Part 5 (2)

"Look at my uncle! I had never seen him in this childish state." Suzie spoke to Babida who giggled.
"Oh, let me hang fast these clothes and hopefully within the next three hours, they would be dry.” declared the young maiden as she remembered.
Suzie placed the outfits on top of the plant's leaves as uncle Bibi came out of the water.
"What a replenishing river! I feel like in my twenties." The elderly man confessed.
He cut a few leaves that he wrapped around his waist and commenced moving them circularly at t a slow then rapid pace. The moves were those of the Batang empire's folkloric dance, the Sambasiko.
Suzie tried hard to contain herself but when uncle Bibi made his special move by slowing down the waist shake, then pausing and standing immobile before sweeping the floor with his right foot, the young maiden laughed out loud till she got a mild stomach ache.
"My Commander, what a terrific performance right there! You're an artistic virtuoso." Babida said, amazed.
"Alright, enough! Uh! Let me take a break!" Uncle Bibi uttered and sat on the grass.
"Come sit next to me, my children!" The elderly man invited his niece Suzie and the lumberjack who did as they were asked.
"Fine! Now listen to me with the utmost attention!" Uncle Bibi required from his companions.
He started recounting a tale.
"Once upon a time, there was in Ekule village a twenty-year-old young and strong man. He enrolled in the imperial army and was very proud of it.
However, after a few months of serving His Majesty with great devotion, the gentleman felt very sad, for he was lonely and had no woman by his side.
One day he went on an imperial mission to Okunde and a sunny afternoon like this one, his comrade Radi took him to the river.
Upon their arrival, they found two beautiful sisters of almost the same age as them who were catching little fishes with rattan baskets which they used like nets.
The siblings looked alike, for they were twins. Nonetheless, they had different heights and sizes. One sister was taller and thinner than the other and was courted by the young man's friend, Radi.
The shorter and bigger sister melted the gentleman's heart. He instantly madly fell in love with her and regularly invited her to this stream in the afternoon and they entertained themselves till almost the last sun rays.
One day the young man invited again the girl but she didn't come. And as if the spirit of misfortune had plotted against the gentleman, he had chosen that day to propose to her to get married to him.
He was hence disheartened and for days he couldn't sleep at night and hardly ate.
Ultimately his mission in Okunde was over and he returned to his unit in the imperial city Ekule and ever since he never found love again.
That unlucky lover is your old uncle Bibi right here." The middle-aged man concluded his story.
The two lovebirds, Babida the lumberjack, and the young maiden Suzie looked at a regretful uncle Bibi and they held him by each of his hands to express their compassion.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Suddenly the woodsman grasped a familiar sound.
"Wait a minute! Is that a snake noise?" He said as he hastily rose to grab his axe.
Frightened, Suzie and uncle Bibi stood up as well and stayed behind the lumberjack.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
The noise repeated more intensely, then a green and nervous mamba about one meter long popped up from the grass.
"Oh! Oh! Guys, we are about to have nice snake meat for lunch." exclaimed Babida.
The logger thereupon with incredible dexterity and rapidity beheaded the reptile.
"Now, let's make fire and grill this excellent bush meat!" He declared.
"Let me do that, young man!" said uncle Bibi as he collected two stones on the ground.
"Just bring me a few fagots !" He added.
Suzie heard her uncle and walked to the other end of the bush, picked up some wood sticks, and came back to the position of her companions.
They joined their efforts and together successfully made fire. Then Suzie took the snake's body to the stream and cleansed and stripped off its skin before returning to the fire to smoke the reptile.
A festive ambiance was therefore created. Babida and uncle Bibi began to sketch Sambasiko moves. The young miss Suzie watched her companions' euphoric moment while roasting the mamba.
An hour later, the color of the reptile's flesh had changed from white to slightly black and its fine odor sharpened the appetite.
"Hey big men, lunch is ready!" Suzie called the lumberjack and uncle Bibi who were now lying on the grass, recuperating from their energy-consuming dance.
The two giants rose and met the young maiden around the fire. She cut a bunch of plant leaves that were used as dishes and placed the hot grilled snake on top.
"Gentleman, let's get started!" said Suzie as she gave the kickoff by pinching some of the animal's flesh and putting the piece in her papillae.
Babida and uncle Bibi sliced the snake too and savored its combined chicken-fish taste.
The three companions ate up their repast and were full. They lay on the grass to digest and started feeling drowsy. So they dozed till…
"Comrade, please rise!" said an imperial sentinel while lightly shaking Babida with his right hand.
"Late Governor's aide-de-camp, Polo, is asking for your presence in the administrative headquarters." He added.
Babida woke up, as well as uncle Bibi and the young maiden Suzie who heard the imperial messenger.
The three companions quickly ran to the stream and splashed water on their faces, and wore on their outfits which had long dried.