# Hunting_The_Wind
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Episode 3
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After they got home, baba Krisa ordered that she
got on her knees right in the middle of the
compound. By this time, Krisa was already crying
aloud and neighbors were gathering to watch the
drama that was unfolding right before their eyes.
Baba Krisa: “I am going to ask you for the last
time. Who is responsible for your pregnancy?”
There was a pause and all that could be heard
was Krisa sniffing.
Baba Krisa: “Are you dead? I said who is
responsible for the child in your womb?” he
barked and brought his horse whip heavily over
her shoulder. She let out a loud scream and some
of the neighbors who were bold enough entered
the compound from where they were hanging and
watching the drama from the short mud fence
that surronded the house.
Neighbor 1: “It is okay, baba Kris. You have to be
very patient with your daughter else you will end
up killing her yourself. Children of nowadays can
be very stubborn o, the beating is okay like that,
please” an elderly man said.
Baba Kris: “this girl wants to kill me before my
time. I don’t know what I have done to deserve
such an embarrassment from her. I am a poor
man like you all know but I try my best to feed my
family from what I make from farming and my
motorcycle rounds. God knows that I cannot
afford to pay the fees of a private school and that
is why I enrolled her in a public school. Many
people have graduated from that same public
school and they are making their parents proud
but this one went to school and took it upon
herself to follow men all about. Now she is
pregnant and you say I should not force the
name of the father of the baby out of her mouth?”
Neighbor 2: “you have every right to be angry, my
brother. In fact, there is nobody in your shoes
that will not be angry at what this girl has done.
Several times I have seen her in questionable
places with different boys and I would call her
aside and talk to her so you see, you have the
right to get angry but there are better ways of
going about it. You should take her into the room
and talk to her gently thereby saving her this
embarrassment” one of their female distant
relations said to him.
Mama Krisa: “that is what I have been saying to
him. Let us go inside and question her, see the
way people are gathering as if we are staging a
play here. Before you know it now, our names will
be the topic of gossips in the village”
Baba Krisa: “this girl that has already dragged my
name into the mud is the person you are saying I
shouldn’t embarrass? I will embarrass her the way
she has been embarrassing me with her actions.
Mama Krisa, don’t allow me change it for you o”
he warned his wife.
His wife shrugged her shoulders and showed him
his palms in resignation.
Baba Krisa: “now you, who is responsible for your
pregnancy?” he said to his daughter.
Krisa did not say anything and so he got back to
beating her again. When he had beaten her to his
satisfaction, he ordered her into the room and
compelled his wife not to give her anything to eat
until she was ready to disclose the owner of her
pregnancy.
As soon as her husband went out, mama Krisa
took food in a bowl and took it to her daughter’s
room. She set it beside her.
Mama Krisa: “why are you doing this to yourself,
my daughter? Why don’t you want to disclose the
identity of the man who got you pregnant? Why
are you protecting him and hurting yourself in the
process? Look at how bruised you look, you know
that your father would not take it easy with you if
you don’t speak up, please tell me who is
responsible, it breaks my heart to see a girl that I
gave birth to suffering this much because of a
man who doesn’t even care about you” she
pleaded.
Krisa: “mama, just leave me alone o, you are the
cause of all these in the first place” she said
rudely.
Mama Krisa: “how are my the cause? Have I ever
asked you to go out with a man before?”
Krisa: “ee..is it not you that told my father that
you caught me vomiting and so I was pregnant?
If you didn’t tell him that I was pregnant, all these
wouldn’t have happened”
Mama Krisa: “I am your mother and I mean well
for you, that does not mean that I should shield
you and encourage you to become wayward”
Krisa: “then leave me alone, what is it? Shebi you
have achieved what you want? Leave me alone
now, hiah!”
Mama Krisa: “Krisa! Why are you this stubborn?
When will you ever change?”
Krisa: “mtcheww” she hissed.
Mama Krisa: “Anyway, that is your food. Make
sure you finish it and return the plate to the
kitchen before your father returns because he
warned me not to give you food until you disclose
who got you pregnant”
Krisa: “come and carry your food along with you
o. Don’t think that you can bribe me with food
after telling on me” she threw back at her mother.
The sad and bewildered woman shook her head
and left the room.
As soon as Krisa was sure that her mother had
left the room, she took the food and devoured it
hurriedly and then left the plate where her mother
had kept it and went to sleep.
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“What! So you are here sleeping? After causing
me so much pain and embarrassment?” her father
said and kicked her hard on her legs causing her
to jerk off from here sleep.
Suddenly, he saw the plates she had used to eat
on the floor.
Baba Krisa: “I thought I said that nobody should
give you any food to eat in this house until you
are willing to confess? Who brought this for you?”
he asked and then called his wife when Krisa did
not reply him.
Baba Krisa: “who gave her my food to eat?” he
asked after pointing at the plates.
Mama Krisa: “I…I…” she stammered.
Baba Krisa: “you what? You went against my
orders and served her food right? You cannot
obey me, how do you expect your daughter to
obey me? Can you now see that you are the one
encouraging this girl to be wayward?”
Mama Krisa: “I am sorry, my husband. I just had
pity on her because of the baby in her womb, it is
not good to starve a pregnant woman like that. I
am sorry I had to disobey you” she apologized.
Baba Krisa: “and you, are you willing to tell me
the person that got you pregnant now?”
There was still no response from Krisa.
Baba Krisa: “Fine, you think I will be foolish
enough to allow you remain like this so that your
mother will continue giving you food right? Okay
now” he said, went into the kitchen and cleared
the space that served as their store of anything
that was in there. He removed the yams and other
foodstuff that was kept there and swept the
place. When he was satisfied, he dragged his
daughter into the place and locked the door with
a new padlock whose key only him had.
Baba Krisa: “this is where you will stay and starve
to death if you don’t talk” he said and left the
house.
Krisa sat on the floor and after hours, she
became thirsty and hungry. She tried to scream
for help but no one answered her. She collapsed
on the floor and began to cry, cursing the baby in
her womb and the person that had gotten her
pregnant.
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To be continued
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