Diamond and A Torch

I stood there at the river bank, stark naked, About to take my own destiny in my hands. With the whole village watching and my mother cried and begged me not to jump into the river.

Just two days ago news came into the village that there is something strange in the river, we all rushed to see what this might be but all we saw was a glow in the river something shinning with a great light as bright as oga Ebere's bulb when he puts on his new generator.
All our lives in that village we have never seen such not even our fore fathers witnessed a thing like this in their time. Like typical villagers we could only come up with a conclusion that it must be diamonds from a python's head based on the myths we've been told about pythons.

We all wanted this diamond as it looks like a blessing from the gods, but we were all scared to dive in and claim it, and since it was found in the community stream it means it belongs to the whole village.

It became a question of who will bell the cat, what if the python is just resting or what if it was a trap set for anyone who will dive in to claim it.
Though we've been warned by the elders not to mention it to anyone outside our small community so the next villages will not hear of it and partake in the blessing our gods have gifted us with. We are still looking for who to go in and bring out this precious stone and the day is almost gone, night has come upon us and the diamonds shine brighter from under water.

As night draws closer my mind is been made up but then I needed some sort of protection in case I encounter any strange force, "I will cross the big river to the next village" I said to myself "I hear they have powerful native doctors there".
While I was plotting my way on getting the diamond. Our village pastor whom we've all known as onye-ukachukwu has gone to the stream with a bottle of schnapp and some cola nut to appease the gods of the water and thanking it for the blessing it brought our way. The whole village was surprised that a Pastor will be giving in to fetish gods, then I knew how powerful that diamond must be and it's worth must be very huge.

At this point my mind is made up, I will be the hero the village is clamouring for, if I get this diamond out of the water, even though it proceeds will be shared by the community, I am sure I will get the lion share.
I took the small money I had on me went to the market and bought a goat then I went to the river and boarded a boat to the next village and I wasn't disappointed, I did meet a powerful native doctor who did some charm for me and he gave me some eggs and other materials I will use for incantations after collecting my goat.
That same night I went back to the village with an instruction that the incantation must be done stark naked without any cloths before I go in to claim the precious stone that will transform my life and that of my family for good.

That morning I woke up early and headed straight to the river where this great diamond that has given my people a cause of concern, my mother had pleaded that I don't do it, it is better we be in poverty than I go and kill myself, but I've made up my mind already, it is better I die trying to get rich than remain in a state of squalor.
News has gotten to the village about my bravery and like it was the village masquerade festival everyone have gathered at the stream waiting for me to do what no one was brave enough to do.
I have broken two eggs already standing fully naked in the midst of the entire village, even the elders of the village stood and watch while I make myself a hero for the village, as I broke the last egg and did the final incantation I jumped right into the river and headed straight down to the bottom but what I saw was different from what the community was actually waiting for.

I stayed under the water for some minutes and some where already thinking I was dead or maybe it was too heavy for me to pull out but I was stuck with great disappointment and I couldn't just come out with what I saw in place of the claimed diamond.
Finally I decided to surface out of the water to show my people that my bravery was actually vain, instead of the diamond I came out with a torch in my hand, which probably was dropped off by one of those night fishermen.

As I stood with the torch in my hand, I watched everyone walking out feeling disappointed and not even a sign of pity for my wasted effort, I thought about my goat, the journey to the native doctor for protection, the millions I would have made from the sale of the torch or diamond.
I was too dumbfounded to leave the spot, the water has dried off from my body. Now instead of feeling like a hero I felt more stupid in the sight of the entire village.

Till this day I'm been called diamond man, just for expressing my stupidity for a common torch.

CHANGE

"Hold your change oh, if you no hold change I take God name beg you no enter oh" he shouted with his hoax voice more terrible than a croaking frog as his passengers entered the bus.
He has a rugged look, one that could easily point out that he is a motor park tout, there is a scar visibly marked on his neck probably from a bottle stab in a fight, his eyes were blood shot red, I doubt if they have ever been white.

I entered quietly and sat next to this fat woman with three children which she've decided to carry on her laps as well as inconvenience other passengers which happened to be me sitting next to her and immediately she gave me a warm smile and turned me into a baby sitter. Good thing I was wearing black so whatever stain may come from the child won't affect me. Then I thought about how people could trust a stranger with their child but won't with any other valuables they have on them.

On the course of the journey I found out that the child's name is Ozioma and he was rather weighty for his age, it was more like I was carrying a fat adult male than a five years old boy, I was just thinking if the boy feeds on stone that is making him that heavy.
Then the scary looking conductor brought me back to reality and asked for my bus fare there and then I realised I was having a thousand naira note on me.

Just to avoid being beaten up by this conductor who has already lost some teeth I presume was from a previous battle and is willing to loose more if anyone dares him. I decided to pay for my new madam and her stone of child who I gave space to sit on his own and one fine yellow sisi who I almost mistook as an albino, I wouldn't say she bleached to get to that condition she found herself.
Then I realised the power of change and how much power an ordinary bus conductor could possibly have if you disobeys his command.

Secondary Crush

I saw her today for the first time after a very long while, she was wearing a makeup louder than two yoruba women gisting, her lips red like those fresh tomatoes I pass by at the market, immediately I saw her my mind raced back to the girl I had a crush on while I was still in secondary school.

I just got into the senior secondary and it was an all boys school the famous Stella Maris College (nicknamed as suffer man college because of the acronym) which we did not have the luxury of having a female companion in class except maybe she is a teacher and the only time we have such opportunities is after school which we share the road with the famous Harbour Road Girls College, yes that was her school.
I first saw her one faithful afternoon after we have closed from school and she was standing just across the road with a few friends, our eyes locked on each other and she smiled at me but I couldn't hold her gaze so I shyly took my eyes away but I went home that day with her picture all up in my thought. She was just beautiful with a neat haircut that matched her face and her white uniform was neatly ironed along with her purple skirt, her sandals were polished as it adorns her feet with a pair of white socks, that was still shining like she bought them that afternoon and decided to try it on.
Just that few minutes i stood there I was able to picture her and how neat and smart she appeared, "maybe it's because it's monday" I said to myself, but I went home that evening hoping to see more of her and maybe talk her too someday.

Just like I wished but instead of just once it became almost a daily affair, our paths crossed almost everyday at the same spot where we first saw each other and every time she sees me she'll whisper something to her friends and they'll all laugh but I couldn't tell if she was laughing at me or not.
I knew I liked this girl but I couldn't summon up the courage to tell her all three years of my secondary school days and almost every day we meet at the same spot and i'll just admire her neat uniform and she will always put up that cute laughter with her friends and I will shyly walk away hoping I could talk to her. It became like a daily routine like we have a time machine that tells us when we will get to that, sometimes if I get there before she does i'll wait for her hoping she comes just to admire that purple and white uniform covering her innocence.

One day I summoned up courage and I was willing to make my big move but when I saw her I froze up like an ice fish and just watched her walk her away again without saying a word not even the simplest conversation starter 'Hi' was uttered from me.
The next time I saw her all I could do was to trace her to her house but yet I didn't actually pick out the compound she entered but I was sure if I do ask around with her description one or two persons can be able to point her to me and I actually did that was when I get to know her name was Iheoma and that was all that I could tell and that was the last I ever did see of her too until today when I saw her again.

The crush I once had was gone, that natural beauty with pale lips and bright eyes, was not what I saw again, to struggle to fit into the society lady has taken over, Mary kay knows her face better her lips has kissed more lipsticks than a reverend father has to Communion. She might still be beautiful to some but I was sure my secondary crush is far gone.
She looked at me, hopefully she recognised me but I wasn't interested anymore.