"Nne anyị, Nne anyị, Mmaa." Anyanwu runs across to her leaving her startled.
"Ọgini, ọgini, Ọdị kwa gị mma?" Nnodu asks jumping to her knees. She spits out the bitter kola she's chewing.
"Adọrọ anyị, bụtụe." She holds her Mmaa nnukwu (Grandmother) guiding her to sit right back down on the stool. "All is well."
"Ibari (Third Daughter), o doro gị anya? Are you sure?" She asks extending her legs as she sits.
"Mmaa anyị, o doro m anya ọfuma ọfuma, I'm very very sure."
"Nezie? Really?"
"Yes Mmaa, Ee nụ." Anyanwu replies.
Ngwa, kedụ ihe ịbịaru ịchọ?" She asks. Picking up another block of ọjị (kola) from the afele ụrọ (clay plate).
"Ah ah, Adọrọ, you promised to tell us a story this moonlight, you have not told us any for the past two full moons."
Nnodu exclaims mid laughter. "Nnodu nwa Ifeyinwa na Egbuji." She laughs a bit more and turns to her granddaughter. "Nwa m," she calls out to the Girl. She signals her to come towards her which she does, she climbs on Mmaa's laps and cuddles comfortably between her busts. "Anyanwuuuuu, Ibari ezinauno anyi."
"Adọrọ na onwe ya." She looks up and back at her Child.
"Ngwa, Ibari, go and call the rest of the children that you can find. Quickly now, the night is fast upon us." Anyanwu alights her Grandma's body and rushes off.
Nnodu stands up and ties her ọgọdọ carefully around her waist and sits back down. "Ọdịka mga agwa ha maka akụkọ otu ụwa sị we ebido. I have not told them that one in a long while." She smiles and shakes her legs excitedly looking up to the Moon. "Ọma, Nne anyị nnukwu na enye ndu, ekene m gị." She looks directly at the Moon and gives a bow. She looks down. "Anị, Nne ụwa na onwenya, maka gị, anyị ga adighide." She says digging her feet into the Earth.
Soon Children begin coming towards her, they sight her and run faster, jumping, hugging and almost pushing her to the ground. She doesn't mind, Our people do say, 'Nwa bu onyinye si na aka eluigwe na ala' Meaning 'A child is the gift from the Universe.'
"Ngwa hapụ Mmaa ọịsọ!" She exclaims. "Ụnụ achọ igburu m Mmaa anyị?" Njoku comes out from the house to present her Grandmother fat steaming pieces of yam in a hollow clay plate and equally hot palm oil in a wooden hollow plate. They're both supported by a flat wooden platform which Njoku carries. Mmaa stands up and receives it from her.
"Njoku, hapụ nụ ụmụazị a na ha na emekwanụ ihe ha ji we bụrụ ụmụaka." She leads Mmaa to sit down but Mmaa resists her help. "You all know I can sit down by myself right?"
"Adọrọ, imakwa nọ ngịnwa na hapụ ụmụaka a ka ha na enyele..."
Mmaa sits down clearing her throat and urges her to sit too querying. "Ịlụ nwa (Second child/Child of value), Ịlụ m (My Second Daughter) bụtụe, nọdụkene anị, sit down because this story I'm about to tell you dika ji a (is like this yam), the longer you wait to tell the tale, the less tasty it becomes, the longer you wait to eat the dish, the less sweet it is, nni na adịrọ ọkụ adịrọ asọ usọ, ima nkea."
"Gbam!" The guests "gbam" in agreement.
"Mmaa anyị, I know, ama m nkeanwu." She looks up and back to her. She frowns a bit and continues. "Ngwa nụ, begin."
Nnodu looks around and sees most children of the community already seated, legs folded by the side. Girls are talking or playing. Boys are moving to the beat of their testosterone. She sees a few more kids running towards her clenching their younger siblings tightly behind them, all eagerly running to the story ground.
Knowledge from Grandma is a must have.
"Mmaa anyị, ndewo."
"Mmaa anyị nnukwu, ikpere dị anyị na anị (Our grand Mother, our knees are on the ground)." They chorus.
Mmaa anyị, ndewo o (Hello o, our Mother)."
She extends her hands for a hug which most of them come for. She kisses the younglings, and they go take their seat on the bare earth like everyone else.
"Now that y'all are gathered forth, I'm going to tell you a tale of old, a tale about how we came to be and how the world of ndị Mmadụ came to be, otu anyị si we bido. This is a story as old as time herself... Chelukwanụ o, chelu, chelu, chelunụ o, where's Udo, dịọkpara Ndididimkpa onyeisi ndi ahịa niile?"
"Mmaa, Udo is feeling down." A Boy arises and says.
"Are you not his Nwanne?" Mmaa asks. "Ihirie ọfuma (You very much look like him)."
"Ee Mmaa, ọ nya ka amụrụ nwe mụa m, onwekwa ndi itọ na esote anyị na azụ." He sits down.
"Ngwa nụ, nya you're the Olu (Second Son)?"
"Ee Mmaa. Yes Mmaa."
"Ngwa nụ, ọdị mma. Ọga adịrị ya na mma."
"Iseeee." He replies.
"Has he gone to see Agbara Nwaanyị Nne Agwu?" Nnodu asks.
"Ee Mmaa, ebeanwu ka ọnọ..."
"Mmaa, ibidokwana! Lekwa anyị ebe o." A Woman exclaims running in from outside. A few other Women following closely behind her.
"Ma mmua sọ sokwa o." A Man comes running after her.
"Mmaa, lekwa anyị o." Two grown Men come running towards her too. Soon a few more. All clad with their wrappers and bare chests and bare busts.
Nnodu is joyous yet surprised. "Ma ndi Ọkenye esokwa? Adults too?"
"Mmaa, biko hapụkwa okwu." The Woman says, sitting like the children are. The Men follow suit. Her ọgọdọ (wrapper) is like Grandma's, locked tightly on her waist. Her chests are bare as it was in pre colonial Africa in Igbo land. They all squeeze the hems of their ọgọdọ in between their crotches as they take a seat. "Ebe ika nọ ndụ, anyị ncha niile nọ na ọbọdọ a bụkwa ụmụaka na ebe inọ."
"Gbam!" The Men equally chest bare and seated like her agree with her.
"Chai! Chei! Ụmụ m ooo. Ngwa nụ, ka anyị na emekwa. Let us continue. Is there anyone else?"
"The person will join us as the story commences nụ." Anyanwu says already visibly irritated that the night was fast approaching.
"Eziokwu." Njoku agrees. Everyone around murmurs in agreement. Above, the clouds make way revealing the light of the moon. A Girl snuggles into her friend's cuddle. All eyes lie on Nnodu, few are still running in.
"Nya (so), as I was saying, at the time when the universe was a void, endless pit and without form, two forces floated around in an endless circle seemingly avoiding each other. All of a sudden, they collided and there was a sort of a huge explosion..."
"Mmaa, ji gị ajubago oyi o..."
"Njoku!" A few of the collective exclaims.
"Njoku nụ!" Few more add their voice.
"Ụmụazị a ara ana apụdu ụnụ?" One of the Elders arises in query.
"Ndị Maazị anyị, our Elders, do not be angry you all, but you do know that food that is not hot is not delicious? Our people know that." Njoku says standing up towards them.
"Njoku." A Man says from the hut, she goes to have her seat knowing fully well who it is. "We all know that you're correct but almost the entire community is here. This is not the place to remind Mmaa of such. She is leading something very critical and vital for our community's survival. Ima na anyị bi na uju da na agụ agụ, we're living in an endless abundance. Let the food run cold if it must, for our fire will never run dry, our farms will never wither, our waters will never quench. Anyanwụ is forever, Njọkụ ji is for Life, Anị na edu Njọkụ, Ọma na edu Idemmịlị, Ikuku ga adighide... Look, Mmaa anyị, biko continue your tales, do not keep the good people of our Lands waiting..." He says fully emerging.
"Ekwensudi, ozugo. Bụtụelu ya, calm down for her, ọ nwatakịrị ka ọbu..." Nnodu replies to her Son.
Ekwensudi goes to have his seat ignoring Mmaa. He's annoyed at what he perceives to be her spoiling of the children. He simply asks the nearest kid to move over.
"Njoku ngwa bụrụ afele anwu je debe, ọsọ ọsọ."
"Anibujuwa ibịakwa!"
"Mmaa biko zue ike." The Mother, Ani calls out to her husband's Mother.
"Ani..."
"Mmaa..."
"Mmaa biko ibidokwana okwu a o. Biko!" Ekwensudi the Father calls out.
"You both say I'm spoiling the children, but you're very much aware that ndi be anyị si na anyị kwesịrị ịzụ ụmụ anyị ka anyị we nwe ike imebi ụmụ ụmụ anyị. We're supposed to train our babies so that we can be able to spoil our Grandbabies." She looks at the guests and continues. "If we spoil our babies, we then have to train our Grandbabies unfortunately in our old age, anyị mebie ụmụ anyị, anyị ga ejizi oge agadi anyị we zuba ụmụ ụmụ anyị, it's an endless cycle. So we must do the right thing. I have trained Ekwensudi and Orakwe your Mother has trained you, now it's my turn to spoil my grandchildren. Anibujuwa, it's called reaping the fruits of my labor. Orakwe is no more, nya, biko, hapụkwa m aka."
Anibujuwa stands there hands akimbo. She looks up and lets out a sigh. Ekwensudi urges at her to come have a seat beside him.
"Bịa ndi be Anibujuwa..." A Man calls out.
"Nya eh!" Another supports him.
"Biko nụ, please start the story we have other things to do o." The first Woman replies.
"Amazị kwa m!" He shouts in support.
"Omu ọbọdọ anyị, The Women Leader of our community, our capable Leader herself, iwena iwe. Iwe enwe naghị." Anibujuwa apologizes.
"Anibujuwa, Nne nnukwu ndi be ya, nsogbu adirọ mana me na ahapụ Adọrọ aka maka nọ eziokwu ka ọ na ekwu. (Anibujuwa, Matriarch of her Home, there's no problem but try and be leaving the Adọrọ be for it is simply the truth she's saying.)" The Omu says.
"Bido nụ oooooo" The Men exclaim.
"Ah ah!" The crowd supports in frustration.