Baskets Full Of Torches

“ Listen, we need lantern, the kerosene type. Not candle or blowtorch for this journey” Ada said.

“ We don’t have kerosene, secondly I don’t see anything wrong with this blowtorch. Is it not what we use to go on this same expedition before?” Chika demanded.

“ Don’t you notice the weather, how would you feel if in the middle of action and breeze were to blow out this your torch, can you see in the dark?”

“ Then, why do you fail to bring one since it is what the weather demanded?”

“ So, because I has none, that is reason for you not to have too?”

“ We have been talking and arguing for minutes now, others would pick all the apples if we don’t start moving”

“Those others would come with correct lanterns for they to be able to pick all the apples as you say. They can’t do so with wrong lights. Equip yourself well first”

“ Worry not, I can manage. I always do. Let start moving before this journey would be in vain.”

The two young ladies made their way through the narrow route that led from their house to the place where three African star apple trees stands about twenty minutes away from their house. It was around 3:20am.

Ada had switched on her torch light while leading the way to the surprise of her companion. She had thought that her blowtorch was the only light they had, she never knew Ada was holding a torch.

“ So, you has torch and was wasting our time all along” she queried.

“ Some times, you behave as if you are foreigner in this village. But I am sure you are talking to keep fear out of your system. I used to think that people out grows fear but you are live example that my assumptions were wrong”

“ Who said that I am afraid?, I asked you simple question”

“ Yeah, you are not afraid and you have marched on me more than four times already”

“You are slacking, up your pace”

“Do you want to be in front?”

“ No, no, I am covering you from the rear”

“Keep talking, if I don’t hear your voice anymore, I would know they have snatched you from the rear”

It’s the tradition of Igbo people to always go in the wee hours of the morning for apple picking. Not actually because it won’t be there by morning if no one pick them but it is impossible to be there even by 5:15am. The children would have garnered enough courage to flood every apple tree in the village by that time.

The culture of the people created the night expeditions. It’s belief of the people that African star apple can not be tampered with while still on the tree. It is regarded as one of the highest abomination to do so.

Even the owners can’t pluck them off the tree for them to ripe in the house before taking them to the market. 

Another fruit with such belief attached to it is breadfruit. You must allow them to ripe on the tree and fall.

Tampering with them usually brought it own psychological unrest to the owner. The person would start wondering if what is wrong in his life or that of his kids were as results of his actions. No one would even buy if they know it was plucked off the tree. To succeed in selling them is only when the buyers don’t know anything about them. Once they know, they would like to know also why you want to put them in trouble.

Reasons being nothing tangible. It was believed that in the olden days, it was a kind of way people check their luck. When African star apple fall while you’re around the place, it is a sign of good luck. It is equally regarded as means of creating equally opportunity for the blind.

They can always use their legs and senses to pick what they believed Providence kept for them.

No one has been able to tell why the apple chose to fall in large quantities in the dark. In day light, not much always fall, but once it is dark, it would start fallen in large numbers. Nothing like monkeys, birds or any other animals being behind that phenomenon.

Winds that blows in the daylight doesn’t have that much effect on them, but once darkness comes, windy or not, they fall in greater numbers.

Adults changed their approach too to gather as much as they can hence the early morning approach. On a good day, if there is no much competition, you can gather as much as half basket. It is usually rare although. Even on getting there, you might meet about ten people on the same mission as you.

On this particular day, the weather wasn’t friendly. It’s showing signs of rain and most people in the village uses blowtorch mainly. Ada was hoping on the weather not only keeping populations down, but bringing the apples down in large quantities too hence the short baskets they hurled along.

On getting nearer to the tree, they noticed a lone light flickering, they said silent prayers of thanks knowing that if weather is true to itself, soon whoever it was would be going home in dark.

She congratulated herself for her insight and thanked her brother for sending the torch from the city.

“ Ah, madam mercy are you the one?”

“Yeah, but I am having hard luck so far”

“ You’re strong for coming out here alone”

“ Why not, at my age, I think I am partially a ghost too.”

“ I heard tales of ghost coming out to look for what to entertain their kids with”

“ Yeah, we humans focused on the ground while they focused on the tree. Maybe, the weather discourage them today”

“ I can see the rain is about to fall and your light isn’t showing good signs”

Madam Mercy eyed both and wondered why her voice quivered on that statement.

“ I can see you had torch that can withstand the rain and wind with baskets too. You two are really prepared for this weather. Are you planning on climbing the tree under the darkness too?”

  That elicited laughter from all.

“You are funny old woman. Climb the tree in the night?”

“ Why not. Children of nowadays, you are capable of anything behind close doors and darkness. I can see you are on shorts too”

She eyed both, stretched herself and decided that it was time to go home.

“ I think I would be going now. There is no much luck today. Besides, I am feeling sleepy too”

She faced towards the direction of her house and bid them good luck.

As if on cue, the woman has not gone ten minutes, wind and thunder came rumbling and true to legends, the apples came tumbling down in quantities. The two ladies went to work picking. About 30 minutes later, their baskets nearly full and rain drizzling by then, they made their way back home relaying on the Ada's Torchlight. 

Half way to their house, a hand suddenly emerged from the bush bordering their route on two sides and snatched the Torchlight out of Ada's hand, the two women shouted, dropped their baskets and took to their heels in dark while screaming on top of their voices.

In the morning while the rain is still pouring down, they saw their baskets at the gates of their various compounds with their torches in them and baskets empty.