The Slave

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 1

It was the crying, the shouting and wailing of both men, women and children that welcomed Ukeh as he entered into his father’s hut. He looked around for his mother and sister but he didnt see anyone around, as he walked towards the back of the hut to check if anyone was there, he saw Nkem running towards the direction where the noise was coming from.

”Nkem, Nkem, please wait, where are you rushing to? Where is my mom and Nti? He asked ,

Nkem turned to Ukeh, fear written all over her, ”Ukeh, you’ve not heard, Ada is missing o, the villagers and youths have searched for her all over but they can’t find her, its like the Slavers have gotten her” she cried

”What? So where is my mother and sister Nti?” Ukeh asked, ”I dunno o, maybe they are with Ada’s family, that is where I am rushing to also.” She added.

”Okay let me quickly get my bag, so that I can follow you”. Ukeh quickly ran inside and picked up his bag and a machete and came out to join Nkem. Together they ran towards the direction where the wailing was coming from.

Truly Ukeh saw his mother and his sister there, there were so many people there, Ada’s mother was rolling and crying on the ground. The father was sitted at the entrance of their hut with some elders sitted with him, talking and calming him down. Ukeh was confused, he called his little sister aside and asked what was going on?

Ukeh was 9years older than Nti, but Nti was a very smart girl. At 13years old Nti was very sharp and intelligent. She told Ukeh all that she heard mama Ada saying. Ada was sent to the stream to get some water alongside with some maidens of the village and some of the young men. The mother believed that Ada was with the girls but was surprised when the girls returned without her saying that Ada never joined them. They started looking for Ada but found only her pot of water broken along the road to the stream and her slippers.

Ukeh was sad as he listened to Nti, Ada was the only child of her parents and now she’s been taken by the slavers.

The slavers were white men who had invaded their small village few months back with big long sticks(guns) that kills people just by one fire from it. At first the villagers had tried to fight back and defend themselves with their knives and cutlasses but they were shocked to see that the white men had sticks that kills any living thing. Some of the sticks were long, some were short, and even if their target was far from them the sticks still hit them down, this humbled the villagers, and so they watched in fear as the white men took more than half of the villagers away from the village. Young men and women were whisked away, and taken away and that was the end of them, that was the last they saw or heard from them.

They’ve been left helpless ever since then. Even though the white men left after that day, people started disappearing and missing. Young men and women have disappeared and the villagers have become slaves in their own village. They lived in terror and fear of the unknown. Not knowing if tomorrow will be their turn.

Ukeh shook his head in sadness, if only there was something he could do to change the situation of things. He held onto his sister and his mom and slowly they walked home in silence.