All parts of the puzzle

Still lying on her back, she felt as if she was in a pocket-sized space filled with such darkness that she could hardly tell if her eyes were open or closed. The place was suffocating; the air was dirty and dusty. She deliberately opened her eyes wider but she could see absolutely nothing, not even the smallest source of light. She felt a sudden chill around her from the surface beneath. Her body lay still and unmoving and the chill crept up to her spine. The strange hollowness of the place reminded her of the sounds of a shell when kept close to the ear. She just couldn't bring herself to remember how she wound up here.

Her breathing fastened and filled the hollowness that existed before. She screamed but no sound came out. She struggled harder but with no tangible result. She tried to turn around but couldn't because of the wall on both sides. Have they put her in a box? Do they think her dead? She tried harder to scream but still, no sound came out. She could now feel people carrying the box. She tried to ask them what was happening, where they were taking her. She wanted to hit the surface of the box but she couldn't raise her hands up; she tried using her head to do same but couldn't because the four walls of the box were almost compressing her, making it impossible to move any part of her body.

Still struggling to notify the people carrying the box that she was still alive; she began hearing faint voices, their words were not clear. At first, she thought the voices must be coming from the people carrying the box she was in until when it became clearer, she realized it was coming from her head. The cold in the box was gradually disappearing as she could now feel the heat from a fire. A familiar voice was now slowly whispering her name "Ego! Ego! Ego!" It was the voice of an old female, but she could not remember where she heard it from.

It was difficult to open her eyes; it felt like they have been shut for days. The eye fluids in her eyes were all dried up, ceiling up her eyelids. She kept forcing them to break apart until they finally did; behold it was morning and she was staring at a strangely familiar roof. She looked sideways, she was on a bed and not a box like she previously thought. Then with her eyes, she scanned the room for familiarity and discovered she was back to the old lady's hut.

Ego was shocked but without uttering a single word she slowly sat up and a piece of wet cloth fell from her forehead. She took up the piece of cloth and brought it close to her nose to discover it had a strong smell of boiled pawpaw, mango and guava leaves; this mixture is used to treat fever and malaria. She was feeling exhausted like someone that just completed a race for her life.

Her head and shoulders hurt, and her eyes were heavy. Her throats were dry like she hasn't had anything to drink for days and there was a strong bitter taste on her tongue. Her skin was dried up and covered in a white, chalky substance; it was like she was being treated of fever, possibly by the old lady. As she was contemplating that, her stomach growled angrily. She was really famished like she has not had anything to eat for days. She recalled she had some fruits in her basket that she had kept under the bed.

She weakly came down from the bed only to sniff in a strong smell of rotten fruits. Notwithstanding the stinky smell, she still reached out for the basket only to discover that all the fruits had turned black and watery with decay, like what has been left for days. Does this mean she has been out for days now?

She was now having mixed feelings of fear and confusion. How is this even possible, does this mean she has been asleep and was dreaming all through? But how it had felt so real, she could still remember that fear she had while running through the dark forest; the touch of the wet cold leaves on her skin, the smell of rotten animals, the pain in her stomach, the taste of blood in her tongue, the agony and pain she had felt after drinking that mixture; all these were still vivid in her mind and senses. It still feels like it just happened.

Maybe the old lady saved her from her in-law and brought her back. She would have loved to confirm from her but she was nowhere to be found; she could easily cook up another lie to deceive her as she did in the forest. This is no time to examine her thoughts; rather it was time to get as far as she can from here. She has to get going before the thugs that held her captive return for round two.

Ego threw out all the rotten fruits from the basket just in front of the entrance, carried her cutlass and with the empty basket she hurried off into the forest on the path which they both came in through. She walked as fast as her legs could carry her when she heard any noise that was not of nature in the forest, she ran as fast as she could till she could no longer hear it. She was alert throughout the journey looking left and right till she got out of the evil forest and was safely home.

It has been three days and night since Ego returned from the evil forest. While on her bed; she began reminiscing about the whole event that took place three nights ago. She had placed all parts of the puzzle that she could find together, but still couldn't say for sure whether it was a dream or it really happened.

She had seen Nnadozie this afternoon and they had exchanged pleasantries. He asked her where she had been; how she was fairing and why he had not seen her for some days. She told him she had been busy with the trade. A person who wants the other's death doesn't do that. She wished she could ask the old lady what had happened just to hear her side of the chronicle. All the same, she thanked the gods that she was alive and free from that old lady and her hooligans.

Ego's hut was bigger in size; though not that different from the old lady's. It had fire at the centre of the room; keeping it warm and burnished. She had a bamboo bed just like that of the old lady with a round log of wood which serves as a pillow; it is positioned directly opposite the door; in one corner was a large earthen jar though different in size filled with clean water. Hung on the wall was just one of her late husband's hunting guns. She kept her beads and other ornaments in a small basket made with raffia that is hidden under the bed; so they are not hanging on the wall like that of the old lady.

Her walls had beautiful drawings of a rising sun on it. A symbol that would represent a rising nation many centuries after; which would take the lives of many brave men and women who believed it is better to live a day a lion in the forest than the rest of your life a dog in the streets. This decoration was done with Ili, a liquid dye gotten from Uli Okorobian. Pods are collected from this tree and then grinded on a stone slab. This would reveal a fleshy pulp and these seeds, when squeezed through a cotton wool cloth, produce a light yellow liquid known as Uli. These serve as decorations since there were no calendars and pictures to do the job. On the other side of the room, all her cooking utensils are all in a basket. Beside the basket are her wooden mortar and pestle and a native kitchen stool.