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A short African tale

Umar Yusufu

Day one

Garba was happy with his new place. It is not bigger than the former house but it has the

advantage of a well and another added advantage of being closer to road two things that made

him leave his former place but not only that it is even cheaper. It is a two bedroom house with an

open space in one part of the house..but then as night creeps in he could not sleep because

he keeps on hearing some undistinguished whispers intermittently.

Day two

At dawn of the following day however a deep sleep overtook him and as the sun rises the heat of

the sun through the window woke him he felt head arch but could remember vividly a

dream. Two women, an elderly and a younger one, the younger was sick lying while the

elderly one administering some medications to her then suddenly, the elderly one develop what

seems to a stomach arch.. Then the younger one being administered was forced to sit and take

over the nursing role.. But she was too weak to perform the role, after many attempts to pick

up the medication that was too far for her weak body to reach she gave up and watch as the

elderly one eventually gave up the ghost! Then by a grave yard while collecting butterfly for

biological experimentation with his students in the school he teaches he sighted the younger one

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placing a flower on a tombstone she stood to go and he runs towards her holds her hand

and offered to take her home in his motorbike.. in the her home that looks exactly like the one

newly packed into she insisted he comes in and although he refused to take anything she offered

he could not resist the temptation to kiss her as they were to part..

Day three

Early in the morning of the following day, Garba went to school not because he usually goes to

school early but because he wants to leave the house and goes somewhere. The school Liberian

was in the school very early also because of new supply of books he need to record. Garba thus

entered the library.

Mr. Garba why are you in school so early? The Liberian began

Good morning Liberian why are you so early also?

Sorry Mr. Garba Good morning also. There is this new supply I need to sort out and place in

their proper position before the library is officially open and I dont want it open late.

That is good is there anything I can unofficially glance through before works began? Responded

Garba

Yes, yes, said the Liberian there are this new supply that includes the complete works of William

Shakespeare.

Yes, let me see this .Tempest!

Two hours later after going through this short story Shakespeare, Garba was inspired also to

write this tale walking in the savanna woodland of northern Nigeria along with other people as

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a carrier of European goods in the beginning of the 1900s as colonial Britons were settling in

their new possession of Katsina, we arrived at a security post organized by a newly installed emir

Dikko, at what later come to be known as Daudawa. In the group there were two Europeans

carried in a special carriage by eight strong men who were always relieved by others every two

hours in this our journey from Maska to Tungar Kogo over 100 kilometers apart.

A man approached me amongst those men posted by the king because he observed I prayed in

what the Europeans use to call the Muhammadan passion, and request to know where I came

from. I told him I come from Zaria to the south Maska.

He was about my age and I was then just twenty two years old.

"Why are you a carrier to the whites? He asked

"Probably the same reason you are posted to this bush, an order of the new lords".

"You are right". The man said

"How did you see your role? Garba queried

"Whoever mom lives with, is the dad" the man said philosophically "but you seem not to have

remembered my face" the man added

Garba looked at him closely, and then his face lightened

"Abdul" he said then he holds him

"Long time, very long time indeed!" Garba exclaimed

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