Lost in Akaka forest

"Only one of you will return alive." The chief priest, an old man in his eighties, addressed three of us deemed rightful heirs to the Akaka Kingdom. The chief priest’s face had lines of wrinkles with obvious incomplete dentition whenever he spoke. His attire of white silk had a brightness that showed exceptionally well under the scorching sun.

I had waited with the other two boys, Kunle and Dayo, at the palace with stares in my eyes from the villagers that came to witness the quest we were about to embark on. My dad sat among the village elders wearing an indifferent look, perhaps being the man he always was, even at home: the principled father. I saw my mom and younger sister in the crowd with a worried look. "Perhaps she had just finished weeping," I thought to myself. It was at the moment my eyes locked with my mother’s that I resisted the urge to cry or run to her for a hug.

My two other competitors were known to me as friends since childhood but parted ways when I had to leave the village for school in the city. Akaka Village was a settlement with approximately 500 residents and a significant level of industrialization as a result of the abundant mineral resources in the Kingdom. "What have Kunle and Dayo been feeding on?" I thought to myself, They looked unusually bigger than I expected. I was the youngest of the trio, even though we were in the same age group as young adolescents. My dad had insisted I honor the invitation to participate in the quest for kingship after the mysterious death of the former king, rumored to have taken along with him to the land of the dead, the crown that can only be recovered from the dreaded Akaka forest.

I heard in tales told before that only he who returned alive was crowned, and others that participated were either lost to the forest spirits or their traces were never found. I hated my dad for mandating that I participate in this life-threatening and unreasonable quest. I had no interest in being king and definitely no interest in losing my life over that, which I considered unreasonable. On the contrary, Kunle and Dayo looked excited and continuously waved at the cheering crowd.

"You may now go; you have only three days to return to Akaka with the crown. May the gods be with you." The Chief Priest waved us off after marking each of our foreheads with a semi-liquid substance. I could not determine what it was but believed it to be for good luck. I reluctantly dragged myself along with my two competitors and friends, but they seemed to be in haste and went farther ahead.

"Wait for me, let’s work together!" I shouted behind them but only got ignored treatment. Every being in me wanted to turn back to my family, especially my mom and sister, but my dad would not have such a cowardly surrender. Thus, I forged ahead hesitantly into the Akaka forest, my heart thumping hard as though it would burst open from my chest. I tried to make out tracks or signs of Kunle and Dayo, but all I saw were tall trees muddled together, the wind gushing whispers of eerie terror into my ears. I had no compass, and the only direction I could go was forward. I continually cursed under my breath for having to undergo such a task when I had no interest in the kingship title.

Dusk eagerly supplanted the shadow walls of trees cast by the disappearing sun on the far horizon, causing a fearful chill to travel the length of my spine. The weather became unusually cold, making me miss the comfort of my house. Many thoughts ran through my head at once, causing a gush of awkward thoughts to splash on good reasoning. I wondered where the other boys were, hoping that they were safe wherever they were. I sighted a large iroko tree that had its trunk as wide as a hut in the village. "I can manage here for the night." I thought to myself as I sat to rest after hours of wandering the forest. The whole of my senses were on alert, and even the sixth sense was equally conjured as a backup. My eyes kept darting from one end to another, with my imagination casting more fearful figures in my mind than the reality that faced me. My heavy eyes finally gave in to the sleep that lurked within them, subduing the labyrinth of my alacrity. The repeated inaudible whispers of the Lord’s prayers were finally silenced after my senses surrendered to sleep, finally dragging me to dreamland where the torments of the forest haunted my soul. I struggled with an ugly, huge, and winged monster that lusted to devour me with fierce and burning eyeballs. Immediately, it charged at me a third time. I forced myself to wake, only for my eyes to lock with two mean-looking eyes. I blinked several times, the adrenaline hormone peaking in synchrony with the erratic heartbeat.

"Kunle?" I asked, managing to make out his moderate-sized figure hovering as though he wanted to launch an attack. "Was he trying to take me out?" I thought to myself as I speedily escaped his strike, which made me run wildly in an unknown direction, safety first. After some minutes of running with no audible sound following me, I paused to take a breath, welcoming dawn as it slowly crept upon me. "Could this be what befell other seekers of the crown? Did they turn against each other?" I thought to myself, looking back at every distance covered by my hasty feet.

I was more careful and alert, knowing my safety was threatened. Wild fruits became my food as I plucked anything that looked ripe. By the third day, with no sign of the crown, I began to make my way back in the direction I toed, hoping that my way would not be lost.

"Somebody help!" echoed afar from the path that seemed familiar. My encounter with Kunle reminded me that my other competitors did not mind harming me for the crown, but on second thought, I headed in the direction of the shout only to find Dayo stuck in a ditch with bruises on his body. I rushed up to him and dragged him out to safety.

"Thank you, Femi; I lost balance and fell into the ditch. Thank you for saving me!" Dayo said as I helped him to his feet.

"It’s okay Dayo, I am glad you are okay. We need to get back to the village before dusk." I replied.

"What about the crown? Did you find it?" Dayo asked.
"Safety first, Dayo. We need to get back to the village and be thankful we make it out alive." I said.

"I’ll still look for it, Dayo; I believe it is hidden somewhere in this forest." Dayo pulled back, even though he was limping.
I looked into Dayo’s eyes and saw a man determined to find the treasure. "As for me, I am going back to the village; I’m done with the search!" I walked away, hoping that Dayo would call me back or join me in the village. I walked back alone to the village, aided by the opposite direction of the setting sun as my compass.

"Where are the others?" The chief priest asked, looking behind me as I approached the palace of the village. The whole village (including my family) had gathered there, waiting for the return of the winner. "And where is the crown?" he continued.

I narrated my ordeals to the chief priest and elders. We all waited for the return of Kunle and Dayo. The chief priest dismissed the villagers and asked me to wait till midnight, which I obliged after I had eaten and drank some water. By midnight, the chief priest had sat me down and disclosed a disturbing revelation.

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"It has been the tradition of Akaka Kingdom to send heirs to the forest, and only he who returns alive is crowned King. It is believed that some seekers of the crown roam the forest as spirits still in search of the crown today, while those the gods choose make it back alive. The crown has been in the palace all along, and now your reign as King of Akaka has begun." The chief priest announced this in the presence of other elders. I saw my father’s countenance come alive with pride, accentuated by the full moon that shone even in the dark. I wished Kunle and Dayo would return alive eventually. My first decree as King of Akaka was to abolish the tradition of sending heirs to the Akaka forest in search of the crown.

Though decades have passed, I still wonder what happened to Kunle and Dayo lost in Akaka Forest.