With the village chief's orders still echoing in their minds, the women returned to their usual duties, while the men, accompanied by police officers, combed the dense undergrowth of the forests in search of Wani, cursing the earth, the spirits of infidelity, and passing judgement on him and his entire generation. Unfortunately, Wani seemed to be a mere visitor who was at the mercy of the village. His act of theft had been uncovered and dealt with promptly, and the villagers were awaiting evidence. That evening, when two women went to fetch water, the creator killed one of them. It decreed that it would continue to kill one member of the village daily as long as the village did not produce Wani.
The woman who survived went to inform the village chief, who was terrified by the gods' decision. "Why would such misfortune befall the people due to one person's mistake?" the chief pondered. "How is this going to happen?" he asked the woman. “The god said that it will skin a member when they go to fetch water," the woman replied. Yet this river was the only water source for the villagers. To put an end to this, they needed to find Wani.
As the sun set, the men returned without finding Wani but promised to search for him the following day. Sitting around bonfires, they discussed the latest demands of the gods. Those who were tired went to sleep. The women, however, couldn't sleep, anticipating what might happen that night. Children struggled with nightmares, shouting at each other as if they were being attacked. The night felt long, as dawn seemed reluctant to arrive.
Lodu and the police officers pitched their tents at Kenyi's home, while the parents of the deceased stayed at the chief's house. Before the second crow of the cockerel, a flashlight shone directly at the chief's house, with a coffin hanging above the village, visible to all. At the chief's command, everybody fell face down and pleaded with the gods for pardon for their wrongdoing. This time, instead of just hearing the voices, the villagers saw the gods appear with multiple faces, their bodies resembling that of giant gorillas.
The gods chanted and sang the most beloved songs the villagers would sing when going to war. As the people joined the gods in singing, the gods silenced them and told them they had two weekends to produce Wani, who was at large. The gods also told the village that it would no longer kill anyone, as it had told the woman at the riverside. This would last until the end of the two weekends. This assurance relieved the villagers, who thanked the gods for their mercy and promised to produce Wani if they were able to capture him.
As the gods were leaving, they instructed the villagers to collect the coffin the following day, at the request of the deceased's parents. The coffin box followed the gods but was lowered to a height of a
head high. The chief called his aide to bring his honorary calabash, which he
used for blessing the people. He dipped a tree leaf inside the calabash and
sprinkled those around him with the substance in the calabash. Then he dismissed everyone to sleep while waiting for dawn to arrive and continue the
search for the fugitive Wani.
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