"Do you remember? Those days when we sat under the mango trees and heard those jingling sounds that we longed for since we were younger? It was somehow scary, and I couldn't believe it," i said, the words flowing freely from my mouth, as though i have no care in the world
" He turned and walked back towards the farm, his dark skin shining brightly against the environs. The sun was harsh that day, and my throat burned slightly. When he returned, he packed some yams and we began our journey home.
"Hmm... Do you believe in those stories?" I asked
" The stories of the old man who rides around late at night jingling his bicycle just to get attention?" Tunde asked, clearly perplexed that i believed them
" You know, the things we fear the most are usually the things we cant see," he added, murmuring almost to himself.
" But i heard the bells of his bicycle jingle" i said enthusiastically
" You should be careful with the way you speak,Tola," Tunde warned again but this time with a stern expression on his face.
He started moving fast, moving faster than i could keep up with. I shouted for him to slow down, and then i heard the jingling sounds again which started fading faintly into the background.
Hmm," I said to myself. I am definitely not hearing things. As i turned to check where the sound was coming from, a dark figure emerged, walking gently towards me. I froze in fear, then ran towards my brother, who had stopped under an orchard tree to wait for me.
"What took you so long?" He asked in an exasperated tone.
"I almost saw the jingling man," i said. It was the name given to the man we believed rode a jingling bicycle late at night.
"You and your delusions again. Let's just hurry home," he snapped
"Dad must be waiting for us"
" I am not being delusional!" I shouted, convinced within myself i was right.
He stared at me in disbelief and signaled to me to keep moving.
Around 12:30pm, the jingling sounds echoed again, but this time they were more pronounced with footsteps. The noise was so loud that it woke most of the villagers. I gasped for air praying silently for it to end
My brother rushed to my side and peeked through the window. He turned his back towards me and laughed saying "it is not that bad after all". Suddenly, the dark figure appeared at our window. I screamed holding my breath in shock. I was terribly afraid but my brother calmed me down assuring me that it was not as terrible as it seems. The dark figure as if sensing that the atmosphere was not right for it, vanished.
Relieved, my brother looked at me to be sure i was alright. I nodded. Then he whispered,
"Tola... You were right.
" I told you so, " i murmured, disappointed that he hadn't believed me since.
After much deliberations, we agreed to sleep in order to quiet our fears and think about it the following day.
The chirping of birds woke me the next morning. I opened my eyes slowly, gauging my environment to see if i was not still dreaming.
I turned and saw my elder brother approaching. He told me about the town crier's announcement. The king had summoned every villager to the palace that evening. News of the jingling bells and the dark figure had reached him.
My brother apologised for doubting me. I forgave him and hugged him, letting go of our differences.
That evening, we headed to the king's palace. Luckily we saw our father and quickly went to sit beside him. The villagers were already gathered, waiting for the king's arrival. Few minutes later, the king arrived with some of the bodyguards. We greeted him, the males prostrated while the females knelt down and we shouted in unison "our king" (ka-bi-ye-si). He acknowledged our greetings and welcomed us formally.
He said he has been wanting to tell us about the " jingling man and the dark figure" and he is here to reveal himself to us.
We stood there quietly listening to the sounds around us. Then way off, in the distance a dark figure started to come towards us. At first it was a shadow, really vague and mysterious.. As it got closer the jingling sound got louder and suddenly we could see it more clearly. The man was wearing a red coat, his white beard was shining in the moonlight and the bells he was wearing were jingling. The red coat was a deep color and the man's white beards were long and fluffy. They were glinting in the moonlight. The jingles of the bells were loud and clear now.
The whole village just stopped and marvelled. They could not believe what was happening. Then it was like we all figured out what was really going on at the time. The man introduced himself as "Father Christmas" and then told us, he came here to give us gifts on Christmas day
The villagers laughed, they felt a little nervous. They were relieved. "Really, a man who will give me gifts on Christmas day"
My brother laughed and looked at me saying " it is not that bad after all"
