12 The Priest, The Shrine.

The eldest priest remained seated in the shrine of Ifa with the rest of the priests as he continued to recite a poem that praised Ifa as the most holy deity, and most wise among all deities.

The rest of the young priest who continued to shake their gourds in the honor of the poem which the eldest priest sang and a continuous low sound they gave which backed up every last word of the poem.

Ifa's shrine was a place that was covered wholly in white as it remains a taboo for the shrine to be dirty or another colour than white in the shrine.

The shrine was a large room which could be spacious for even a whole large number of people. At the middle of the room, down to the extreme end was the beads and threads which was nailed to the wall.

In this same way were cowries sowed on a white cloth which was used to cover the entire wall of the room. And even the ground which had not been left out were same cloth and cowries spread on the ground that everyone in the shrine cannot match on the ground but on the cloth.

Anyone who desired to come into the shrine, even if they were not a priest must changed into the holy garment. Not only that Ifa was again other colour, it was also a sign or recognition and respect for the shrine.

It was the usual practice for the villagers of Ifa-ile to bring their child or their baby which escaped being born at dusk to inquire from Ifa, the type of child they would be or what their future will be like.

But even these days had not a person consulted Ifa as the whole of the villagers feared what they know will happen to them or fear what they think Ifa will tell them will happen to them.

That, five of the young priests should go and fetch enough woods from the bushes they could direct their heads into were the command from the eldest priest which the young priests had acted promptly to.

And even in this likeness had the rest of the priest, gathered together in a circle as they kept chewing their silent words; praying to Ifa.

That, they needed to become more powerful was the sole reason the eldest priest had drank from a calabash which had already been painted into a white colour and passed it round to the rest of the priests who in same energy, drank from the calabash.

Sourcing for more powers had always been the tradition of the Priests, and the hunters in Ifa-ile for the sole reason that they become more proactive in their profession. That, they are never looked down upon and that, if there was a need to fulfill a function, they can be capable of making everyone proud and confident in them.

To not be able to perform to the expectations of the people, most especially the king, was an embarrassment to them and to their father and father's father who brought them into their line of profession; a total shame to which they can commit suicide for.

With their eyes closed, they held unto each other by the hand as they were now chanting in deeper language, their language even an indigen of Ifa-ile might not even understand if he had not given his complete consciousness.

In this strength was their eyes turning all white and the hairs on their heads rose to their stands. It wasn't enough that a sudden wind blew with enormous velocity, the villagers could feel in this instant this strange happening that every one of them heed their heads wherever they found safety.

In their panic, they quiver as their teeth began to clash against each other in their anxiety. No matter how they prayed, as the hunters had prayed to Ogun, the farmers prayed to Obatala, and the rest directly to Eledumare who was the greater God, not even a thing had changed.

The shrine which began to shake from each corner of the room was an evidence of their unweaving power which has now fussed in the room and as each of the priests including the eldest priest had felt an injecting movement in the whole of their body, they were cast into a long sleep.

Even as they had fallen into their everlasting slumber the fussing power had not stopped as it increasingly surrounded the entire shrine and slowly traveling into the village.

Each and every one of the priests including the eldest priest had opened their eyes in their dream and saw each other holding their hands as they had done in reality.

But no one knew what was happening, not even the eldest priest for this power was strange and of course very powerful. If they would wield this power as they have prayed to Ifa, perhaps the witches hadn't stood a chance with them and perhaps finally they, have seen the end of the witches.

The clouds were suddenly whiter than snow and behind them had a man with the hair like that of a woman appeared. His energy was felt throughout their whole body as they would turn to look at him, they need not anything to tell them it was their deity; Ifa whom they all in that instant bowed to their feet.

He was seen in a garment not anyone in Ifa-ile or the entire Earth not even Osabiegun had in their closet. The color of his skin was light in a moment and dark in another moment as no one was able to tell the exact colour of his skin.

The eldest priest with the smile on his face had continued to crawl to his feet but the closer he crawled, the further their deity had gotten.

That this was the strangest thing he had ever seen which laid a burden on his heart, If ifa whom he had for his whole life worshipped does not want him come closer to him. Even if it was only to touch the helm of his garment?

The instant he looked up had the smile on Ifa's face shrunken into a smirk which exploded into the loudest sneer. In this manner had all the priest looked up and the Ifa they thought they saw was the coven of the witches who were now in a circle and in their tattered and black garments.

The brightened sky was immediately covered in darkness and everything they saw was the thick blackness shrouded before their eyes.

As the exploding laughter of the witches got closer had the eldest priest tried in his best to utilize his power. But the question for what he was going to do had the eldest witch asked who had made her beautiful face obvious to the eldest priest.

But to think she was even beautiful was their made believe lie that she now immediately grew into the old woman she was with her teeth as black as charcoal.

Even with her smelling mouth and tattered lips she had pulled forth her neck for a kiss she forcibly laid on the lips of the eldest priest and as soon as she had done that, darkness had covered his face again.

As he remained panting and breathing heavily, he immediately was made to see the rest of the priests as his eyes had not been uncovered from darkness. If there would be a saviour, it should be now as the priests were in their binds eating the sacrifice they began to feed them.

But to think that was all was a lie eaten by him as the eldest priest himself was in a sudden bound down to his knee and unclad he had become.

The eldest witch who now made herself obvious walked to him out of her shadow with yet another face of the birth attender with no hunch in her back.

He will not believe what he saw, and the instant he dared raised his head again for another view, he saw the face of the queen with a tattered lip who was now heading to kiss him again by his forehead.

Her horrible voice which sprout out from her mouth with yet another face of himself caught him freeze. That there was not a person that could liberate them from this yoke were his words which fell silently from his lips and had caused the eldest witch into another round of laughter.

That, he was made again to see the rest of his priests in their binds and shackles and the rest of the witches who had shape shifted their whole body into a dog with a human head fornicating with the priests.

The instant he raised his mouth for a shout had his words left him and the only sound he had made was total silence which was now another reason for a quick loud smirk of the eldest witch with yet another face of an unknown old woman.