The Avatar Writes

CHAPTER ONE – THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD Daniel Aremu had always believed that family was meant to be a safe place. He grew up thinking it was the one circle where you could be yourself without fear, the one group of people who would choose you even when the whole world turned its back. As a boy, he thought the walls of their house held love the way a pot holds water — full, warm, and ready to serve. But over the years, he realised that even a pot with a small crack will slowly leak until one day you look inside and find it empty. The Memory That Never Left He was eight years old the day it happened. It was a Thursday afternoon, the kind when the harmattan air was dry and every sound seemed sharper. He had stayed behind in school because of Art Club. For days, Daniel had been working on a drawing — a large, colourful sketch of a village scene. It was the best thing he had ever drawn. He had used his lunch money to buy special pencils from a roadside shop, and he had begged his classmate, Bisi...

  (The scene is set on a bustling market day. The market square is alive with the chatter of market women, the bleating of goats, the crowing of cocks, and the chirping of birds. As usual, the women gather to gossip, discuss Oba Adesina, and laugh heartily.)   Woman 1: Nkan sele nilu wa… Baba Sola ti gbe gbogbo ebi re salo kuro nilu. (Translation: Something has happened in our town… Baba Sola has taken his entire family and fled the village.) The market is so slow today.   Woman 2: Ah! It’s worth running away. This village has become too dangerous. Oba Adesina takes everything too personally and has become drunk with power.   Passerby: Hmmm… Oba Adesina has ordered his guards to arrest anyone caught talking about him, especially regarding recent events.   Woman 1: Lobatan! Let me head home. What I’ve sold today is enough to feed my family until we, too, can flee this village.   Woman 2: If everyone flees, who will stay to fix the vi...

(The palace courtyard is bathed in the soft glow of the evening sun. Oba Adesina sits on a carved wooden stool, his face a mask of simmering anger. His youngest wife, Adetutu, approaches cautiously, carrying a calabash of palm wine. She kneels before him, offering the drink with trembling hands.) Adetutu: (softly, with a hint of fear) Kabiyesi, I brought you palm wine to calm your spirit. The day has been long, and your heart is heavy. (She keeps her eyes lowered, avoiding his gaze.) Oba Adesina: (snatching the calabash from her hands) Heavy? My heart is not heavy, Adetutu. It is filled with fire! The Oluwo dares to defy me, and even my own chiefs question my authority. (He takes a long sip from the calabash, his eyes narrowing.) And you… you women in this palace whisper behind my back. Do you think I do not hear your murmurs? Adetutu: (stammering) Kabiyesi, I… I would never speak against you. I am loyal to you, my king. But the people… they are afraid. The Oluwo’s daughter… taking her...

  (The council of elders has gathered at the palace, awaiting the return of Oba Adesina from his confrontation at the Oluwo's house. They are murmuring among themselves, visibly uneasy and disturbed by the recent events involving the Oluwo and the king.) Otun: (adjusting his agbada and the chieftaincy beads around his neck) What is all this I’ve been hearing on my way here? (He looks visibly embarrassed.) What exactly is happening between the Oluwo and Kabiyesi? (He sits down, clearly troubled.) Balogun: (sighing heavily) This is nothing short of an abomination… For the king to take the Oluwo’s daughter as his wife in this village—it is unacceptable. Yet, Kabiyesi refused to heed our counsel. (He shakes his head in dismay.) Iyalode: (with a mix of surprise and frustration) Balogun, Otun, did you not warn Kabiyesi of the consequences? (Her tone is sharp, yet laced with concern.) (Their conversation carries a strange blend of mockery and seriousness. Suddenly, Oba Adesina enters the ...

CHAPTER ONE   Stephen stood on the seashore, gazing at the horizon where the ocean’s color shifted abruptly, marking the edge of a sheer drop into a 1,200-fathom abyss. The ocean was magnificent, its waves crashing against the soft, white sandy shore. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying—a plunge into the unknown depths. He couldn’t resist the temptation any longer.   “I have to see what the edge of the cliff looks like,” Stephen muttered to himself.   Soon, a native boatman sailed closer. Stephen waved him over, and after a brief exchange, a deal was struck. He glanced at the boat, his diving helmet resting just a few feet from the cliff’s edge. The ocean floor seemed impossibly far below, but with a mix of curiosity and trepidation, he donned the helmet and slid into the blue abyss.   Within seconds, he was submerged, acutely aware of the immense pressure surrounding him. A heavy weight seemed to press against his back, and a dark, indistin...

  (At the Oluwo’s house, the palace guards escort Oba Adesina, who carries baskets filled with yams, kola nuts, and money.)   Oluwo: (Startled) Kabiyesi! What is the meaning of this?   Oba Adesina: (With a sly grin) Oluwo, I have come to dine with you. But more importantly, I have come to take your daughter as my junior queen. The palace needs a beautiful young lady, and she is the chosen one. (He adjusts his agbada while Esho places the bundle of money in front of Oluwo.)   Oluwo: (Horrified) Ewo orisa! When the eyes see what they cannot bear, even the mighty banana tree does not rot to produce a child. Kabiyesi, I bow to your authority, but this is an abomination in our village! For the King to take the Oluwo’s daughter as a wife—it can never happen! The gods forbid it!   Oba Adesina: (Coldly) I have told you already—I am the power and the divine. Oluwo! Oluwo!! Oluwo!!! How many times must I call you? (His expression hardens, his tone grow...