Chapter One - The Wasp Attack

 

There were no restrictions on the movement of children in the compound of Mr. Udoh, little Okon’s father. Udoh was a peasant farmer who depended on sales from his products to cater for his family.

One day when Udoh returned home, his eyes were swollen. He could hardly see. He only managed to walk through the rough and narrow paths in the forest. He was resting under a fruit tree that formed a shade in one end of his farm. He had gone through vigorous and stressful farm work earlier. As he raised his head, he noticed a ripe mango fruit on the tree. At least it could serve for the afternoon’s appetizer.

So, he got up and climbed the tree. He went for the mango fruit. His hand had touched the fruit when he hit wasps in their thousands. The wasps were having a nice time out at the far end of the tree.

The wasps did not spare him. They stung him beyond recognition. In hot anger, they stung his head and every part of his body. It seemed that the wasps must have been nursing a grudge against poor Udoh. They were not ready to let go of him.

So, Udoh tried to hurry down the tree leaving the fruit that had put him in trouble. He lost his footing and crashed down the tree leaves and branches. He had bruises after he landed on the floor. But there were no fractures. He jumped to his feet and made his way home with top speed. Holding his waist, and yelling up to the high heavens. One would think that Udoh had hit his thumb with the anvil. He ran through the forest in tears.

If his pair of legs betrays him, that would mean his early exit from this ever changing world. Udoh ran so well and cried so loud, but there was no one around to help. The deadly wasps chased Udoh down the bush path.

It was not advisable for Udoh to fight back. Even if he tried, how many wasps would he be able to kill with a single blow? As he made his way home with a good speed, calamity fell on Udoh. His pair of legs betrayed him and he landed on the floor. Before he could regain his footing, the wasps had circled him. They descended on him. His face was not spared. They worked him to hell. The attack kept coming wave after wave and Udoh could not fight them back.

Finally he broke loose and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The fear of death must have motivated him to run so fast. A man confronted by his own end may want to prolong it.

While in pain, Udoh forgot his cutlass and hoe in the farm. The forest is not the best place to exercise your athletic prowess. Without care and caution, a man could be stuck in the woods.

There was much speed in his legs as he glided past trees, bushes and bends. The wasps had retreated, but Udoh was too scared to check if the insects were still in the chase. After he had covered a huge distance, fatigue set in. His body began to complain because the effects from the attacks of the wasps had begun to rear their ugly heads.

Then he stopped running and began to stagger home as if he was under the spell of liquor. Imagine the way he went. It reminds one of a nineteenth century steam engine going through a deplorable road. No accurate steps, no coordinated moves, he rolled along. At intervals, he would stop and cast a glance behind to see if the wasps were still in the chase. No wasp in sight. The wasps did not give a damn. They were brutal and they were harsh.

There had been an incident where wasps made some white men look foolish in a remote town in Africa. One polish citizen was at the receiving end that afternoon. He was in the company of some contractors, and they were trying to fell a tree.

After so much work, the local laborers from Africa could not bring down the tree. And they had a bulldozer at their disposal. The European asked them to give way. He mounted the bulldozer to show them how to use it. He was unfortunate. Unknown to him, the locals who were trying to cut down the tree earlier had caused a disturbance. There were wasps on the tree and they had been left angry. The angry wasps were already some distance away. They were moving in the direction of the bulldozer when the European got into the firing line. They stung him.

They embarrassed the European before the local laborers. Before he could run, his flesh had turned red. He did not have his clothes on, so the insects took their turn to vent their anger on him. Were it not for the timely intervention of the locals and some Europeans, he would have passed on. The rescuers were also not spared. One of the white men had swollen lips.