My dad was once a member of an association of 10–12 members where they team up to help one another with farm work in a rotational manner. Whenever it's farm day, the owner of the farm entertains them with a large portion of food, and this food can't be cooked by one person alone. The wife of the owner of the farm always beckon on neighbours to help her out.
It got to my dad's turn, and it was fixed to happen in June (rainy season). They knew the risk attached, but they all wished and believed that there would be no rain that day.
The day came, and my mom woke up very early with her team to prepare pounded yam and Egusi soup.
Around 7:00 a.m., every member of the association assembled in our house to firstly get energised with alcohol before they set off together.
They were enjoying the kegs of palm wine while my dad was busy arranging tools, and suddenly, the weather changed to darkness with a cold breeze, and I felt goosebumps on my skin.
"My God, not today!" My dad cried out because his day was about to be ruined.
Should he call off the farm? What about the food that's almost ready? His face totally changed, filled with disappointment.
Then one man among them, Mr. Festus, got up and announced while beating his chest, "Do not worry, I'm a rainmaker; I will chase off the rain before your eyes."
We thought he was under the influence of alcohol, but one man among them confirmed that Mr. Festus used to be a rainmaker.
With that, My dad felt relief and smiled once more.
My dad tied everything on the bike, and we were set to go. The cold wind was something else, and I was scared of being beaten by rain in case we were caught on the way. Yes, there was a rainmaker in our misdt, but it's not guaranteed (as I thought).
I quickly went to my room and picked up a big transparent nylon to be used to cover myself in case rain starts.
We all set off to the farm on motorcycles, in the midst of the humid weather. As we were going, the sky was getting darker as if the cloud was going to release the water very soon.
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Luckily for us, we got to the farm without the dark weather emptying itself on us.
Mr. Festus took his cutlass and entered the bush to search for herbs to be used in his magic. In a few minutes, he came back, brought out the herbs and tied it to a stick, he made a fire in the farm house, and placed the herbs close to the fire. According to him, as long as the fire is continuously hitting the herbs, there'll be no rain.
"Onye Idibia!"(Native doctor). We applauded him and set out to work as a way of telling the dark weather that we're stronger than its whole entity.
Just 10 minutes into the work, heavy rain began to pour as if someone was pouring down water with a bucket from the cloud.
"Kingsley, go and put more firewood on the fire; put dry gin in your mouth and pour it on the fire!" Mr. Festus said from the spot he was working.
"Yes sir!" I saw that as opportunity to leave the rain because I was feeling cold already, I dropped my wooden cutlass and ran off to the farm house, totally drenched.
I quickly added some firewood to the fire, poured a dry gin in my mouth, circulated it in my mouth like a native man, and poured it with force on the fire, and a big flame of fire sprang up, and I became shocked. I had forgotten that dry gin catches fire.
I did that three times and expected the heavy downpour to stop, but no way; in fact, its intensity increased with lightnings, thunderstruck and heavy wind that was falling yam stakes. The wind was so strong that it was trying to pull off the roof of the farm house.
With the intensity of the storm, I was expecting them to come out from the rain to take cover, but they stayed put, and maybe they were enjoying the cold rain because I was hearing their loud talk, or maybe they were trying to consider my dad in order not to allow the day to waste like that, considering the fact that food has been cooked.
After 10mins or so, I had forgotten that I was to put pressure on the fire to quench the rain. I just sat beside the fire to romance my cold body with the heat, and suddenly, I heard footsteps of people running towards the farm house. I got up to check, and it was them rushing to the farm house.
They were drenched, dirty with sands due to work nature, and some of them were fidgeting because of the cold.
As soon as they entered, they took turns to banter with Mr. Festus, the rainmaker.
Then the worst happened; the heavy wind pulled off one of the zincs on the roof and it flew away.
I adjusted to the place that has cover while my dad and three others went for the roof and fixed it back inside the rain.
The rain got satisfied around 1:00 p.m., and it stopped. What a wasted day!
Thanks for reading