₦airaland Forum

Ms Spaqs: Welcome back

thanks.. Would love to hear your criticisms and encouragements... I have almost 80% written out on my scrap book. Typing, editing and uploading is where the problem lies because am always busy..

Slowly...

SCARFACE
OSOGBO, SOUTH WEST, NIGERIA.
19:00HRS


Scarface navigated through the endless puddles on the bad portions of the road. The night skyline was pitch black and was hard to see the road clearly in such conditions and to make matters worse his car’s headlamps were not bright. The curvy road led to a high valley with endless thick bushes on both sides of the road. The Celica’s engine protested as he drove it through deep pools of water which almost covered half of the car. At a point the car almost stopped when the under body hit hard concrete and Scarface had to quickly maneuver the car out of the water. The streets were deserted and if the car happened to stop there he would have to abandon it and he couldn’t afford walking down to the Baba’s house which was still far ahead. He had scheduled a meeting with the baba to collect some new collections he had. He opened the pocket on the dashboard to confirm if the brown envelope was still intact. He locked the enclosure. He turned to his right and could the lights of a house in the near distance. Scarface drove down to the area and killed the engine when he reached the end of the building. The baba had been a major dealer in their line of business and had Scarface had done a lot of business with the man in the past few years and business had been very good as the Baba had turned in items like the famed Nok’s terracotta art works which are the oldest ones known in sub Saharan African.

However, the usefulness of the old man to their mission had thinned in the last few months due to his carelessness and loud mouthiness. The old man had almost ruined everything when he had made a mistake drunk blabbing out deep secrets about their work and interest in the Golden Statues of Life to the late Director of Antiquities Dr. Adetoro during a small party organised by the later. It took the intervention of Shyna who had stepped in closely to correct the error. They were reaching the prime of the programme here and it was time we started closing loose ends. The boss had already given the go ahead.

Scarface alighted and came to a narrow tunnel that led to the Baba’s house. He crawled through a 4-foot-high tunnel until reaching a slightly larger subterranean space. He swung his flashlight’s beam into the dark and in the distance he could see the silhouette of the house. He walked up to the front of building, locating a door by the side of the house. He knocked hard on it thrice but there was no immediate response. Scarface looked at the surrounding and noticed smoke coming out from the back of the building. He guessed Baba was at the backyard and couldn’t hear the knocking. He knocked harder again but this time there was a shrill voice coming from the backyard. “Mon bo o”. [/i]The voice said he in the native Yoruba Dialect.

After some few minutes, the door swung open and a short old man who is in his late sixties judging by his looks emerged. He had white beards, and grey hair and deep piercing eyes. He was dressed in a colorful [i]buba and soro Ankara attire. When he saw that it was Scarface he smiled and stepped aside for him to come inside. He locked the door behind them as they walked down the passage in the building. The passage was dimly lit by an oil lamp that stood on the floor by the entrance to another room with a wooden door. The walls of the building were scarcely plastered and only the curve of the entrances to the individual rooms was painted in light blue. The floor was cemented but due to overuse or poor materials most were already peeling off looking scathed. To one side of the building a big clay pot was located with a iron covering. The old man led the way to the back of the building gesturing to Scarface to follow. When he reached the end of the building he turned right to face a lone door. He brought a bunch of keys out of his pockets and unlocked the door. He ushered Scarface inside, closing the door beside them.

The old man moved aside groping in the dark to pick a match. As he lighted the match the room came alive with the new brightness. The room was very small with minimal decorations and a table in the centre. Different items littered the room and in the central lay a large oval wooden table which was around 4 ft tall and had lots of items placed on it. Baba motioned forward towards the table and Scarface followed him. The shadow of the two casting a large silhouette on the wall of the room as they moved around as the old man unwrapped a large brown package paper and brought out a wooden item.

“Bring the lamp down here” he told Scarface. Scarface walked back to where the oil lamp slowly burned and picked it up. He had to guard the fire from been blown out as he carried it to where the old man stood.
The wooden icon showed in the new light. Scarface gaped at what he was starring at.
“You don’t mean it” Scarface half shouted as he took a closer step to examine the item.
“Yes, I know you would be surprised. I was awed when I saw it too. That’s the second in command to the “Oba Ere” of the Esie soapstone statues.” The old man said moving aside so Scarface could examine the figurine more clearly. Scarface picked the statue to examine it more closely. The statue was well polished and was around 90 centimeter tall. It depicted a male who was sitting on a stool and carrying what looked like a large drum. It was wearing a necklace and bracelet. The statues showed artistry sophistry and aesthetic values which was also furthered by the rendition of highly elaborate hairstyles.

Scarface wondered what the history of the figurine was and the old man sensing this started explaining what he knew about the Esie soapstone statues.

“The Esie statues were found in 1775 in an ancient Yoruba town Esie which was is 35 kilometers from the ancient city of Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital by hunters from Esie village. The statues numbering about 800 were found neatly seated in a semi circle with the King “Oba ere” in the middle as if presiding over a meeting in a ditch in the thick forest. The discovery is still a mystery as no known references can be made to such discovery as the dates of the statues precedes the forbears of the current inhabitants who settled in the region in the early nineteenth century.”
“This is an awesome find, who do you think carved the statues?” Scarface commented looking at the statue more closely and tracing the elaborate hairstyle.

“Indeed it is awe inspiring. As of today there is empirical evidence linking the statutes to any known tribe. However some Oyo legend has it that statutes are actually a cursed gypsy-like wandering tribe of musicians, dancers and drummers who lived along the shores of a big river in ancient times. The group was known in all cities and suburbs and they toured the cities under the Oyo and Benin Empire entertaining highly placed people with melodious singing and dancing. Legend also talks of a story about a great feast hosted by a fierce and wicked Alaafin of the Old Oyo empire. It was said that this wandering tribe were invited to play during the feast and while performing the Alaafin had noticed and taken a liking for the beautiful wife of the head of the group "The Oba Ere" and soon plotted taking her as his new wife at the end of the feast. However as fate would have it the secret plans of the Alafin had been revealed to one of the entertainers through a dream whom had gone on to inform the Oba Ere about the allafin's plan. The Oba Ere on trying to avoid his lovely wife being married off to the Alaafin gathered his fellow entertainers and fled from Oyo in the middle of the night moving eastwards. The Alafin when told about the escape of the group in the morning gathered a group of eleven elite hunters and personally led a hunt to follow the trails of the group. They caught up with them in an Igbomina forest which is the current location of were the statues were found. The Alaafin angered by the action of the group casted an irrevocable spell on them turning them into statutes. ”

"huh? What a pity. If the legend is correct then their souls must still be roaming the earth"
"You are very correct. Some ascribed the noise of people wailing in the Mountains of Idanre as the souls of the singers crying for help to be released."
"I never thought of that. I have always wondered what those noise were as you climed the moutain actually. It all makes sense to me now. Poor souls." Scarface said.
“So when is it going to be reading for delivery and transportation?” Sacrface asked as he moved away from the table to a corner of the room locating a stooll and sitting on it.
“We have to move very soon, before the authorities learn about it’s disappearance. All I that is left is for me to package and hand it over to you. But wait how do you intend smuggling it out of the country in the face of recent heightened security?"

Scarface laughed out loud and this re echoed back through the house. "Heightened security? They can't beat us at this game. We don't make use of the diplomatic routes as most Countries are now very suspicious of Diplomats coming from the country as possible couriers of stolen arts-
"how do you go about it now?" the old man interrupted.
"Baba, we have a new shipping route that has been facilitated by one of my boss business partners. We hide most of these items in marked and specialy made wooden crates that's been used in shipping banana's out of Cameroun and since we have lots of influence little or no check is done on the cargo. Most of our shipments are also classified as perishable items and the authorities give us accelerated passage en route the Uk for onward delivery to our clients but this route is not foolproof as thorough checks are now been carried out after the arrest of a notorious drug dealer who confessed he uses this means to ship large amounts of drugs to the United States.
Scarface stood up from the seat retrieving a brown envelope containing wads of dollar bills from his pocket which he handed over to Baba.
Baba took the envelope and checked its content. Satisfied he placed it in the inner pockets of his Buba. He looked up at Scarface before asking him a question.

“Any progress made on finding the actual location of the golden statue of life?" Baba asked.
"We are almost close but still lacking precision and bearing"
"I learnt you were at Culture house few days ago"
"Who told you that, I have eyes everywhere and one of them reported to me after spotting you. Anyways what did you go there to achieve. Don't tell me you went there seeking the location of the statute from the officials most of them are blind and know nothing." The old man remarked as he dipped his hands into the chest pocket of his buba and retrieved a kolanut which he offered to Scarface who waved if off before throwing a small chunk in his mouth and munching on it.

"Nah, I am not that stupid you know. "
"So what exactly where you there for?"
"Information. " Scarface responded indignantly.
"What kind?"
"Various"
"Pertaining to the statue i guess?"
"Partly"
"It would interest you if i told you that the location is known by the former Director and he took that knowledge to the grave but-"

"but what?" Scarface interrupted with eyes gleaming with anxiety
"Where are the personal effects found on him on the day of the accident?"
"Nothing special was found just a wrist hand , ring and some old books he was apparently carrying at the time of the event."
"What about his diary?
"Diary?" Scarface asked looking confused. " Not one that i heard of."
"Let me tell you this. My insider sources at the CUlture house informs me that half of the man's brain memory is actually located in an old diary he kept with him.You find the diary , you get the location , you get the golden statue. simple"
"Thanks. How long have you known this?"
"How long?" the old man sounded taken aback.
"Yes how long have you known and who else have you told?"
"No one" The old man answered looking away as he did.
"That's better." Scarface eyed the old man with resent. He knew that was a lie and when the old man turned around to walk out of the room to the veranda he was struck on the head from behind by something heavy and he fell forward lifeless with a gasp and a loud thud.
Scarface checked his pulse to ensure that the old man was truly dead. He dipped his hands into the inner pockets of the body's buba retrieving the envelope he had earlier given out. He scanned the room, picked up the Esie statue wrapping it a brown envelope lying around. He hastily searched through the room for other relics.. He saw a wooden box and opened it but they only contained old traditional attires. He check the adjoining rooms but no one was around as the house was still and silent except for the heavy breathing of Scarface. Satisfied that there was nothing left he exited the room into the passage blowing off the lamp and plunging the entire building into darkness.