A Story About Gold

in WORLD OF XPILAR4 days ago (edited)

TITLE: BENEATH THE MANGROVE


INTRODUCTION

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They say the river does not forget. The water carries memory — of joy, of death, and of gold. In the quiet swamp village of Ogboama, surrounded by thick mangroves and water that shines black under the morning sun, a man would come face to face with a treasure that was never meant to be found.

Him name was Tamuno. A Fisherman. A father. Just a man that wanted to feed his family.

But one early morning, the river gave him more than fish. It gave him gold. And from that moment, life was never the same.


THE DISCOVERY

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Tamuno had been casting his net in the river for more than twenty years. Every morning before the sun rises, he would go to the river, battle with the tides, oil in the water, and the problem of catching small fishes, sometimes catching nothing

But that morning, he paddled a little bit further than usual — close to one part of the mangrove forest where people do not reach. The roots there where as long black fingers growing from the ground.

He didn't expect anything big — just a good catch. But as he threw in his net, it hooked, it was as heavy as a wet log, his heart started to but fast. Maybe it was a big catch, or maybe nothing.

When he finally pulled it up after struggling, what he saw was no fish.

It was a golden idol. Small, human-like figure with old symbols. It half some markings on it that glowed under the rising sun. And it was heavier than it looked.

Tamuno just stared at it. It was no ordinary gold. It felt as if it was alive.


THE VISIONS BEGIN

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That night, Tamuno could not sleep. It wasn't just fear, but something deeper.

In the dream, he saw ships. Not a canoe, but big, foreign ships. Men who were chained from their hands to their necks. A white man; the captain (a foreigner) giving orders. The water was filled with blood. Gold was melted into different shapes. And among the things — that same idol.
He woke up sweating and then turned to where the idol was, and it looked like it was looking at him.

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The next night, he dreamt of one priestess. Her face was full of white chalk, she was weeping as soldiers carried the idol. She screamed to the sky in an ancient language which Tamuno did not understand.

Then the voice came. Heavy, calm, but sad.

“Return me… or drown in your greed.”


THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOLD AND PEACE

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At first, Tamuno hid the gold. But the gold could not be easily hidden, due its strong shine. One of the boys in the village who passed in front of the house saw the shine through window cracks.

Before three days passed, the whole village started to talk. Some people come with offers from neighbouring towns, people even came from as far as Port Harcourt. Others with kind offers, while some even threatened him.

Then one night, his house was broken into by armed boys with cutlasses. But Tamuno was not a weak man, he fought them, chased them. But he knew this idol had cursed him, and it started with his peace.

But how could he let it go like that? With this kind of money, his children would go to a better school. He could buy a big boat, his future would change.

Yet every night, the dreams came back. Pain, chain, death.

“You are holding sorrow, not wealth.”


THE ELDER’S WARNING

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Tamuno finally went to meet mama Ebi, the oldest woman for Ogboama often known as mama-ancient. She was small, but was full of knowledge.

She touched the idol, and at once shouted

“You have awakened what was buried with blood for peace.”

She began to tell the story her grandmother told her of a kingdom that worshipped gold more than gods. When the whites came for slavery, they gave the idol to the whites to save themselves.

But instead of peace, war, betrayal, destruction and death followed.

The last priestess buried the idol under the mangrove when no one would find it again, to lock the curse. Until Tamuno did.

“This gold is full of sorrow, you would not have joy and peace with it.”


THE DECISION

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That night, Tamuno sat at the riverbank. The gold in his hand. It was heavy, but very beautiful as well. It was dangerous.

He remembered his children laughing. How his wife hums as she cooks pepper soup.

Then he remembered the vision. The blood. The voice.

At first light, he paddled back to the mangrove.

He didn't say much. He just whispered a small prayer. Then gently, he returned the idol to the roots of the mangrove.

The mud swallowed it like nothing happened.

The Water rippled briefly. And then it became calm.

That night, Tamuno slept very comfortably and peace returned


CONCLUSION

Gold can mean different things to different people.

For some, it's money. For others, it's power. But for those that know the true origin of gold — there's more to it. Because gold carries memory. Sometimes bright, sometimes bitter.

Tamuno understood that not all treasures are meant to be kept. Some, are you remain where they are hidden; where the river hides them - beneath the mangrove


AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This story is fictitious with a blend of cultural history, mystery and the struggle we face in the modern age. Inspired by the Nigerian Delta life and the history of colonialism, the characters, idol and villages are not real.

There are many things that hide beneath rivers, even mangroves . Sometimes, it's better fish. Sometimes… it's history, even memories.

I invite @imohmitch @mr-peng @promisezella to participate in this contest.

Sort:  
 4 days ago 

Upvoted! Thank you for supporting witness @jswit.

Thanks for participating in the contest

 2 days ago (edited)

In the tranquil swamp village of Ogboama "UNDER THE MANGROVE"

Greetings, @samuelbrilliant
I'm Sultan-Aceh from Aceh.

I got goosebumps reading your story, a man who wanted to provide for his family and found a golden idol with his net.

Yes... gold is not easy to hide because of its strong luster. Like a pure and clean heart, no one would like to see someone who possesses that golden luster.

Thankfully, the finder gently returned the idol to the mangrove roots, and the mud swallowed it as if nothing had happened. And it was nice to hear Tamuno sleeping so comfortably and the peace in his life was back to normal.

Heeeemmmm
Your story is very gentle, but very tense at the beginning.
It's a pleasure to read your story, my friend.

hilsen @sultan-aceh

Thank you sir, for taking out time to read my story.

yeah...you're welcome, I do like reading, sometimes I just keep quiet without commenting :)

Hola @samuelbrilliant, has compartido una misteriosa historia, llena de suspenso incluso. A veces se pueden hallar cosas que lejos de generarnos tranquilidad nos generan lo contrario.
He sabido de pueblos donde se creen en ciertas cosas, en evitar algunas zonas, y es de respetarse, cada cultura tiene sus creencias.
Buen escrito, gracias por participar en el concurso.

 yesterday 

Иногда золото нужно найти для решения проблемы, но иногда надо от него избавиться... для решения проблемы...
У каждого свой путь :)