Such Is Life

Life under the sun is not bed of roses. And the roads that lead to stardom are thorny, rugged and hilly, and the overriding task which provides for our daily bread is much herculean. When one fails to lay a wise and good foundation what he or she meets on the way or at the end of life tunnel will only be loses. Conversely, because life and future are highly unpredictable; sometimes even when most assiduous steps are taken to avert future lapses, contrary expectations can be the result.

Though no life is completely devoid of problems whether life at the palace or that not from palace, but life becomes dangerously bad when it starts biting one from cradle. Akachi a boy of 9 felt the bad touch of life very early in life.Akachi hailed fromUdu a village popularly known for its efficiencies in rural agricultures. From humble beginning, a home ridden of poverty, veiled by battered economy; Akachi could not attend well known school nor made regular attendance to school. During his early school day marked by many days of absence his class-teacher though loved him dearly because of his brilliant performances in academic works in the class, threatened to suspend him indefinitely from his class unless he will change his attitude of being absent from school.

One would be inquisitive to know why Akachi was not regular to school. The helplessness in the family was his major bane and an adage rightly puts it: `the sickness that killed mother-cat prevents its young ones from opening their eyes`.

Their family life and how the family up-kempt were provided was a pathetic one. The parents were peasant farmers and addition to minor sedentary works. These set-ups could only afford food for the family for the day and survival for tomorrow was left to chance. This level of poverty and suffering often times compel Akachi to accompany his parents to the farm a place very far away from home. Among the sources of economy in the locality were economic trees and landed properties and family that have these were regarded as feudal lord and dwells in buoyant economy; Akachi`s father`s family lacked these natural gift and leaved on leasing to make neighbourhood farming and this was the reason they adopted working in the farmland far away where land was generally owned by the community.

Akachi was the first child of his parents and by tradition all responsibility rested on him as one that opened the womb. This belief made him to delve strongly into what will help him assist in the general providence of the poor family. So he went to farm almost all the school days, and from farm he goes fishing and hunting. Even when some day he force himself to go to school, those period could turn to be the days the school will be driving for school fees, and if it happened so he will alongside others who have not paid go home. This when it happened so, it made him feel ashamed more regarding himself as one singled out by merciless destiny to really punish.

But the boy Akachi indeed was a special child who was endowed with rare talents and gifts. He grew well in stature as if he was fostered by Queen of England. He grew faster in all things good than his mates only that because of his parents` inability to pay his school fees made him drop in some years and some of his mates had gone ahead of him. Those years of draw back pained him bitterly but such is life. It doesn`t go all smoothly in life journey especially when one was faced with vicissitude of life. Akachi`s eyes were as sharp as Eagle`s and he was as brave as Lion. By the reason of his natural prowess, his father called him `The father`s Lion` and his mother called him `His mother`s artful shooter who shoots even at hair shot.` He was liked by many of his mates and many women wished if he had been their child.

Apart from being a good hand in traditional farming he was in addition a good hunter though a hobby. At his leisure in the evening he can do basket weaving, hat and mat weaving these he learnt from his father. All these menial jobs assisted the family all through his days. Whenever he rushed into the bush with his catapult and bow and arrows, it was certain just as egg is egg that he will come out with catches made. By these catches, the mother goes to market with them and sell them and from the proceeds buy family needs and use some to pay his outstanding school fees.

It wasn’t easy however wading through the thick fallows with thorns and piercing sticks and harmful grassesbare footed in search of animals alone when all his class-mates were there in the school studying for bright future. Sometimes he will slump down weeping in the bush when especially he had sustain serious injury and had no catch to show for all the energy exerted. Akachi wouldn`t easily forget what would have been a woeful and regretful day of his life and what would have thrown his parents into eternal mourning the day he met and countered a fierce and hungry Lion.

How was the story of that adventure like? He met when he had almost gone empty handed for the day`s hunting a very big and robust Antelope. Never had he seen a like before. The robust and big antelope which was as big as an Elephant was jumping and galloping for safety from a conflagration that was razing a mighty forest – grasses, woods, and trees. To his hideout as a hunter the Antelope emerged and abruptly stopped on seeing the presence of the combat-ready hunter. Akachi on turning to his right saw a very huge and frightening Lion who had earlier on seen the Antelope scampering to escape for his life. The Antelope equally had seen the ravenous Lion,

To the Antelope, here at his back was a conflagration hunting for his life; in his immediate right was an artful shooter hunter (an enemy) and to a stone throw in his face was a ravenous Lion looking for a prey. To Akachi, this is a triangular positional fight. For here is an Antelope overwhelmed with confusion as what next to do to save his life, and a fighter Lion was in front for either of us. Akachi realized he was left with only an arrow though very sharp to penetrate any object except stones. He began to reason aloud. Should I use this only arrow on this Antelope, definitely the Lion will attack me and must over power me and both the Antelope and I will be the causalities of this maiden show in this lonely forest. Here calls for wisdom and tactics of hunting. On the Lion, though very bold and confident surreptitiously coming for the Antelope and suddenly saw Akachi, and by efficacy and compelling human oral the Lion sauntered and backed astern, had a twist in his original ideas. Should I fight Antelope and my life would be in danger because definitely the hunter must fight in defense, or should I fight the hunter (my greatest enemy) the Antelope might flee away free with life.

The Lion was like transfixed now. The Antelope already stood confused. Akachi a small boy of about 13 now was petrified and was about to entertain fear, he woke from that cowardice, blamed himself and again muttered word to himself; `if I die a coward here in this forest, all destiny upon my shoulders would end here and nobody can trace my where about. The Lion backed little astern and jerked forward in readiness to fight. The Lion groaned and vibrated as prove of annoyance and anger for war inside the lonely forest. People elsewhere in the forestand in their various farm stands heard the thunderous groaning of the Lion noticed it was for war and all cringed home.

Now is moment for action, a decisive moment. If the Nature assists me I will be a victor and go home at least with life. He draw his bow. If I miss the Lion, I am sure the Lion will not miss me. Though I haven`t record of shooting and missing, but my hands shakes and stage fright threatens my courage. He immediately released the arrow on the fully drawn bow and perfectly on target it went. The arrow pierced the Lion’s head through its yelling mouth and immediately Akachi flee to a distance place and the Antelope thanked his maker and fled.

Akachi ran to a hideout in an adjacent hill there to watch the reactions of the wounded Lion. After about thirty minutes when the struggles of the dying Lion had subsided he retreated to find the Lion was already dead with the firm hook of the arrow after struggled in vain for survival and retaliation. He ran out and met some courageous men who were still in the farm who helped him to convey the huge animal home. He returned home that day a hero. And while the whole villagers were running to see the wonder school boy who bravely turned a Lion-killer, the happy but dumbfounded poor parents did not know a greater favour was flowing speedily in the offing for them.

As the native women of the village all gathered singing praise of native air in honour of the Lion-killer, stooping and flexing with natural pride their waist and ululating and undulatingbuttocks dancing, and as the men gathered at the poor boy`s father`s compound for the first time in history for merriment all speaking and remembering their days especially those hunters in their midst; something historic and surprising happened in addition.

The games-master of Akachi`s school who was also his class-teacher was duly delegated by the school headmaster for the school to deliver a message of hope to Akachi and seek his parents` support in addition to their own assistance. What was the message? The State Ministry of Education by the directives of the State Governor had organized a special common entrance examination to fix out talented children in the local governments who might have been financially handicap and could not continued their education. When this message came to teachers and management of the school, the class-teacher of Akachi Mrs. Obioma remembered and made mention of Akachi to the organizing committee that was set up to see to the working and success of the task. Mr. Obioma tendered his willingness to take the message alone to the parent of the poor but brilliant boy who he believed will do them proud and to encourage the boy to try.

The common entrance examination was terse and hard which beat even the expectations of the pupil regular to school. However, Akachi came out surprising all and sundry. In a rare flying colour he beat all to come out the best throughout the State. He immediately became a candidate much sought for. He was sent and admitted in one of the best State owned secondary schools. He performed creditably and the results of his performances startled the entire organizers in the Ministry of education and even the State Governor who bent receiving all the progress reports of the students on that particular scheme. And the Governor, a lover of education and upliftment of helpless children decided that the State grants him to further his studies in the University, and this time studying abroad.

Akachi and parents could not believe it. Even those who had written the entire poor off could not gather their thoughts together as they wander in doubts. He came home after seven years of studying abroad a different person. His parents and all his siblings who have been waiting patiently enduring poverty all immediately relinquished poverty and embraced lives without the aches of poverty. For Akachi was connected and projected to Federal level and was made a Minister of health.

Darkness brought by poverty can only give way when the radiant light brought by wealth comes. Akachi now an instrument of helping the helpless in the society could now boldly and happily speak to people concerning endurance and determination to make life. He maintained that it is these virtues that can carry one across the ocean of hardship and poverty. He asserted that he did not sorrow much about the condition he found himself for according to him such is life.

Life has many phases clothed with many plumages of trials. It goes up and comes down. It brings sweet times and brings bitter times. Life generally lacks parameter to determined who supposed to suffer and who it`s his or right to enjoy all through.The destiny helpers – the class-teacher, the school headmaster, the State governor through the state Ministry of Education all jointly helped in mining the boy`s crude intellectualism and refined it to be of use to him and his parents in particular and to the society at large.