5 The king bit his lower lip and faced the sparsely clouded sky, “What more divine approval can a reigning king get than when the goddess princess chooses to live in his palace.” He looked at their faces. They kept their eyes on him like they were expecting him to say more. “We let...
Sorrows of Udi – 7
3 The king raised his staff and watched both men settle down. Then he waited a few seconds before he spoke. “I give my orders on this matter of warfare to you, Akaeze. Make two groups of our warriors. Make one group stay back in the kingdom to defend the kingdom. The other group...
Sorrows of Udi – 6
BOOK 2: A Bite of Trouble 1 King Chuba made a firm grip on the neck of his staff and stumped the hard rock floor with it. He was not pretending not to appear agitated. There was no point in that. This was a meeting of the most inner caucus of his Council of...
Sorrows of Udi – 5
9 Izuchukwu, who was the closest of the guards at that point tried to pull off the frail little girl. Her face was covered in acne. Little girls like her do not find the service at the shrine bearable. Their parents gifted them to the gods as servants. This sacrifice means they will never...
Sorrows of Udi – 4
7 They stopped by the stream, panting. Some sat on the floor; some others leaned with their hands supported on their knees. All were panting. “This is shameful,” one of them said. He was the only one who still had his palm frond on his upper arm intact. “See the way those who saw...
Sorrows of Udi – 3
5 Akunne rose and staggered a while as the witch doctors began their chants. A millet seed inside a blind old lady’s purse. Frogs at the tip of a mountain Mystery of a bleeding rock rolling down the hill Water and heat come from the sky Life and wisdom come from the earth The...
Sorrows of Udi – 2
3 Izuchukwu grew up in the palace. His father, Ozurumba was the king’s chief of servants and longtime loyal friend. The boy was only twelve when the king noticed the uncomfortable closeness between him and his eldest daughter who must not grow up having male acquaintances. Izuchukwu was then mandated by the king to...
Sorrows of Udi – 1
Sorrows of Udi by Ray Anyasi Synopsis “Narrated in a free-flowing and easy to access prose. Anyasi’s figurative language is rich and vivid…he succeeds in giving us a heart-breaking and mythic tale.” – The Nation. “Beautifully chaotic, Anyasi gives us a front row seat in the astonishing drama and intrigues of the precolonial African Kingdom...