Scalding hot tears spilt out of Ifueko’s swollen eyes mingling with the salty dribble from her nostrils into her mouth.
She wailed in reckless abandon, her swaying form gathered into itself as she interjected her pitiful cries with grief-lade idioms ‘Chi mu o, ewu ata mu igu n’isi – My God, the goat has eaten palm fronds off the top of my head’.
‘Why? Chukwu Okike. Why has such calamity befallen me, she asked her God of creation.
The repeated echos of ‘ndo, sorry’ and other words of commiseration from the growing gathering of neighbours and friends fell on deaf ears.
Her five young ones surrounded her on the bare ground of their uncompleted home, their young minds unable to comprehend the gravity of their situation as the men of the compound struggled to bring out their father’s body from the well.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
Quick Glossary
Chi mu o – My God
Chukwu Okike – God of Creation
a cooking pot and twisted tales 
This story really touched my heart. I felt the anguish of the woman and her family. Sadly life can really be brutal and difficult.
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great work! 🙂 looking forward for your next blog! 🙂
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Thank you
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Yes. A calamity. Well written and effective.
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Beautiful expression of tragedy.
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Chai! Ifueko’s dilemma came out so real.
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Wow. I like this. I didn’t at all see the end coming. I love a story whose ending is just the tip of the iceberg for the people who live in the tales universe.
This is good story telling. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Jamison for taking the time to read it.
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