Diamond In The Forest

Episode 31

More people began to fall sick
in the kingdom, the Queen was
not left out and no medicine
man have a cure for the
sickness outbreak, the Prince
took over in place of his sick
father, he invited different
healers from faraway kingdom
and they all came and yet none
could place a name for the
sickness or the cure to it.
The kingdom was torn apart as
several people went into
panicking and fear, they prayed
to different gods to help them
out but nothing was done.
English doctors where invited,
after administering all the
drugs they could think off and
still no positive result they
packed and left.
Things were becoming more
complicating and the whole
kingdom was in disarray
Ope was with princess that hot
afternoon as she tried to cheer
a saddened princess up
“Maybe we should go for a
walk…in that way you will feel
better…my princess…
“I don’t feel like going
anywhere, do you wonder if
this sickness that is taking over
the kingdom is in the air…
when we go out there and
breath in the wrong air then
we will also fall ill…just like
many out there….Father,
mother, the kings maker and
so many other people…
sometimes I’m afraid….i
wonder who will be the next
victim, maybe the gods are
punishing us for some
unknown sin we did in the
past…can you imagine that no
doctor…no medicine man has a
cure for this sudden sickness…
the English came and tried
their best, the native doctors
are doing all they could but yet
nothing….what could be our
sin, father has being ill for too
long…Tunde is a very patient
man, he is ready to wait until
everything is in order again, I
can’t marry him when my
father and mother are
dying….this is really strange…
my brother is now in charge of
everything in place of father…
he is worried sick and the last
time I saw him he is deeply
troubled…mother who was
caring for father is seriously
down…who will save us apart
from the gods…I pray for their
mercy everyday…and to purge
our land and restore the peace
of this great kingdom…
Ope thought of Remi’s
grandmother and all she has
told her about Remi being alive
and a diamond child she bore
which may be the answer to
the troubled kingdom, maybe
the gods saw her innocent and
the injustice being done to her
and decided to raise a trouble
dust in the kingdom, she and
her son maybe the cure to this
kingdom

Ope decided to speak up
“I once visited Remi’s grandma
one day after meeting her
brother in the market…
“oh really, is really sad…how
are they doing…Remi’s death
must be a very sad one to
them…thinking of the way she
was banished and has to die in
the evil forest…with her
pregnancy…sometimes I do
think of her and it saddens me
anytime her thought crosses
my mind…she left with the
beauty of this kingdom and I
know she was innocent and
the baby she carried belong to
my brother who refuse to
admit to the truth. maybe…just
maybe her death was part of
the punishment of the
kingdom, I don’t have any right
to say that father did not judge
her well and the cabinet men
worsen the issue, but I can’t
help but admit to the fact that
is just the bitter truth, Remi is
innocent, I was the one that
sent her that day to go and tell
the queen mother that I will be
leaving for the stream the
following morning, she was
with me the whole time before
I sent her to mother and the
next news was that a maiden
tried to poison the Oba, I saw
them hitting and even trying
to force her to eat the
supposed poison, I saw her
fought for herself despite her
condition, no one judged in her
favor, no one stood in her
defense, everyone condemned
her, they all condemned her to
go and die in the evil forest….is
very sad, it was a cruel
sentence and her death…it
must have being painful, think
of the wild animals tearing her
apart and digging there claws
into her…aaaahhhh…is terrible
Ope…just imagining that alone
makes me sick…is so terrifying
…

“Yeah…it is…don’t imagine such
my princess because it never
happened…Remi’s grandma
told me that Remi is alive and
she has a diamond child…she is
being taking care by total
strange whose feet is filled
with light….she said that…
“duro…duro…ki lo soro (wait,
what did you say)
“ Remi lives with her son
whom she bore in the
forest….and she is cared for by
a good stranger who will later
live and marry among us…that
was what iya agba told
me….and it sound too good to
be true…but with the way she
said it…I’m certain that Remi is
truly alive…
“is she a diviner…how did she
know…the gods must have
revealed that to her….yes…Oh
the gods be praise…I need to
see my brother immediately
and tell him this good news…
and I also need you to take me
to see her grandma….this is
indeed too good to be true…is
something good to hold onto…
maybe Remi’s grandma will
have more to say…
The princess rush out to see
her brother, the prince.
Nike waited for Leja outside
the palace and when Leja came
walking down the road Nike
came out of her hiding and
started insulting Leja
“I have waited for you here all
day, because I was certain you
will pass here today, what did
you tell the Prince, I went to
resume back to work after one
week and the guards at the
gate refuse to let me in, I asked
to see you but they said you
are with the prince and you
can’t see me…I was dismissed
from the palace not because of
my pregnancy but because of
whatever you told the prince…
you are a foolish man…what
did you tell the prince…you
sold me off to him so that you
will remain a guard and
trustworthy servant right…
idiot…you lied to the prince
and spoil all the whole plan i
took time to construct…all my
hard work on how to become
the next Queen you spoil
everything with that your wide
mouth like basin….
“why all this insult Nike, I
never told the prince anything,
you sold yourself out by going
to s£duce the prince and even
lied that the child you carry
belong to him, your head was
filled with rat brain which
made you not to calculate well,
you spoilt your plan with your
own hands, if you are smart
enough you could have known
that the prince will find out the
truth one way or the other…he
is a prince, the next Oba of this
great kingdom…he is not a
fool…and for your information,
I’m not interested in that child
you carry, I have washed my
hands off it even before the
prince threw you out…I don’t
want to have anything to do
with you or the child, you
wanted to be pregnant…you
got exactly what you asked
for…so carry the burden but
never you include me in it
because I will deny that I ever
know you or have anything to
do with you…bear your child
and become a mother…but I’m
out of this…if I ever want to
have a wife or a child it will
never come from you…you and
your mother are a dangerous
venom… and non of my seed
must come from you…
“you are an unfortunate he
goat Leja, smelly he goat like
you…fool, since the prince
rejected me and this child there
is no hiding place for you…you
are the rightful owner of this
pregnancy and you must take
responsibility of your action…
you can not escape it…never…
and I will tell every one the
whole truth, I will let them
know all the evil that you did…
let’s bet…just bet with me and
you will see how I will mess
you up…
“I don’t bet with the devil…I
have no business with a witch
like you…get lost Nike, you are
not even capable of telling the
truth…the word “truth” has
being killed and buried in your
conscience…so go ahead and
tell everyone because in that
way you will be exposing
yourself…all your atrocities will
be exposed… go ahead…I dare
you to go and tell the prince or
anyone who cares to listen…I
am daring you Nike…if you
have such gut then go right
ahead…we will both suffer…
and thank the gods your
mother will be inclusive
because she was the one that
gave you the poison for the
Oba and she also killed Iya
Remi with same poison…and
am sure she also killed your
father because he favored Iya
Remi more than your mother…
evil run in your blood…
transferred from your mother
to you so I don’t want to have
anything to do with that child
you carry because you will
transfer same evil to him or
her…

As Leja tried to leave Nike who
was so pained and was boiling
in anger raised a hand to slap
him but Leja pushed her aside,
she staggered from Leja’s push
but hold onto a tree from
falling, Leja walk pass her.
Nike searched around for
something to stone Leja but
she miss her first throw and
Leja dodged the second stone
from her, Nike fired another
stone and it hit Leja on his
shoulder Leja started calling
Nike “omoobirin Iya
laje” (daughter of a witch)
while Nike kept on firing
stones at him.
The prince left with some
guard immediately to see
Remi’s grandmother, the
princess wanted to go with
him but he asked the princess
to stay behind and watch out
in his absence.
After the princess told him that
Remi was alive and she have a
baby in the forest, she and the
baby are both alright, well
taken care by a stranger. It
sound unbelievable to the
prince so he decided to go and
see the fortune teller which is
Remi’s grandmother, she may
also have answer for the
troubled kingdom.
“Alafia, ni fun ile yin, lati odo
Oba….(peace be unto this
house hold, greetings from the
king)

Dami who was in the kitchen,
fanning coal to boil water for
his grandma’s bath ran out as
he hard the royal greeting. His
grandma was at the backyard
planting crops in the ridge he
dug up for her
Dami prostrated as he saw the
prince in their compound. The
prince asked him to get up and
he did
“ ikini irelemi (my kind
greetings) we are her to see
your grandmother…is she
around?
“Bee ni Omooba…let me go
and call her
And just then grandma was
coming out from the backyard,
the prince greeted her in
respect.
Dami rushed and brought seats
for everyone to sit down after
his grandma was well seated.