First, I would never accept that there is anything called mystery until I heard a story told by an old man while I was a kid. Mazi Obi, as he was fondly called, was one of the eldest men in Oba village. He has lived for over nine decades. One thing that made us want to visit our village in December is to listen to his wise counsel and moonlight tales.
One of that bright nights when a full moon appeared, all the kids gathered under the udara tree, our usual spot at such night waiting for the old man to begin his series of old songs and tales. Everyone waited anxiously but he would not appear. So, one of us, my cousin, took the courage to visit his hut. He rushed back shouting on top of his voice saying that Mazi Obi said we should rather gather in his hut than waiting under the tree. Everyone raised to Mazi Obi's but to occupy a strategic post. He was sitting on a special raffia tree chair made for old people to stretch their back. Without mincing words, he cleared his throat and started telling the story.
So many moons ago, he started, across seven rivers and hills from Oba town lived a powerful king. He was so powerful that he never lost a battle against invaders and raiders m. Eze Dike, had a staff specially given him by his father, the demised King of Etiti. That staff was his only source of strength. No one knew about the staff.
One Eke day, as his entourage walked through the boundary of his clan, a forest walkway that borders the next community, a one-eyed pregnant goat belonging to one of the village dwellers that was tied to graze from the nearby grass, was in the labor of childbirth. The King walked briskly and untied the goat so it could ease the birthing process. The king's guards were surprised at this gesture.
As the entourage returned from the walk around the borders, the one-eyed goat had already given birth to three kids. Oh! The King was so elated for being a help to the poor goat. One striking thing about the goat is that despite having one eye, it could sense when any object moved on the side of the blinded eye.
Meanwhile, Eze Dike's only son was born cripple. He could not use his legs and hands normally. Akachi, Eze's son had lived all his life crawling. And after his birth, the king wife's couldn't give birth to a male child. So, Eze resolved that no matter what, his only son will become the King after he had gone to rest with his ancestors.
As the king with his entourage neared the palace, they saw a tumult crowd gathered in the palace with shouts of joy and cries of gladness flooding the palace. Akachi destitution is all gone. His legs and hands received strength and he could walk and use his hands. No one seemed to ask how it happened, they were just happy that they won't be ruled by a cripple after all.
The kind attitude of Eze Dike had yielded good fruit. He didn't reject his crippled son and won't let anyone talk him down to rescind the throne to another family.
Mazi Obi added that we should always show an act of kindness to anyone we come in contact with irrespective of whom they are. It is still mysterious his the recuperation of the crippled Akachi came about. One near truth is that the kindness rendered to the one-eyed goat is a catalyst to the mysterious healing.
love this story...