In all his years as a member of the kings cabinet, Mazi Ibe had never heard the King's voice sound so cold.
The king had woken up with a temper. He had immediately summoned the village chief priest to his palace.
“Eyes of the gods, tell me what this dream means.” the King said to the midget man who had some weird symbols drawn all over his body with white chalk.
The chief priest sighed as he gently spread a sheet made out of animal skin on the floor before throwing some white cowries on the animal skin. The cowries were how the gods communicated with him.
Mazi Ibe sat still on his chair, his intent gaze never left the chief priest as the man kept on throwing the cowries. It was as if the chief priest wasn't satisfied with what he was seeing, so he gathered the cowries and threw it on the animal skin one more time.
Mazi was beginning to get worried. He knew the chief priest only needed to throw the cowries ones and the gods will respond. He was sure the only reason the chief priest kept on repeating the process was because the response wasn't in favor of the King, and he was hoping that the gods would say something else, something other than whatever it was they were saying right now.
Meanwhile, the King remained mute. He kept on replaying the dream in his mind all over again. He remembered everything in the dream had been so wrong. A dream no King should have, especially not a King as mighty as him.
The King remembered in his dream, he had gone to fetch firewood in the forest when he heard some sudden movement behind him. He didn't know what it was but this sudden urge to run sudden enveloped him and he took to his heels. He kept on running, screaming at the top of his voice for help but no one came to his rescue. Then the whole place suddenly went dark.
He didn't know his left from his right. All he knew was something was chasing after him and it was gaining on him. The King kept on running but it became evident that he couldn't escape from his pursuer, he was only postponing the imminent future. So he decided to stop and face whatever it was like a man. But then just like how the darkness had appeared, a bright light shone up ahead. All he needed to do was run a little further and he would escape whatever it was that was after him.
But just as the King turned to run, the creature pounced on him. The King was scared, but he became more terrified when he saw who the creature was, it was no other person but himself.
Then he woke up.
“Your highness” the Chief priest began. “The Kingdom will be taken away from you and given to someone else” The Chief priest said, snapping the King back to reality.
“What?!!” Both the King and Mazi Ibe exclaimed.
“Yes your highness. It will be taken away from you and given to someone else, someone close to you.”
“Who? Who will dare betray me?” the King asked.
In all his years as a member of the King's cabinet, Mazi Ibe had never heard the King sound so cold.
“Him and it is the will of the gods”. The chief priest said, pointing at Mazi Ibe who sat with his mouth wide open in shock. He could feel the eyes of the King boring holes into his body.
“The gods have spoken”. The chief priest said as he gently placed the cowries into his bag that was also made of animal skin before walking out of the palace.
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Readers suspect this will not end will for Mazi. Uneasy rests the crown on his king's head. And, uneasily, does the head of Mazi rest after this prophecy.
Your descriptions are vivid. The tension in the story mounts as all are certain the revelation of the coweries will bode ill for someone. The resolution is startling, perhaps to Mazi, but not to readers, who have been prepared for dramatic news.
Thank you for posting this story in the Ink Well community.
Thank you.