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Lisa, The Stream goddess

Mermaid's Sacrificial Love

By Noah Adekunle AdetilewaPublished about a year ago 5 min read
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Lisa, The Steam goddess-By Noah Adetilewa

CHAPTER ONE

The Beginning

Odogbagede was a Community of about three thousand eight hundred inhabitants of farmers, petty traders, hunters, fisher men and women. The village was founded by one Ago-Iye prince with his wife and two sons, the prince was a farmer and a blacksmith, and his name was Adebowale. This man along with his wife and their two grown up sons migrated from Ago-Iye town, in the South western part of Nigeria.

They left their home town about two Centuries ago, his wife’s name was Olayemi, his first son’s name was Adegboyega, and his second son’s name was Omobolaji. Adebowale and his family trekked through the forest for two days and settled at a spot they felt was good enough for farming, and a place in which to form a Community.

The spot they chose to settle at was about sixty kilometers from their home town of Ago-Iye. Adebowale knew the importance of water, and if they must survive in their newly found environment, he must find water very quickly; his instinct told him there was a clean river nearby. “Olayemi,” Adebowale called his wife, “I am going into the forest, in search of a stream or river;” “Okay! Be very careful of where you put your legs as you search for water my dear husband.” Adebowale smiled at his wife as he walked away.

Adebowale was a good looking and strongly built man, tall and dark in complexion; he picked up a big clay pot which they brought with them, the clay pot was for water storage, but he decided to use it to fetch water that day. “My husband, try and return back to us soon even if you can’t find water,” Olayemi pleaded with her husband.

“Don’t worry, I can sense a flowing stream not very far from here, the gods will direct me,” Adebowale assured his wife and left them around noon.

Adegboyega, Adebowale’s first son was a handsome twenty two years old skilful hunter of rats and rabbits, shortly after his father left in search of water; he also decided to go hunting. “Mother”, he called his mother’s attention, “I want to go and hunt for bush meat we could cook for dinner this evening.” His mother looked at him with a smile of approval on her face, “Try to kill two fat rabbits to celebrate our newly found home; I sincerely hope your father will be able to find a stream, or river around here that is good enough for drinking.”

Adegboyega left his forty years old mother in the care of his Nineteen years old younger brother Omobolaji who was a crafty potter. Omobolaji the potter, also decided to look around their new settlement for red soil or clay soil to enable him produce pots for water containers and cooking utensils.

To his surprise, all the soil around their home was rich in clay deposits. As Omobolaji was returning to give his mother the good news, his father was also returning with a clay pot of water on his head; Omobolaji quickly ran to meet his father and collected the clay pot of water from his father’s head. Both of them happily headed back to their new settlement.

Adebowale cheerfully sat on the floor and announced to his wife and son; “I found a flowing stream of clean water, the best drinking water I have ever seen, and the distance is about one kilometer from here, the only problem is the high hill before the small river, it will be difficult for anyone to fetch water from the stream three times in a day without breaking one’s back bone because of the high hill,” he said as he smiled at his wife. Omobalaji the potter shared his new discovery of high clay soil in their environment with his parents. Adebowale looked into the sky, to check the position of the sun, and said; “We still have enough time before dark to build a small hut in which we can sleep this night.” Adebowale sighted his first son, Adegboyega the hunter as he was returning to them with a big rabbit in his right hand which he had shot dead with his Dane gun.

The boys and their father went into the nearby forest to cut some bamboo poles to form the pillars for their new hut; they also cut down some palm tree leaves for the roofing and to form the emergency walls for their hut.

The small hut was built before the sunset that day, they already discovered water for drinking, and there was plenty of clay soil with which to build their beds, make clay pots for cooking, for water storage and to build a mud-house later. All the above was achieved within a week of coming to that location. Adebowale started farming on the virgin land around their new settlement; he planted cassava, coco yams, yams, corn maize, vegetables,

Pepper and tomatoes, and he even planted kola nuts on the land farther away from their home. Adebowale became prosperous with the big yams he harvested some months later, buyers came from the nearby villages to buy his farm produced products, and that made some farmers to start relocating to Adebowale’s village, the settlement was called “Bowale’s village in the beginning.

A year after the Adebowale and his family came into their fertile land; Adebowale’s wife noticed they were short of water from the big clay water container at the corner of their four room’s mud-house that was built with clay soil. “Boys,” their mother shouted, “The two of you should carry a clay pot of water container each, to fetch water from the stream, and take your bath there,” their mother further instructed.

In those days, people usually took their bath once a week despite their dirty works as farmers. “Mother, we took our bath two days ago at the stream,” Adegboyega protested.

“Moreover, the water would be too cold for swimming this morning;” Omobolaji said in support of his older brother. “Alright, then catch some fish from the stream for lunch,” their mother finally said.

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About the Creator

Noah Adekunle Adetilewa

Noah Adetilewa is the Author of the following books: Principles of True Leadership; Lisa, the stream goddess; Fate And Unconditional Love; Love Potion And The Bliss of Real Love; Mysterious wisdom of God; Paradise in Hades; You & Yur Health

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