Gift (eBook)

Chapter 1:
Beginnings

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Where are you going? Stop running, please, I can help you!” Odun screams.

A girl with long black hair and a birthmark shaped like a rat’s tail on her neck is running through a long hallway. The walls are covered with holographic paintings, gold trimmings, crown molding, and a never-ending staircase that leads into the main hall. Music is playing in the background; lights glisten all around and beautifully attired people are dancing. A blinking “Academy” sign on a board flashes several times then fades. A loud holler in the distance “Odun, Odun, Odun, come back” is the backdrop as Odun dashes after the girl with the tail birthmark.

“Am going to save her; I cannot lose a soul; I cannot lose this soul!” Odun screams as he hops over the balcony to grab her foot. A majestic red slipper falls from the sky and the vultures carry the girl into the full moon that glistens in the night sky.

“COOKOOROOCOO!” the royal bionic roosters crow to the break of dawn, waking the residents of Ile-Ife. The royal roosters have been programmed to crow five times, but today is special. They crow six times; it is the first day of Awo Academy. The twin boys, Aja and Odun, have been preparing for this day for the past 16 years. Aja regularly wakes at first light. Odun, on the other hand, is the sleep-in-late and always-rushing twin. Sly as a fox, Aja tiptoes towards Odun’s bed—the floorboards creak and the noise prompts Odun to toss restlessly in his bed.

Noticing that Odun is still asleep, Aja grins. Those who are familiar with that silly grin of Aja know it’s the beginning of the contemplation of a series of actions, the result of which could only be callousness. True to character, Aja proceeds to blow on his palms, rubs his hands together, and smacks Odun across the face.

Thwack!

“Wake up!” he yells. “It’s time for morning training.”

The thunderous slap snaps Odun out of sleep. The sheer agony of a hot hand upon his fleshy cheek triggers Odun into a state of maddened retaliation. He springs out of bed like an unrestricted cheetah ready to assassinate its prey. As if by intuition, Aja begins to pace backwards, being careful to assume a defensive stance, knowing fully well that there will be an attempt at evening the score.

“You little—!” Odun shrieks, grabbing his pillow and throwing it towards his brother with the force of a thousand blows. “I was having a nightmare and you woke me abruptly.”

“Do you want to babble about it? Your face looked like it was troubled,” Aja says, catching the pillow, but the brute force exerted by Odun thrusts Aja back. He trips over their homemade, powered-down robotic spider monkey and falls, crossing over to his side of the room.

“Ugh,” Aja moans in pain, contemplating his next move. Odun on the other side of the room is outraged with the intent to get revenge. He sprints towards Aja, hopping over the monkey in the middle of the room. Odun lands on Aja and attempts to punch him, but Aja blocks. He tosses Odun across the room, creating distance between them.

Aja stands up a little disoriented. He sees Odun in the distance; with a stern look, Aja is ready. He firmly plants his feet on the hardwood, claps his hands together, and closes his eyes. A bizarre feeling lingers through the room; a delicate aura begins to surround the extremities of Aja’s body. He channels his Emi, his soul’s spirit energy. Aja opens his eyes and directs his right palm to the floorboards beneath his feet. The floorboards begin to loosen, the joists breaking apart causing loud screeches as they haul up like pulled taffy. Aja sweeps his right hand and the floorboard wraps around Odun’s right leg, restricting him from any movement. Odun, thrown out of focus, stops in his advance. In the flash of a second, he realizes that Aja has used Emi.

“It’s time to wake up,” says Aja seriously.

“You used spirit energy! You cheater! Fight fair, no Emi!” yells Odun.

“You have your mastery; I have mine,” Aja says in a seemingly cold voice.

Aja sprints head-on to kick his brother, but he is stunned when Odun exerts force on his right ankle, picking his leg up, shattering the hardwood into a million pieces with his animalistic strength. Odun uses the momentum to perform an aerial backflip, while he lands a kick on Aja’s jaw, triggering a muscle spasm on the right side of his face.

“Argh!” Aja grunts, but quickly recovers, using his left leg to sweep Odun’s right leg; Odun staggers and falls on his back. Now they are both on the floor, wheezing uncontrollably. There are remnants of hardwood on the floor, pillows and clothes scattered across their room.

“Are you ready to take a shower now?” asks Aja.

“Nope,” responds Odun as he belts out in a maniacal laugh. “You should have seen your face when I broke the plywood.”

“Just get ready. We cannot be late! Remember what happened last time you were late?” Aja says, still on the floor conversing with his twin.

“Oooo . . . do not remind me . . . Uncle Odi literally sprinkled pepper on my wound! I never want to see another broom again,” Odun responds.

“Well, if you do not get ready, you will have to sweep the mansion and the palace,” Aja warns. “Well, I am going to be downstairs. If I do not see you, I am leaving. I am not sharing your punishment today!”

“You think we will get punished if we are late?” Odun asks curiously. “I mean, we are going to the academy today.”

“Well, first, there is no we because we are not getting punished; you are. Second, I do not want to find out so . . . see ya,” Aja says as he gets up from the floor.

“Come back, brother, help me up, bro, twin, my favorite brother,” Odun teases his twin.

“Am your only brother,” Aja responds.

Amongst the commotion, a female servant enters the room, her piercing brown eyes survey the room, and immediately she is overwhelmed, feeling distraught, knowing she must clean up the mess.

“Good morning, my young lords, it is time for your morning training,” she says, bowing and muttering her despair under her breath. Not that she isn’t used to such situations; this is part of their morning routine after all.

“It is too early for this,” Aja utters, standing from the cold floor. As he walks by, the servant blushes, admiring his presence.

Aja and Odun are finally ready, rushing downstairs like a roaring wind to avoid being late for their morning training.

Mother and Asha are sitting in the parlor. Mother is sitting on the red sofa facing the west window; the sun is beaming on her honey-colored skin; the door is ajar, letting in the morning’s fresh air. Their mother has long, dark, curly-kinky hair with streaks of grey from wisdom, age, and a little stress from her twin boys of course. Aja dashes to steal his morning kiss from their beautiful mother. Odun sees this and of course must fight Aja for the same kiss.

“Must you two fight all the time?” Asha, sitting on the armchair, chastises the boys with scorn in her eyes.

“Yes!!!” the boys reply condescendingly.

“As it is your first day of the Awo Academy, my boys, I have a gift for you,” Mother says lovingly.

“Me first!” Odun yells, dashing across the room as if there was a race to be won. Aja rolls his eyes and hisses like a kettle on the stove.

“Odabo Iya wa goodbye, Mother,” greets Asha. “Oh and boys . . .”

“Yeah?” Aja responds while Odun worries about getting his gift.

“Break a leg,” she says in a friendly tone as she leaves for the day.

“Aw, thanks,” Odun says, not looking up from the trunk. “Look, Aja, she cares that we’re leaving,” Odun looks up smiling.

“No, literally,” Asha says cruelly before she exits through the marble foyer.

Mother leans over her red couch to her famed golden trunk and reaches for the gifts. Aja and Odun kneel—a courtesy when an elder is presenting a gift, the young must kneel, in appreciation and respect. Mother brings out a bejeweled box made by Mödiu, the greatest goldsmith in all the land. The box is made of pure gold, adorned with crystals. She punches a personalized security code on the keypad disguised as a ruby-cased ornament buried in the center of the box’s lid, and a holographic projection of each item is projected in the atmosphere. She selects a black velvet pouch amongst the options. A loud mechanical hum indicates the box opening, and only the black velvet pouch manifests. Mother pulls out the pouch from the box and reaches inside; there are two necklaces. The chains are made of pure gold, and the pendants are handmade from the toughest elephant tusk; the vintage jewelry is pearly, white and lustrous, and appealing to the eye. One of the pendants is in the shape of a saber-toothed tiger’s tooth and the other has the shape of a lion’s claw. Aja receives the necklace made in the shape of a claw and Odun receives the tooth. Mother wraps the necklaces around their necks.

“Thank you, Mother,” they say with a smile.

“My sons,” she begins. “These are family heirlooms. Keep them on at all times,” she says in a serious tone.

“Odabo Iya wa goodbye, Mother!” they scream as their voices fade out in the distance as they head to the marble foyer. “Odabo, my sons. May Eledumare be...