Nwaevulako

When my siblings and I were way younger my mother used to tell us this bedtime story every night. Funny how we never got tired of it. It happened long ago in the Animal kingdom far in the East. There was famine in the land. No food and little water. Even the little meat providers, the rabbits, had relocated to the human territory. Larger animals who tried to follow were all killed. Animals were dying of hunger, both young and old. Finally, the king of the Animal kingdom came up with a very brutal solution to their problem. The king who was a lion declared that every animal family would provide one of their children to be cooked as food for the rest of the animals everyday. Three families would be chosen everyday. "Whoever does not comply would be killed along with the rest of his/her family" the king warned. For weeks piglets, chicks, lambs, e.t.c were killed. The animals seemed to have solved the problem of famine in the land though the food was never enough. It was finally Mrs Nanny the goat's turn. Her husband was late and so she was the head of her family. Nanny was very popular for her wisdom across the Animal kingdom in the East and beyond which was very ironic as goats are known to be very stupid animals. Nanny the goat had eight kids. Nwaevulako was her youngest and favuorite child. Oh how she loved Nwaevulako. He was the youngest yet the wisest. He was just as wise as his mother. At noon the king's guards came to take Nwaevulako to the palace to be cooked. His mother left him with one statement, "Be wise". On reaching the palace that evening Nwaevulako got to know that the king had not cooked any of his children. And because of his greed and selfishness he often ate a whole animal that was meant to be for the whole kingdom. That was pure evil! At night the king painted Nwaevulako black and painted his own child white, he went ahead to put Nwaevulako by his left hand side and his child on his right hand side. It was time for bed. All the palace animals were fast asleep. All except Nwaevulako. He couldn't sleep. He stayed up wondering why the king painted him black and his child white, and why the king put him on the left and his child on the right. Then it clicked. "The king wants to eat me this night!" "If I am not sacrificing myself for the kingdom I am certainly not dying for a wicked greedy king!" Nwaevulako stood up quietly and washed off the paint. He painted himself white. While he waited for the paint to dry he painted the king's child black and put him at the king's left hand side while he slept at the king's right hand side. Later that night Nwaevulako heard the king roar and tear up his own child. Nwaevulako was scared that the king would find out but nevertheless he stayed still till the king was done with his meal. When day broke everyone was gathered at the palace for the meal of the day. The Leopard's cub, pigeon's chicks and Nwaevulako. They all stepped forward including Nwaevulako. The king was surprised to see Nwaevulako. Forgetting that other animals were present he yelled, "How can you be alive? I ate you last night like I always eat a whole animal!" All the animals gasped! Nwaevulako chuckled and said to the king "I am Nwaevulako, wisest child of my mother, Mrs Nanny the goat, the wisest animal in the Eastern Animal kingdom and beyond! I discovered your evil and selfish plan and so I switched places with your child. You ate your child last night unknowingly." The king was devastated. He was furious. He had been fooled by a mere kid, a baby goat! He began to chase Nwaevulako round the kingdom. Nwaevulako discovered a little tunnel that led to the human kingdom. He squeezed himself through it. The lion could not find him. He got angry and returned to his palace. Nwaevulako on the other hand could no longer returned to his family for fear of what the king would do to him so he started his own family in the human kingdom with other goats he found there. That was how goats multiplied in the human kingdom.