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Kintu and Nambi; What is a god? #19

Continued from; The Creation Story #18

By Mugabe Victor

It was one of those strange evenings where everyone seemed exhausted. The little showcase Kintu had pulled off left the gods speechless. 

“How could any creature eat that much?” they mumbled amongst themselves. 

The sun’s rays were waning and crickets were at the start of their bedtime orchestra. The night was calling. My plan had been flawlessly executed. The added bonus to all this was that I was free from any form of suspicion, I kept my promise to Nambi and I finally owed no one. It was perfect. My day was short yet eventful, and yet, my night promised to be unforgettable. 

Father was in the middle of one of his evening walk. He always went alone, armor-less and only with a herd’s man’s staff in hand. I always found it odd as he never showed any sign of disability. He claimed to be securing his boundaries, however, I knew he always did it to keep an eye out for signs of threat or treachery. Today, he was definitely confirming my little theory.

It was just a matter of time before my suspicions were confirmed. Treachery is the only thing a man with power fears. Walking casually, it wasn’t long before he made his way to the task’s venue. The ground was still filthy with food. 

The ants were running crazy. They were bound to have quite the feast.

Gulu stopped in his path as he set his eyes upon the arena. As though aware of my unseen presence, he began to preach, “Gulu, Ruhanga, Jok, Ori, whatever they called me, it always meant the same thing. I was the superior, the strongest, the one in the room with the greatest wit and wisdom. I always saw what others didn’t and spoke only when the situation got dire. The Bakopi (peasants) look up to the Kabaka (king) when they need help. It means the Kabaka must be better than the Mukopi in every aspect of life. The Kabaka must have no limits. But what happens when a king finds his limits. What happens when he cannot make rain fall from the sky, or justice run free for the broken and widowed?” Gulu paused

At this point, I was sure he knew he was being followed. No one gives a monologue that long without an audience. My knees went numb and my skin cold with goosebumps. 

Clearly, there was no other way, I had to give myself in or he would take my actions in negative regard. My heart had basically made its way to the throat, pounding like a jack hammer as I summoned all the courage in the world to my side.

“But wait, he knows he is being followed but doesn’t know by whom. Why the hell do I have to give myself in?” I optimistically thought

“Son, he turns to a god,” Gulu continued

“Okay, so he knows it’s me”

“There is no ending to this endless chain because a god must surpass the king in all ways” Gulu spoke as he walked on, in a facade that was supposed to be a lonesome, meaningless walk, “but who shall the god turn to in his time of need?”

There was no point in hiding anymore. I held the spear at my side, using it as a walking stick. I couldn’t believe it, walking on the main road felt foreign to me. 

The ground was as filthy as a corpse’s bowels. On first sight, it was a simple battle to the death involving a man and food. However, upon close study, one could tell the ground had been terribly disturbed. Unfortunately, the cover up was loosely done and fairly insulting. 

Let me guess, the little man stood at the center stage. As usual, I would like to imagine he was shaking like a leaf, covered in a little bit of sweat and pee if I am not mistaken. He was fully in everybody’s sight. Perfect in Father’s view, how the hell would he cheat his way out of this? The ground was still filled with foot prints in very irregular patterns. He either did a lot of aimless marching or… the fool was dancing. And why would the fool dance? To steal the god’s attention from the other gourds as they were secretly emptied? To get the gods on his side by clowning around? All fair strategies, but neither of these would have served the task efficiently. 

Suddenly, father went on one knee, slowly rubbing the ground in intricate patterns. Wait, what is that? 

My vision was growing darker due to the setting sun, but I could see it from a mile away. The ants. I watched the old man in gentle curiosity as he studied the movements of the glorified insects. They easily crawled past the food at the surface, entering a shy little hole at the end of the arena. In a moments’ count they crawled out with a hoard of food piled in tiny scraps.  Walumbe, you idiot. Fine, he was a little rushed. However, desperate and rushed were not a good combination. Errors were bound to be made, but this was a whole other level of idiocy.

Gulu sunk his finger into the whole and with a single whiff he knew what had happened. Using the staff for support, he pulled himself up. With one long deep breath, he continued on with his little walk. Barely looking behind, he gave me his first order in what felt like eternity, “Bring Walumbe to me”

“It looks like my night’s plans will need a bit of adjustment,” Gulu continued

My revenge on Kintu could wait. At this moment, I had an idiot of a brother to protect. 

To be continued next week Wednesday

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