My Guest by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

"My Guest"
(Excerpt from the novella The Mystery of Taiwo da Silva)
Originally published by BLACK BOOKS NIGERIA
A division of Human Change Communications Company
by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

Even as brilliant weather sat comfortably on the bare chest of the beautiful earth, and our mutual friend, the morning, took its place in the progression of days, a bizarre tale, more hellish than the enterprise of a sorcerer, crossed my threshold and led me into a gloomy morning.

I had vowed to get rid of the cockroaches in my cupboard, where they’d claimed lordship. Confusion greeted my arrival, as the insects dashed here and there to escape my blows; but just as I ended their reign, a frightening figure, brawny as a man who has spent hours in a gym, emerged from my shabby walls and began to pummel me. His eyes were full of fire, and a puckish nose sat impudently upon his wicked face!

As his treachery crushed me against the wall, I yelled like a man that misfortune had dealt a miserable blow. I did not need a prophet to tell me that my very survival depended on how I could maneuver my young fist. My blows I delivered did not betray me, for the devil almost lost his balance. As he regained his footing, he clenched his fist and flashed a menacing smile at me, as if my effort to retaliate were an abomination.

The cruel creature charged me, his bulk like a battering ram. Before I could snatch a breath from the wings of the morning, he descended upon me. I fought valiantly, but the interloper got the upper hand as we traded punches. But the vigorous blows he dispensed, none would prevail. So when it dawned on me that my adversary would spare me not a breath – his blows tossed me about like a windblown rain – I decided to feign death. I collapsed on the floor like an antelope silenced by the frenzied attack of a predator. My attacker grabbed one of my legs and suspended me in mid-air. He examined me as if taking inventory of his stock. When he was convinced I was lifeless, he threw me against the wall. The monster rubbed his hands gleefully; his face gleamed with pleasure that he had finally snuffed the life out of me. As he roared violently and beat his hairy chest, a whirlwind came out of the ground and carried him away through the back door.

Now the air was still, and Lady Tranquility returned to her esteemed seat in my little house. Still not recovered from the assault, I heard a faint knock on my door. I was not expecting anyone except my co-worker, who had promised, some nights ago, to pay me a visit. I battled to pull myself to my feet, but my legs betrayed me and I fell to my knees. Still the knock persisted, harder than ever. As I considered the possibility that the devil had returned to cause me more pain, I was afraid, and my heart of hearts died within me. So I quelled my impulse to open the door and crawled to my armchair to rest, for it is only natural to retreat when one does not have what it takes to confront his adversary. As the knock continued, a second thought flew into my head: If it were the devil, he surely would not bother to knock at my door; he would burst in, just as he had a while ago, to wreak his havoc.

I took a deep breath. Was I that man who has bitten more than he can chew and lost control over his own life? I summoned my courage, subverted my ugly predicament, and staggered to the door. “Who’s there?’ I asked as soft as the morning breeze.

A baritone voice responded from the other side: “It’s I, Yomi Badore.”

My fear and sadness flew away in an instant as I realized my childhood friend stood outside the door to the shabby place I call home. I cast my calamity behind me and opened the door. A broad smile sat comfortably upon my face. “Yomi! Yomi! Where have you been all these years? I have tried to get in touch with you a million times, but all my attempts met a brick wall,” I said as I embraced him.

“After we left school,” Yomi disclosed, “I was offered a scholarship to study in London. A few weeks after I left, my father wrote me that he was relocated to another town. So that is how we lost contact, Taiwo. Because you never knew that we moved away.”

“You are right,” I replied. I took a deep breath, as if tomorrow might never come. “I hope life has been fair to you, and your studies interesting. You know, the world is a beautiful place, but sometimes a change of environment does not bring the fortune we desire.”

He stared at me in astonishment. “Oh yes,” he said. “But I know enough of the world now. Our part in life is to persevere and to learn as quickly as we can, for our victory depends upon our perception of the world. The study was interesting but not stress-free, as I anticipated. Nevertheless, as I’m sure you can see, it has made me a better man.” He smiled and stood like a majestic mountain.

“Thank God, your journey abroad has made you a better fellow,” I told my truest friend. “It is all over you, and surely you will be a blessing to the society that brought you up!”

“It is only human to be kind to others,” he said. “And we will surely be better for it if we do not create problems for ourselves as we trade, with heart flowing, the milk of human kindness,” he predicted. Without further delay, I led this beautiful fellow with a large chin, a little nose and full lips inside my humble home.

My pain had now abated and my joy stood taller than the pair of legs that carried me. Reminiscing, as old friends will, I reminded my guest what he’d done in the ‘good old days’. “Do you remember how you threw the entire school into pandemonium?” I prompted him.

“Hmm… My particular madness is like the wind that blows with a vengeance,” he said. “It is like the sand at the bottom of the sea. Back then many thought I was under the influence of a wicked spirit, or that I shared in the misfortune that excess liquor gives her lovers. What particular event are you talking about, Taiwo?”

“The dormitory nightmare!”

“Ah, yes, I remember!” he exclaimed and paraded a smile over his face.





On a day that the sun was unusually hot, tormenting the earth as if there was no tomorrow, Yomi had run into the dormitory shouting. “Hey! Hey! The Headmistress is dancing outside her office. She is inviting everyone to join her. Come quickly and have fun!” The students ran to the office to catch a glimpse of the excitement. Some were trampled underfoot in the ensuing disorderliness. The forest of legs reminded me of triumphant warlords, whose feet wrote frustration on the face of the old earth as they returned from battle with an enemy.

However, the students received a rude shock when they found out it was not true. The Headmistress had just set foot out of her office and was about to enter her car to attend a meeting. “What is the problem? What’s chasing you?” she shouted angrily.

No response came from the bamboozled students who stood like monuments in a vast land. Before the headmistress could blink, they turned their faces towards the dormitory and made the best use of their legs to their classes.

“This is ridiculous! Someone must have initiated this,” said Mr. Jamiu, the Headmistress’s personal assistant, as he wagged his head in dismay.

“Yes, I think so,” said Mrs. Akintomide. “Moreover, it would have been an embarrassing situation if the inspectors had been here. It appears that the instigator is not alive to his responsibilities! Tell the head boy I want to see him in my office, right now!” she ordered and went back to her paperwork.

Not long after, Tolu, the head boy, appeared, drowning in fear. He was panting like a terrified lizard.

The old woman sat forward and looked out over her bifocals. “Tolu,” she began harshly, “have I not warned you to never allow the pupils to roam the school premises when they are not on break?”

“Yes, you have. A boy in Class Four ran into the dormitory, shouting that you were dancing in front of your office!” Tolu replied, and lowered his head.

“What!” she exclaimed, banging her table. “Who is the foolish cricket?”

“Yomi Badore!”

She took off her lenses, placed them on the table and sat back in her chair. “The school is a small world. I will make an example of him. Go and fetch him for me!”

Tolu made the best use of his legs to reach the dormitory with speed and dispatch. But before the proverbial dust had settled, Yomi had snuck out of the school and dashed home!

A few days later, as I was struggling to adjust to a life without Yomi, I noticed a generously proportioned man walking briskly into the school. Now little more than a shadow of himself, and looking sober as if he’d drowned his ugly past and turned a new leaf, Yomi ran to catch up with the old feet of his father.

It was easy to tell what had transpired for Yomi in the office of the Headmistress, for he returned to the classroom with a broad grin on his face after serving his punishment.





“That was an old chapter, now gone forever,” said Yomi, yawning. “I am not trying to say I can no longer fall into delusion; however, if you study my face and read my lips, you will see that things have changed. You don’t have to be a clairvoyant to see that man does not have total control over his own life.”

“You are right. Only change is constant. It would have been a disaster if you were still married to your old life!” I chuckled and threw myself on my feet. “Let me get you something to start your day,” I said. “Then we shall roll out the drums.”

He nodded with a smile and made himself comfortable on my old wooden furniture. As I stepped toward the back door, he cleared his throat to command my attention. “Taiwo, I notice something,” he said. He raised an eyebrow that gave birth to a furrow on his forehead.

“What’s that?” I inquired. I turned toward him.

“Your legs are not coordinated. You look like a man that life has dealt a miserable blow.”

I took a deep breath. “You are right, but it is not my fault. Ever since my landlady approached me for a love affair and I declined, my life has been kissed by a nightmare whose manipulation is more tempestuous than a cold rushing wind. I find myself battling against all odds,” I said.

“A determined spirit can conquer all frontiers, so do not feel badly,” he advised.

“You are free to advise me, Yomi,” I allowed. “ A man can achieve little in isolation.”

“You have taken the right decision, Taiwo. If you fall to her seductive charms, she will ruin you. The smile of a coquette is like the highway to hell, and it is evil to live with what is not yours.” He spoke gravely and coughed.

“Yes, I have decided to seek God’s intervention.”

“Go and prepare what you have for us,” he said.

I nodded and moved into a shadow.

Find orginal excerpt at www.moronicox.com

Born to Win by BISHOP DAVID O OYEDEPO

My journey into the beautiful world of writing began one cold evening the wind blew with vengeance. A pastor visited my humble home with a little book written by Bishop David O. Oyedepo of the Faith Tabernacle Church, Ota, Nigeria. After going through the little piece that was as good as gold, I told the friend that few days would be enough for me to bring a little book to life. The Pastor who is as dark as the midnight thought I was a windbag. He said such endeavor would make me a drudge in no distant time. As soon as he left, I went to work and I am still in the business of writing.

For more than two decades, Dr. David O. Oyedepo, has been part of the current renaissance sweeping through the African continent. His faith-based teachings have transformed millions of lives.

Called with a specific mandate to liberate mankind from all oppressions of the devil, Dr. Oyedepo is the presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, with a network of churches all over Nigeria and most nations of Africa.

He is the Senior Pastor of the 50,000-capacity Faith Tabernacle, Canaan land, Ota, reputed to be the largest church auditorium in the world.

As an educationists, his mission currently pioneers the establishment of educational institutions at all levels in Nigeria, including the recently established Covenant University, where he serves as the Chancellor.

He has written over 50 titles of inspirational and motivational texts covering various aspects of life. He is married to Faith, and their marriage is blessed with children.


Title: Born to Win
Author:Bishop David O Oyedepo
Publisher:Dominion Publishing House
ISBN: 978-2480-97-8

SYNOPSIS:

In today's world, many aspire but few, negligibly few few, attain. There are challenges to be faced up with everyday, they either make you or break you, you either overcome or be overcome. True, there are problems, but there are victories too, and there can be as many victories as are problems in the world. It is good for you to know whom you were created to be. You were not made for reproach. God has provided the keys to victorious living as it is in this book. You were created for dominion, you are born to win.

Order dominion books online @ www.dominionbooksonline.com

BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO AND THE WINNERS FAMILY WORLDWIDE CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO
SHILOH 2009 DECEMBER 8-12 THEME: THE HOUR OF RESTORATION.
VENUE: CANAANLAND, KM 10, IDIROKO ROAD, OTA-LAGOS, NIGERIA.
TEL: 234-1-77475446-8 www.davidoyedepoministries.org

Shiloh 2009 will be broadcast live to I-Phone and I-pod Touch worldwide from December 8-12, starting @6am and 6pm GMT daily. Point your safari internet browser on your phone or ipod Touch to iphone.lLivestream.com/Shiloh 2009 to watch live. Also, Shiloh 2009 audio jingle is available for download on the ministry's website: www.davidoyedepoministries.org/download.


Previous Shiloh Testimonies

Marriage Spell Destroyed!

"For 37years, I had not witnessed our girls getting married. I asked my father what the problem could be and he said it was as a result of the crave for female children in our family, that a native doctor was invited and that was the outcome. I told myself that I cannot be a victim because I am a winner and a child of God. I came to Shiloh 2006 for this purpose and Papa(Bishop Oyedepo), in his ministration said, 'When a thief is caught, he returns what he has stolen.'I keyed into this message and decided that the devil's oppression must stop. I repeated same in Shiloh 2007 and this year, more than 11 ladies have got married in my family, to the glory of God. I return the glory to God."
--DCN MOSES N.

Issues of Blood Gone!

"I came to Shiloh last year with many expectations. God confirmed them all.The most important one is the issue of blood. Today, I am no longer with it. I told God that I did not want die, and my husband was crying like a baby. I used to sit on a pail, because of the bleeding. One of my brother in-laws invited me to Shiloh. Now I am totally free!"
--Adiele R.

EIGHT YEARS BARRENNESS OVER

"I got married in 1997. I believed God for the fruit of the womb for eight years and I did not see the baby. I came to Shiloh for the first time in 2006 and that put an end to barrenness in my life! In November 29, 2007, I was delivered of this beautiful baby girl. Praise the Lord."
--Mrs. Patrick, F

INSANITY GONE!
I got to my hometown one day and I was told that one of my cousins had gone insane. For days he could not recognize anyone, not even his mother, nor would he speak to anyone. But when I got into the room where he was, he rose up and greeted me! He didn't know his mother,nor anyone else, but when the son of God entered, he knew! I ordered him dressed up and to be put in my car, let me see the devil in hell that has the guts to dare enter my car with him! By the time we got to where were going, he was fast asleep! That was the end of the insanity!
--From the book, Exploring the Riches of Redemption by Bishop David O. Oyedepo

The Adventures of Nihu (PAPERBACK EDITION) by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren.

MIAMI – (January 15, 2008)
Bouncing Ball Books releases, The Adventures of Nihu, written by Omoruyi “Ruyi” Uwuigiaren.

This novel is a classic legend of a young hero’s magical journey through a fantasy world where he is tested with incredible challenges that can only stem from the soul of the author’s genuine African culture and vivid imagination. Being falsely accused of a crime, Nihu, a tribal African boy, is banished to the Lonely Forest. In order to regain his freedom, he must find a way to defeat the undefeatable and confront challenges that draw analogies to our own realities. Like The Lord of the Rings, this epic high fantasy novel carries the reader to another time and place. Nihu gets sucked into a world inside of a stone, visits a powerful ruler in an underwater city, and befriends a group of refugees.

Based on mythical and historic African traditions, Uwuigiaren’s magical twists to The Adventures of Nihu will not only allow an audience of all ages to escape their own realities, but draw them into a world of high hopes, powers, and unimaginable desires.



EXCERPT

The birds were singing before dawn as usual. The boughs of the trees danced quietly and bowed carefully to the sweet movement of the morning breeze. The morning rose from the dust and settled in the sky, gazing down at the Lonely Forest. A bright day was a beautiful welcome after a night of grief and fright. The darkness was replaced with new hope the moment the new light chased it to its unholy interiors. One could rest easy in the comfort of such imaginings. As the birds paraded through treetops, making a life out of nothingness, Nihu stretched on the wooden bed. He was alive again. Alive to face the Herculean task that now hung around his thin neck. He sat up; exposing a bare chest that had yet to grow hair, although one could count a few. They stood like a monument in a vast land. His dark face was still covered in grime and sweat from the day before.

Nihu buried his head in his hands. His thin legs not too good to look at. He was not a fellow of fine physical attributes, scrawny with large innocent eyes stuck in the sockets of his skull. Yet his brain worked quickly and there had never been a streak of meanness in him.Nihu was ready to cope with whatever situation the world threw at him.He sat on the edge of the cot with his old boots as his gaze fell upon the stone that he must cast into the pit of fire. It seemed as if a slow luminescence came over it. It was as beautiful as the eye of evening thunder. Nihu studied the stone for a long time. The boy was convinced that surviving in the Lonely Forest would take more than valor. Unlike his compatriots, in whose path he would walk if he disobeyed Magonda, he would surrender to the will of the creatures of the Lonely Forest. Going against the rules of the jungle would be walking on the wheels of fire. Nihu let his thoughts flow freely. If I had broken any laws, I would surely be on my way to the city that is six feet under. I did not kill my uncle. Moreover, I have never hurt any creature for no reason. Nor will I. I pray that the god of my ancestors remembers what is in my heart and will save me from the cruel hands of an unjust fate. He lifted up the stone and placed it near the battle-axe that was before him. A long sigh left his body. There is nothing to fear, nowhere to fall, when one has done nothing wrong.Nihu folded his arms, closed his eyes, and raised his face, as if praying to the first messiah of the morning. Lost in meditation, he was without words for some time.

Eventually, he rose from the cot and threw on Phil’s old animal skin coat that was hanging by the doorway of the hut. It suited him well—a good look for a boy that was about to embark on an unknown adventure. Nihu took up the stone and battle-axe. First, he strapped the battle-axe at his side and put the stone in the pouch on a belt that held up his shorts. The stone would be safe there. He slung his rucksack on his back and left the hut. He went to the river to wash himself. When he was through, he set off in the direction that Magonda had pointed.

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POEMS

THE CRUSADER

by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

Ageless forest of legs
Wrote frustration on the face of the old earth
Our foes saw nothingness in their stupor
In the midst of million brags
The Rock of Gilbraltha is here
A scrawny hero
His feet cannot hurt a fly
Yet wrecking the hills on the highway
A feat for few
His smile humbles the darkness
Bliss embraces the weak
And cockerels sounded it was dawn

THE VICTIMS

by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

The night walked away
Lost in the sea of rage
Gloom was her conqueror
Yesterday has gone
Singing on the hills
Another day has come
Our prey was her meal
The heart of the cruel evening
It was a troll
A thousand sparrows has fallen
The ones we cherish
Silence of the saddest grave

AGAINST ALL ODDS

by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

We are not here to growl
The bald faint
Anxiety rages in the brook
Succumb to the flood
Kissed the bare chest of the earth
Misery at dawn
The least wailed
Soldier's legs betrayed him
No one saw the owl
the old rugged fighter
Lurking in the dark
The feet of them that quivered

Review of the Adventures of Nihu

The Adventures of Nihu
Omoruyi Uwuigiaren
First Published by Bouncing Ball Books Inc. (2008)
ISBN 9781934138151
Reviewed by Regan Zaborowski (age 8) for Reader Views (7/08)

Exciting and Sometimes Scary.

This long book takes place in a jungle and is about a boy named Nihu that lived in a small village. One day Nihu is out hunting, and his uncle was killed by an arrow that a robber took after Nihu shot it. Everybody thought Nihu killed his uncle, so he was told not to come back to the village. He went to the jungle to live, and met Old Phil. They got to be friends, but Old Phil died. Nihu met many creatures when he was in the jungle. Some were friendly, but some were mean and scary. He finally tries to find his way out of the jungle and falls through a crack in the earth. A very mean creature takes him and puts him inside a stone, with some other prisoners. We don’t find out until the very end if he ever escapes.

This was a long book, and it was hard for me to read by myself. There were a lot of big words, and some parts were hard for me to understand. It was exciting, and sometimes scary. The different creatures that Nihu met were very strange, and some wanted to kill him. But some of the creatures that were the scariest turned out to be nice, so I liked that. The ending was good, too. The words that the writer used made it feel like you were in the middle of the jungle with Nihu. I could picture in my mind what the jungle looked like - very scary, and a place I would not like to visit. I could understand how Nihu felt. I kind of liked this book, because my mom helped me with the parts I didn’t understand. It would be better for someone a few years older than me that could read it without help. Boys and girls that like exciting books would like “The Adventures of Nihu.”

Find original article at www.readerviewskids.com


Something For The Teenagers
Author: Omoruyi Uwuigiaren
Bouncing Ball Books
By Jumoke Verissimo
Many adventure stories are built on a world of when bad-happens, good conquers. In Omoruyi Uwuigiaren's The Adventures of Nihu, the same
path is followed. This novel for teenagers narrates the story of Nihu, a teenage boy, who is falsely accused of a crime and then banished into the dense forest, where great hunters dare not enter. Nihu will have to vindicate himself by coming out of the evil forest alive. While this plot sounds familiar, Uwuigiaren brings freshness to a do-gooders-always-win, fable.

From the beginning of the story, the author throws his readers into the fray with an intrusive scene to the effect that they should empathise with the main character. The author starts with the energy that appears warm, and in a heavily descriptive language builds his momentum meant to throw his readers into suspense with each turn of the page. And it takes little time before the book heats up.

Uwuigiaren's story telling ability is most appreciated when he builds emotion in the reader, in the scene where Nihu is faced with the problem of having to explain his part to the king's guards on how his arrow got into the left chest of his Uncle Gubado, who had engaged Nihu's father in a small land tussle. It is a useless attempt explaining that he carelessly left the arrow in a tree, and a desperate robber had used it as weapon. The author leaves the reader as Nihu's only witness.

The logic is that the guards who finds Nihu's arrow in the tree, simply assume that Nihu murdered his uncle to appease his father, and that is what the king and the villagers believe. This gives rise to his banishment. The author, from this scene, builds suspense, by dwelling on the reader's sympathy, which emanates naturally from the knowledge he has, as against the characters in the novel.
Uwuigiaren appears to create his narration with an understanding of what his readers' assumptions would be-- which is, no evil should befall Nihu and, in the face of the many challenges the protagonist faces, he should come out an unscathed hero.

The author handles the twist and turns expected in an adventure novel quite well. His characterisation is original. Uwuigiaren's characters are imaginary creatures, with a realistic portrayal that keeps his theme and ideas consistent and true for the reader. The characters in The Adventures of Nihu are the little evils that we create in our minds, but do not see. These characters keep the pace of the novel alive, and show that the author has a good knowledge of the techniques of combination of traditional folklore. His adaptation of it with modern fantasies will stimulate any writer.

In some scenes in the book, the author is over descriptive, and this makes reading rather tedious. The truth is that he needs not try too hard to make his book believable. The characterisation, plot, setting (without that much embellishment) does well. The author handles this seeming handicap well though, of wanting to tell everything with lively dialogue and subtle humour.

The Adventures of Nihu, is one book that can be described with, "there's something in it." That's if you're looking for something like a book that'll keep you away from your meals.

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