A/N - Hey everyone, this book is probably the first of it kind you have seen but please give it a chance and you will see it will be great promise but don't forget to vote, comment and share.
Ps- An ogbanje is believed to be child that comes to a family were it is sure to be pampered then lives to a particular age then dies and is reborn several times causing pain for its family members especially it's mother. (translation below)

                       1

"Amadi!Amadi!Amadi!" Okonkwo shouted from out Amadi's house.
Receiving no reply from within he walked to the front of hut using his carved walking stick to tap at the side of the hut, he shouted again.

"Greetings house!"
He smiled to himself when he remembered Amadi never answers his name if he doesn't see his caller, so he wasn't surprised but he had greeted the house not him, Chie, isn't he supposed to know it is his oldest friend's voice, he and Amadi belonged to the same age group with him older than Amadi than Amadi by two planting seasons and  he had counted 50 planting seasons and and have been friends with Amadi for most of them.

Eventually Ngozi, Amadi wife the female bearer came running out from the back of the hut panting and out of breath as she came to him knelt down and greeted him.

"Nna yi uno, ututu oma" she said with a smile slightly bowing her head.

"Ehen, our wife, how are you and the family doing today? Hope you all slept well."

"Nna yi we slept well" she said with a smile. "Thank you and we are fine"

"So where is your husband?"  

"He is at the farm with the children they went to carry the rest of what was harvested yesterday but was still left in the farm overnight." she replied.

Hmm,"okonkwo said but  does he know that run around in your condition,what if you fall and harm the baby and yourself ehn,"he asked her.

"I am sorry Nnayi it won't happen again," she said
"Our husband you know I have to give a seat and offer you Kola as it is customary so I will be back soon"
After saying that she walked off.

Just as she left Okonkwo, Amadi arrived with his daughters, who were helping him to carry his harvest from the farm groaning and moaning as they carried it and they were bearly carrying two to four each. He really pitied his friend at times having only daughters like he did he truly deserves to be pitied, daughters were useless all they do is eat, complain then get married and become usefull for another family absolutely useless he thought, a man needs sons to further his family line lest his name be forgotten but his friend had none except for a very sickly boy, that just reminded him of what he came so early in the morning for.

Amadi voice giving his children orders to keep the harvested tubers of yam in the barn brought Okonkwo out of his thoughts.

He turned to see Ngozi cleaning two carved mahagony stools that was usually only brought out for elders besides her stood her only sickly son holding two calabash plates,one containing garden eggs while the other contained osé Oji, that again did not surprise Him because everyone in Nnkuagu community knew that Amadi is the only elder that doesn't ate kola nuts, but instead of being mocked about it but Amadi was greatly respected by everyone in the village

When Amadi was through with giving his children instructions on how to properly the tie yams up in the barn he went back to his friend, it seemed like he was always explaining to the how to tie the yams up any time they went to the farm, he loved his children and was proud of them, girls or not, it was just that whatever they had no real interest in they didn't so he had learnt to be as understanding as possible towards them he knew the only reason they made all that noise while they entered to annoy Okonkwo who always regarded them as nothing and that character of his friend annoyed him to no end, well Okonkwo actually saw one of his daughters as something and that was because he wanted to marry her.

Hmmm he thought with a heavy heart, he wasn't sure there was anyone worthy enough for his Nnenna.

He adjusted the loin cloth that covered his waist down to the top of his knees and dusted the cloth that hung over his neck and covered his chest then he adjusted his cap that was vertically striped red and white, the cap resembled a cone with it's base on his head and tail resting on the side of his head Amadi was a tall, lean muscled and handsome man   satisfied he was now looking presentable he went and sat with his friend calling chisom his daughter to bring him some water to wash his hands and drink. After that he called his favorite daughter nnenna to get him his calabash of palm wine, she was his favorite because she is the reincarnation of his beloved mother that died few days before she was born, and no other two people looked as alike as those two,yes his Nne has come back to him.

"Aha, Okonkwo what was so important that you had to come to my house this early, no before you say anything you are not unwelcome here but I would really like to know."

At that same time chisom  came in with carved with a carved in wooden bowl in one hand and a cup of water in the other hand she greeted Okonkwo by slightly kneeling down for him then handed what she carried in her hands to her father who collected it from her and proceeded to make use of it.

After a while small measured foot steps were heard coming towards where the men making the to raise their heads and look at the the direction where the sound was coming from and smiled, though the reason for their smiles were different.

Okonkwo was looking at her with slight lust in his eyes as his eyes roamed all over her body, while Amadi looked at her with love and admiration thinking that indeed his mother was finally and indeed back to him.

Nnenna was a tall dark beauty, with long black hair plaited in a very complicated hair style interwoven with coral beads of various colours and shapes, her hair also had some cowries in it, and the amount was large in worth and number, Okonkwo couldn't understand why Amadi would let his daughter carry such a large amount of money on her hair, but Amadi just saw it as a sign of and for him no amount was to much for his Nne. Nnenna hair was also braided and let to lie to the middle of her back, her eyes were big and black with a twinkle in them and framed with alot of long thick lashes, her elegant long and pointed nose was very attractive her lips a light pink that revealed a set of  sparkling white with a little space in between the first the two front tooth, and also dimples on both cheeks she was indeed a paragon of beauty her clothes were the same as that of any maiden in the village it just had a better quality than others, surely another work of  Amadi of course.

Nnenna had wrapper covering her breasts tied at her back with another tied on wrapper of the same colour tied around her waist and ending on her thighs just a little short of knees her wrist, neck, waist and ankles were adorned with coral beads at least two each all except her waist that will definitely have at least eight strings of coral in ranging colours, Okonkwo didn't know where his friend got them from but he knew that no other maiden in the whole village had the same type.

Nnenna also had ilu around her eyes to darken them ,her skin was also decorated with uri, a thin line divided her face perfectly with some designs decorating her forehead and jaw and similar but slightly bigger ones decorated her arms and upper chest and back her stomach was also divided and decorated by an ilu line of the same design if she dressed for a festival her lips would have also be similarly darkened.

Nnenna smiled at both men before going down on one knee to greet them.
"Nnamo, ututu oma"she said with a smile.

"Nne you are welcome " Amadi said returning her smile. Okonkwo didn't reply to the greeting as he was still busy in his appraisal.

Nnenna gave the calabash of palm wine that was covered with alot of green grass on top to her father (a palm wine calabash has a small opening on top that allows it to be easily covered with palm leaves that helps preserve it) she also gave her father two special palm wine cups and also handed a kola nut to him after that she left with Okonkwo still staring after her, she was already used to his staring so it didn't bother her, she also knew that he wanted to marry her and that her father might accept, but she didn't understand the man, he already had four wives and that still wasn't enough for him she thought shaking her head.

She had counted 18 planting season and that was old for an unmarried woman because some got married as early as their thirteenth Afo but because her mother had insisted that they all had to be at least 18 to get married was The only reason she was still at home if not she would have been in her own house by now so she knew her wedding was around the corner but she wanted a what her mother had as the only wife of her father, but she knew the possibility was slim.

When Nnenna had left, Amadi took the kolanut raised it up and looked at his friend and said,
"Our people say that who ever brings the kolanut brings life, so we ask that we are granted life and in abundance."

"Ise!"

Okonkwo replied, then they kept on with this, while Amadi prayed, Okonkwo said ise to each prayer point.

Then after the prayer Amadi broke the Kolanut into lobes then he took one and then he handed the rest to Okonkwo, Amadi then proceeded to take a nimble out of it, he hated the taste of  the Kolanut but according to tradition and norms of the society he had to eat out of it to prove that it wasn't poisoned, but as he about to take a taste of the kolanut when Okonkwo laughed and said,

Amadi my brother you don't have to that we all know how much you hate the taste of the Kolanut and I also know that you would never Poison me, I mean if you poison me which other person would you call your brother."

At that they both laughed,Okonkwo then threw a lobe of kolanut into his mouth a chewed thoughtfully then he kept the rest on the small table ifoma, one of Amadi children had brought in earlier. He then took the cup of palm wine that Amadi was offering him, poured some one the ground as offering to the gods of the land before taking a sip, then he looked at Amadi and said, "This is a very good palm wine."

"Yes it is," Amadi agreed "it is from Offodile the greatest palm wine tapper in this village and the next ten villages, you know he is my wife's elder brother, so I get at least one a week. "

He said with a laugh, Okonkwo smiled and said "You are a very lucky man, you know that not many people get Offodile palm wine and those that get have to order in advance and they still have to pay very dearly but you you get it for free and weekly at that, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that was the reason you married Ngozi."

"Aha that was one of the reasons I married her oh! "

After that the both burst out laughing.

Okonkwo then said "Don't let you wife hear that oh."

"She already knows." Amadi said jokingly laughing with his friend.

After a while, Amadi said "Our people say that 'when a toad runs in the afternoon it is either it's chasing something or something is chasing it', so Okonkwo what has bought you to my house this early in the morning."

"Hmmm,"Okonkwo said clearing his throat "You have spoken well my brother, and you know that I don't beat about the bush when speaking so I will tell you straight the main reason that I am here this morning is talk about the Ogbanje in your house and also the verdict of the Kinsmen concerning it. "

"And what is their verdict" Amadi asked looking worried his whole body getting tense he knew that this day was coming but it didn't make it's arrival any easier for him.

"Amadi you are are not a foreigner in this village you know very well know that your son has been proven to be an Ogbanje and also that this was not a rushed decision,after your first son died at two years old we saw it as a sad misfortune, when your second son died the same age of two we suspected then and gave him on mark on both cheeks and when your third son Obinna was born with the same mark we gave his elder brother it was proven that he was an Ogbanje and you can see that he is getting weaker and weaker as he approaches his second year and your wife's stomach is getting bigger and bigger and know as in previous times the day the child dies another is born looking like the carbon copy of the dead one," he paused cleared his throat again and continued,
"The kinsmen and elders have now decided that before the cycle is repeated that you choose either to take a new wife they would bear you sons to further you name and then leave you pregnant wife and stop impregnating her to reduce her pain and suffering because losing children isn't easy for anyone especially the mother, or you agree to let us take obinna to the Dibia and have him killed and cut to pieces so he can't come back to this family again. And that is their final decision, this would have been done early but you refused and asked for more but my brother obinna Birthday is around the corner so you have to do something and do it fast."

Amadi shook his head sadly and said "I have heard you my brother I would give you and the kinsmen a reply soon."

"Amadi I have something to tell that might cheer you up"okonkwo said "one of my wives came from a village that has a woman who can remove ogbanje from a child, so I suggest that we send people to go and bring her here to remove the Oganje in your son, I have already sent my five eldest sons to the Dibia for fortification for this journey because it is dangerous and with the help of the gods they will go and come back successfully."

"Ise" Amadi replied.

Amadi was greatly surprised he couldn't believe that there was indeed hope for his family, he had heard that some villages had Ogbanje women but he had never seen one and crossing from one village to another was risky yet his friend was willing to send five of his sons for him knowing the possibility of them losing their lives and him losing his position as one of the elders in their clan ,this indeed was a true immediately the return they will about Nnenna's marriage to Okonkwo's eldest son and that was final and besides he knew that they had feelings for each other.

Amadi jumped up and hugged his brother from another mother and he just couldn't stop saying thank-you over and over again. Amadi turned serious and asked his brother when they were leaving and he replied with one word,

" Tomorrow "

**********************Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter of my book don't forget to vote, comment and share, love you all and have a great day.

Translation of the Igbo words in the book below.

Ngozi -blessing

Nnayi- our father.

Ututu oma- Good morning

Ose oji -grounded groundnuts mixed with pepper used to eat garden eggs.

Nnkuagu comnunity- Big lion or leopard community

Nnanne- Father's mother.

Chisom- God follows me

Calabash -a container that grows on trees used for various purposes when properly dried.

Wrapper- clothing wrapped around the body.

Ilu- a substance used for beauty purposes, found in different colors.

Nnamo -my fathers.

Ise- Amen.

Thanks for reading and God Bless you.