passed without him doing as he was told. Now they have resorted to doing it their own way. Pastor they will kill the children and take Tony as a prisoner until someone brings Rose’s corps to them so that Tony can perform the required traditional whatever.
PASTOR: That’s insane! Helen! Time has come to invoke the fire dimension of God! Take some brethren and proceed to that village. I will join you in a short while.
HELEN: Yes sir. But sir why are you joining us later? We might be somewhat frightened there without you.
PASTOR: Don’t be. Just go. I will come later. I must go somewhere now.
HELEN: Sir, where are you going to?
PASTOR: To the hospital to see Rose.
HELEN: Do you intend to present her in that state to her people?
PASTOR: Don’t worry. Just go. Like I said, I will join you later.
HELEN: Okay sir.
PASTOR: The Lord is your strength.
SCENE 18
(Rose’s Village. On their way to Ekpe’s shrine)
TONY: (Villagers drag Tony to the shrine of Isantim to lock him up and kill the twins) Leave me! Let me go! Where are you locking me up? Let me go!
EKPE: Shut up! I told you that when a child begins to think that he is wiser than his father, what his father spent a lifetime running away from will kill him in his sleep. You will be locked up in this shrine until you provide the corps of our daughter, and thereafter marry it.
TONY: Over my dead body! What will it take you to understand that Rose is not dead?
EKPE: Young man, I don’t have time for your nonsense right now. (Calls out to one of the villagers) Owoden Itiaba!
ITIABA: Eteubom!
EKPE: Have you locked him up properly?
ITIABA: Yes I have. Nothing in this world, dead or alive can free him from this bond.
EKPE: Good. Now bring the children. They must be slaughtered at the hour of six. We have barely 45 minutes.
ITIABA: Okay sir!
SCENE 19
(Rose’s Father’s House)
PASTOR: (Drives into Rose’s compound) Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Mr Ntwen! Helen! Where’s everybody? (Two young girls pass by just then and he ask ;) Excuse me girls. Please do you know those who live here?
GIRL 1: Yes we do.
PASTOR: Oh thank God. Please do you happen to know where they are?
GIRL 1: No we don’t.
PASTOR: (Phone rings) Hold on please. I have a call. (Picks up) Hello?
HELEN: Pastor! Pastor where are you? Tony has been locked up and the twins are about to be killed by the chief priest.
PASTOR: I’m in Rose’s compound right now but there is no one at home.
HELEN: No Pastor. There’s no one there. Everyone is at the shrine where the whole thing is playing out. They are going to kill the twins before 6pm and it’s barely 15 minutes away. Please hurry down here sir. Pleaasseee.
PASTOR: But I don’t know my way there.
HELEN: Ask anyone you see around to direct you.
PASTOR: Great idea. I was talking with some girls before your call came in. I’m sure they will direct me there. Stay strong Helen till I get there. And don’t stop praying.
HELEN: Yes sir. Please hurry.
PASTOR: (Hangs up) Girls please; do you know where the village shrine is?
GIRL 1: Yes we do. Just take the first turn by your left and keep driving until you get to the end of that road. That’s as far as your car can take you. When you get there you’ll have to step out and walk through the only bush track you’ll find there and it will lead you straight to the shrine of Isantim.
PASTOR: Thank you very much. I have to hurry. Take care. (Gets into his car and zooms off to the shrine)
SCENE 19 B
(Ekpe’s Shrine)
EKPE: (Addressing the villagers) Loyal subjects of Isantim! Today you will all witness the undoing of the abomination which Ntwen and his household brought into our land by giving out their first daughter who belongs to Isantim to a mortal man to marry. These babies are the product of that unrecognised union. And they will be killed when the hand of the clock falls on the hour of six to prevent the anger of Isantim from falling on us. It is now 15 seconds to 6 o’clock. I want you all to join your voices together and countdown from 10. When you get to 0, I shall kill the children. It’s now time, so count down.
VILLAGERS: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
ROSE: (Interrupts) Don’t hurt my children! (Everyone turns to see who screamed and discovered the person to be Rose. Then they all begin to freak out because of fear, thinking it was her ghost since they all believed her to be dead)
VILLAGERS: Iyammi oo! Ekpo! Ekpo!! Ekpo!! (Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! The villagers kept freaking out as they took to their heels but stopped some distance away to clear their doubts)
EKPE: What is this trick?
PASTOR: This is no trick you agent of darkness. This is Rose, the very girl you pronounced dead to the whole village. She was in coma. The spirit of the Lord moved me to pray and resuscitate her when you seized her husband and children. She is alive as you can see. So you are forbidden to hold her family captive any longer.
EKPE: Aaaarrrrggggggg! Who brought you into this? This is no business of yours!
PASTOR: I am a servant of God almighty. And it is my duty to ensure the welfare of those allotted to me to care for.
EKPE: You have only succeeded in preventing the young man from marrying a corps. The twins will still die!
ROSE: No! No! My children cannot die!
EKPE: Our tradition does not allow the survival of twins. So they must be killed. (Ekpe raises his knife ready to slaughter the children)
ROSE: No oooooooo!
PASTOR: By the power and authority bestowed on me as a servant of the Most High God, I command you to be still in the name of Jesus!
EKPE: (Ekpe suddenly becomes motionless with his hands raised up holding a knife like in the case of Abraham when God’s voice stopped him from slaughtering Isaac on the mountain) What is this? Why am I not moving? What have you done to me? Okaaayyy, you are trying to display power? I will show you why they call me Ekpe Ikot, messanger of Isantim Inyang Itiaba! (Recites incantation but still remains stuck in the same state) Ehn? What is happening? Why am I still stuck like this? (Recites incantation again and yet, nothing happens)
PASTOR: (Cuts in) You have deceived the people of this land long enough. It’s time to rid the land of your presence and give it a chance to embrace a good and worthy life. (Begins to speak in tongues and prays) By the authority of the son of the Most High God, I call down the fire of God on you agent darkness. Expire by fire right now! Expire by fire in the name of Jesus!
EKPE: (Screams) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (Disappears)
VILLAGERS: (Freak out by his disappearance) Asop oo! Asop! He has disappeared! Ekpe Ikot has disappeared!
ROSE: (Rose rushes to get her children) Oh my babies. It’s okay now. Don’t cry anymore. Mummy is here now.
TONY: (Screams from inside the shrine) Somebody please come and get me out of here. Come and untie me please!
ROSE: Please somebody go and untie my husband and bring him out of that shrine please.
TONY: (Gets untied and rushes to hug his wife the moment he sets eyes on her and his children) Oh honey I missed you. I thought you were never going to come out of that coma.
ROSE: It’s okay honey. I’m back now. All thanks to God Almighty. Are you okay?
TONY: Yes I am. (Turns to pastor) Pastor, thank you very much for coming to my rescue.
PASTOR: You’re welcome Tony. All glory be to God. And to you the people of this community, you have witnessed your so called eye of the Gods fall at the power of the one true God. Will you continue to pay your allegiance to such weak gods? I introduce to you maker of heaven and earth today. Embrace him have eternal life. Put away your false gods today and discard your fetish traditions. And the Lord God of Hosts shall come and make your land his abode. Are you all willing to do that now?
NTWEN: My people, let us please do as the man has said. For indeed; a God that is powerful enough to overpower Isantim is worth our worship. Do we not agree with me?
VILLAGERS: We do. We do.
PASTOR: Excellent. (Pastor, Helen, Tony, Rose and the brethren begin thanking God for the salvation of the people)
SCENE 20
(Goro’s Region)
EKPE: (Arrives at an unknown destination and finds demonic beings then freaks out) Iyammi! Who are you people? Where am I? Where am Iiiiiiiiiiii?
GORO: Sharap! You idiot! I am Goro, the one who has been using you all along.
EKPE: Oh! Master is Isatim! I salute you. It is such an honour to finally meet you in person. How do I serve you?
GORO: You can’t serve me anymore.
EKPE: But why is that great master of Isantim? Haven’t I served you well all these years?
GORO: Because you are dead! You are dead you moron! You are one of the idiots that was so easy to deceive. You were busy observing traditional norms instead of worshiping the God who gave you life. And now you are dead. Haha. You shall now be bound in the depths of hell to suffer forever for your sins and murder. (Calls out to reptile) Reptile!
REPTILE: Yes my Lord Goro!
GORO: Take this Moron away and cast him into hell! (Reptile does as commanded while Ekpe begs for mercy) As for the children of light, don’t think that the battle has ended. The war has just begun! I’m coming for you! (Demonic sounds)
THE END
Click below to read any PARTS you missed...
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
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