The elders went to see the chief priest to ask questions about the strange diseases that had come upon their precious land. The elders got there and spent the first few moments in silence, looking upon they were looking at the Chief priest with so much anger in eyes. Once they opened them, their voices were not pleasant at all.
CHIEF PRIEST: You are all welcome, loyal elders of the land of Umueze. I can see so much sadness and pains through your faces. Well, I have been consulting the gods to tell me what the strange sickness is all about, but I hear nothing.
ELDER 1: Impossible, Chief priest, how can you, the greatest priest of our time, strong, mighty and fearless, say to us that there is nothing you hear or see?
ELDER 2: Do you mean to say that the gods are weak or what? Explain to us now!
ELDER 3: Chief priest, what is wrong? How you can hear nothing, what is actually going on here? Are the gods dead?
CHIEF PRIEST: Will you all shut up that your mouth of yours. How can you stand before the gods to say utter these insulting words? I can make you all mad now!
All the elders became afraid and pleaded for mercy. The chief priest asked them to leave his presence and told them that the gods will come to their aid at the right time.
The Elders returned to the Igwe and told him about their encounter. It was beginning to look like s as if both the Chief Priest and/or the gods are both weak and can’t give provide them a solution to the strange disease. The villagers are still burying their loved ones everyday. All the medicine men and women are confused and can’t come up with a solution. All the people in the village are really afraid.
Villager1: Something is really wrong, I feel the Igwe has done a bad thing for such calamity to come upon us
Villager 2: No way, I disagree! The king is kind and has a good heart. Maybe this is a curse from another land who is envious of ours. Remember, Umueze has the best of all good things and we are fruitful.
Villager 1: I think so. We know of a fact that there are some people who are ready to destroy the land. Very wicked set of people. But why? When they can make their own land fruitful too if they are ready.
Villager 2: My sister, our gods are alive and we shall conquer. Let’s go home, it’s late.
Soon, the Igwe send news to everyone in the land to remain at home. The strange disease can’t be cured and no one has come out to give a solution and still the gods are very silent and it seems nothing can be done. The Igwe decided to save the land by making sure the people remains home until the land is healed.
After several months after months, the elders goes back to the chief priest to ask if the gods has said anything. On getting to the shrine, they see the chief priest eating and drinking all the foods and drinks offered to the gods for sacrifice…
Elder 1: Chief priest, is this the sacrifice you are presenting to the gods in order to remove this strange disease?
Elder 2: So truly, truly,truly, I can say that you are fake and unreliable!
The chief priest tries to mumble a few words but the elders shut him up harshly!
Elder 3: For this you have done, you must suffer. For several weeks we have been scared for our lives and you are here enjoying yourself with the items we used our hard- earned money to buy and offered it to the gods so that we could have a solution to our problem. How wicked can you be?
Elder 1: Let’s go to the Igwe. Chief priest, get ready for some punishment!.
CONTINUES NEXT WEEK…