Wade in the Water by Zainab Sadiq

She circled him lightly as she placed her hand behind her back and stared at him. His rich brown skin, broad shoulders and muscled chest. 

“No. Nothing of that sort sister.” He tried to reason. 

“Then why did you decide to build on top of my kingdom and kill my people?” She spoke. 

He widened his eyes. “I didn’t know your people were dying.” He whispered. 

“Of Course, you didn’t. The favoured son of Olorun. Daddy gives you everything you want doesn’t he?” She mocked. 

“That’s not true. I fought for my right to create my people. I wish to be just like you.” He pleaded. 

She scuffed.

“I am sure it was very hard to convince our brothers.” She said, rolling her eyes sarcastically. “Then go and be just like me somewhere else.” She roared. 

“I don’t know what the big deal is. You can go and create more people elsewhere.” He spoke. Olokun’s eyes glowed blue at his sheer audacity. She charged forward, baring her teeth.

Oduduwa anticipated her movements as he drew out his sword and charged toward her. She twisted her body into that of a snake and hissed at him venomously. He swung his sword at her but missed. She extended her claws as she scratched his arm. He dropped the sword in a fit of anger and drew lightning from the sky to strike her. 

She staggered back and fell. She looked at him distastefully. “I see you have learnt a new trick.”

He dusted himself off his body relaxing when he noticed she was okay. “Father taught me. It was how I won over this land. In battle.” Olokun laughed. 

“And yet I was never consulted. Of Course. Always a good child.” She seethed. She staggered to her feet and bared her fangs at him. He raised his hands in surrender. 

“Please, I don’t wish to fight. Father tells me to warn you that if you don’t surrender he will banish you from the heavens.” Olokun felt a pang in her chest at his words, was her father being serious?

Olokun withdrew her fangs with a hearty laugh. “So father wants a war. Fine. I will give him one. Watch your back little brother.” She said as she slithered through the hole she came out of and plunged into the depths of the sea.

***

The being in the tank wailed as her skin boiled at the hot sand that fell on her scaly flesh forming blisters. She felt heat cover her flesh as she turned towards the creatures with hate in her heart, staring at the beings she once called family venomously as she hissed. 

Olorun stood from his seat with the grace of a mighty lion. He wore the animal’s coat around his shoulder like the feathers of a peacock, a parade of his excellence, leaving his palm oil skin to glisten in the rays of the heavens. He took slow calculating steps toward his daughter, disappointment etched in his features. Once his greatest pride and now his greatest shame. He didn’t know what he should have or could have done with her anymore. She was volatile, out of control and didn’t listen to him or anyone else.

That was why he had cast her out to the ocean, hoping she would finally learn her lesson. And yet as though to spite him further, she did the opposite. She rebirthed the world in her watery image and created those abominations that she called children.

Olorun had no problem with her creations at first but in time they began to rebel like their mother and refused to bow down to his greatness. He stood in front of the glass tank and banged it harshly with his fist. She hissed at him in response. He tapped the glass again causing it to vibrate. 

Olokun turned to him in fright and leapt out of the water. Although she was a stubborn child, she knew when to stop resisting and surrender. She jumped up, using her hands to hold onto the ledge of the tank before throwing her body over it. Eshu rolled his eyes at her theatrics muttering, “Show off.”

“Are you done torturing me?” She spat glaring at her so-called family.

Her father side-stepped her and made his way to his chair. They remained silent which only seemed to infuriate her further. “Is no one going to talk?” She asked. 

Eshu rolled his eyes at her with a sigh. “Always the impatient one aren’t you sister?” He jested. 

She rolled her eyes, “Always the daddy’s boy aren’t you brother?” She shot back. 

“Well, I am not the one on trial am I?” He scoffed at her. She gritted her teeth. 

“Speaking of trials, can we get on with this?” Spoke Obatala swinging his right leg over his chair, apparently bored. 

“Yes, why don’t we? I have done nothing wrong so why am I here?” She asked, feigning innocence. 

Eshu let out a thick laugh. “How about releasing a flood that killed Oduduwa’s precious children? He hasn’t stopped sulking since.” He said as he pointed at Oduduwa who glared at him.

“It wasn’t my fault. The land he created was killing my people. They draw power from the sun.” She explained. “Well then maybe you should have consulted us.” Oduduwa said matter of factly. She scoffed. “Why didn’t you consult me when you made your own decision?” She raged. 

He rolled his eyes, “It’s not the same.” He uttered. She felt rage come over her as she swung her sword in the air.

“Enough,” Olorun’s deep voice boomed out loudly through the palace. “Olokun, you need to fix this and restore your brother’s land.” Her father said. She scoffed, why wasn’t she surprised? He never sided with her and always considered her as less of a being because she was more ‘feminine.’ 

“Of course, you would choose your favourite son over me. The outcast.” She spat.

Olorun kept his face hardened. “I do not have favourites among my children.” He spoke. 

She scoffed saying, “But you do have least favourites. Me.” She said angrily.

“You are delusional and are only trying to start a fight with your brothers again. I do not have time for your games.” He spoke. 

Olokun serged forward as she felt anger come over her. “And was it a delusion when you put scales in my skin which caused them to burn when they touched holy sand? Or when you would bury my head in the ocean as a child to rid me of this cursed body? Was it so hard for you to accept me as a woman that you had to go to such lengths to change my nature?” She raged.

“It was to stop you from becoming power hungry.” He explained. She glared, “No father, it was only because you were scared that I would end up being stronger than you. That I was stronger than all of you.” 

She paused. “And yet in strength, you have made yourself a monster doomed to a cursed existence at the bottom of the world.” She laughed. “Oh, how wrong you are. I didn’t make myself a monster. You did. You pushed me until I had no choice and abandoned me for the sons that seem to do no wrong.” She scuffed.

“You are a pathetic father.” She spat as she stared him directly in the eye. He grabbed the armrest of his chair tightly and she gulped, her steps faltering as she watched his body vibrate. 

Esu vibrated and his gaze filled with hate as he spoke. The gathered men watched the floor crack. “Look what you have done. Are you going to murder us too? You are a disappointment and you will never be good-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as he gargled. The other men gasped as they watched her knife slice through his throat. Everyone watched as Esu’s body convulsed before he finally stopped moving. Her sword was the only thing that could kill a god and it did. 

Olorun stood up from his chair and stalked her with venomous intent.  “You say you want to be accepted, yet you murder your brother.” He spat. She trembled as she opened her mouth to explain. “It was a mistake.” She tried to explain. He scoffed. “The only mistake was creating you. It isn’t that I don’t love you. You have simply made it impossible for you to be loved.” 

She felt her heart sting at his words. But her body hardened. She was used to such vile words from him. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she glared at her family. “Fine. If you wish to make me the bad guy then so be it. I will rebuild my army and I will come for your creations. Every single step of the way. Each time you create I will destroy.” She said in promise as her eyes glowed blue.

Olorun looked at her venomously as he grabbed her arm tightly. He placed his other hand above her heart, closing his eyes. She panicked as her eyes widened, wondering what he was doing. “I gave you this power and I can easily take it away. My curse on you is to be forced to live the rest of time in a half man half fish body. Roaming the waters alone. You will no longer be able to give life or use your powers.” He bellowed.

She trembled as she watched him remove his hand from her chest lifting a glowing orb. She let out a sharp cry because her body felt empty. She turned to Oduduwa. “And I promise you this. With the last of my strength, I will take your people down with me to hell.” 

She convulsed and twisted as her legs were replaced with a tail. She flopped on the floor before making her way off the palace and plummeting down to Earth. She disappeared into the sea never to be seen by the gods again. 

Soon enough the place she had once called her home, a thriving swamp land was lowered to nothing but land mass. Her people were belittled to nothing more than folktales people told their children.

She wouldn’t let her people die in vain, she would keep her promise. And on nights when the moon glowed in the sky ever so brightly. She would sing the song of the women scorned and lore men to her waters where they would never be seen again.

She became the woman of legend. The Mami water.

***

Olufunke finished the story and stared at the frightened expressions on the children’s faces. She watched as they clung tightly to each other. “What happened after that?”

“Some say you can hear her howling in the trees when the moon is at its apex begging for someone to come and save her.” Olere looked up at the sky and gulped. “Do you mean nights like these?”

Olufunke nodded her head. “Yes. If you listen closely you can make out the sound of her tail wishing against the waves. And when thunder breaks you know it is Olorun warding her off.”

“But is she a good person or a bad person?” Ewa asked, confused. “All villains were once gentle souls. You just have to look with your heart and not your eyes.”

***

In the depths of the ocean, two men sailed the waters on their small fishing vessel. Ola sat on the deck chair smoking a cigarette as he stared at the full moon. He sighed as he enjoyed the calm and serene environment. Suddenly his peace was disrupted as he felt the boat shake. He scurried to the edge and glanced into the water hoping to see something but he didn’t. 

He rushed toward Kemi in a frightened state as he asked, “Did you feel that?” 

Kemi rolled his eyes, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It is fine. I am sure it is nothing.” 

Ola sighed as he relaxed slightly but tensed up once more as another wave rocked the boat. He squinted his eyes as he noticed the outline of what looked like a big fish in the distance. “Over there see!” He shouted. 

Kemi shook his head not seeing anything.

Both men froze as an alluring song flooded the still waters. On their own accord, their feet moved to the edge of the water as the tides drew them towards it like a magnet. 

Kemi leaned into the water to get a better look. He could do nothing but scream in horror as he was met with two glowing blue eyes. She grabbed his face with her sharp talons, pulling him into the water. 

Ola fell in without resistance, surrendering to her call.

“Pain never sleeps and vengeance never forgets.”

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