Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty

by Amos Tutuola

  So as these strange creatures of the river were very dexterous, we hardly woke and stood up with fear when all of them began to beat us as the powerful beam of light of their eyes was penetrated into our own eyes. As soon as this powerful light had been penetrated into our eyes we did not see again but these strange water creatures were still beating us repeatedly with all their power and without mercy as they were shouting horribly on us. But after a while, when they did not stop to beat us, we too started to cut them with cutlasses although we could not see exactly where they stood as soon as the beam of the light of their eyes had been penetrated into our eyes. But of course as we were blindly cutting any part of that spot that which we were hearing their shouts, we were sometimes mistakenly cutting each other instead of these creatures. But at last, when we could no longer bear the pains of their beats we began to move backward from them perhaps they would stop to beat us. As they did not attempt to stop beating us but they were moving towards us and were still beating us continuously as we were moving backward from them, we slipped into this river unnoticed.

  So we hardly slipped into the river when these water creatures jumped into the river with gladness and then they continued to beat us mercilessly. When we felt the pains too much we dived into the bottom of the river perhaps they would stop to beat us. But they too dived at the same time and then continued to beat us. So without hesitation, when we were sure that they would soon kill us if we did not come out from this river as soon as possible, we forced ourselves to cross this river to other side. But as soon as we came out from the river at the other end, these water creatures ran to us and they continued to beat us. At last, when we saw that we could not overpower them in any way, we began to run along for our lives. To our fear, these strange water creatures were chasing us along and continued to beat us until when it was daybreak. But as soon as the sun was appeared it quenched the powerful beam of light of their eyes. Now we could see them clearly and then the three of us faced them. We began to cut them repeatedly with all our power and within a few minutes they ran back to their river with severe cuts on all over their bodies.

  It was like that we defeated these harmful and merciless strange creatures of the river. But as we had now understood that it was only in the night they had power to use the powerful beam of light of their eyes, we did not wait to rest but continued to travel along as hastily as we could in this jungle so that we might be able to travel far away from that river before the night came. Having travelled far away from that river and we were quite sure that we were safe from them then we stopped. We ate the ripen fruits which we found near there, after that we sat down and leaned our backs on a big tree. As we were enjoying the cool breeze it was so the three of us were discussing about that strange creatures of the rivers because they were too strange to us. After a while, we did not know when the three of us fell asleep unexpectedly because we were very tired and again we had much pains all over our bodies because we were nearly beaten to death by that strange creatures of that river.

  It was like that the three of us were sleeping from that morning without waking once till the midnight. But when it was midnight we heard suddenly the noises of many drums. Then we woke and stood up with fear. When we looked round we saw that seven drummers had already surrounded us before we woke. They were beating their drums in such a strange way that we did not know when we started to dance. As they were beating their drums it was so they were singing a kind of strange song with lovely voices in such a way that there was no any human being who might hear it would not dance with happiness.

  Having danced for about one hour without knowing whether these drummers were going to kill us, they stopped to beat their drums and stopped to sing as well. As soon they stopped, they asked: “Where are three of you going to?” Alabi hastily replied that we were going to visit the Creator. Again, they asked: “What are you going to visit him for?” Ojo replied that we were going to visit him in respect of our poverty. Ojo explained further that we wanted the Creator to set us free from our poverty. Having heard these explanations one who was the head for the rest shook his head up and down and then he told us that they were the drummers and singers for the Creator. He told us as well that he would take us to the Creator.

  When he told us like that we were afraid perhaps they were harmful creatures but when we thought over again that they were human beings like ourselves, we were very happy to follow them. Then he told us to be in front of them. As soon as we did so, he and his men began to beat their drums with a kind of a lovely song. So, Alabi, Ojo and I hardly heard the drums and song when the three of us began to dance along in front of them as they were following us behind. It was like that we were dancing along and they were following us till daybreak.

  But when it was about eight o’clock in the morning, we came to a very wide and clean road which went to the town of Creator. This road was very attractive and was very straight. There was no any human being who might see it would not like to travel on it to the end.

  As soon as we came to this lovely road and started to travel on it, these drummers of the Creator, changed the way that they had been beating their drums when we were in the jungle to another lovely one and they changed their song as well. But as they changed everything this time, it encouraged us so much that as we were dancing here and there on the road it was so we were shouting greatly with happiness. As we were still doing so along on the road we came to one big gate the door of which was closed the time we came there. But as soon as the gate-keeper heard the noises of the drums, he hastily opened the door and he asked us to go in. It was like that we danced to the town of Creator after we had spent about six months in the jungles with severe punishments which we received from the harmful and merciless creatures.

  AT LAST WE REACHED THE TOWN OF THE CREATOR

  A tortoise’s shell is a house of the poverty and if the tortoise is taken to the wealthy town, it will still be living in its house of poverty.

  *

  At last we reached the town of Creator. As soon as we entered this town, the drummers stopped to beat their drums and stopped to sing as well but they took us to one beautiful house. They asked us to sit and we did so. Then they left us there and went out but a few minutes later three beautiful ladies brought food and many kinds of drinks to us. After we ate to our satisfaction we washed our hands. But as we wanted to start to drink the drinks the drummers came back, they sat and all of us drank the drinks for about two hours.

  Having finished with the drinks, they told us to follow them and we did so. They began to take us round the town and they were showing us all the wonders of this town which we had not seen in our lives. When it was about one o’clock p.m. they took us to their court of law in which we met many offenders who stood before the judge. The offences which these offenders committed were simple enough for the judge to pardon them or to set them free but he condemned them to everlasting punishment in the fire. Their offences were lies, adultery, derision, abuse, lavishness, etc. All these were great sins in the town of Creator. But we did not take them as sins in my village. As the judge put these offenders to everlasting punishment in the fire in respect of these simple offences, I hastily asked with wonder from the head of the drummers that why these offenders did not engage the barrister to diffend them. But this head of the drummers bursted into a great laughter and then he explained to me that: “We have no barristers, etc. in this town because the judge will never judge the cases with a slight partiality!” This head of the drummers explained to me further that all of the offenders who were put to everlasting punishment in the fire were lawyers, judges, etc. who had committed these offences when they were alives in their respective countries

  But when the head of the drummers explained to me like that, Ojo, Alabi and myself became sad at the same moment when we thought of all the sins which we had committed and which were even important more than these simple ones which we heard in this court but which we took quite simple. So we left the court as soon as it was close
d for that day. Again, the head of the drummers took us to another place. This place was the residence of the righteous people and there we met all kinds of people who were black, white, and light blue people. They were uncountable in number and all were dancing, singing, eating, drinking, etc. when we met them. The merriments in which we met them were so much that one could not describe them.

  But as we stood at a little distance from them, I was so anxious to mingle with them and share from their happiness but as I started to go to them, I saw that something which was quite invisible prevented me on the way. It pushed me back to the spot on which the head of the drummers, Ojo and Alabi stood. Of course when the head of the drummers saw that I was pushed back by an invisible thing, he told me that I was a sinner therefore, I was pushed back by my sins which were invisible agents. He told me further that a sinner could never be shared from the happiness, etc. of these righteous people but the only people who could share from their mirth were the people without a slight sin. But the head of the drummers hardly explained to us like that when I hastily told him that I had never murdered people in my life. But he hastily replied: “Yes, not only the murderer is a sinner but also the people who are misanthrope, misadvisers, misadventurers, deceivers, debasers, etc. etc. etc.!”

  Then after one hour that we watched these righteous people with their fascinating merriments, the head of the drummers told us to follow him and we did so. When we came out from the residence of these righteous people, he took us round the town and there we saw that there was no a single person without great joy. But we were afraid that whenever we met the people on the road they would branch to another part of the road at the same time. They did not want us to meet them on the road. But when I asked from the head of the drummers that why the people were running away from us as if we were their enemies who wanted to kill them. He explained to us that these people were running away from us just to protect themselves from sins because we were sinners and they did not want to become sinners.

  This town of the Creator was very beautiful and clean. There were uncountable of mighty buildings from which we heard the people shouting, singing, etc. with great joy. So having gone round some part of the town, the head of the drummers took us back to his own residence when he noticed that we needed some rest. He gave us a separate flat which contained a big sitting room, bedrooms, etc. As soon as we entered the sitting room and we rested for a few minutes, one lady came to us, she told us to go to the dining room. When we went there, we met variety of delicious food and drinks on the long table. Then the three of us, Ojo, Alabi and myself, ate the food to our entire satisfaction. After that we started to enjoy ourselves with the drinks. We could not even finish the drinks when the head of the drummers came in to us and he joined us to drink the drinks as he was discussing with us how to become sinless fellows. But as soon as we finished the drinks by eight o’clock in the night, he went back to his flat and then the three of us went to the bedrooms and we slept with happiness.

  By six o’clock in the following morning, we woke up, but as soon as we went to the sitting room and sat down quietly, he came in to us. Having greeted us, he asked us to dress up and follow him and we did so at the same time. Then he took us to a very wide field where the various kinds of beautiful animals which they were riding were kept. They were riding animals in the town of the Creator instead of motor cars. We met more than ten thousand various kinds of beautiful animals in this field. This field was about five miles distance from the residence of the Creator although this town (as called) of the Creator had no an end at all.

  When he took us to this field, he told each of us to mount one animal which he preferred most. So I mounted one of the beautiful horses, Ojo mounted one beautiful camel while Alabi mounted one fine zebra, and the head of the drummers himself mounted one beautiful white horse. As soon as the whole of us had mounted the animals, he told the three of us to follow him. Having left this field we travelled for about two hours before we came to one mighty building which was the hotel for that area. Then he came down from his horse and the three of us came down from our animals as well. He told us to let us enter this beautiful hotel. When all of us entered we met more than five hundred people who were eating and drinking at that time.

  Without hesitation he told us to sit down and we hardly sat down when various kinds of food and drinks were brought to us by the waiters. So he and the three of us ate as much as we could from the food. After that we enjoyed the drinks for one hour before we left the hotel without paying money for all that we consumed there because everything was free of charge in this town of the Creator. So when every one of us mounted his animal, he told us to follow him and we did so. Having travelled with him for about two hours, we came to one fearful place. This fearful place seemed as if it had no an end. When we went nearer we saw the big flame of fire which rose up to the height of about eight miles and it was thundering so heavily and continuously that it was easily deafened those who went too near it. But we were still about half a mile away when the head of the drummers told us to stop so that we might not be deafened by the thousands of thunderbolts which were shooting high up from the bottom of the big flame like arrows, and the great echo which was roaring heavily so that every part of that place was shaking as if it was going to sink down.

  As soon as we stopped he told us to cover our ears with palms so that we might not be deafened by this great noise and he himself covered both his ears with both palms as well. After that he told us to follow him to one long house which was on top of a high hill. This hill was in front of the fearful place where this great fire was. When we entered this house, he told us to take our palms away from our ears. When we did so we heard no noise any more because this house was a noise-proof type. Then he and the three of us sat down on one long seat which we met in the house but we were seeing the big flame well although it was far away from us. As we sat down with him but as Ojo, Alabi and myself were still stretching out the necks just to see who were in the big flame. He stood up, he drew one long flat and thick glass from left and he pushed it across the wide window through which we were looking at the big flame. He told us to be looking at this thick glass. But as soon as we fastened our eyes on it, it was so transparent that we were seeing the whole people who were in this big flame very clearly as if we were with them. The transparency was so much that after a while I began to distinguish a number of the people who had died in my village long ago from the rest uncountable people who were together in this big flame. All were burning repeatedly and thousands of the thunderbolts were dashing on each of them at a time.

  Some of the people that I knew before they died in my village and who were in this big flame, were judges who were not honest in judging cases, except when bribery was offered. The murderers, liars, thieves, deceivers, etc. etc., and many politicians who had embezzled the states’ money, lands, etc.

  When we looked at these suffering people till five o’clock in the evening, then the head of the drummers pushed the glass through which we saw the people in the big flame to one side and we saw them no more. After that he sat in front of us, he lectured us for thirty minutes that when we returned to our village we must be righteous in everything that we were doing and that we must continue to do so till we died otherwise we would go to the big flame. Not knowing that this head of the drummers brought us to this fearful place just to learn a lesson from the sinners. So we thanked him greatly when we understood what he brought us there for. After the lecture he told us let us go and we followed him to the place where we left our animals in the green field. When every one of us mounted his animal, then we went back to his residence. When we came down from the animals and as his servants were returning them to their field, he led us to our flat. Having chatted with us for some minutes, he left for his own. But as soon as he left two beautiful ladies brought food and drinks to us. Having satisfied our hunger and drunk some of the drinks we went to beds.

  In the following morning, at seven o’clock, the head of the dru
mmers came in to us, he greeted us cheerfully as he was usually doing every morning. But as he was still chatting with us the breakfast and the drinks were brought to us. So we ate and drank together with him. Having rested for a few minutes he asked us to follow him and we did so. But as he noticed that before he brought us to this town of the Creator the hairs on our heads were grown to such a length that they fell on our eyes and necks, our moustaches were so much that they covered the mouths and our beards were so long that they covered the chests. All of the dresses on our bodies had already been torn into thousand pieces and all were so dirty together with the over-grown hair of our heads, moustaches and beards that the three of us were no better than a barbarian.

  So as we followed him he took us directly to the barber who cut all of the hairs on our heads, moustaches and beards as short as possible. Having done that, the head of the drummers took us to another part of the town where there was a large spring of water. Then the attendants that we met there washed us with the sponge and soap and we were now very clean. After that they took us in to a small house which was near there. They gave us new dresses which we wore at the same time. Having done all that, the head of the drummers took us back to his residence and he did not allow us to go out throughout that day again.

  In the following morning, at seven o’clock, the head of the drummers who had already dressed up in the usual uniform that which he was wearing before appearing before the Creator, came in to us. He greeted us cheerfully, he sat down and began to chat with us as he was doing with us every morning. As we were still chatting together, two beautiful ladies brought in the delicious food and many kinds of drinks. When we ate and drank to our satisfaction together with the head of the drummers, he stood up, he told us to follow him and we did so.