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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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