by Amos Tutuola
“And it is so the Goddess of River who is living in the largest river or ocean with her messengers is sending out her messengers to damage as well the human beings’ blongings! I have been living inside this mountain of desperation since the beginning of the earth and it is so for the Goddess of River! Now, to remind both of you again about my fruits which you have eaten. I am taking you to my town of fire which is in the biggest fire and there you will be burnt into ashes within a second! Please, my followers, push them along to my town!” When this cruel and merciless Spirit of Fire told us his story like that as the thick black smoke was rushing out from his mouth and the fire was also sparking out continously from the same mouth so much that every part of that place caught fire and within a few minutes the fire became a big flame.
He hardly related his story to us with various fearful voices when he bent forward, he lifted the heavy club of bone which he held firmly with right hand above his curved head and then he started to come to us slowly to grip us with the left hand which was also sparking out a large quantity of fire continuously as he stared at us with his fearful eyes. Having seen this his fearful attitudes, Aina and I became extremely feared that we did not know when we twisted together when the fear could not allow us to run away for our lives. At this moment we did not know whether both of us were still alive or dead.
But as the hand of this Spirit of Fire was nearly to touch us. The Creator Almighty was so good that it came to my mind unexpectedly this time to cut his hand of fire with my sword perhaps he and his followers or messengers would run away. But as I lifted up the sword and cut his hand with all my power and fear. He stopped suddenly in one place as he drew his left hand towards his body. Without hesitation he then ordered four of his followers to come and push us to him. As soon as they came to us and as they were preparing to push us to him, I began to cut them continuously with my sword, but the sword could not do anything to them.
However, when they overpowered me, Aina and I surrendered ourselves to them, then without hesitation, they pushed us to their cruel master, the Spirit of Fire. So we stood before him but at a little distance from him and then we were trembling with fear. When he stared at us for a while with anger and as he was still squabbling and the thick black smoke was rushing out in large quantity from his mouth with the fire which was sparking out from the same mouth and was spilling on us continuously. He shouted greatly: “I shall not kill you here but I shall take you to my town first before I shall burn you into ashes! All right, my followers, be pushing them along to my town now!” This Spirit of Fire hardly shouted like that to his followers when they began to push us roughly along to his town of fire which he said was under the mountain of desperation.
As his followers were still pushing us roughly along in this forest and as he himself was following them with his great and fearful non-stop squabbles, all of the nearby trees, weeds, etc., began to burn at the same time because the fire of his mouth which was spilling on them was very powerful. Having seen this, then I began to think in mind that probably this was the end of our lives. It came to my mind as well this time that although my father and mother had died in poverty but Aina and I were going to die in fire now.
As I was still lamenting in mind like that they pushed us to one strange mountain. The mountain was at a distance of about four miles to the place that they had caught us. This mountain was about six miles high and was about forty miles circumference. It was the mountain of desperation under which this Spirit of Fire, his followers and the uncountable creatures of fire lived. This Spirit of Fire was their king. There were no trees or any other kinds of plants which were grown on either side of this mountain of desperation. Because it was so dried that there was no any kind of plant which could grow out of it. There was very thick smoke which was rushing out in large quantity continuously from the inside of this mountain through its top to the sky. This kind of thick black smoke was so much thick that it could be held with the hand like a hard thing. So when Aina and I saw this strange thick black smoke, we believed at the same time that there was no doubt, a great fire was inside the mountain.
As soon as the followers of the Spirit of Fire pushed us roughly to this mountain of desperation, they stopped. Then without hesitation, their master, the Spirit of Fire, knocked at a part of the mountain heavily for several times as he was still squabbling continuously. He knocked at that part so heavily that both the mountain and the land which was surrounded it shook heavily as if they were going to sink down. So Aina and I were so feared that we staggered to a distance of about quarter of a mile before we could stop ourselves but two of his followers ran to us at the same time and both of them pushed us back to their master. We were hardly pushed before him when he shouted greatly on us and said: “I say, both of you are certainly perished this day! You squanderers! I am going to burn you into ashes very soon!”
But as he shouted the fire which sparked out from his mouth, which was opened permanently, spilled upon us and then the clothes which were on our bodies caught fire at the same moment. But of course, the fire was quenched as soon as we fell down and began to roll to left and right on the ground for the pain.
As both of us were still rolling about on the ground a part of this mountain at which he knocked was opened unexpectedly by somebody who we did not see clearly. Then without hesitation, his followers pulled us up from the ground and they continued to push us roughly along the narrow path which went into this mountain as the Spirit of Fire, their master, was following them. Having travelled about two miles on this narrow path, there we came to a big town. This town was so big that it seemed as if it had no end at all. The millions of the creatures who were living there were that of the form of this Spirit of Fire, who was their king. Both children and adults were just like fire. Their houses were beautiful but the walls, roofs, etc., were fire as well. Their domestic animals like dogs, goats, sheep, horses, fowls, etc., each of them was just like that of the earthly domestic animal but it was fire in form.
As soon as they pushed us to this town of fire, they did not stop but they were still pushing us along roughly in the town until they pushed us to one mighty building of fire. It was the most beautiful building in this town and without hesitation they pushed us in. But very soon, Aina and I understood that this building was the palace of the Spirit of Fire because he was the king of this town. But as he was following us in to his palace as he was still squabbling loudly with great anger, thousands of trumpeters stood up and as soon as all of them bowed down for him they began to flatter him with their trumpets of fire until he went deeply into the palace and then sat down on his throne of fire before they stopped flattering him with the trumpets. Although everything was fire in this town but the fire did not burn or hurt anything unless when the Spirit of Fire himself commanded it to burn or hurt things.
When the followers of the Spirit of Fire pushed us just a little distance from the main entrance of the palace, they pushed us into one room which was at the left near the entrance. Although this room had no door but there was a very strong guard who began to keep watch on us as soon as the followers of the Spirit of Fire had told him that they caught us from the forest when we were eating the fruits which belonged to their master, the Spirit of Fire.
It was like that Aina and I were brought to this town of fire by the Spirit of Fire just the following day that we were narrowly escaped from the Chief Idol Worshipper who wanted to sacrifice us to his idol. Although I still held the sword which I took from the shrine of the Chief Idol Worshipper but these creatures of fire did not regard sword as of an important weapon. But of course they had no any other weapon more than their fire which their king, the Spirit of Fire, could command any time to burn even a mighty rock into ashes within one second.
Aina and I were in this room for good three days without eating anything and the guard who was detailed to be keeping watch on us did not bother whether we eat or not. But in the midnight of the fourth day that we were in this room. The Almighty Creator was
so good, this guard fell asleep. Then without hesitation, as I held my sword, I whispered to Aina to follow me and she did so. So in the darkness, we escaped from the palace to another part of the town. Having tried all our efforts to go out of this town entirely before daybreak but were failed. Then we went to the outskirt of the town, we hid ourselves in the ashes. The ashes were as high as a high hill.
It was like that we buried ourselves alive in the ashes for many days as the followers of the Spirit of Fire were searching for us in both day and night. But we were very lucky that they could not find us out till one morning, when a heavy rain came. This rain was so heavy that within one hour its torrent carried the whole ashes together with us to a large river which was very far away from this town of fire.
As the torrent was carrying us away it was so we were trying all our best to come out of it but all our efforts were failed. But when we were tired then we left ourselves to be carrying us along. As soon as it carried us to this large river we sank into the bottom of the river. But we were very surprised to see that we could walk about in the bottom of this river as freely as we did on the land. But of course there was no water except dry white sand.
Then after Aina and I sat down on the sand and rested for some minutes. We stood up and then we began to roam about, we were looking for the road on which we could travel back to our village or to another town else. But as we had drunk much of the torrent as it was carrying us along to the river we did not feel hunger as before. Therefore, we could walk as fast as we wanted to but with great fear perhaps we might fall into the hand of another cruel creature again.
After a while, we saw a beautiful big house afar. Then with fear, we went direct to the house but unfortunately the main entrance of this house had been closed at that time. But as we stood at the entrance we were hearing that thousands of people were singing loudly with a lovely voice and they were also laughing and clapping with happiness. So this made it clear to us that the inhabitants of this beautiful house were in merriment and that they were kind creatures. But of course we had not yet seen them with eyes probably they were human beings like us or the gods of this river, we were not certain this time.
Having stood before the entrance for about an hour, one of them came out from the house with a smiling face. She was a woman of about forty years old. As soon as she saw both of us standing at the entrance, she came nearer with her smiling face. Without opening the big door of the entrance she first asked from us with a cheerful voice that from where we had come and how we had managed to be there. But she hardly asked these questions from us when I explained to her without fear that: “We were the captives of the Spirit of Fire who is the king of the town of fire. He captured us from the forest as the thieves of his fruits. But when he and his followers took us to his town to be burnt into ashes in respect of his fruits which we ate. We escaped from his custody in the night and we hid in the ashes for many days so that he might not be able to catch us again otherwise he would burn us into ashes immediately. But as we were still hiding in that ashes when a heavy rain came and without hesitation its torrent carried us to a big river and then we sank into the bottom of it. So we began to roam about until we have reached this your beautiful house.” It was like that I explained to this beautiful woman.
I hardly explained to her how we came there when she opened the door of this entrance with smiling face. Then she asked us to follow her as she was returning to the house and we followed her with bravery. She took us to an old woman who sat on one beautiful throne. Then Aina and I stood before her as the woman who brought us to her sat down on a chair which was on the left.
There was a very beautiful crown on the head of this old woman. The crown was made of various kinds of attractive tiny beads. This old woman was dressed in beatiful garments which were quite different from that of the earthly garments. So according to her dress, we understood that she was the Queen or the Nymph of this big river. We met so many beautiful women who were well dressed and sat round her. And it was so many beautiful young ladies who were also well dressed were dancing and singing round her. After a while, we understood that the woman who brought us to her was her police.
As soon as we were brought in to this house and as we stood before the Queen of the River with the rags which were on our bodies and which were entirely soaked and as I held my sword. She asked from us: “How both of you had managed to come to my town?” But I explained to her with a cheerful and fearless voice as I had explained to the woman (her police) who brought us to her. “Both of you were carried to this my town by the torrent from the town of the Spirit of Fire?” she asked from us with wonder as the other women were kept quiet and were looking at us with wonder as well. “Certainly!” I replied at the same moment. When I replied to all of her questions, she stopped to rock to and fro on her throne. But she and the other women shouted together: “Ah, both of you were very lucky that the king (Spirit of Fire) had failed to find you out before the heavy rain came otherwise he would burn you into ashes with his fire! He is a merciless creature of fire!”
When the Queen and her women told us like that, she waved hand to us to sit down on a settee which was at a little distance from her throne. But as she noticed that we were anxious to eat by that time, she told her policewoman to give us food and drinks. As we began to eat the food with greediness, she told us that the Spirit of Fire was her enemy because he was too cruel to every kind of living creature. She assured us as well that she would take us back to him as soon as we had finished with the food and the drinks just to revenge on him for the punishment which he had given us.
But Aina and I were so much afraid that we stopped eating that food when the Queen told us that she would take us back to the Spirit of Fire to revenge on him. We began to beg her not to take us back to him but she told us that we should not be afraid at all. Then we continued to eat the food.
Having finished with the food and we drank to our satisfaction the Queen stood up, she told two of her policewomen to follow her to one private room which was not far from her throne. After a while, she and the two policewomen came back. But before they came out, she had changed her dress except her two policewomen who were still in their usual uniform. When she came out from the private room together with her policewomen. She told them to wait for her, again she and two of the women who sat near her throne all the while entered another private room which was opposite the first one. After a while, she and the two women came out, each of these two women was entirely covered with white small cowries except her eyes which were appeared faintly under the cowries and she carried one big pitcher which was full of water.
Immediately they came out from that room, the Queen told the whole of us to follow her and all of us did so. The Queen was in front, the two women who carried the pitchers of water, followed her, then Aina and I followed these two women while the two policewomen were following us at back. It was like that all of us were following the Queen to the town of the Spirit of Fire. But it was a great surprise to Aina and I to see that within five minutes the whole of us reached that town. Hardly entered this town when the Queen was going directly to the palace of the Spirit of Fire without fear and the rest of us were following her. But when it remained about one thousand yards to reach the palace, the Spirit of Fire had been informed by his gate-keeper that the Queen of the River, his enemy, was coming to his palace with her followers.
As soon as the Spirit of Fire had been informed that the Queen of the River and her followers were coming to him, he hastily equipped himself and his cruel followers with strong fire and then all of them came out. They met the Queen, etc. in front of his palace. Having seen him and his followers like that, the Queen and her followers, Aina and I stopped and the Spirit of Fire and his followers stopped as well at a little distance from the Queen. The two women who carried the pitchers of water put them down on the ground, the two policewomen stood closely to the Queen. Then the Queen herself held Aina and I with left and right hands and she put us in front of he
r.
Without hesitation, the Queen asked solemnly from the Spirit of Fire: “Why did you bring these two poor human beings from the forest to your town?” When the Queen asked this question from him, he became extremely annoyed and he shouted greatly as a large quantity of fire was sparking out from his mouth: “What? You have no right at all to ask such a nasty question from me! You hopeless Queen of the River! Go out from my town now otherwise I shall burn you and your followers into ashes now!” But the Spirit of Fire hardly shouted like that when he began to squabble as all of his cruel followers were looking at him anxiously to use his power without delay.
“Hold on, the Spirit of Fire! You know, I am the Queen of the River. I am gentle and I am not harming or killing or punishing the human beings or the other creatures. But I am kind to all of them. I am even so kind that I am giving many of my children to all barren women who come to me! So, I am sure that I am powerful more than you!” The Queen of the River explained to the Spirit of Fire with a smile.