A Story My Mother Told Me
This is a beautiful story my mother told me and my siblings when we were much younger, a long time ago; in a small village lived a very strong man called Onwudiwe (death is angry).
He is known for his smart hunting and swimming skills; he is also an expert in the fighting game in his village and can fight anyone who dares to challenge him in any fighting game.
This made him popular in the village, and most parents wanted him as a son-in-law; they would advise their daughters to look very good and attractive to get his attention, but all to no avail. He wanted someone else but unfortunately she didn’t love him because of his height ( he was short)—the beautiful princess. The King admired his talents and wished to have him as his son-in-law.
One day, Onwudiwe summed up the courage and visited the King to make his intentions known to him; with great excitement, the King jumped up with joy and accepted his proposal to marry one of his daughters.
He immediately called for a wedding preparation, which would take place the following week; this made Onwudiwe happy and fulfilled. He promised to take care of the princess and ensure her safety.
On hearing this, the princess wept and refused to eat. She starved herself for days, but the King's decision was final.
"He is too short, mum. I don't like him.”
She cried to her mother the night before the wedding.
"Don't worry, my child, he will protect and love you. One day, you will learn to love him too," the mother said, trying to console her daughter.
On the wedding day, Onwudiwe made the necessary dowry payment; the whole villager danced in excitement as the princess followed her new husband to his house.
Onwudiwe tried to please his wife, but the princess was difficult. Whenever he returns from his hunting journey, the princess hardly cares about his injuries and refuses him to touch her. She has sworn never to call him by name and would rather call him Nwaaa( hey you) whenever she needed his attention.
This continued for a long time, and Onwudiwe endured all her harsh treatment towards him; he was hopeful that one day she would change and learn to love him regardless of his short height.
One day, the couple decided to swim in the village stream for a cool evening; although they went together, they didn’t speak.
Getting to the stream, the princess quickly dives into the water, showing her good swimming skills, although she is not as talented as her husband.
After swimming to his satisfaction, Onwudiwe swam out of the stream. Still, the princess was trying to swim out, she noticed a force pulling her back, and slowly she began to drown; she looked around and realized that it was only her husband who could save her, so she started screaming:
"Nwaaa! Nwaaa! This water is about to kill me. Where are you!!
"Let her call me by my name; she knows how to say it; if she doesn’t call me by my name, I won’t save her."
Onwudiwe said to himself, pretending not to hear her.
When she was fully drowning and could sense death coming her way, with the last strength in her, she shouted:
"Dim! (My darling husband) Onwudiwe, please save me!"
Without wasting time, he jumped into the water and lifted her on his shoulder. After that day, the princess changed towards him and started treating him with respect and love.
Thanks for reading!!!
