Chapter 2: Tribute Pikin and Hungry Spirits

I dey ride white ram, dey look Bajie wey dey lead for front.

Ram back dey hot, my leg dey pain me, but I no fit complain. The wind dey carry dust, make my nose block. Bajie just dey bounce for road, im belly dey shake left and right.

Compared to the other two disciples, na only him dey behave normal small.

E still dey do all im usual waka—dey complain, dey drag leg, dey look food anyhow. I dey watch am with one eye, dey measure how e dey behave.

If na just chop-chop dey worry am, food dey for ram back, we fit even beg for food for road.

I reason say for this kain journey, hunger na small problem compared to wetin my eyes don see. But hunger go always make Bajie talk true.

I reason say I go use am find more gist.

I just ask am like play, "Bajie, wetin una dey chop since?"

I add small laugh, like say I dey joke. Make e no suspect say I dey find answer for life and death matter.

Bajie face change small, but e just laugh, "Master, no vex—na the Women’s Kingdom dey send us tribute pikin."

The way e talk am e be like pesin wey dey talk about jollof rice for party, im eyes dey shine small.

"Tribute pikin?" I ask, dey confuse.

Na so my voice shake, because the word shock me reach bone. For where I come from, nobody dey call pikin tribute.

Bajie carry one sack from the ram back, open am, na so small pikin corpse, each one like fist, just fall for ground.

I hold myself make I no vomit. If not for the fear say dem go notice, I for don shout Holy Mary ten times. "How dem dey allow this kind thing?"

Stomach grip me, I dey hold ram horn tight. The smell from the sack heavy like old crayfish, my eye don tear.

As e dey pick the tribute pikin, e talk, "Master, this one no be anything. For Okpoko Hills, dem get agbalumo tree wey dey need pikin wey dem pick from far, pickle am for three thousand years, sacrifice am for another three thousand, refine am for another three thousand. Just the smell fit add hundred years to your life."

The only agbalumo tree I sabi for Umuahia dey give sweet fruit, no dey chop pikin. I open mouth, but no word wan come out. The kain tori be like those wicked fable wey old women dey use scare pikin for night. Agbalumo tree wey dey chop pikin? Na only for this kain journey.

Sha Seng laugh join. "No know if Master go get luck chop one for the monastery."

The laugh dry, e choke like cough wey wan come out but refuse. My mind dey run; for wetin kind monastery dem dey eat this kain thing? I dey suspect say all of dem get wahala.

That time, white ram just bend head, use im mouth crush one skull—crack!

The sound loud, the ram no even send. E chew am like chewing stick, bone dey break for im mouth. E clear say even animal for this world no get mercy. Even goat for my village no dey wicked reach like this.

"Ah!" I no fit hold am again, I vomit scatter for ground.

My vomit bitter, my eye dey red. My body dey weak, I dey sweat like person wey run marathon under sun. My mind dey scream, but my mouth no fit talk.

【Shine your eye for the fifth person for your team.】

The rule just dey ring for my head.

E dey play for my mind like radio station wey get only one song. My eyes dey move from one disciple to another, dey count, dey suspect everybody, even myself.

If na by order, Sha Seng na the last wey join.

The rule wey say make I no talk to am mean say e dey dangerous.

Or maybe, if you count status, na white ram be the fifth person.

I dey count my finger small-small, like small pikin wey dey learn numbers. For my mind, e no add up.

Or if you no count ram, like that Four Corners Game for street gist, maybe one invisible person dey follow us waka.

E be like when pikin dey play suwe, and spirit dey join game wey nobody fit see. My skin dey crawl.

Some people dey talk say for the original, na here dem kill the real Wukong, then fake one join us.

I dey reason say maybe na here wahala start—if na so, wetin I go do? My hand dey shake, sweat dey my palm.

I look Senior Brother wey just quiet. Na im be the fifth person?

Monkey face steady, but im eyes dey flash like pesin wey dey hide something.

My head start dey pain me again.

Headache dey hammer me afresh, like area boys dey use bottle dey play music for my skull.

As I dey look these three and ram—none of dem normal.

Even the ram wey suppose be innocent, get red eyes like say e dey see things for spirit world.

"Master, we don almost reach." The monkey wey dey scout for front turn back talk.

Im voice dey high, like pesin wey see better market. The joy for im face no reach my own heart.

"Reach where?" I ask, I dey reason say na Flaming Mountain suppose be next.

I dey use style look map for my mind, dey try recall how the journey suppose go. E no add up.

Monkey face just dey shine, e dey happy. "We dey reach Western Heaven!"

Na so e dey dance small for road, im staff dey spin for hand. My heart sink, because I know say na lie dey inside this kain happiness.