The people of Gujan still lived and thrived in the ancient ways, they did everything according to the way thier ancestors did and they did not plan on changing anytime soon.
They wore clothes made of straws, palm fronds and raffia, they did not wear any shoes which made their feet look horrible.
They ate foods they could get from nature and the men hunted for wild animals as an occupation, some men were farmers while some were craftsmen and some were warriors just like Joanna's father.
His name was Chief Hunga and he was one of the most successful, feared and respected men in the whole kingdom, he was a fearless warrior, a skilled craftsman, a successful farmer and a mighty hunter.
He was a huge and scary looking middle aged man whose heavy footsteps was said to be heard in the next kingdom, he hardly smiled except for when he was with men as successful as he was which meant that he had very few friends because they were few men as successful as he was.
The people of Gujan maintained a one man one woman marriage though they were exceptions for the likes of Hunga who married three wives and birthed twelve children ( seven sons and five daughters).
Eight year old Joanna was his last child and ultimately his favorite, he openly showed affection towards the girl because he saw himself in her, he always remained extra meats or fishes in his food bowl for her which would infuriate her siblings.
Joanna was the female version of her father, she was tall if not too tall for her age and as strong as a bull, she was also very beautiful, fearless and always showed signs that she would take over her father.
Even though she was still a child marriage proposals were already coming in because of how beautiful she was but her father always rejected them because he had secret plans for her.
Even though the people of Gujan had refused to adapt to the modern ways, the surrounding kingdoms had fully embraced them, the western world had brought new technologies, education, new foods, new clothes and in general new things.
Gujan was feared by all and any kingdom that challenged them to a war would loose but fast forward to the modern times, new weapons like guns where brought to those that accepted the change and suddenly Gujan became the weakest kingdom.
This fascinated Hunga who was shocked at the new development, he had once visited a friend of his in the nearby kingdom and what he saw changed his life forever.
Music blasting from radios, cars, beautiful clothes, strange yet appetizing looking foods, electricity to mention a few, his friend had served him something soft yet delicious (bread) and a coloured liquid that tasted new (wine).
That was all new to him and when his friends grown up daughter came to clear the dishes he was blown away on how the girl looked so neat and smelled nice and she even spoke a new confusing language (english).
Hunga who was the first person to refuse the new development in his kingdom had a sudden change of heart though he kept it to himself.
He planned to send one of his children to this place and who else to send but his lookalike brilliant daughter Joanna.
When Joanna turned eight he started making plans with his friend to send his daughter to one of those places his daughter went (school), he wanted his family to be the first to have an educated family member in the kingdom.
She turned nine the following and Hunga decided that she was old enough to go to the school, he called his entire family and told them of his plans and of course shock and confusion filled their faces.
Nobody was bold enough to confront him or ask him the reason he made that decision, Joanna's mother Farrah burst into tears and soon after the entire family followed suit because they taught that Joanna was being sold off.
Joanna was inwardly happy and excited for the new adventure that awaited her, she was going to miss her family but the thought of the new adventure dominated.
One week later she was off to the new school, her father had to take her at night to avoid questions from neighbours.
The goodbyes, tears and hugs from her family especially her mother had to be broken by an impatient Hunga who feared that someone would hear the noise.
Alright that's enough!! she is not going to be executed she is going to a school so you all should be happy because she would come back and be speaking those big grammar like those big girls i saw.
Hunga handed Joanna over to his friend after a few words of advice to his beloved daughter
Joanna my daughter i am sending you to this place because you are the most brilliant of all your siblings and i know that you would make our family proud right?
Joanna who had never heard his father speak so meekly before replied enthusiastically
Yes baba, i promise to make you all proud.
Hunga went home half happy half sad, he was happy because he would boast of being the first man to have someone educated in the kingdom but he was also sad because inwardly he would miss Joanna.
People started noticing Joanna's sudden disappearance a week later but nobody dared to ask Hunga of her whereabouts to avoid his rage.
Meanwhile life at a new place did not start off nicely for Joanna, she was lost and confused and she cried at nights quietly, the the new clothes she wore felt uncomfortable and itchy, the shoes she wore ached her feet badly and she could not understand the language people spoke and she had no friends to speak with.
Joanna was not the kind of person to be put down easily so a month later she was already settling down, she made new friends and became used to the new clothes, foods, language and her entire surroundings in general.
Her academic brilliance would shine soon enough, she toped her class every semester and due to her long legs she became the best female sprinter during games.
Her popularity shot up so quickly and before long Gujan started fading from her though her family did visit her one by one escorted by her father.
Ten years later, a fully grown Joanna returned to Gujan after recently completing her nursing education, she was now a nurse.
The people of Gujan looked at Joanna who was clothed in her nurse's uniform like they had seen a ghost, she looked so beautiful and spoke a well polished english, the young girls yearned to be like her and the young men yearned to marry her.
The people of Gujan were rightfully meant to be angry with Hugan for deceiving them all these years but they were not instead the men started making arrangements for their children (male and female) to go to school.
Joanna worked tirelessly so that civilization might come to Gujan, she met high ranking officials who intially refused due to their resistance all this years but due to her brilliance and the way she presented her case, the officials granted her request.
A few years later Gujan became one of the most civilized kingdoms, it was completely unrecognizable compared to the way it was before and it was all thanks to Joanna's brilliance, they named an entire week as a holiday in her honour so that future generations would remember her.
Be brilliant is one thing but how you utilize this gift to tht betterment of both your life, the people around and also the society at large is quite a lot.
Joanna's brilliance can never be forgotten in a hurry for the impact it made.
Thanks for sharing this very interesting story with us dear friend
You create interesting characters, two of them brilliant. The king is wise and his daughter extraordinary. The arc is strong and the setting convincing.
Thank you for sharing this story with us, @emeka002 and for engaging with other members of the community.
Great story with good ending. Too good for the king who regretted civilization at first but took heed to send his daughter to school after he saw the benefits.