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| Photo credit: Flames |
The story of Mojisola alaso Ofi continues...
The days have indeed counted in trickles in the land of a thousand people
Many have counted the number of times the moon wore a new face...it’s been 3 moons altogether
Yet they wait.....they await the day their princess would ride on her royal horse through the market again on her way to pay homage to the king, her father
[1]Mojisola alaso ofi...Omoba
Afinju arewa lawujo arewa
Oto jo meta ooooo
Aaro re so wa
Yara giri,a tun reti re o
In her palace up in the hills that shadows the land
Mojisola alaso ofi sits on her throne of a thousand peacock's feather Surrounded by her maids
Still, her beauty stuns and dazzles like the rising sun and her smile like the clouds parting open the blue sky
The palace rings still of feasts and merry, but in the midst of all, one can’t but notice an emptiness
The princess still sits alone on her throne and all day she waits for the call at the gate announcing the arrival of the bold and smiling young man she sees in her dreams of many nights
Mojisola alaso ofi, the intoxicating wine that makes even the old ones long to be young once again
Is yet to rest her eyes on the one she could call her own
[1] Mojisola alaso , the princess... The most beautiful among the beauties in the land... It has been a while, make haste as we are expecting you again
2
Often in the twilight, you could catch a glimpse of her majesty up on the roof of her palace
There she would stand looking into the distance and atimes you could hear her voice as she sang to the fading day
Her song had remained the same and the tune aged with time…
Still, mojisola alaso ofi would not cease been the loving princess of the land of a thousand people
Though her wait mounted on her pains she would want to share but, she chose to carve happiness out of her misery
But the people of the land knew more and for all days, they pray for her dreams to come true.
The great market day has not been the same without the princess making her usual graceful entry
The land seem to have aged in the obvious apparel of many days of anxiousness
Their eyes have well sunken as they have become strained of endless days of watching and waiting
3
The elders of the land sat to reason and to the king they opened a thousand jars of thoughts
The ones to the left spoke wisely, the ones to the right picked from the old wise words
None minced words yet none could come up with what to do
[2] Oro pesi je laafin oba
Otun so, Osi so
A o roju oro
Oro wa di hun
But for a wise man, they would have sat all day and night
These were his words:
“Patience is the antidote of time and time is one piece that tells it all.The great one that molded us knows all and he that has created them man and woman knows the time for them to be one.In time the land shall smile again and the birds will sing again for the fair-faced one mojisola seeks shall soon make his entry into the land of a thousand people"
4
The sun rose as usual and the sky gave no reason to the opening of its many windows
But suddenly it rained like it had never rained and it blew like the wind had found a home in the land of a thousand people
It rained into the night and no one could go out
It was all quiet but for the dripping sound of the rain
Out in the darkness, a stranger walked into the land of a thousand people
He groped around in the darkness, feeling around for his way
But no one knew a Stanger was in town
Not an opened door at sight
But a speck of light he could see high up the hills
So he walked along, and all that could be his guide was the tiny speck of light up the hill
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
In her palace, mojisola alaso ofi, sat up at her window looking out into the distance as usual
With a lamp burning away at her side
Even though it rained but she chose to wait by her window that night
Suddenly she noticed a figure making for the path that leads to her hill palace
Mojisola at first thought it was the usual tricks of the night
Alas, it was no trick as the figure kept drawing closer
She made for her maids' quarters and woke them out of sleep
They all rushed to the window to catch a glimpse of the approaching stranger
Not long, a rather soft knock was heard from the outside and a voice that rang a note in the ears of mojisola called out…
She refused to go along with her maids
She kept still in her chamber and awaits the entry of the stranger into her palace
The stranger was a man, a fair youth, tall and slender in build
Mojisola’s palace came alive and lighted as they made to welcome their strange guest
The stranger was led to a room prepared for him, they brought along a change of clothing and a warm supper was made for him before they all retired to their beds
5
Sleep seemed to have forgotten mojisola alaso ofi that night
The voice she heard reminded her of her dreams but yet she had not seen the face
When the morrow arrived, she awoke even before the first cockcrow
She washed and decked even before her maids awoke
She made her throne for the first time and sat even without her subjects
Such was the surprise when the palace awoke and they couldn’t find the princess in her chamber
They were scared and even thought their princess had been taken away by the stranger
Only for them to find mojisola already on her throne
There she beamed and bided them a graceful morning
The subjects were a little taken back, wondering what had happened to their princess
Mojisola couldn’t wait but to call out to bring the stranger to her presence.
6
The stranger was already up when they reached him and in the light of that morning
A most charming man arose and made his way behind the maids to get prepared to be received by the princess.
At last, they brought the stranger
In a while, all grew still for something strange happened
Mojisola alaso ofi seemed to have turned a statue in her seat as her eyes were fast locked on the stranger
The stranger had his eyes all fixed on the princess and it was like time had stopped just for the two
The palace was still and subjects could do nothing but to look from the princess to the stranger.
Not too long the silence was broken by mojisola’s rising from her throne towards the stranger
Not even her royalty could keep her from leaping into the hands of the stranger
“This is strange”
A subject had to run into the market and another to the king’s palace
A stranger is in the princess’s court
Everyone in the land of a thousand people raced to the palace on the hill and even the king couldn’t wait for his royal horse as he ran like a man on fire forgetting his crown and his shoes
In a short while, the princess’s palace was all filled and everyone wanted to take a look at the stranger who arrived at the land of a thousand people
7
No one could separate the embrace of the princess and the stranger
Not even the king or the wise men
At last mojisola alaso ofi looked up from the embrace and took the stranger in her hands
She made for where her father, the king stood without his shoes and his crown
There she knelt and took the hand of the stranger into the king’s hands.
“Father here is the smiling young I have always seen in my dreams”
“Father, may we have the permission to live as one and be together for he is the one for me? ”
The palace shook to the ground as the people of the land shouted in excitement at seeing the fair-faced one their princess had been waiting for all along
The king heaved heavily and all he could say was “what else can stand in the way of true love?”
“Once found, it’s found forever”
Mojisola alaso ofi broke into a smile that had never been seen after the last time she made her way through the market some moons ago
Mojisola alaso ofi has found the one she has often dreamt of for so long,
And now the land of a thousand people would spring back to life and return to being the pride of many lands
Tell it to everyone to make and prepare as the princess would be making her entry into the market yet again in a grand style but now with her fair-faced one by her side.
……..All’s well that ends well…..
The end.
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you Tayo
DeleteThis well written. Is this a true life story?
ReplyDeleteHi Sukkilala, thank you for taking your time to read the story. Its actually a work of friction and not a real story but I am glad you have found it interesting. I have also adapted it to a video form and that might also interest you. Here is the link to the video. https://youtu.be/KqznUH7YW9Q
Delete