‘There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or a spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.’’

— George R. R. Martin, A Storm of Swords( A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)

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MY hometown is a small, isolated island located at the middle of Okirikiri River, the major source of fish to our fishermen and those of the inland towns, and also a navigable waterway for intertrade businesses between us and those from the inland towns.

Harbouring only a handful of men, women and children, and boasting only of a small geographical land mass, my hometown is the smallest among its neighbouring towns and beyond. It is as a result of its small land mass that our forebears named it ‘Obodo Nta’ (Small Town), and it has come be known as such since then.

There are four relatively-big inland towns that stand robustly on the border of Okirikiri River, encircling our smallness, like vultures converge for a feast round a carcass. They are: Egbe town, Wetaya town, Ndorondoro town and Setuo town.

At first, the intertrade and inter-marriage relationships between our town and these towns were cordial, transparent and devoid of fraud or acrimony. But, soon, like a baby that suddenly grew saber teeth in the dead of the night and becoming a terror to its mother, these towns became belligerent and invasive. Perhaps, they were spies all those while, surveying our numerical strength and otherwise.

But there is strength in everything or every creature ever created. No nation, no person is ever denied of this inherent strength to use it to their advantage, if they discovered where it lies and how to wield it.

My people are excellent swimmers, but there is one thing we lack: enough men to engage in wrestling and war practice sessions and protect our women, our children and our territory from the hands of these savages and usurpers.

As a result of the rising invasions in our territory and the consequent defence and reprisal, the inter marriage between us and these savages(including the intertrade deal) ceased. Hence, young men from my town were forced to marry their blood sisters, cousins, nieces, and as many wives as they could just for the sake of procreating more children, and, possibly, more men who would defend our dear town in future. It was also made mandatory for any young Obodo Nta man seeking to tie the nuptial knot — this consanguineous marriage.

But for the time being, our town was being defended singlehandedly by one man, the Warrior of Obodo Nta. It is said that the source of his strength is from his forebears, who were known, during their lifetime, as great craftsmen and warriors. This Herculean strength runs in his family’s blood, but it seemed that it would end during his lifetime because he hadn’t sired a male child, and age was telling on him.

This old warrior is me, Ikeanyidike, and here is my story:

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