30/08/2026
THE BETRAYAL OF THE GOLDEN CALABASH
Chapter Three: The Forest
Obinna wandered for days until he reached a small settlement deep in the forest.
There, an old woman named Mama Nneka found him.
“You look like a man carrying a heavy burden,” she said.
Obinna told her everything.
Mama Nneka listened carefully.
Then she said, “A lie can travel around the village before the truth puts on its shoes. But truth always finds its way home.”
Obinna stayed with her and worked on her farm.
Meanwhile, back in Akunwa, Chike became richer.
He took control of Obinna's farmland and began selling the harvest.
But something strange happened.
His crops began failing.
The palm trees produced almost no fruit.
His animals became sick.
And every night, Chike dreamed about their father.
In the dream, Eze Nwosu stood beneath the old iroko tree and said:
“A man who steals from his brother steals from himself.”
Chike would wake up sweating.
Still, he refused to confess.