Dial - Season 2 - Episode 23

4 years ago

Dial - Season 2 - Episode 23

Already the two burly guards who had been splitting firewood in the yard were approaching warily, and so were a handsome young man and a buxom elderly lady.
“Yao, meet Kwaku and Onyina,” Maame Ntiriwaa said, indicating the two guards.
“Hey, guys,” I said, shaking their hands. “Thank you for helping me out. I can definitely tell you that you won’t regret it.”
They smiled guiltily and shook my hand.
“And this is Kwamepia and his mother Ena Kobbi,” Maame Ntiriwaa said, and Kuuku Dawson burst into laughter almost immediately.
“Oh, you really have funny, funny names in this funny area,” Kuuku said.
We all laughed as I shook the hand of the prince, and embraced the elderly woman.
“How’s the project, Brian?” I asked quietly.

“First phase is done, Yao,” Brian said. “Like you said, we brought down the machines, made a way through the mountains. Full workers, working twenty-four hours in four shifts. Been a joy, I can say.”
“Machines!” Kwamepia said, looking at me. “Are you the people with the machines?”
“You’ve been scaring us!” Tawiah said. “Are you in the nsamanpowmu? That place is cursed! Haunted by ghosts, dwarves and evil spirits!”
“We didn’t see any, though,” Kuuku said with a giggle.

I looked at the faces around me, and I smiled gently.

“Well, when Maame Ntiriwaa told me the
nsamanpowmu has never been claimed because it is believed to be evil, I bought it,” I said.
“You bought the grave of the dead?” Kwamepia asked with sudden fear.
.

“Yes, I did!” I said gently. “And I’m going to stay there! In fact, I’m going to eat my mpotompoto there!”
They all made that hand tossing over shoulders gestures, their faces cold and scared.
“You can’t go there, Yao, please,” Maame Ntiriwaa said with horror. “You would die! People who go there die!”
“We’ve been there for two months!” Brian said. “Nothing happened to us.”
They exchanged glances, still looking worried.
“Really?” Tawiah said.
Aba came out of room suddenly and ran toward us. She stopped suddenly, looking shy.
“Hello, Aba, come and greet uncle,” I called to her.

She came shyly, and I hugged her.
“Look, I’m hungry,” I said with a gentle smile. “Pack my mpotompoto and let me go to the nsamanpowmu.”
Their fear was palpable, but I didn’t give in. Eventually, Maame Ntiriwaa packed the food into a basket, and Tawiah picked it up.
I followed Brian and Kuuku up to the cocoa trees, and down a narrow path that led deeper into the forest. Maame Ntiriwaa and the others trailed fearfully behind me, and it made me sad.

That adults could be so scared of a haunted place really shook me up, but I perfectly understood the power of customs, and the belief of the supernatural. Being exposed to Nana b0s0mba let me know just how much easy it was for a whole lot of people to be swayed by one man with supernatural powers.

I was getting a bit tired as I walked, but suddenly we came out of the woods, and spread below me was a most magnificent sight!

“Oh, jeeeeeeeez!” I whispered with awe.
“Like it?” Kuuku asked proudly.
“Love it!” I whispered, absolutely impressed. “Wow! This is beautiful!”
“Glad you like it, Boss…ei, Yao,” Brian said, his face filled with happiness. “The workers are working on the other half.”
“I’m so glad to see this,” I whispered. “D--n!”

In two months they had transformed the woods into a thing of beauty!
They had built habitable houses, making use of the greenery.

This was like a modern community, the ten houses neatly arranged, low walls separating them. There was a larger house on one side, and they were all nicely painted in beautiful even shades of ash and black.