I staggered here and
there, fell, and settled on all fours. I was in this position
at the point when my eyes went visually impaired and I felt hands start to
touch me: it was an extremely chilly touch. Before long these
individuals started to move round me, applauding
over my head; I heard their strides unmistakably, as
the strides of a hundred people.
They didn't sit tight
doing this for much sooner than they seized me and started
to hurl me up, catch and hurl me up once more. Not
long a short time later they set my feet to the ground and started
to disrobe me and place distinctive apparel on me,
snickering at the same time. At that point one rubbed his hand over
my face and I recaptured my sight, yet when I looked
round I saw nobody; I ended up on a huge seat,
my size was colossal and I was secured in quills.
I had developed in size, yet my whole body was not consistently
expanded; my arms had not changed, my legs
had neither stretched nor thickened, yet my midsection
was twelve times widened and my head sixteen times
its typical size. My neck was not much thicker but rather was
26
extended past creative energy. I was exceedingly diverted
when I viewed myself, and there was no decision yet to
sit discreetly. I didn't ascend for dread that my legs would
not bolster my stomach, for even as I sat my head got to be
an overwhelming weight on my neck; there was just no
quality to the neck.
Some time passed by and I started to feel hungry.
Indeed, even as I started to consider how I may discover a few
route to a little sustenance, I found before me two bundles of
eko and meat stew. I attempted to edge nearer to begin my
feast yet I soon found that my stomach allowed
no way to deal with the nourishment; it had taken up the whole
room. As I moved towards this nourishment, I
was dumbfounded to see it come towards me, and soon
enough it settled where my hand could achieve it. I took
a piece and went with it mouthwards however, too bad, I
discovered at exactly that point that my hand no more came up to
my mouth. My neck was too much prolonged, it more
taken after a heron's, and its bone was hard as shake so
that it couldn't be bowed. Any individual who needs a chuckle
ought to have come and seen me attempting to lead a few
sustenance into my mouth. At whatever point it needed little for
the piece to touch my lips the arm would achieve its
constrain, and when I attempted persuasively to push the piece to
its goal oil streamed down my hands and my neck
was brimming with sustenance pieces.
Tune in, my great companion, the spirit which does not eat
hot peppers is a frail soul; I cherish nourishment, I basically can't
persist hunger. Due to this I was known to numerous
individuals as 'Akara-ogun, the person who goes with the
cook to the grave'. This moniker of mine will give you
some thought how my deepest being hungered for this nourishment.
Indeed, even as I proceeded with the battle I saw a little level stick
adjacent, achieved cautiously for it, delved it into the eko and
started to pass on some sustenance to my mouth. The amount
27
lifted by the stick was far bigger than my mouth could
concede for my mouth had not expanded its previous size,
furthermore, when this tremendous chunk of eko landed simply inside my
lips it obstructed my mouth totally, and as I endeavored to eat
down within parcel in order to assault the outside, that
parcel fell far from my mouth. Indeed, even so did I vainly
battle, and I couldn't make the most of my feast.
From the minute I started this push to eat I had
heard voices giggling very near me, yet I didn't
see anybody. When I had put forth a valiant effort and eaten next
to nothing, I cried to them:
'You who giggle over yonder, I entreat you in the
name of God, in the event that it was you who transformed me into what
I am this minute, don't neglect to return me to what I
was some time recently. It was obliviousness which drove me to battle
with Agbako; never again will I endeavor such habit. On the off chance that I
hear news of Agbako's approach in future I will learn
to begin a fast exchange with my legs and slam my head
through woods. I engage you, compassionately discharge me.'
When I had talked in this way, they stayed noiseless.
Before long, my stomach started to withdraw, my head
decreased, my neck abbreviated and soon every part
come back to ordinary. From the minute I came back to
my ordinary shape I no more heard a sound from these
ghommids, however the house did not stop to act in
its unique way, and, at any rate, I didn't find a
way to get out. Some time passed towards dusk,
and afterward I saw a mass of the house split in two and
a wonderful lady came in with various youthful
ladies, a few of them and all more wonderful than
coral. I was stricken with dread at seeing them and
I tossed myself confront downwards on the floor. Be that as it may, the
lady came to me and said:
'Akara-ogun, you know that even as dewilds
exist on this planet, so do spirits exist likewise; even as
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spirits exist so likewise do kobolds; as kobolds on this
earth, so are gnoms; as gnoms so additionally exist the dead.
These ghommids and trolls together make up the whole
thousand and one daemons who exist upon earth.
I am one of them, and Helpmeet is my name. I adore
the Ruler and he adores me likewise; he has never denied me
nothing, nor have I ever neglected to play out an errand on
which he has sent me. Thrice in one day I experience
the world to visit the companions of God and to help them
in every one of their attempts; whoever bears just a little love
to Him, I play out a little administration for him; and he who
cherishes my God with an extraordinary love I nurture in as awesome a
extent; whoever acts with concern towards Him
I treat with concern, and whoever treats Him with
affront even so do I act towards him; for whoever
sows well might collect goodness, and whoever sows
underhanded, abhorrent might come unto him. The honest should not
neglect to benefit great, the beguiling might pick up only
misdirection; regardless of the fact that it happened that the world turned
upside down, that fowls developed teeth and the oil palm
developed coconuts, God won't neglect to compensate each man
as per his deeds. So now, you Akara-ogun, rise
also, tail me, for you are a most imperative instrument
for your Maker.'
When she had completed, I climbed and took after her,
what's more, we rose up out of this house into a specific hedge
thus proceeded with our advance. We crossed valleys
what's more, navigated slopes; we crawled under creepers and
swam through marshes. Before long we touched base at a
intersection where she ceased and demonstrated to me a course,
saying:
'Go on now and pay consideration on the things you
should witness in this city; never fear and be not cowed
by dread, my name is Helpmeet, I will never forsake
you on this planet.'
29
After which, I set my head along that street, and
she additionally went her direction. I strolled a short time and arrived
at a specific city. From my entrance through the city
entryways until I touched base at the market square—this was
approximately ten minutes—I heard not a solitary voice even
in spite of the fact that I experienced numerous individuals, and when I called
out welcome to them they would simply mutter in
their noses nor did I comprehend single word they muttered.
When I landed at their market I remained by a certain
tree and started to watch.
What astonished me above all in this market was
that numerous kids were dead in it yet nobody made
any endeavor to cover them. Bodies littered the place
in colossal numbers, the whole market stank and
flies swarmed over it with a relentless buzz. I held up
a little and after that I saw a lady approach and welcome me.
This made me cheerful and I reacted avidly; I then
went ahead to advise her how astounding a matter I discovered it
that nobody talked at all among these market swarms,
that they ought to all just murmur, and despite the fact that I
had welcomed a number of them whom I experienced not
one of them condescended to react to my welcome.
When I had my say she took a gander at me and
developed troubled, saying:
'My name is Iwapele and the name of this city is
Rottenness. It is a position of misery and scorn, a city of
ravenousness and contumely, a city of envy and of burglary, a
city of battles and wrangles, a city of death and ailments—
a veritable city of miscreants. Quite a long time ago, the
individuals of this city perpetrated a most monstrous wrongdoing;
an exceptionally fiendish deed it was—evil to the point that the sun did not
sparkle for six whole months, nor did the moon develop
for three entire years; the rain fell no more and the
corn did not come to natural product, the yam did not grow and
plantains declined to mature; everything was in absolute
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