FOLLY

Short fictional story, please read like humans, learn and criticize.

FOLLY

On a cold evening during the dark hours, in a dark corner, there she was, struggling on the dusty floor, she was battered, full of sorrow, the pain was intense, she was held down and unable to cry for help, her legs were shaking, and her breath was leaving her. Her wrapper was already loosed from her body.

After some minutes she was still struggling and was about loosing consciousness. No one can save her now she thought. There wasn't a soul passing by, her eyes finally shut close and she lost consciousness.

After some Minute of fighting with death she opened her eyes and realized he was kissing her with his two hands on her breast.

She pushed him down and screamed aloud "rapist rapist! Somebody help, rapist!" he tried to shut her up but she rose up with full energy from the ground screaming with a loud voice.

I was... "shut up you rapist, you will surely pay for this, Idiot, animal, fool" she shut him up breathing heavily with tears running down from her eyes. Trying to cover her body, two men came from no where and hit him with a big stick on his head and kicked him to the ground. "Na him rape you?" They asked "yes" she said.

"I didn't do anything o! I was... Shut up you bastard" they shut him up "if you talk again we go use block break your mouth".

The town hall was filled with villagers and the elders sitting in front. He was held down to the ground at centre of the hall by some hefty men. They were all waiting for village chief to pass his judgement, at this time his words fail him and no one would give ear to any word from his mouth for rape was a huge crime in the village.

The victim came out with the chief with her head facing the ground. She was a beauty, curvy body and brown skinned, her cheeks were like that of a baby's and eyes sparklingly bulky. Her body was dusty and her hair covered with sand with little injury on her elbow.

She has told me what happened" said the Chief as he sighed reluctantly. "And Here's my judgement, you will be punished by hanging at the kuro-Angala forest."

He cried out with a loud voice in fear and sorrow. "I didn't do anything to her o! I'm innocent o! I only tried to help, just to help" he cried as his voice faded soberly.

"He must be crazy" Murmuring was everywhere, old men shaking their head, women clapping their hands disgustingly, children laughing and throwing oranges on him as he was being dragged out of the hall by the village boys...

"How can he claim to be innocent when he was caught red handed" the village woman whispered amongst themselves.

Shaking his head an intelligent old man whom they call 'Kurotibi' meaning 'Strong Head', asked the victim "how did you say it happened again?"

I can't really remember, I was unconscious and when I woke up he was kissing and holding my breast and I also felt pain in my private part". "Hmmm" the old man sighed "seeing a full grown man cry that way... well..." he shook his head "this is serious" and walked away.

On getting to the kuro-Angala forest he was beaten mercilessly, his blood spilled everywhere, his two eyes were swollen, his jaw was broken, they threw heavy stones on him, flogged him with sticks to a point that he couldn't feel his legs anymore. His lips were moving, he was trying to say something but no one gave a listening ear.

Back in the village, everyone was concerned about the girl who was victimized, especially the women, they felt pity for her, they gave her herbs, new cloths, cleaned her up, and they saw lots of bruises on her body. "Take care of yourself, make sure you apply the herbs with hot water on your private part" they told her, the chief gave her some food items and new clothes as a compensation. At a point she felt ashamed because everyone was staring at her and her reputation will be painted as 'the girl who was raped'.

The chief bade her farewell and gave her a guard to accompany her home.

She was about leaving when the old man Kurotibi came again and bade her to wait. "What is the problem?" the Chief asked. "There's something I would love you to see, it is important" the old man called in a young teenager who was handicapped, a deaf and dumb boy.

Kurotibi could understand sign language very well.

"I was passing and I saw this my little friend and he told me something very important that I would want all of you to know about but first of all let's call the elders"

"So you want to gather everyone to tell us what you and this boy discussed?" the Chief yelled at him angrily. "What does a deaf and dumb has to say?" "Do you think I have time waste? If not for the fact that you are a well respected and intelligent man do you think I will even give you an ear? What do you take me for?" the Chief yelled angrily to the old man.

Kurotibi walked towards the chief and whispered in his ear.

"What?" the Chief exclaimed.

"Chief, Ogolo (a local bird) flew and flew round the world but he finally landed and shouted 'Tonkirikonkro' meaning the world is too hard. I am called Kurotibi for a reason" he said to the Chief. It was a parable only the nobles will understand.

"Hmmm..." He pondered for a second, "call me the elders" he ordered his servant.

In less than five minutes they were all seated at the Chief's Palace.

The victim was still inside wondering why they've kept her long. "I've gone through a lot I need rest, they should let me go home please" she said within herself.

Kurotibi brought in the handicapped boy, and gave him a sign because he could understand sign language.

"Before we continue let the victim come out" Kurotibi insisted.

"Explain again what you told me earlier in full detail" he said to the boy using sign language.

"I saw everything that happened" Kurotibi interpreting the boy's language. "I was there when the incident happened, the lady was not raped"

"what! What is he talking about?" everyone murmured. The girl was shocked "is he stupid? Is he mad?" she shouted. "Calm down everyone let's all get the message." the Chief was eager to know.

"she was not raped," he continued "when I saw her she was already on the floor struggling alone, I couldn't help her because I didn't know what to do and I was about go and call for help when that man came in and helped her, she has already fainted but he brought her back, I saw him pressing her chest with his two hands as if he wants to force air out of her body, putting his mouth in her mouth like a bird feeding her children. But when she woke she tried to fight him and I later saw some men hit him with sticks and took him away."

The Chief said to the boy "and why didn't you report this earlier?" "Because No one understands me and people don't give me attention, I am like a nobody here."

The place was quite and everyone was looking at each other, the girl was confused, her memories were coming back and tears were dropping down from her eyes.

"How can we believe what this little boy has said, no one else saw what happened, he's the only eye witness, how do we know he knows what he's saying?" the Chief asked.

"Chief, I suspected something fishy from the time I heard what happened and I was so surprised with your quick judgement." Kurotibi answered.

"So with my intellectuality, I did some findings. I asked her how it happened and she said she was unconscious and when woke up he was on top of her. Yet her body was full of bruises, how did she struggle with the man when she was unconscious? Chief, this young lady here is suffering from a sickness known as 'Okikili', it is a condition in which the sufferer experiences seizures, convulsions and sometimes blackouts and it also affects the memory, such sickness comes once every year."

"The man" he continued "who tried to help her is an apprentice to Iniwori the herb Doctor from our neighboring village.

He knew her problem so he tried to..."

"Okombia! The Chief called out his servant aggressively, interrupting Kurotibi "Run as fast as you can to Kuroangala and tell them to stop the execution and bring the man here immediately!"

"This is a disgrace to my leadership" the Chief said, bending his head, he looked at the girl angrily, "how could you do this? You laid false accusations on someone?"

She was speechless with tears from her eyes. "I thought, I thought..." "save your energy and let's her from the man when he arrives" the old man shut her up.

The news has already leaked to the ears of some women around. From one ear to another, words spread like fire.

The Chief's servant Okombia ran as fast as his legs could carry, in getting near to forest he saw a crowd on the road, wondering what was happening he walked towards the crowd to know why they were gathered. He got there and saw the men whom were instructed to execute the man in Kuroangala.

"Ekpetu! Ekpetu!" he called out "what is the matter?" one of the men came out to him. "It is good thing you've not yet gotten to Kuroangala" "Run as fast as you can to Kuroangala and tell them to stop the execution and bring the man here immediately!" "Direct words from the Chief" he said, panting like a dog.

"What?" Ekpetu looked at him surprisingly "Why?" he asked. "I'm not sure but the palace is in hot soup, it.. It seems like the guy is innocent."

"Chai" Ekpetu shouted with his hands on his head. "what's the matter?" Okombia asked. "Oboy the guy don already die o"

"Haa! you've executed him already?" Okombia ran into the crowd to see for himself.

The man was lying lifeless on floor with his thick blood on the ground. They've beaten him to death, his bones were broken, his body pierced and his skull was crushed.

Seeing this horrific scene, Okombia ran back to the Chief's palace to give the news.

"Chief" Okombia entered the palace bowing his head.

"Where are they are they close?" The Chief asked. "Chief it frightens me that this news has to come from my mouth" "The man couldn't make it to Kuroangala forest, he died on the way, they've beaten the life out of him."

"Nooo!" the girl cried aloud "Ahh! I have killed someone oo!" she fell on the ground crying.

"Chai!" "the worst has happened". The elders grieved.

"Take this woman out of my sight, I do not want to set eyes on her again!" the Chief shouted angrily with goose bumps all over his body.

"What do I do now? I ordered the execution of an innocent man but he was killed on the road by my own people"

"I was so stupid to listen to a woman"

Kurotibi looked at the Chief and saw how devastated he was.

"Chief you didn't do this alone, everyone sitting here has a hand in this because they agreed to your judgement. But now is not the time to start putting blames and making 'Had I know' regrets, the deed has been done and we have to take responsibility and fix it"

"Fix? What fix can we fix that won't start a war with our neighboring village?" the Chief asked.

"We admit our wrong, apologize and appease them" "the truth is bitter, but it will definitely set you free".

Everyone went their separate ways knowing their village is in a big trouble.

THE END.