Tantiga is hit again, this time with an even deadlier blow! Is Mansu in for the ultimate defeat? is this the final nail in Tantinga's coffin? Let's find out!!
Dark clouds frown upon Tantinga, looking down on the once peaceful village as if threatening it with a cataclysmic downpour. With his knees half-buried in soil, Mansu looks at an obliterated piece of land that accommodated greenery of sweet potatoes, cassava and groundnuts only seven days ago. Months of sweat-dropping hard work and hope for an entire family’s sustenance reduced to mush.
As the sun continues to voyage in the sky, an inundation of terrified villagers cry out and weep after seeing Mansu’s farm. Some of the villagers rush to see their own farms as others run back home to inform the remaining panic-stricken citizens of Tantinga of the recent calamity that has befallen the land. Nabou and Mba have left the compound minutes after their husband. They have decided to take a stroll down to lake Wassadou, perhaps their fish traps will install some smiles on their faces after what has proven to be dreadful times for Mansu’s household and the village of Tantinga as a whole.
What do you think we should cook this evening Nabou asks Mba. I believe it depends on how big the fish we caught are Mba replies. Wassadou has never failed to make my cooking pot dance Nabou says whilst shaking her waist beads. We should cook hot tilapia soup she concluded. Laughing loudly, Mba reminds Nabou of that time she had night diarrhoea when she filled up on spicy tilapia soup they both cooked for the family. I stood guard at the toilet entrance whilst you grunted in the toilet like a cornered boar, said Mba with a laugh. Both women cackle exposing their beautiful white teeth and tinted gums, typical of the women of Tantinga. As the two seemingly happy women got closer to lake Wassadou, Mba assures Nabou that she will carry the fish trap back home reminding her of the mild burn she has on her left shoulder.
Arriving at the eroded sloppy steps leading to the lake, Nabou beacons Mba. She sees something strange in the middle of the lake. Mba confirms it. They also see what appears to be lots of dead animals on the lake’s bank. By now, the cheerful smiles that ploughed through the two women’s faces have dissipated. Nabou and Mba get even closer, trembling together whilst holding each other's hand, locked together as the beautifully braided hair that punctuates their heads. A big Maelstrom is seen in the middle of lake Wassadou with an unprecedented amount of dead fish and insects floating on the surface of the lake. A stench of decaying fish hits Nabou as Mba probes a motionless squirrel with a bone dry stick to confirm its death.
Suddenly, a strong wind begins to blow, shaking the dry branches of the trees on the banks of lake Wassadou. Mba calls on Nabou to make a quick run for the slopes and run home. In the chaos of wind and dust, Mba climbs the slopes and holds out her arm reaching for Nabou. Nabou tries to climb the slopes but slips violently, rolls down the slopes and finally hits her head on a large rock. Mba cries out and jumps down the sloppy edge but it was too late. Amidst the calming debris brought by the wind of doom, Nabou’s lifeless body lies on the wet bank of the lake, soaked in her own blood. Tantinga will brace up for the ultimate loss as fresh blood sips from immobile Nabou's head and streams into the great lake Wassadou.
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