Are The gods Asleep?

-


Her crime was her beauty. She had always been delectable. At birth, many well-wishers questioned her paternity.

On the day of her christening, a neighbour whispered to another, "Are we sure Mr. Kojo is the father of this fine girl?" 

While her parents were dark in complexion, Toke was light-complexioned. She had delicate features that made her the envy of her peers. Her father had a coarse look; her mother was neutral. Toke grew up dealing with uncomplimentary teases about her looks being different from other members of her family. 

Unperturbed, she did well in all areas of life. As a teenager, Toke ignored advances from young boys, and when she became much older, men of different social classes visited her father's house. They all had one mission even when they pretended that they had other reasons for their visit. 

Her parents became worried. "Don't you discuss Toke's marital plans with her?" her father had asked her mother several times. Mrs Kojo replied stating that Toke was always evasive in her responses.

All was well until misfortune struck her.

Gradually, Toke lost her voluptuous shape. This delighted her female contemporaries. Toke had been the cynosure of all eyes, especially men. The ladies felt assured that attention would shift to them.

Every traditional doctor Toke consulted concluded that the gods had become angry with her. None of them knew her offence. 

News gradually spread around town that Toke must have gotten her beauty from the marine god who later became angry with her when she refused to make the necessary rituals. 

Toke became withdrawn. She lost her usual charm. She also noticed that she passed urine many times at night before she woke the following day. Her thirst for water was insatiable. Those who saw her drinking water several times affirmed that the marine deity was the one punishing her by compelling her to drink water always until she offered the necessary appeasement.

Several spiritual rites were done to no avail. Toke's beauty waned gradually. Her glowing skin became dull. The gods refused to pardon her sins.

She and her parents began to bide their time after many failed and expensive efforts to get her well. They looked unto death with optimistic expectations that it would save her from her misery.

Eighteen months after her health began to deteriorate, a non-profit organization visited her community. While conducting neighborhood assessments of notifiable diseases, Toke was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The doctor recommended insulin, which must be given to her through a needle.

The priests discouraged the use of needles on her. They opined that injectables would hasten her death. The god(s) attacking her are provoked by needles, they emphasized.

The doctors remained resolute in their recommendations.

Toke's family had nothing to lose. They had accepted death as the last resort anyway. She began to take the daily injections.

The priests began to count down to her death. Toke had defied the gods. Not only would she die, her family would be ostracized for disrespecting the gods.

But for a reduction in her thirst and the number of times she passed urine, no other change was noticed in the first two months of using the injections.

She ought to have died, many expectant persons mused. "Aren't the gods aware of what is happening?" they gossiped.

Gradually, Toke recovered her glory. Her wrinkled face became smooth; fat settled in areas where it had been lost. Her energy became obvious.

The priests became confused. The gods had always been predictable. "Are the gods asleep?" they wondered...

Ademola Orolu


About the writer

Ademola is a Consultant Family Physician and writer. He founded the online health magazine, The Family Doctors, and was its Editor-in-Chief from 2017 to 2020, when he wounded up the magazine to concentrate on his full-time medical practice, Nathaniel Health Consulting, Matogbun, Ogun State. 

He is an author of many books including storybooks. He regularly writes on health-promoting topics and promotes positive behavioural change in his articles. 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Opti-Pessimism": A Balanced Outlook to Life

-
Image
If Alexander Fleming had dwelt so much on the side effects of Penicillin, the wonder medication that saved several lives in the early 20th century, perhaps many of us would not have lived long enough to read this article. If the Wright Brothers had exercised a morbid fear of crash of their flying contraption, which sparked the invention of the Aeroplane, many persons today would be discouraged to travel long distances. Does it mean we should always look at the positive sides of things only and ignore the possible unfavorable implications? No! We cannot do that. While optimistic thinking invented the ship, pessimistic thinking led to the invention of lifebuoy to prevent death of passengers should the ship sink. While optimistic thought invented the helicopter, pessimistic thought inspired the development of a device that can make passengers survive a crash. The inventor called it Parachute. The beauty of optimism is in harnessing resources to improve quality of life, else it is wishful ...
Read more

Vaginismus: Sexual Knowledge Doesn't Always Lead to Practice

-
Image
  In most vocations, sound knowledge of the subject often translates into performance. Sex is an exception ; that an adolescent has knowledge of sex doesn't mean he or she will practise it. As concerned guardians, we often fall into the error of not discussing sex when older kids or teenagers raise the subject. We hush them into silence. Most times, the curious person goes elsewhere to get the knowledge. Unfortunately, the knowledge may be incorrect, causing problems in the future. Our fear is that if the person has knowledge of sex, he or she would prematurely engage in it. We are wrong.   Sexual education can be done in a controlled and morally-congruent manner. Our attempt to preach chastity before marriage has caused some of us to unknowingly, and unnecessarily, illegitimize sex. Young girls and ladies are often the victims of this improper sexual education. Some of them unconsciously develop phobia for sex.  In most affected women, sex phobia is the problem associate...
Read more

The Unfinished Story

-
Image
Chapter 1 My childhood years were filled with pleasurable times listening to my paternal grandmother tell us stories.  Storytelling in the village square by the popular community storyteller was the pastime of many kids during my grandmother's formative years. "We assembled twice a week under an Obeche tree near the Oba's palace those days to hear Baba Aro's stories," grandma said. He told more fiction than non-fiction, I learned. My grandma was one of the few girls who had a Western education when it was introduced to her community.  The popular vocations then were farming by the men and women, hunting by men alone and weaving by women alone. Most girls were made to work on farms or weave with their mothers. The boys who were smart enough were allowed to receive elementary education that was provided by the Anglican Missionaries in those years. St Thomas Anglican Primary School was the first school in my hometown of Ikere Ekiti. My grandma was glad that she had a...
Read more