SHORT STORIES: AKOSUA 2

• THE SECOND DAY

The maiden dance in ekaete village occurs once in a year before the moon is full. The maiden dance is a feast that had always occurred three full moons after the death of the king. The maiden dance is known for exploring the beauty of young ladies. The most anticipated part of the maiden dance is the waist dance. The maiden dance symbolises the beauty, femininity and purity of the maidens in the village. It is during this feast that the heir to the throne chooses a maiden that will be his wife. The maiden dance is one of the most anticipated feasts in the Ekaete. Ekaete village is the trade zone for other villages. Ekaete is renowned for its prowess in war and in trade. During the maiden dance that lasts for three days, the dance is attended by people in and outside the village. The maidens are usually introduced to the prince at the beginning of the dance before they showcase their oratory skills.  Prince Badu looked at the maidens as they were introduced to him on the second day of the feast. He had enjoyed greatly the dance sessions on the first day. He had noticed a flower amidst the grass although he still had gloomy thoughts of his father’s death.  The thought of his father’s death had weighed upon him heavily. He had mourned him for two full moons before the chiefs summoned him to take over the throne. The tradition had always being that the prince must be married before he could ascend the throne. He had misgivings about the tradition but who was he to complain. He had been prepared his whole life to perform a duty; to rule ekaete. He nodded in agreement to the counsel of the chiefs and the date was set and announced.   The decision from the roundtable he had with the chiefs didn’t bode well for him. He walked gloomily to his bed chambers where he asked one of the guards to fetch the queen mother. He poured out his heart to her disapproving of the maiden dance. His mother consoled and persuaded him to the needful.

Here he found himself eagerly anticipating the second day of the dance ceremony principally meant for him. He felt a tinge of guilt for forgetting his father and finding delight in a dance. He felt himself swimming in guilt because he caused his father’s death.  Although, he kept his excitement at the prospect of Akosua being his wife at bay, he realized the evening became calmer when her name was called and she was presented before him. He felt the tumbling eyes of everyone and thoughts peering down on him.  The whole village seemed to await his reaction eagerly after Akosua was introduced. Prince Badu smiled at her as he had on the previous occasions when a maiden was called. He knew what he wanted. It was akosua.  Other maidens followed but he pasted a fake smile on his face for the other maidens.  He took him a while to focus on the maiden dance after akosua had been introduced. He had no interest in the other maidens and the spectators seemed to share his interest because the crowd continued muttering to themselves. He got lost in thinking about Akosua. Her waist became his focal point. He tried imagining how it could be possible fora maiden’s waist to sway like that as if it had its own will. He anticipated what akosua would do that evening. He scanned the maidens and saw her eyes glowing like fireflies and her smile absorbed every other thing into the background. He looked at her frame and her curves well shaped. He caught himself staring at her long legs reaching up to heaven. He stopped himself and sighed,‘what a beauty’. He found himself looking at her and then he traced who her smile was directed to. The drummer boy.The one with a gap between his teeth and ears flapping like a rabbit. He grinned with anger until he heard the motions of the masquerade. Chief Akosi had called upon the ancestral masquerade to come to the forefront. For a moment, he decided to enjoy the view and forget the impending.

The whole village was entranced by colourful display of the masquerades. The masquerades were accompanied by young men dancing with the masquerades after they had acknowledged the chiefs and the prince. The crowd shoved themselves back and forth as the masquerade twisted itself in different dimensions. As the masquerades were dancing, the Meni women came and placed gifts and cowries before them to show their appreciation. The chiefs also presented a calabash filed with cowries and four rams to the masquerades.  The masquerades danced and then left the stage. Chief Akosi came forward and began calling each maiden for their oratory challenge. Abenaa was the first of the maidens that was called. She beamed with a glazing smile directed at the prince.  She hailed the spectators and began her spoken poetry as the beats of the drum emphasised every rising and falling of her tone.
Dirge by the sea shore
I heard the sea singing a dirge
To the tombstone near its shores
It sounded like a lullaby
Urging me to hear some
In silence stood the mossy tombs
Squawking Gulls their mourners be
No sadder sight I ever saw
Never such melancholy
The mist playing a cold tribute
To grey waters and the dunes
Grief stricken waves etching onsand
Epitaphs like ancient runes
Wild winds had carved a eulogy
But its verses stay un read
The sea shell left to decipher
Treasured wisdom of the dead
By Amar A gwarla

The crowd shaken with emotions applauded Abenaa after she ended her poem. Voices trailed after her of how beautiful her poem was. Chief Akosisummoned Akosua who rendered a poem. The crowd was enthralled by her performance and watched with immense intensity as she rendered the spoken poetry.
I wander lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way
They stretch in never ending line
Along the margin of a bay
Williamswoodsworth

The crowd clapped and sang her name in monotones pleased with her poem rendition. She looked up and went back to join the crowd. Chef Akosi called the other maidens who rendered their poetry well except for a few with distorted rhythm and voices that couldn’t perfect their spoken poetry. Some of the maiden’s spoken poetry was drowned out by the crowd’s murmuring.At the end of the spoken poetry. Each of the maiden was called upon to recite and praise her lineage before the king. Akosua came forward and recited herlineage’s praise. The whole village was at unease when she mentioned that she was the daughter of kwadwo and Ma essien. Her family had been renowned as the temple of misfortunes because her mother was known as the village witch and her father had died of an illness that could ony be as a result of the gods’ wrath.
Ma essien’s daughter, akosua recited her lineage appraisal and then went back to join the other maidens. The prince had heard about the witch and her daughter but had never seen her. After akosua’s recital, the other maidens followed suit.  At the end of the recital, the drummers began drumming and everyone began dancing to the beat. The villagers danced till dusk.