Only he who is pure of heart can go away with this Staff, the impure will be trapped in the shrine. Are any of you ready to enter the Shrine of Haburuza, the god of liberty and purity?
We stood there trembling and reluctant to take any further steps because of what the Priestess had said. As we battle with fear, we were also motivated by the prize attached to bringing the lost staff to Ezumuzu Kingdom.
Philip made the first move. He is a man known by the community for his act of benevolence. When we saw him, we thought that he would come out victorious but to our surprise, he was trapped inside.
This man is a hypocrite. He is a fetish man who uses acts of benevolence as a mere strategy to cover up his evildoing. He is responsible for the death of his wife.
At this point, we became speechless. It was difficult to believe that Mr. Philip is gone forever. Those of us remaining decided to return home safely even without the staff than to be trapped and turned into a wooden structure like Philip.
Part of me was motivated to move into the shrine and pick up the staff but the thought of making my wife a widow kept me firm in the ground.
There is someone among you who has lived a good life since birth but has suffered greatly at the hands of his relatives. The gods want to change your life, come and fulfill your destiny.
I felt that these words were for me. Moved by energy which I can't explain its source, I entered the Shrine and came out with the Staff.
Hail our king, Hail our Liberator, were sung by the rest of our group.
My son, your good heart was seen by the gods. Before the former king died, he begged the gods to only allow one who will have the people's interest at heart to succeed him. In the whole Ezumuzu Kingdom, you stood out as the best candidate. Go and rule over the kingdom. I know you have suffered a lot from relatives, do not pay evil for evil, and do not allow power to change you.
I thanked her and we returned to our kingdom. As the proverb goes, the death that will kill a dog takes its sense of smell away. Mr. Ezeanaka, my uncle, came to the Palace three days after my coronation. He pretended to come for forgiveness. As we were drinking and chatting, I went inside to get some clothes for him since I have decided to appoint him as a member of my cabinet. He took the opportunity to try to poison my drink but was struck by lightning.
He died after confessing all he has done to me and my wife.
His remains weren't given a proper burial but thrown into the forest for the birds of the air to feed on.
