Out of desperation, chief Ajere took the leader of the new Church in the kingdom along with two of his assistance to see the king. The Church had been denied approval to acquire land to build a church.
When he was given audience, the church leader preached to king Ojopagogo, and he would have converted him, if not because he had being to Europe, and privy to the rebellion against religion there, he was an atheist who beliefs Darwin theory of evolution.
After the preaching, the church leader asked to pray for the entire people in the palace, the Queen who was hearing impaired partially in her left ear got her healing, though king Ojopagogo was the only one that knows about this problem apart from her parent, he insisted he must test her claim.
He spoke to the defective ear, facing his lips away so that she won’t be able to read it, and she recoiled, after that she repeated what he had said, and added that he had spoken too loud.
There were other testimonies too, that the whole palace was in celebration mood, Dagunro was easily won by the signs, and he whispered to the king to tell the church leader about his problem about the snake ritual, because the seven days ultimatum elapse in three days.
But king Ojopagogo was hesitant, “I heard you needed a land to start your church here in my kingdom?”
“Yes”, the church leader answered elated that the king might approve their request.
“Have you presented all the necessary papers?” the king continued.
“Yes your Highness”.
“I think we should grant this request without further delay”, The Queen was eager, and she spoke the mind of chief Ajere, the king’s mother and all other people present.
“Come back tomorrow, I have to carry the council of chiefs along over this”, King Ojopagogo told the Church people.
The church leader departed, and went back to continue to pray that God will grant them the favour of the king.
The council of chief were invited and they perfected the king’s plan, Ajere was not allow in the council meeting because he had a vested interest in the matter, more so, because they don’t want their plot leaked to the church leader and his assistant.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Chief Asubiaro has not at any time approved of the king’s decision before except on this matter, he offered to be the spoke person for the kingdom at the meeting with the church leader, he was against the kind of uncompromising Christianity the church represent, there were Churches at the Kingdom that does not bother anybody, so long they get their tithe.
At the meeting he started, “We have considered your request to start a church in our kingdom”, even the church leader were surprise that chief Asubiaro could smile over their request, they never knew he has hidden intention, “though there is scarcity of land, but we have found a very good location for you”.
“Praise the Lord”. The church leader shouted, and his assistance responded out of enthusiasm.
“Halleluiah!”
But chief Ajere suppressed his excitement he knew chief Asubiaro cannot be trusted. As he waited to hear everything the other wanted to say before celebrating.
“The only land available is the evil forest, will you accept our offer?” Chief Asubiaro revealed.
“This is wicked your highness”, Ajere protested before the church leader could speak, addressing himself to the king, “That forest is swimming with evil snakes, that is not without talking about the blood sucking python”.
King Ojopagogo love the reaction he is getting, he turned to the church leader, “you claimed your God can do everything?”
“Yes! There is no impossibility with my God”. The church leader said.
All the head in the council chiefs’ wing at the conference room nodded mischievously.
The king also nodded, he chose his opening remark to trap the church leader, “because the evil forest we are offering you is full of evil, no man has ever gone there and returned alive”.
There was devilish grin on the lips of all the chiefs, chief Ajere knew it was the end of the road, the church have to move elsewhere to establish the church, the only way they will take the offered is if they want to commit suicide.
“We will take the land”, the church leader surprised everybody, He was not afraid by the entire story they have heard.
King Ojopagogo smiled, he knew the church leader won’t be this enthusiastic when he hear the rest of what he was going to say. “Apart from the evil in the forest, there is a big python, the biggest python in the world, I have seen it myself, and the forest is so thick you will hardly be able to find your way in there”.
“Shall we go this minute?” The church leader seems to be impatient.
“Pastor you don’t want to go there”. Chief Ajere tried to talk the church leader out of the plan.
“Don’t you worry, God is in control”. The church leader assured.
“Choose somebody among you to go and show them the forest”. The king directed at the chiefs.
All the chiefs dodge the responsibility, the mere mention of the forest is scary enough without going near it.
The priest of the snake god stepped forward, nothing will gladdens his heart more than to see the new religion ridicule, “let me take them”. He was on his way as he speaks.
“I will go with you”. The king decided to see how things will play out for himself too.
“Me too”, chief Asubiaro said. His confidence was because the priest of the snake god was going to lead the way to the forest, this same reason also prompted the other chiefs to follow, as well as every other person at the palace.
The priest lead the way, while the king, chief Asubiaro, the church leaders followed, the entire council of chiefs follow at a distance, and as they approach the evil forest, the news spread all over the kingdom, informing a instant gathering of a great crowd, who came along, abandoning their business to see what will happen.
The king and Chief Asubiaro stopped before they got to the entrance of the forest, while the priest of the snake god go a little further, but stop at the entrance of the forest itself, where he usually make his sacrifice, he has never gone past the spot, “that is your land”. He pointed out the evil forest to the church leaders and his assistance.
Eagerly, the church leader proceeded with his assistance to survey the land, they only quoted from the scripture, “the earth is the Lord and the fullness thereof...”, and the other scriptures like, “You shall possess as inheritance every land you feet touch....”
The news had spread quickly and the whole citizen of the kingdom had gathered craning their neck from the outside of the forest to see what will happen, they except the assistance of the Church leader to fled the evil forest after the python might have swallowed their leader.
Whereas, the church leader for a long distance did not see anything, until they were seeing the ocean at a distance. Suddenly there was a thunder, followed by a sound like a rushing wind, they saw an amazing mass of snakes, of various kinds fleeing their sight and heading to the ocean.
“Halleluiah thank you Jesus!” The church leader began, and his assistance echoed after him.
They went ahead singing victorious song in the name of Jesus, and from the shade of a giant tree, whose trunk was as big as a house, and so tall that the branches were hidden in the cloud, rose up a mighty and terrifying python.
For once the church leader were scared, as they watch the python rose to it full length and slammed itself down, and rose to it full length and crashed with full force on the ground , it did the same on the third time and went still, then they realised the python was dead.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The python reached so high above the trees that the citizen of the kingdom waiting outside the evil forest saw it and they heard and felt the shock waves as it hit the ground.
On the first time they all fled, they assumed they had provoked the gods, and there will be consequence, some were reducing their pace when they heard the second and the third crashed landing, and they run
further.
None of them retired to their home, they were eager to know what had happen to the church leaders, it was a small child that alerted them that the church leaders were coming out from the forest.
As the church leaders were not running like the people expected, and there was none missing among them, the whole people present went consciously back to meet them, in case there is some mystery to the whole thing.
“The python is dead”. The church leaders announced, “but it was too heavy we cannot drag it out all by ourselves”.
“How, what killed it?” The priest of the snake gods demanded with doubt in his voice. He was set to give up his faith, if the snake is really dead.
Though it was obvious, the only way the church leader and his assistance will come out alive from the evil forest was if the python is dead, but this was beyond his imagination.
“Please!” Chief Asubiaro pleaded, “you obviously carry no weapon, how then did you kill the python, and with what?”
The church leader explained what happen to them, and everybody concluded it could only be a miracle.
“Just that?” King Ojopagogo found himself asking.
When the church leader nodded, one of his assistance shouted, “praise the Lord”.
“Halleluiah”.
The whole of the evil forest was given to the Church for free. All the priest of various gods were converted at a swoop, the church who were in the kingdom before converted to the Deeper Lifer, that a journalist will later describe the incident as the gospel revolution where even the god repented.
EPILOGUE
All the Chiefs repented, Chief Asubiaro did something spectacular at his water Baptism, he brought along a carve image of one of his god and told the Pastor to baptised it, but the Pastor told him he has to forsake the idol, that informed the burning of all idols in the Kingdom.
After their conversion, all the Chiefs made restitution, given back all they have stolen from the Kingdom, they mobilized the effort they once use to loot for the development of the Kingdom.
Chief Asubiaro took it upon himself that he pushed every project beyond limit, insisting that the King deserves the best, and in no time the Kingdom has been transformed, and it was ranked as the fastest developing kingdom in the whole world.
King Ojopagogo did not convert, he was sceptical, thinking that the new convert will soon run out of steam like it happen in Europe, and their devotion will turn to lip service. He expects the Deeper Lifer to compromise it stand on holiness soon, and the chief will return to looting.
In King Ojopagogo’s opinion, people like Asubiaro can never change, but he was wrong, three years after Chiefs Asubiaro had repented, He denounce his Chieftain title and become an evangelist, the mission took him out of the Kingdom.
The kingdom was going strong fifty years after that religious revolution that even King Ojopagogo had to accept Jesus.
###
About the Author
Ojay Kaikai is a born writer, he has published articles on numerous online news paper like Ynaija.com, he writes fiction and address issues like religion, politics, science, etc with the aim to entertain and inform his audience. he lives in Nigeria, and he is single.
Connect with Me online
Email:
[email protected] My blog:ojaykaikai.blogspot.com
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends