Prologue
All good things around us, especially children, are sent from heaven above.
_Unknown
Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon.
_Emily Dickinson.
This is Oru na Nneude, I've journeyed three cold nights to get here. It was my matrimonial home and it still is. I am Ngozi Igwebudo, I used to be a primary school teacher at Irete community - the place of my birth. I got apprehended for some incident I didn't know about, losing my tormentful job has been a pleasure. Oru smells good, the orange trees appear weighed down by the plenteousness of her fruits. I love trees, children and storytelling, it doesn't mean I'm a good storyteller, I'm actually very terrible at telling stories, I'm better at telling stories about me. Today, a certain story lurks my mind, a very old story my grandmother once told me, on the eve of her demise. Those days, people were afraid to tell it, some people had said it was mythical. Many believed that telling the story evoked doom. I, Ngozi Igwebudo hates to believe this, so, yes I would tell you the story. The story of a certain girl - Udala.
