My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

by Amos Tutuola

  The very day that I completed three years in this town, the “flash-eyed mother” got a letter and warrant about me from the town that I escaped to her.

  But when the mother received the letter she was very annoyed and replied with passion that—“I am ready for war or for any consequence.” Then both parties arranged the day that they would meet on their battle-field for seven days to come at that time. But before the day arrived “flash-eyed mother” had sent for all the soldiers of “Wraith-Island” who were uncountable in numbers and also sent for the following wonderful and curious creatures:— “Spirit of prey” who is fighting with the flood of light of his single eyes, “Invisible and invincible Pawn” who fought and won the “Red-Creatures” in the “Red-town” for the “Palm-Wine Drinker” when he was living in the “Red-town”, and all the fearful and harmful prominent creatures as:—White long creatures, Hungry creature, Shapeless-creatures, and also the “Palm-wine tapster”, who is living in the Deads’-town, who gave the wonderful egg to the Palm-Wine Drinker came too. So all of them had gathered in this town (13th town) before the day came. When the day arrived “flash-eyed mother” gave a wonderful short gun to every one of the heads of her body, then to the other creatures, after that to all the short ghosts and me as well, and she took the biggest gun for herself and also gave a sword to every one of us in addition.

  After this the whole of us were going to the battlefield, so she was following us as a commander. It was this day I first saw her stand up and walk away from the same place that I met her since the three years I came there, and it was this day I noticed that over four thousand more heads were still hid under her body and all were exceedingly glad when they were exposed to the fresh air since the last century when the “Secret Society of Ghosts” celebrated last. So as the whole of us were marching hastily to the battle-field that morning because we had kept late, all these heads were making various fearful noises with louder voices along the way, even the rest of us could not hear any other creatures’ voices except their own which nearly made us become deaf.

  Before we reached the field the other party had reached there before us. But immediately we reached there we started to shoot guns at the enemies and using the swords, and they were also shooting us. As this fight was so serious nobody could eat, sleep or rest for three days and nights. But when we were hiding in a hiding-place at night or at any time from the enemies all these heads would not stop making noises until the enemies would suspect us and then start to shoot us to death. And as it was a powerful war, so, through the noises of these heads all the hero-ghosts who were fighting the enemies with us were killed and also many of the heads were cut away from their mother’s body with swords, except their mother who was fighting on fiercely with her big gun until the “Invisible and invincible Pawn” who had disappeared for a little while came and killed some of the enemies until the rest escaped to their town. After that he woke up all the hero-ghosts with all the short ghosts who had been killed by the enemies. But to my surprise as all these heads had been cut down to the ground all were still crying to their mother. Of course, the “Invisible and invincible Pawn” replaced them back on their mother’s body, and this means the 13th town won the victory.

  After we won the war the whole of us were gladly marching to the town. But as the “Invisible and invincible Pawn” woke up all the dead soldiers and replaced their heads which were cut off by the enemies to their necks and as my own was cut off as well, so he mistakenly put a ghost’s head on my neck instead of mine. But as every ghost is talkative, so this head was always making various noises both day and night and also smelling badly. Whether I was talking or not it would be talking out the words which I did not mean in my mind and was telling out all my secret aims which I was planning in mind whether to escape from there to another town or to start to find the way to my home town as usual. All these secret thoughts were speaking out by this inferior head whenever I stood before “flash-eyed mother” and also telling lies against me every time that I am abusing her because I did not understand the language of the short ghosts. At the same time that I discovered that it was not my own head which was mistakenly put on my neck, so I reported the matter to the mother, but she simply replied—“Every head is a head and there is no head which is not suitable for any creature.” So I was carrying the earthly body with the head of a ghost about until the “faithful mother”, the inhabitant of the “white-tree”, who is faithful to all creatures came and settled the misunderstandings between the two parties when she heard information that there was a war between them, but it was very late before she heard about this war. Having settled the misunderstanding for them I begged her respectfully to replace my own head back on my neck instead of this one which belongs to a ghost. So she agreed and interchanged it for my original head at once, if not I should be still carrying the head of a ghost about throughout my life time. But at the same time she had settled the misunderstanding for both parties (12th town and 13th town) then she went back to her “white-tree” with the “faithful-hand” who accompanied her as a guard and she inspected the “guard of honour” which was specially arranged for her by the “flash-eyed mother” before she went away.

  It was this day I knew that this “flash-eyed mother” is the mother of the “Invisible and invincible Pawn” who is the ruler of all the animal creatures and non-living creatures which he could command to become alive in all bushes of the curious creatures, and it was also this day he washed his mother who warmed the water with which to wash her body with the flash fire of her eyes as the water was too cold for her. Having washed his mother he went back to his bush which is near the “Red-town” which had been ruined long ago when the “Palm-Wine Drinker” was living there with the “Red-creatures”.

  After the war was over all the short ghosts and I continued our usual work as hunters. At this time I was illtreated by all these short ghosts with the “flash-eyed mother” and also all the heads of her body as I was the aggressor of the war which ruined some of them and their opponents as well. So by that my mind was not at rest to live there any longer except to continue to look for the way to my home town which I had left for about eighteen years, as I was remembering my mother at this time always. But as I was at that time near to become a full ghost and did not care for any ghost again, because I had seen many of their secrets except the “Secret Society of Ghosts” which is celebrating or performing every century, so whenever I was following the short ghosts to the bush in which we were killing the animals, I would go farther than them.

  The Super Lady

  One day, I travelled to every part of this bush if perhaps I might see the way to my town, but instead of seeing the way I saw an antelope. When I was about to shoot him with the gun, he was running away and I myself was chasing him to kill him until he reached a big tree then he ran to the other side of it which debarred me from seeing him, but as I was a little distance from this tree I thought within myself to approach it before I would shoot him. Having approached the tree before I could touch the trigger of my gun there appeared a very beautiful lady and as I was startled immediately I saw that it was that antelope changed to this lady, then I stopped suddenly and looked at her with doubtful and fearful mind that perhaps it was the “flash-eyed mother” changed like this, so that I might not escape from her as I was thinking in my mind. But as I stood and trembled in the place she was waving her right hand as a signal to throw the gun down and I did so at the same moment because of fear. Although if she did not give such sign I would not be able to shoot her at all as an animal. Though it was clear to me that she was an antelope in form at the first time that I saw her when running to that tree. Again I was greatly surprised that it was in my presence she took away the antelope skin from her body and hid it inside a hole which was at the foot of that tree.

  Having thrown the gun down then she was waving the hand again to me to come to her at the same place that she stood. Of course, when she was doing so I refused to go, I told her—“No
, I cannot come to you, because you are a wonderful and terrible antelope who changed to a lady in my presence.”

  After that she came to me for herself and asked—“Will you marry me?” but I replied—“Not at all!” Then she held both my hands by force and looking at my face which was nearly touching her own which was as fresh as an angel’s face, and she asked again with a lofty smiling face and solemn voice—“Why do you dislike marrying me?” But I replied that I am an earthly person. When she heard so she said—“I prefer to marry an earthly person more than the other creatures.” After she said so, she told me to follow her and I followed her at a very low walking speed, because she was fearful to me, but she did not leave my hands because perhaps I might run away from her, and it is truth.

  Within a few minutes when I noticed that she was not a harmful ghostess, then I thought within myself to follow her to her town, perhaps if I begged her to show me the way to my town she would agree. But having travelled with her to a distance of about one and an half miles we entered a town, and immediately we entered there I asked her for the name of the town, she replied that it is a nameless town. After a while we reached her house and then entered it, but there was nobody living with her.

  In the Nameless-town

  So immediately we entered the house she swept every part of it and then decorated it. After that she put water in the bath-room, then I went to bathe and before I finished she had put down clothes. Having taken off the animal skin which I wore she took it and hid it in an unknown place and I wore the clothes, but when I looked at myself in a big mirror which was in the parlour I could not identify myself again for the beauty that the clothes added to me and it was this day I believed that clothes are very important for the body, because as I wore it my appearance looked as fresh as an earthly person. Then I asked her where she got the clothes, as all the ghosts are not using earthly clothes, she replied that she got them from the earthly witches who are coming to her father’s town for “witch-meetings”. Having decorated the house or all the rooms, she went to the kitchen at once and cooked the food which was exactly the same as the earthly food. But I could comb my hair finish before she had put the food on the table in the dining room, then we ate it together. As this food was prepared in the method which earthly people prepare their food, so I ate it to my entire satisfaction, because it was that day I first ate the food which was prepared as good as this since I entered the Bush of Ghosts. Having finished with this food, we went to the parlour and then she brought drinks of all kinds, then both of us started to drink them, and then she started to tell me her story as follows:—

  “My mother is a lame ghostess who can only creep about instead of walking. She is born and bred in the 7th town of ghosts and my father is also a native of the 6th town of ghosts which is about two hundred miles distance from this Nameless-town. He is the most powerful wizard among all the wizards in both the Bush of Ghosts and in the earthly towns. And my mother is also the most powerful of all the witches in both the Bush of Ghosts and in the earthly towns. Therefore, for this reason, both are selected by all witches and wizards to be their heads and to be giving orders to every one of them. So by that all of them are coming from every town of ghosts and from every earthly town as well every Saturday to my father’s house where there is a special big hall which is built for this meeting. But as both my mother and father are their heads, so we shall prepare all kinds of food and drinks before their arrival at my father’s town every Saturday.

  “After they eat and drink, they will start to sing the song of witches and wizards, after this they will pray the prayer of the wizards and witches, then the meeting will start, but the most important of their discussions are on those who are not their members as how to rob and wreck them and to lodge the complaints of those who have offended them before my father and mother who will either give them the order to kill their offenders or not. Of course, they will wait and hear the last order from them before going back to their various towns. But if my father and mother do not order them to do any harm to those who they bring the complaint of, they must not do any harm to them, but if both give them the order to harm or kill them so immediately they return to their towns they will kill them.

  “One day, when I sat down with my father discussing a matter with him, to my surprise, there I saw an earthly old woman who is a witch or one of their members come to my father and started to lodge complaints:—‘One of my neighbours who is depending on her only son called me a “witch” which is an insult to us, but for this I will kill her only son who is taking care of her as a revenge, so that she will not get anyone to assist her in her need and she will have nobody to look after her again, and she shall be in sorrow and hunger throughout her life.’ Having finished the complaint, then she hesitated and expected which order will be given her by my mother and father. So my father and mother decided the complaint in their minds within themselves for some minutes then both ordered the complainant to go and kill the only son of the woman who offended her and without hesitation she disappeared. But as this was a great surprise to me immediately she disappeared I told my father that—‘this is a sin’ and I reminded him again that—‘you ordered her to go and kill the son on whom his mother depends?’ But he replied—‘Yes, I do believe before you say that it is a sin, even it is more than a sin or worse, because I am living on such evil works and you are living on it as well through me and I do not care for any kind of punishment which God might give me about it, because I prefer evil works more than godly works and I am sure that I shall go direct to the everlasting fire which is the most hot and the most severe punishment. Even these evil works will appear as well on my “Will” that you are the one who have the right to inherit it after my death.’ But when he said that I will inherit all his evil works whenever he dies, I told him at once that—‘I shall not do any evil work throughout my life-time in this Bush of Ghosts.’

  “Again, one night, my father and mother entered into a private room which is in a dark corner of the house, then both were discussing within themselves with a low voice whether to kill me next week for their wizard and witch meeting which is very near, because it is our turn to prepare food for our members who will attend the meeting according to our rule, as they have no other daughter or son who is to be killed and cooked and presented to our members, because every one of them will do so whenever it is his or her turn and it is not fair enough to depart away from this rule because of their daughter. So, therefore, as from this night they would not allow me to go anywhere and not to hear about this ‘secret arrangement’ at all, so that I may not run away from home. But as the time that both of them were discussing this matter within themselves was dark so they did not know that I hid near them and heard all their sayings and also heard the very day that they will kill me. But when the day that they arranged within themselves remained three days, all the wizards and witches were arriving in large number to my father’s house from all the towns of ghosts and from all the earthly towns.

  “But my grandmother, who is the native of the ‘Hopeless-town’ which is the 5th town of ghosts and who is at present in the everlasting fire, had given me the power of a ‘Superlady’ before she was imprisoned in that fire for a little mistake she did to H.M. the King of ghosts. So through this power I had the opportunity to change to an invisible bird early in the morning that my father and mother would kill me, then I packed all my belongings, after that I bade both of them invisibly ‘good-bye’ and then I came to live permanently in this Nameless-town, which belongs only to women, and since that day I am not appearing to them personally but changing to a kind of a creature, because they would kill me as they are still looking for me to kill, because they have no other son or daughter to kill for their members, as it is a great pain to them if they cannot fulfil the order made for themselves and this rule cannot be cancelled, as uncountable members have killed their sons or daughters when it was their turn.

  “Now, my earthly husband, I have the wonderful power to change
to any form of creature as I sit with you on the same chair in this parlour.” But when she said so, I told her to change to some form at that moment to let me see. Then she said—“Look at me carefully.” First, she became an antelope with two short horns on its head, secondly a lioness and roared at me several times so that I nearly died for fear, thirdly, a big boa constrictor which made me fear most when she was coiling round my body, especially when it opened the mouth very wide as if it wanted to swallow me, and after this a tigress and jumped on me at the same time, after this she jumped away from my head and was jumping from room to room, having stopped jumping about in the rooms and house, then without hesitation she jumped outside the town, she was chasing fowls about in the town. After some minutes she killed two of the fowls and brought them by mouth to the house, then she came back to me on the same chair that I sat on, after that she changed to a lady as usual, and to my surprise she was on the same chair as before she started to use her supernatural powers and also held the two fowls which she killed outside with her hands.

  Then she started another conversation with me for a few minutes before she went to the kitchen with the two fowls, she roasted both, after that she brought them to me with tea and bread. So we ate them together. But before we finished with all these things it was about ten o’clock in the night. Having rested for about an hour and when she noticed that I was feeling sleepy, then she went to the bedroom, she stretched many costly clothes on the bed, after that she called me to enter the room, but when I dangled one of my feet on the door of this room as a step and when I looked how this room was decorated and also how the bed was decorated and then looked at the bed itself how it was made with the finest and most attractive patterns which could be found in this Bush of Ghosts so I insisted on entering the room, but I was simply suggesting in my mind that—“Is this for me? Am I going to sleep on this fine bed on which only a king can sleep?” Because I was afraid to enter this room as it was beautified by all kinds of costly decorations, as all of them could be only made with supernatural power, because an ordinary creature could not make them attractively like that. But after she called me for several times to come inside the room to sleep on the bed, but I stayed at the door looking at both bed and decorations with much surprise, then she came to me and held my hand as smooth as a delicate thing and then drew me very gently and gradually into the room. Then I hesitated again to touch or to sleep on this bed, but when she saw that I did not attempt to sleep on it, so she pushed me on it for herself very gently as a breakable article. As I lay my body on this bed and felt how it was very easy for me, so I sprang up suddenly to go out of the room.