The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories

Read The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories for Free Online Page A

Book: Read The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories for Free Online
Authors: Amos Tutuola
their parents believed they were twins.
    So Dola and Babi went about together until when they grew to be the age for marriage. Because they loved each other so much, they decided within themselves to marry two men who were born of the same mother and father, and who lived together in the same house, so that they might be with each other always.
    Luckily, a few days after Dola and Babi decided to do so, they heard of two young men who were born of the same mother and father, and who lived together in the same house. So Babi married one of the young men while Dola married the second one, who was older than the first one. So Dola and Babi were very happy now, living together as they had before they had been married in their husbands’ house.
    A few days after their marriage, Dola cleared a part of the front of the house very neatly. She sowed one kola-nut on the spot. After some weeks the kola-nut shot up. Then she filled up one earthen jar with water and she put it before her new kola-nut tree. Then every early morning, Dola would go and kneel down before the tree and jar. Shewould pray to the tree to help her to get a baby very soon, and after the prayer, she would drink some of the water which was inside the earthen jar. After that, she would go back to her room before the other people in the house woke. Dola did this early every morning, because she believed that there was a certain spirit who came and blessed the kola-nut tree and the water in the night.
    After some months, the kola-nut tree grew to the height of about one metre. But now the domestic animals of the village began to eat the leaves of the tree and this hindered its growth.
    One morning, Babi met Dola abruptly as she knelt down before the kola-nut tree and jar and prayed. After she had prayed and then stood up, Babi asked in surprise, ‘Dola, what were you telling your kola-nut tree?’
    â€˜Oh, this kola-nut tree is my god, and I ask it every morning to help me get a baby soon,’ Dola explained calmly, pointing a finger at the tree and jar.
    When Babi noticed that the animals of the village had eaten nearly all the leaves of the tree, she went back to her room. She took the top part of her large water pot, the bottom of which had broken away. She gave it to Dola, and she told her to shield her kola-nut tree with it so that the animals wouldn’t be able to eat its leaves again.
    Dola took the large pot from her and thanked her fervently . Then she shielded her tree with it, and as from that morning the animals were unable to eat the leaves of the tree. And so it was growing steadily in the centre of the large pot.
    A few years later, the tree yielded the first kola-nuts. The first kola-nuts that the tree yielded were of the best quality in the village, and because the nuts were the best quality, the kola-nut buyers hastily bought all the nuts, paying a considerable amount of money. Similarly, when the tree yielded the second and third kola-nuts, the buyers bought them with large amounts of money as before.
    In selling the kola-nuts, Dola became a wealthy woman within a short period. Having seen this, Babi became jealous of Dola’s wealth.
    Jealously, Babi demanded back the water pot: ‘Dola, will you please return my large water pot to me this morning?’
    Dola was greatly shocked. She asked, ‘What? The broken water pot without a bottom?’
    â€˜Yes, my broken water pot. I want to take it back this morning,’ Babi replied with a jealous voice.
    â€˜Well, the water pot cannot be returned to you at this time unless I break it into pieces before it can come from around my kola-nut tree,’ Dola replied with a dead voice.
    â€˜You must not break it or split the head of my water pot before you return it to me!’ Babi shouted angrily.
    â€˜I say it cannot be taken away from the tree without breaking it or cutting the tree down,’ Dola explained angrily.
    Babi boomed on Dola: ‘Yes, you may cut your

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