I was running through the bushes behind Mazi Uwa’s compound, and my hands were full with the udara fruits I’ve managed to pluck; behind me, I could hear him shouting my name, and cursing at the same time.

“Come back here this good-for-nothing boy! Why have you chosen to torment me all the time?” he shouted as he chased me. I knew that he couldn’t catch me even if I crawled, he was so old, but that didn’t deter him. I rounded a corner and soon his voice wasn’t audible. I’d lost him again.

I ran towards the stream, wanting to wash myself before heading home. As I untied my wrapper, I heard sniffles coming from behind one of the trees along the bank of the stream. Ever curious, I retired my cloth and went to investigate. As I approached, I became sure that someone was crying; and when I reached the tree, I saw a girl huddled behind the tree, her head on her knees.

I touched her arm and with teary eyes, she looked up at me. Her eyes were full of immense sadness and loneliness. My heart went out to her immediately.

“Young girl, why are you crying?” I asked, careful to keep my distance from her so as not to scare her. But she didn’t reply. Instead she increased the tempo of her cries. I then risked getting close to her and helping her up her feet. As I did so, her feet have way and she landed on my bare chest, her palms were wet with tears and her lips were quivering with barely controlled weeping.

“What is your name?”

“Nnenna,” she answered, still sniffing.

“My dear, talk to me. I won’t hurt you OK?”

When she nodded, I continued, “Why are you crying?”

“It’s my parents. They want me to get married to a man I don’t want to marry,” she answered. Her eyes were bloodshot and saliva was coming out from the corners of her mouth. I used to hem of my wrapper to wipe it off.

Read more ➡️ https://www.thezenpens.com/2018/12/08/season-of-the-udara-a-short-story-by-somtoochukwu-benedict-ezioha/