CHUMA THE TERROR BY PHILIP BEGHO
Chapter 1
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The village did not know what to do with Chuma. Ever since he was born he was a terror. When he and his twin brother Biayi were newborn babies, Chuma decided he wanted to learn kick-boxing. And who better to use for practice than Biayi?
He would kick Biayi until Biayi's body was crawling with welts. And Biayi, who was the direct opposite in character, unfortunately didn't seem to know how to cry to let people know what was happening.
But this was not the only stunt Chuma pulled as a newborn child. He had another trick called 'Crying All Night' which he carried out at the top of his voice so that the entire village couldn't get a wink of sleep.
His mom discovered that gagging him helped. But this didn't work after he grew his first teeth. He would rip the wad of cloth and attempt to swallow it and of course, would choke and send his mom into fits.
By the time he was five(5), he had perfected all kinds of cruel jokes. His favorite was catching cockroaches and tossing them into the cooking pots of women.
He would laugh and ask to be made a Chief-for giving the women of the village free crayfish.
By twelve(12), he was the unchallenged village bully. His huge size and love for exploring people's bodies with knives and broken bottles gave him free rein of the village.
Nobody knew what to do with that terror that rampaged through the length and breadth of the little, but no longer sleepy village.
One day soon after thirteenth(13) birthday, Chuma bullied Biayi into agreeing to go snail-hunting with him.
"These sacks aren't large enough!" Chuma growled, tearing the sacks Biayi had found for their errand, and thrusting them disdainfully away.
He glared at his mom who was standing by.
"Mother, go and find larger sacks before I get angry!"
His mom went and found gargantuan sacks and returned with lunch boxes too.
"Roasted cocoyam and palm oil to refresh you when you are hungry," she said, offering a box to each of her sons.
Biayi received his food box appreciatively.
"Thanks Mother," he said, "It's very thoughtful of you."
"Mother, is mine extra-large?" Chuma snorted, snapping his box open to look. "What is this?" he yelled when he saw the contents.
"How do you expect this measly thing for fill me?"
"I gave you twice what I gave Biayi," his mom replied.
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"And so?" He shoved the box back into her hands. "If you don't go and put in some more, you will see! I want what he has times three- you hear? TIMES THREE!"
It was only after his mother gave Chuma three times what Biayi had that Chuma piped down and set out.
The path to the river bank was well-trodden and Chuma and Biayi could walk abreast. And so they did. But Chuma didn't seem satisfied. "Come on, you lazy oaf!" he raged at Biayi. "Come on!"
"Why are you harassing me?" Biayi protested. "I'm walking as fast as you."
"No, you're not!"
"Yes, I am!"
"You're not!"
"I am. Can't you see we're abreast?"
"I am walking slowly because of you," Chuma growled. "I don't want to leave you behind, you weakling!"
He suddenly halted in his tracks and grabbed Biayi's arm to hold him back. "Biayi, w-wh-what is that?" He pointed to a figure up ahead along the path.
Biayi squinted. "It looks like a person- a person crouching. Let's go on- we'll know for sure soon enough."
Chuma shook his head and shoved his twin brother forward. "You go."
Biayi moseyed up and saw that it was as he thought. A man was crouching partly in the bushes and partly at the edge of the path.
An old man- shrivelled and small.
"Greetings, Father!" Biayi called.
"My son," the man replied in a hoarse voice, "I'm hungry. Have you any food?"
Biayi opened his food box. "I have some cocoyam, Father, which I'll be glad to share with you."
The man took some of the cocoyam offered. But before he could dip them into the palm oil Biayi was opening out to him, they were snatched!
Snatched by Chuma!
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