Esame and Etta refused to play kolo with me.

'Please stand far o, I heard that when a mad man bites you, you become mad with him'

'I am not mad- I promise please, is it not you people that ate my agidi the day before yesterday? please na, I am not mad, please pass it to me' I begged and begged them, they ignored me and kept passing the bottle to themselves, laughing and moving with each other.

This is how the past months have been, I have been accused of madness, they say that I am not sane in mind, that my knots have gone loose and my brain is no longer hinged in place. This is all his fault. This is all Ete Napo's fault, Ete Napo- my father has been building this house with cement, he has spent all of our savings on this weird thing. In Iko, we are known as the glass city- all our houses are made of glass, tempered glass- our houses are luxurious, they cannot be compared with the thatch and mud houses that the other towns boast of - ours is luxurious. Well, not for Ete Napo- the house we live in is cement, common ordinary cement! On our street, the other houses eye our statue, they laugh with their open windows and glare at it from their transparent view. Every time I walk down the road, I dodge when someone comes on the road- I roam and roam then run in when no one is looking.

Our people are architects.

Our dimensions are clear, our vision is clearer- the last time people heard of cement houses was over 1000 years ago! Cement houses now? we are even working on teleporting mechanisms! see, my people have single-handedly transported to the past - the only place where such an old and unheard structure exists is there!

Ekaette was supposed to get married, but she had to take them to Uncle Asem's house because God forbid that they find out that she is Pa Napo's daughter. Pa Napo, a paranoid old man that lives in a cave, hidden away from reality.

Every day he would wake up by 6 am, he was the chief architect of our community - he designed the empire's quarters all by himself! he was a man of esteemed glory, and one day - shortly after I was born, my mother told me that he destroyed our glass house, the second glass house to exist after the emperor's quarters! he brought it all down and built a cement house, cement!

Cement was so scarce that up till today, he still had not finished building his archaic museum, over 14 years later.

I pleaded with him, my mother asked him if he was a caveman or worse a 2023 human. who lives in Cement Pa Napo? He would only say

'Something is coming and you people will see it'

He scheduled meetings with the architect's forum, and time after time he suggested to them to tear down the glass structure and build cement walls- his reason always was given: Something will fall from the sky.

The weather forecast of Iko showed rain and sun, that is all we ever had- our climate has been studied- our ozone layer was protected, all industrial harm had been taken away, and we are safe Ete! But he will never listen.

I open the large wooden frame in shame and slide in immediately like butter on bread

'Where from Ita ?'

Pa Napo stood towering over me

"Pa, I went out to play Kolo with-'

'I have told you Ita, in the 7th hour of the day- you must be found inside this house, inside this house! Have I not told you? '

'Pa this is not a house! This is not a house! Why are you doing this to us? Mma has left because everyone called her crazy for marrying you. Ekaette cannot even bring her husband here because she is ashamed. yes ASHAMED Papa, do you even know that she is getting married tomorrow? What are you doing? we were once a happy family - you have ruined us!'

I stood and waited for my fate, I readied my face for the slap that would come flying, and I prepared my head for any available knocks, my back as well I arranged for hits and my leg i agreed on the idea of being kicked. I looked into Pa Napo's face, a tear rolled down his cheek

'Something is coming' He turned his back and left.

Enough is Enough.

I arranged my belongings and that day, I stepped out of death into life.

~~~~~~

Ekaete's wedding was a blast

I ate until my stomach begged me, and as I danced the food jiggled in me to the piano and drums as they clashed in perfect conflict, mama drank until her eyes rolled, and Ekaette's children danced on the poll until money ran out of the men's pocket.

'Kai this party is fun o!' Esame remarked, Immediately I left that house, my life fell in place- we danced and danced until it was the 7th hour - I got up to quickly run home as was Ete's rule to always be home in the 7th hour. I sat back when I realized that I was free from the clutches of death and the law, I ate more kebabs and laughed.

The rains started.

We all ran outside the hall and danced as the rain kissed our skins, Etta brought out his Kolo and we went mental!

We were drenched in the Euphoria, wow life has so much to offer - it is really us that misses the point, I look around and my heart aches for Pa Napo, all alone in his cave - no one to talk to, well i guess he chose that life and it is his lot to live, a life with so much fear- he does not want to live life - how many years of dying and just existing? I deserve to be happy so I closed my eyes and let go, I opened my mouth and tasted the rain.

'Ah, why did you throw me to stone ?' I turned to Etta when I felt the painful "Ko' on my head, I rubbed the spot and looked at him'

'which stone?" he looked at me puzzled.

Then it came crashing down.

'What is this ?"

'Is it raining--i-c-e ?"

We started screaming and seeking cover, we were running into the hall when it came crashing down, we ran to the emperor's palace but before we could get it, it started to break as well - everything came crashing - the glass cutting and slicing flesh, the hail beating us into pulp. my one eye was gone. The anarchy broke open, children left their children to seek solace, and husbands deserted their wives. Seeking to preserve our lives, we were losing it.

'Wait, what of Pa Napo? The - the house is built of cement!'

It was just me and Ekaette that ran up to the end of the road - before we could cross - Okoli's house collapsed and she was caught in the rumble of glass, I tried to pull her out - her blood laughed at me, but it flowed statically, the pieces of glass stopping it at the different times. I abandon her body and I run. I run and run, the hail stomping on my frame - I hear Pa's voice 'Be home at the 7th hour', 'Something is coming' - oh God help us.

I pounded and pounded

The tears mixed with the blood.

'Papa, It has come! It has come, it has come o'