Part 50

The Sage would not but agree that favour with strangers had never eluded him. and that a certain flair for people skills had always been with him. So much so he thought it pertinent to apply tactfulness when he discussed with the soldier how it was, the troublesome youths needed to be frog whipped: a thing that was difficult to do, as the Soldier Gani was only too hard pressed to get information about the leaders of the youth, their followers and the troublemakers.

Part 49

Often enough, the Sage whenever he arrived in a new city or village would mingle in the religious parts of that city in an attempt to get charitable hospitality for lack of a readily available means to pay his keep. Once during a visit to the south state’s city capital, he stayed in the private lodgings of one of the pentecostal churches in the city. He was welcomed as a guest of the church preacher; welcomed to stay over whenever he visited the capital city.

Part 48

As a young man, the Sage had honed his skills as a man of traditional wisdom from the nomadic journeys he had made from villages to cities across the states. Long before he became well known by the village dwellers in Ibinabo’s village as well as the surrounding villages, he was a well worn traveler. It was only when he had on prolonged journeys, seen the best part of the country’s cities that he began to settle in the villages of the south.

Part 47

Expectedly, the Sage was very knowledgeable and wise about what it was this military man was trying to find out from him. But he was unable to avoid proffering answers to the searching questions Soldier Gani had asked him. Now the Sage was deliberate in his attempt to extricate himself from what may be publicly misread and that which may be damaging to his reputation. But in spite of this, his good intentions were misconstrued for an attempt to curry favours from the military men, and the local government.

Part 46

A long time ago, well before this morning, Soldier Gani had deemed it appropriate to take an hour off duty calls to see the Sage. He had to hurry to return within the time the guards were scheduled to change, to ensure a quick return to his duty post. It was not as if he knew the Sage in person. But he was well aware the importance of this man. Earlier on; a few months earlier he and the other soldiers had encountered a mob that had gone on riot and had threatened to disrupt the construction of crude oil pipelines. Going to the Sage to discuss the mood of the youths in the villages was part of a broader strategy to curb the insecurity in the surrounding villages.

Part 45

If one was to deduce the mood of the surrounding passer bys one could say the calmness of the morning brought to bear a respectable measure of tolerance amongst onlookers and layabouts. The market aisle was lined with them. The harmony played by the young girl on a corner of one of the aisles gave a cheery note to the atmosphere in the market place. Therefore Soldier Gani’s expectations that the tradesmen and women would not like their presence was not exactly found. Though the tradesmen and women were easily irritable, it appeared to be a more cheerful gathering than usual. Soldier Gani’s appeal was beginning to bloom.

Part 44

Soldier Gani, when he arrived at the first stalls in the market, knew they could not stay too long in this environment or they would incur the irate abuses of the tradesmen and women for scaring away the customers with their presence. But he was drawn to watch a young girl sitting on a mat with her legs stretched out, playing on a flute; a simple harmony. His fascination had gone unnoticed by the other soldiers who were some way down the road, further from him and the young girl. The look of surprise on his face caught the girl’s eye. She smiled. It appeared she was too  young to play the flute so well. The military man’s fascination with the softer things in life would come as a surprise to you, when you recall that this is a man that has been hardened by death and destruction. And that his fascination with things like a little girl playing the flute could be likened to the way a moth is attracted to the light of flames.