ERENU IN SEARCH OF DEATH - by Zipporah Nwachukwu

<h1>There Are Answers We Better Not Seek For.</h1> Once upon a time, there lived an old woman who went into the forest one day to fetch firewood. As she walked deeper into the bush, she suddenly heard the faint cry of a baby.She looked around and, beneath a huge iroko tree, she found a baby lying helplessly on the ground. The child was crying bitterly and appeared to have been abandoned.The old woman felt pity for the child. She picked him up, took him home, and decided to raise him as her own. She named him Erenu.She cared for Erenu, fed him, clothed him, and trained him with love and wisdom. As the years passed, Erenu grew into a strong and intelligent young man.One day, when Erenu had grown into a young adult, the old woman called him.“My child, there is something I have wanted to tell you for a very long time.”“What is it, Mama?” Erenu asked.The old woman sighed deeply.“I am not your biological mother. Your real parents died only two days after you were born. That was how I found you beneath the iroko tree.”Erenu was shocked.“Who killed my parents?” he asked angrily.The old woman looked at him and answered:“Death.”“Death?” Erenu shouted. “Then I will find Death and avenge my parents!”A few days later, the old woman passed away.Erenu was devastated. He cried so much that his eyes became swollen. He had lost the only person who had ever loved and cared for him.After burying her, Erenu made a solemn vow.“I will find Death. I will face him and avenge the deaths of my parents and my mother.”With determination in his heart, Erenu packed his belongings and set out on a journey to find Death.After travelling for many days, he entered a strange and frightening forest. The forest was dark, quiet, and mysterious. As he walked deeper into it, he suddenly saw a monkey sitting on a tree branch.The monkey looked at him and asked:“Erenu, what are you doing in this dangerous forest?”Erenu replied:“I am searching for Death. I want to find him and take revenge.”The monkey burst into laughter.“Hahahaha! You are looking for Death? Nobody can fight Death!”Before Erenu could respond, the monkey jumped from the tree and disappeared into the thick forest.Erenu continued his journey.Suddenly, he heard a strange ticking sound. The sound echoed throughout the forest. Then he heard the flapping of wings all around him.A deep and mysterious voice spoke from the darkness:“Who are you, and what do you want?”Erenu stood firmly and answered:“I am Erenu. I am searching for Death.”The voice asked:“Are you not afraid? You are alone in this dark forest.”Erenu replied boldly:“I am not afraid.”Suddenly, everything became silent.After a while, a strange man appeared beside Erenu.The man looked at him and said:“No one can fight Death.”Erenu became furious.“I will find Death and take revenge for the death of my parents and the woman who raised me!”The man laughed.“Hahahaha!”Erenu stared at him suspiciously.“Are you Death?” he asked. “Are you the one who killed my parents?”The man calmly replied:“I did not kill your parents. Their time had simply come to an end.”Erenu became angry.“You killed them! And I will take revenge!”The man shook his head.“No one can fight Death. Death is not your enemy. Death is part of life. Every living thing has a beginning and an appointed end.”He continued:“There is only one thing I will tell you. Go back home and prepare yourself. When my time comes for you, do not be afraid.”Erenu suddenly fell to his knees.“I am sorry,” he said. “I did not understand that this is how life is.”Before Erenu could ask another question, the mysterious man disappeared.Erenu stood there quietly, reflecting on everything he had heard.He finally understood that Death could not be defeated, fought, or bribed. It was a natural part of existence.Erenu returned to his village as a changed man.The young man who had once travelled into the forest looking for Death had become a man of great wisdom.People from far and near began coming to him for advice. Whenever someone was confused, troubled, or facing a difficult decision, they would say:“Let us go and ask Erenu. He has seen what many have never seen.”And so, Erenu became one of the wisest men in the village..Life is a journey with a beginning and an end. Death is not an enemy to be defeated but a reality that reminds us to live wisely, love deeply, and make good use of the time we have.Do not waste your life fighting what you cannot change. Instead, use your time to become a better person and leave behind a legacy that will outlive you.

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