Once upon a time in a mineral-rich and landlocked country called Kudala lived a hen and a cock. They were the proud and progressive creators and owners of three shiny grass-thatched round mud huts that mesmerised and magnetised every passer-by as a spectacular sight. The couple had a truly beautiful home that was the envy of many a bird in a thick forest beyond a winding stream whose water always whispered and cascaded downwards with a rare musical calmness.
Some few years ago the two had bumped into each other at the stream in a wintry evening. Hen was heading homeward after fetching firewood whilst Cock was dejectedly bathing at the stream, as if trying to drown and wash away his sorrows and bad luck after a futile hunting adventure. Upon catching sight of Cock, Hen had attempted to eschew him or at best pass by silently and surreptitiously without him noticing her. However, Cock had other ideas. He greeted her in an earsplitting voice that startled her with a mixture of trepidation and bewilderment.
“How is your evening panning out?” She found herself asking him. She was somehow surprised at her own words. Was there a ventriloquist somewhere? How could she ask a stranger such a question? Where is the boldness and suddenness stemming from? She wondered.
“l ….l think things will look up for me. After all, my….my evening is still a virgin”. He responded with a stammer that seemed to betray his vain attempt at self- consolation and exaggerated steadiness. Deep in his heart, he was not convinced with his words. In fact, he was disappointed in himself and his response. How could he say things would look up when the entire world appeared as if it were on the verge of collapsing on him? Had his whole day not been anything else but a nightmare in the forest? While he was busy crucifying himself for what he saw as inappropriate wording, her parting words melted his state of dejection and self-accusation.
“Since your evening is still a little virgin, l’m sure by the time you are done with whatever you`re doing, it would have lost its virginity many, many times!” He could not help but laugh hysterically. Hen`s words were like a smart doctor`s apt prescription for a dying patient. They magically injected a certain new lease of life into him-a heightened desire, an obligation and inspiration of being in charge of oneself, of being more than a hunter of food, but a humble seeker of committed companionship and life-long happiness. They left a pool of dazzling and invigorating thoughts that flooded his mind. A few days later the two birds met and chit-chatted .Before long they were hitting it out as the greatest of friends.
After going through the necessary cultural formalities, the two love-birds lived as husband and wife. It was not long before they populated their yard with ten chicks. Hen`s motherly love was amazing and unquestionable. She always tried by all means to protect her hatchlings -coddling, cuddling and guiding them until they grew into little chicks that dogged her wherever she went. She kept an eagle eye on anything that came closer than necessary to her little darlings.
One day Eagle kept surveillance over Hen and her carefree chicks. He was spoiling for a blitz that would leave Hen flighty and her chicks in complete maze. The following day, his star shone and he pounced upon one chick. Nine chicks were left. Two days down the line, Eagle was at it again. He snapped up another chick. Cock and Hen were fidgety, furious and grief-stricken. How could such tragic losses come in thick and fast?
They then mapped out a strategy to counter Eagle`s predatory tendencies. A week elapsed without an unfortunate incident being recorded. There was neither the disappearance nor devouring of a little chick. Time tore on. It looked like alarm bells were no longer ringing as loudly as before. However, as the dust was slowly settling down misfortunate crept in again. This was after Eagle had zoomed about majestically in the firmament before whizzing down and scooping up a dazed and fleeing chick. It was a tremulous and disconcerting experience for the chicks. All Hen and Cock could do was to helplessly watch Eagle scurry away, soar and disappear into the vastness of the sky with their dear blood and flesh.
Both were dumfounded and mournful. What would it take to provide an all-out security for their beloved chicks? They could not bear to imagine another possible loss of their loved chick to insatiable Eagle within the twinkling of an eye. Their hearts were worried and bleeding. It was clear that as long as Eagle loitered about, danger also lurked. They restrategised. The bird of prey tried to swoop on the chicks with ease and speed but each attempt seemed to fizzle out into an exercise in futility.
Then there was a disturbing turn of events which took centre stage. Weather variations resulted in a long spell of drought. Cock as family head had to dutifully go hunting on a daily basis. Cock sought to fetch and prey on grasshoppers. In essence, he looked for anything edible, ranging from fruits and nuts to cockroaches. He hunted with great determination and diligence. He had to stave off starvation. However, more often than not, his hunting sprees did not bear fruit.
At home, Hen paced about in the yard, looking for bits and pieces to feed her chicks. The little ones darted about, competing for food and their mother`s attention. Jealously she rendered maximum fortification and guidance. She played the role of protector and provider with a measure of distinction. She would tour the yard with her chicks until fatigue got the better of them. They would while away time under a thickly-branched orange tree. Her beak agape, she gasped and craned her neck, rarely dozing off, but on other stupid days she succumbed to one or two stubborn naps in the process. Waking up with a little fright and wonder, she would count her blessings upon discovering that her remaining nine chicks were still intact.
She could not elude one thing. Loneliness took its toll on her as Cock was wont to leave for the forest at dawn and arrive at home at dusk. It was a routine. One day neighbour Cock paid Hen a surprise and flying visit. Hen gave him a cold shoulder by virtue of the fact that her husband had categorically and strongly advised her to keep him at an arm`s length. “If l had a choice, he wouldn’t have been our neighbour. Dear partner, don`t fall for his silly traps that could come in the form of kindness or smiles, or indeed, understanding or friendly visits, because, one thing for sure he always has ulterior motives. Under no circumstance should you entertain his overtures. Simply give him your back. Please keep him at bay. What he deserves is as wide a berth as the North Pole and the South Pole because he is cunning, envious, thievish and dangerous. In the same vein, to have an affinity with such a character is tantamount to having a relationship with a vicious blood-sucking mole or a snake in the grass”, he had warned.
Each time Hen`s eyes slapped on neighbour Cock, she bolted away and never looked back. However, neighbour Cock, being of persistent and persuasive nature, gave chase. Such was neighbour Cock, not despairing easily. It looked like his was a wild goose chase as each time neighbour Cock heaved in sight, Hen remembered the words of her husband : He is as sweet-tongued as a conman who can hoodwink one into offloading one`s precious savings to him. He is so dangerous that he can sweet-talk any bird into selling its one and only pair of wings. Hence have absolutely nothing to do with such a charlatan and a mole because he can use any bait under the sun to achieve his evil aims and objectives. Beware.
One day Neighbour Cock, acting like a parent having a correlative duty of support, brought Hen and her chicks some grain of millet. Even if Hen ran away, looked away –with zeal and zest the hungry chicks helped themselves to the food neighbour Cock had left behind. They did not care whether it was a little loot ransacked from someone else`s granary or field. All they wanted was food, nothing else. After neighbour Cock had disappeared, Hen, too, partook of the millet food. After all, she too was starved of food, and she too relished such a meal. Hen beseeched the chicks never to divulge to Cock about neighbour Cock`s frequent visits, let alone his spirit of generosity, not monstrosity.
On the second day, Hen saw no point in running away upon seeing neighbour Cock. As the days tore on neighbour Cock decoyed her to sit next to him and before long they were chatting about many issues, including the devastating drought. He handed over some goodies to Hen, who in turn shared them with her grateful chicks. Like a blind sycophant, neighbour Cock used every opportunity available to shower praises upon Hen for being in the thick of things to ward off hunger, disease and misery; something typical of a truly loving mother to her chicks. He even patted her on her back for a job well done!
Neighbour Cock managed to endear himself to the chicks by virtue of his fatherly cheerfulness, generosity, humorousness, charm and diplomacy. “He is not harmful but wonderful. What a friendly, jocose and kind neighbour we have, mum, “remarked one enraptured chick to Hen one morning as neighbour Cock was disappearing into the thickness of the forest after giving them a dozen of lean grasshoppers. For Hen, the chick`sstatement was an assurance that her husband would not be posted on what transpired behind his back. She reiterated that as long as their father did not glean any information about neighbour Cock`s compassion towards them, starvation would be a thing of the past.
One Monday afternoon Hen weaved her way with verve to neighbour Cock`s homestead at the invitation of the latter. She was convinced that their neighbour was an enthralling and caring man whose corns theycould not afford to tread upon. In fact, his exuberant voice was music that had grown on her. That day she brought her chicks a small bag of tasty groundnuts. They feasted on them happily. The following morning neighbour Cock made his way to their homestead and they spent the better part of the day playing a chase-and-catch game with Hen. They ran, laughed, joked and tucked into a delicacy together like they had known each other for ages. She found neighbour Cock vivacious, their time spent together delicious.
Neighbour Cock had bid them farewell after a day well-spent when he inadvertently stepped on an ashen chick that was sleepy. “ Haaa this is so painful that it cannot go unreported. I`ll definitely tell my father”. All Hell broke loose as in cold blood; neighbour Cock strangled that grey chick to death with a startling suddenness that left Hen shell-shocked. He slammed the behaviour of the little chick, whose innocent body lay cold, inanimate and silent. Hen was inarticulate with fury, profound melancholyand forlornness.She was silently wondering: What monstrosity is this? What brutality is this? Where is the conscience of neighbour Cock in this act of madness and vileness? All along were his smiles and kind gestures a mere gimmick? A death trap? Why didn`t l see all this coming? Why did l allow a heartless snake to sneak into my life? Why have l allowed myself to be an accomplice in the blood-curdling killing of my dear chick? How am l going to live with this guilt? I rue the day l yielded to his stratagem. Why did l do such a foolish thing? Why?
“This chick died at the venom of a way laying snake. Cock should never ever get wind of anything else other than this version. Am l making myself clear?” Neighbour Cock roared rhetorically beyond remorse. Hen`s gait lacked elegance as she staggered, carrying the lifeless body of her chick. She faltered clumsily as she entered the biggest of their three huts which was used as a bedroom. A cloud of sorrow and petrification enveloped her, galvanising her into studying and caressing themotionless body of the chick. She was sobbing uncontrollably when Cock strode into the room. He was told that their chick was lifeless owing to a certain merciless snake`s wicked deed. Needless to say Cock was crestfallen and confused. After that tragic incident Neighbour Cock vowed never to set foot on the yard of Hen and Cock.
One rare Sunday evening Cock came home rather early. He was carrying a big brown fruit that looked appetising. “This wild fruit is a beauty. The moment l laid my eyes on it, l knew that it was potentially our windfall. However, we need to be more careful lest it becomes our catastrophic pitfall. We all have one life to live. What l mean is that the suitability of this mouth-watering fruit for consumption is questionable. At face value, it looks harmless, but we would be exhibiting a terrible height of folly if were to gobble it up without ascertaining whether it is fit for consumption or not. I therefore suggest we give Rat a little piece of that fruit and see what happens. This shouldn`t be interpreted as an act of cowardice and cruelty. Not at all. That move will serve as our control experiment, “giggled Cock in a prematurely victorious fashion.
Rat was appreciative and prayerful. He promptly and hungrily tucked into the piece. Cock and Hen waited for a possible abdominal war to be waged. Thirty suspenseful minutes elapsed. An hour lapsed. Time tore on. Rat did not complain of something amiss in his stomach. All is well that ends well, thought Cock. Three hours later the family could not wait any longer. They enthusiastically consumed the aromatic and delicately-textured fruit. The entire family ate their fill. Hen and Cock chatted, pattedand joked with a passion of its own life. Their world was abuzz with laughter, dance, song and humour. They had not celebrated as a family before. Cock felt liked a feted hero in his homestead. They even renewed their pledges of loyalty and love to each other in grand style.
Dove shot in and expressed her heart-felt grief over the fate of Rat who lay lifeless a few metres from the nearby stream. What! Faces fell with apprehension. They knew what that information meant. Both Cock and Hen individually decided to do something before the effects of the deadly fruit finished with them. What had befallen Rat was surely waiting for them. What a prospect! Cock fidgeted about, whispering a seemingly endless inaudible prayer. After a while, Hen, as if at a confessional, divulged, “l hereby confess that because of my follies and failings l allowed neighbour Cock to visit me. His persistent, sugarcoated words became my daily food. Words, like swords-can spear one`s heart into divisions. Contrary to what l told you, it was not a snake that killed our chick. Neighbour Cock took the life of our dear chick. He used to give me many irresistible gifts in the form of food. They say one good favour deserves another. I`d be lying if l said l didn`t enjoy many favours.Ina you- scratch- my- back- l -scratch -yours gesture I reciprocated those favours. I am sincerely sorry for those iniquities and stupidities; please forgive me before we depart yonder”.
To her surprise, Cock unequivocally and unconditionally agreed to forgive her. “I also transgressed fulltime. Your follies and failings cannot exonerate me. For example, one day during my hunting sprees l couldn`t catch a thing, and on my way home l bumped into a little cute hen who said her entire family had perished at the teeth of a vicious dog. She claimed to be lonely and looking. She gave me a flabby grasshopper, and shy of coming home empty-handed, l accepted the offer. Little did l know that she would end up being my chatty and chortling companion. That`s why l was away from dawn to dusk. We embarked on many captivating hunting sprees. As if that were not enough, I also fraternised and gallivanted with several birds of dubious character. I was promiscuous and imprudent. In modesty and earnest, I admit in your respectful and respectablewifely presence that such deeds were totally superfluous and iniquitous. I’m truly sorry for plunging our sacred union in mud. Now l know that anyone who is unforgiving is done for. Please forgive me before the world falls on us. Please, please forgive me”. He pleaded nervously. It was as if his middle name was Meekness.
As soon as Hen had pronounced, “Forgiven utterly”, Rat entered the room. To their awe, Rat was alive and well. How come! He explained that after partaking of the delicious fruit, he had slumbered in a blissful and inspirational manner like one in a paradise for the privileged few. Meanwhile, Cock angrily and arrogantly dragged Hen to another room to fully elucidate what she had just mentioned about neighbour Cock’s frequentvisits, the nature of their relationship and the circumstances leading to the demise of their chick.” You have some serious explaining to do. If you aren`t the mother of my chicks, then you`ll get away with this comedy of errors l don`t find amusing. If you`re, then you`re doomed”, he threatened.
Cock was no longer himself. Rage had captured, blinded and imprisoned him. It was as if he did not have shock absorbers, or if he had them, then they were either dysfunctional or were playing up. Hen’s heart was skidding and pounding with a life of its own.In spite of her obvious fears and confusion, at the back of her mind, she pictured their world hurtling down to Mother Earth.vFor her, it was a time to gain an insight into who really they were and since they could not undo their past, she saw it as an opportunity to reflect on and learn from their experiences and errors. It had to be the moment of truth…
