Ifè: The Origins - by Samuel Ibok

It's been seven years since we've seen rain. Many had blamed our predicament on the mad king for sleeping with his daughter. We thought that the gods would be appeased after he was sacrificed to them two years ago. However, nothing happened, which made me think he wasn't a worthy sacrifice, or maybe something else was wrong. Our sorcerers had tried every spell recorded in the "good book," but to no avail. We had lost our herds and children to starvation, and our faith in the gods was in jeopardy. Our warriors had nothing to hunt anymore, and we fed mainly on leaves. The once-great kingdom of Iwo is falling. We could no longer afford to be proud, and our egos dried up. We started hearing of strange deaths in our midst, and the dead were no longer buried, but their flesh was shared amongst the villagers. Many of us saw it as an abomination, but others had no choice. Our sanity was in the mud, and chaos became order. We prayed, wept, and fasted in starvation, but it seemed as though our gods were deaf. Our sorcerers gathered the village and told a tale of a land where lack never existed, a virgin land with inexhaustible food. They spoke of "Ifè," the earthly home of the gods. A land far west where no human foot has ever stepped. No one had ever dared embark on this journey, but we were already mad. Besides, starvation would still kill us. Gossip about this place spread like wildfire, and we resolved to go there. We never heard of anyone who had returned from there to speak of its glory. The problem was that embarking on such a voyage was an open declaration of war against the gods. We didn't mind because the gods must be crazy for neglecting us. It took us 14 days to plan our voyage, which we never planned to return from. Our goal was to occupy the home of the gods forever. Everyone gathered at the great hall for the last time to pay their respects to their dead and ancestors. Today we do the unthinkable: we shall seize the home of the gods. It shall not be our refuge, but our dwelling place. Our hearts are big enough, and together we shall crush every opposition. We refuse to bury our children, and we choose life in defiance over death by obedience. We, the people of Iwo, shall be victorious, and if we are not, then we shall go down with the gods, and their tale shall end with us. We now decide. Weeeeeee areeeee godddssssss. Children: (sitting near a fire) wowwwwwwwwww. That was an interesting story. Sage: It is more than a story. It is the very life we have. A gift from the labor of our heroes' past. Those who fought the storm so that we could enjoy the calm. Children: Please tell us more, master; we want another story. Sage: We must all rest, for the night is upon us. The darkness is the weapon of those we once worshipped, so we must remain vigilant as we continually dwell in their former home.

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