Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 2
The Brave Hunter Episode Two
It was Uche's kind heart that put him in trouble. He thought he was just helping the princess, but now, he is going to die. He thought he was rescuing a young lady in trouble, but he was sentenced to death by the father of the same person he tried to save.
"This is not fair. I didn't do anything wrong. Is it now a crime to help someone in trouble? Now, my family don't even know that I'm about to die. If I survive this, I will never help anyone again. If I see someone who is suffering, I will just pass silently without helping." I je said to himself. He was hungry and thirsty.
For two days and two long nights, Uche sat inside the wooden guardroom. His lips were dry and his eyes sunken like a skeleton. His bones were cracking like plantain leaves in harmattan breeze. The prison was built like a goat's house as had no roof above it. The hot sun punished his bare head in the afternoon and the dew soaked his skin like a rag at night. No one brought him food or water. The people of the land had already judged him. In their eyes, he is the beast who kidnapped their princess. Only the gods knew the truth. The princess also knows the truth.
"I wonder why the princess has not asked them to release me. Why is not telling the truth? I did not kidnap her. She should tell the king the truth and let them release me. I'm innocent and I don't want to die." Uche said with tears in his eyes.
Outside the guardroom, under the old Iroko tree that stood like a spirit beside the prison fence, Lucky the dog lay stretched out with his ears alert and his eyes full of sadness. His mournful whines filled the air like the cry of a widow at a funeral. He stayed, like a grieving mother refusing to leave her son's grave. The dog understood what was going on.
On the third morning, as the rooster of the village crowed and the compound women returned from the stream, Lucky stood up from his sorrowful spot. Something inside him, maybe the spirit of the ancestors, moved him. His stomach rumbled, not just from hunger, but from worry. He looked once more at the prison fence, turned around, and started running into the forest as if it was moving away from the village.
"Where is the dog going?" Uche asked himself. He called out to the dog but it didn't turn.
It ran into the bush. Deep in the forest, the dog saw a farmer who squatted beside a burning fire. He was roasting yam, turning it gently, while smoke danced into his eyes. Lucky hid behind a palm tree. The dog's eyes were fixed on the golden-brown yam. It looks delicious.
The dog waited like a leopard about to leap. When the farmer went away from the fire place, the dog knew it was time to steal the roasted yam. That was the moment. Lucky jumped, snatched the roasted yam with its mouth, and ran into the forest like a spirit chased by thunder.
"Tufiakwa! What kind of animal is this?" He grabbed his cutlass and ran after the dog. The dog did not look back. The dog's only mission was to get back to the guardroom where Uche was waiting with hunger. The yam was hot and burned his mouth, but he held it tight. When he finally reached the prison, he dropped the yam and began to push at the wooden wall with his body.
"This is a strange dog." The farmer said when he saw what Lucky was doing.
The prison was fenced with wood. There was a small opening at the bottom, but it was too narrow for food to pass through. Lucky continued pushing, whimpering and crying. His nose sniffed through the cracks. He could hear Uche's voice. Uche was now weak and couldn't speak louder.
"Lucky... Lucky... is that you?" Uche asked with a low voice. At that moment, the farmer stood still with his cutlass.
"Let me see what the dog is doing. I have never seen this kind of dog before." The farmer said. He raised his cutlass but paused when he saw the dog pushing the yam toward the prison and crying. His anger began to vanish. He was deeply touched.
The farmer looked closely. He has heard about the hunter who was sentenced to death. He has also heard that the dog has not left the prison since Uche was arrested. Now, he saw with his own eyes.
"The dog is not a thief but just a saviour. It was "The dog is not a thief but just a saviour. It was looking for food for the prisoner." The farmer said. Slowly, the farmer dropped his cutlass and sighed. He bent down, picked the yam, and called out to Uche.
"Hunter, are you still alive?" Uche answered with a low voice. "Yes... I am here." The farmer threw the yam over the wooden fence. It landed near Uche's feet.
"Eat it quickly. Your dog loves you more than most men love their children." The farmer said. Uche broke the yam into two and gave the bigger portion to Lucky through the small hole. The dog ate it aggressively.
"You saved my life today. I was at the gate of death. But you came." Uche said to his dog and the farmer. The farmer stood quietly for a moment, then turned and began to walk away. He went to his house and brought water for Uche and his dog.
"Please, don't tell anyone I helped you. If the king hears of this, I will be punished. I have children. I have a wife. I don't want to die." The farmer said.
"I swear by the gods, I will not speak." Uche said as the man quickly left the place.
Uche regained a little strength. He lay on the bare ground. He looked outside and saw Lucky his dog.
"I wish my dog could talk. He would have told the king the truth. I don't want to die, but who will speak on my behalf? So in a few days now, I will die for a crime I didn't commit?" Uche asked as tears rolled down from his eyes.
Watch out for Episode Three
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