Hi all, i decided to start the OBODODIKE series thread today. Here's the first installment; hope u'all like it.


PROLOGUE

Umuokwa village.
It was well past twilight; supper dishes had already been cleared and the elders were enjoying snuff – the “omere-nwanyi-Asaba” variety – and small talk in the Igwe’s obi. The moon was shinning in all its beauty; all was at peace.
Three compounds away from the obi, towards the groove of Ikorommuo’s shrine in a cluster of shrubs, two chubby-faced rascals scuttled out. The first nodded at the second who grinned back, showing an irregular set of teeth in the moonlight; their young faces glowed with excitement and their chests heaved – mischief was in their eyes.
Hardly able to keep the tension down, the two set off towards the shrine. On both sides of the groove were unusually tall and awe-instilling ogbu trees that blocked the moonlight and virtually threw thick darkness all over the shrine.
One of them suddenly stopped; the other looked back at him.
“Come on Kalu, don’t be a baby.”
Kalu certainly didn’t like being referred to as a baby; he quickly overtook his companion, turned a bend and stood face to face with the ancestral mask of Ojukwu. The other boy stopped beside him, his eyes shinning – even in the darkness.
“Alright Kalu, let’s go in.”
Kalu hesitated; he felt his stomach tightening. He didn’t like this anymore. Blame it on Okechi and his jokes; he was now torn between his pride and common sense. He looked at his friend who was already negotiating his way through the thick undergrowth towards the inner chambers of Ikorommuo’s shrine, where the sacred, treated “mmuo-ikoro” canes were kept.
“Nduoma, I don’t like this.”
The other boy turned and looked at him like he had said the most incredulous thing on earth.
“Nduoma, let’s leave this place. If we are caught…”
“Kalu! Will you stop acting like a child for Amadi’s sake? You didn’t think of this yesterday when you where boasting to Okechi, did you? You know I’m only helping out in this because you’re my friend, so don’t stand there being a wet blanket – unless you want to feel the edge of Okechi’s tongue tomorrow morning!”
Kalu took a deep breath and waded into the bush. After a few paces, he could see the long slender canes neatly arranged on the side of an Iroko tree. Kalu vaguely remembered his father once telling him in a mock-conspiratorial tone that the spirit of Ikorommuo lived at the foot of that Iroko tree. Child-stuff, he thought and smiled. Suddenly, there was a sharp, cracking sound and he started. Nduoma turned and smiled – he was standing at the foot of the Iroko tree. “Its okay, just a calabash. There’re hundreds of them littered all over this place.”
But Kalu was no longer looking at Nduoma; he was staring at something behind Nduoma – something grey and smoky, and steadily getting bigger and bigger. Terror gripped Kalu and his mouth hung open, but he couldn’t utter a sound.
“Besides,” continued Nduoma, not seeing Kalu’s horror-stricken face in the darkness, and entirely oblivious to whatever it was behind him. “Who is going to catch us – the gods?”
Kalu nodded feebly.
Nduoma chuckled to himself and turned around. A streak of moonlight streamed in and he froze. The phantom seemed to move and something flashed soundlessly through the moonlight – and simultaneously, Nduoma’s sharp scream broke through the stillness of the night.
Kalu screamed too, turned around and ran smack into the specter again. He saw the flaming cane raised high in the air and he screamed again.
The cane descended with a sizzling sound,

Next posting in 4 days! U check and rate the book @ www.lulu.com/content/1073134. cheers!

Not bad. I have seen people post some really bad stuff on this site so I was expecting more of the same thing, but I was pleasantly surprised. All the best marketing your book, and in your future writing endeavors.

@ Consultant
Thanks, friend.