Myths of Duko...

My name is Esam and I live in “Duko” a village in Ghana..

Today I’m telling you all the unbelievable and eye opening experience of my life.. 

I work as a farmer with my Dad as every other Duko villager does but two years ago I just felt unlike them, I felt myself the most hopeless person of this world.. Why So..?? Because as my name has the meaning of “safeguard” , I had a dream to save this world from evil powers since my childhood but I never got any chance to make my dream come true, I was getting old day by day and thinking to give up on my dream..

But was not that easy to give up on something that I always believed in….

At that time I believed that I had a chance to make my dream come true but those people who reconstructed Tamale-Bolga highway destroyed that chance because they brought down the “boabab” tree in 1993 when I was a ten year old boy, it was not only a tree but it was actually a ray of hope for the villagers…

The boabab tree was believed to be a tree of spiritual powers, those spirits guarded Duko and it’s people and save them from any bad luck but when the tree brought down all the villagers started to believe that now they’ll going to face bad luck and tragedies..

And believe me it truly happened, incidents started to appear in the personal lives of villagers and on the farm fields as well and it happened to me too because my Mother died 3 months after the spiritual tree brought down and from that day I started to believe on the real power of those spirits….

After so many years villagers started to move on with their life but I always found myself at that same point because I believed that if the baobab tree still present with us then it could surely grand me some special power to save the entire world from evil powers, my Dad believes that it’s just only a myth and want me to move on too like other villagers..

So I decided to give it a try because of him…

It was a normal day and I was working on the field with other farmers, they were gossiping and laughing because they were happy with what they hafy and I was looking at them with empty eyes with no emotions and a question in my head, can I just become happy and peaceful like them..?? Of course I can and I will for sure, I cherished myself…

After few days I travel to our neighbor village with my dad and after coming back from there I stayed on Tamale-Bolga highway for a while where that spiritual tree was present, ”I believed in the myth of your spiritual power all my life and thought that you can make my dream come true but now I’m ready to give up on my dream and all those believes that I had about your spirituality”, I whispered..

My decision made my Dad very happy because he believed that it’s all for the betterment of my mental health and he wanted me to start a new life with new hopes, I was happy too because of him but deep in my heart I still felt something and I didn’t know what it was…

It was my 38th Birthday and I needed to travel to our neighbor village through the Tamale-Bolga highway but I was feeling little nervous I didn’t know why? 

I just needed to go through it and nothing else, I calmed myself, after reaching there I saw some construction work happening and as I thought it was needed because the roads there were getting cracked and some accidents occurred there as well recently, I just stopped there for a while at the construction site and suddenly I felt some dizziness and no matter how hard I tried to pull together myself, I just collapsed and lost my consciousness as well….

I guess after few hours when I got my consciousness back I found myself standing in front of the spiritual tree of boabab and I thought that it was just a dream that I was having….

I was staring at the tree continuously then suddenly I saw some men standing to the other side of the tree and talking about the construction that'll going to happen on the last week of that month and then one of them came to me and asked me politely that if I’m a kid from Duko village..?

What? Kid? Am I looking like a kid to you mister..? I asked him harshly.

So what am I suppose to call you then..? He asked me and laughed.

At that moment I noticed myself and realized that I’m not a 38 year old man but a 10 year old Esam and it shook my body.. 

What’s really happening I asked to myself..

When those men left , I sat beside the tree while comforting myself as it’s only a dream and I’m going to wake up soon but suddenly I heard some weird voices but I ignored them and started to walk away from the tree but then I heard someone calling my name….

“Esam, Esam don’t go we need your help”.. 

I immediately looked back at the tree and saw those two red eyes, I still can’t explain how I felt at that moment.. and then I heard that voice again,

“They’ll going to bring down this tree very soon and if it happens then we’ll going to lose our home, can you please help us by stopping them..?

Am I really seeing the spirit of boabab tree..? I was about to faint but the I calmed down myself that it’s just a dream and pretended to be brave..

How am I suppose to stop them? You’re a spirit and you have super powers so you can easily stop them.. I asked to the spirit..

Huhh unfortunately we spirits can’t change our fate by ourselves, we need human help to do it, he said.

Really..? He shocked me..

Yeah but we can change the fate of humans, he said proudly.

Really? If that so can you give me any super power to safeguard this world from evil powers and make my dream come true? I asked him excitedly..

Yes of course I can give you any power you want but for that you need to help me as well..

Ok, ok I’ll help you no matter what, I’ll talk to the other villagers and will try to stop the reconstruction but before that can I see your face..? I asked with curiosity..

You can’t see me because I have a very horrible face and you’ll going to be afraid but if you insist I’ll let you see me and other spirits as well when you’ll save our home, he whispered..

After done talking to him I started to run towards the village because I couldn’t wait any more to get my super power and make my dream come true without even realizing that it was not something in my hand..

After I reached to the village I went to each and every villager home to convince them to stop the reconstruction of the highway and I also told my dad that I talked to the spirit as well but he thought that I was just trying to create a story and stopped me to do such thing but at that moment I was extremely obsessed with the idea of gaining any special power so I ignored him..

Some of the villagers get agreed with me and we decided to do a protest in front of the tree to stop the reconstruction of that area, the construction workers there tried to stop us from protesting but we pretended not to hear them..

I’m here to help you and I gather some villagers here as well, we’ll going to change your fate, I whispered to the tree..

For the whole day we protested there and made the workers anxious, we also spent the night there and the other morning when I woke up with the voice of people shouting and screaming I saw that there were some security officers who were dragging the villagers to the other way and threatening them to stop their protest, at that moment I realized that it’s not something that easy to stop, in 2 or 3 hours they sent us back to the village and warned us that this reconstruction is the decision of the government so you guys can’t mess with it..

While going back to the village with other villagers I suddenly felt dizziness again that I felt before and then I fainted… 

When I woke up again I found myself in my house laying on my bed and my dad was staring at me with tears in his eyes…

What happened to me..? I asked anxiously..

Thank God you get your consciousness back, he said

Yeah but tell me what happened to me..? I was very impatient at that moment.

You were found unconscious at the highway and some villagers took you here, doctor said that you got shocked by something that’s why you fainted and lost your consciousness now thankfully you’re awake after three days..

What?? Three days, I was unconscious for the three days without any accident or wound, I felt something suspicious..

Dad told me to rest 2 or 3 days but I felt that some power was pulling me towards to it and I heard the voice of that spirit as well, for two days I tried to bear it but when that feeling got out of my control, I again went to the construction site of highway where I fainted that day, for three to four hours I stood there because now I realized that it was not a dream and I anxiously wanted to know what was it actually, construction workers there started to shouting at me to leave because I was disturbing their work by standing there and that moment I thought now I’m not able to go back again in my past and then suddenly I felt that dizziness again and found myself collapsing..

Yes I’m able to go back..!! Before losing my complete consciousness I whispered happily to myself..

I didn’t know how much time it took me to wake up again but when I got my consciousness back I found myself standing in front of the spiritual tree in the same way I stood last time..

I came back to help you and to make my dream come true, I shouted but didn’t get any response..

After few minutes I shouted again, “Dear spirit please talk to me, so I can help you”..

Last time you tried hard to save our home but you didn’t get successful, I heard a horrible whisper and saw a black tail hanging on the branch..

This spirit was not the one I talked to last time but I tried to gather my courage and asked him to give me another chance..

I have an idea, if you give me an another chance so I’ll make sure to stop the reconstruction, I offered him my help again..

Tell me what idea you have? He asked.

I was thinking that what if you spirits show yourselves to the workers and make them to leave the construction site to never come back then this way you can save your home, I gave him my idea that suddenly came into mind..

You’re right, but they can’t see us so it’s not possible for us to show ourselves, only special person like you can see us, he said..

Ohh really? Then what about you guys try to mingle to the tools and instruments of the workers or you can make them afraid with horrible voices, I tried to comfort him somehow..

This sounds good, he seemed impress..

The other day when the workers came to cut the tree finally, I hided myself behind the rock to witness everything..

As the workers came near to the tree, sprits started to scream loudly after listening those screams some workers got afraid but their team head calmed them by saying that” it’s not any spirit but villagers whom are trying to afraid us..”

Ohh they’re not getting away, what to do now? I felt tense..

But suddenly I saw one worker screaming because the tools he had in his hand were flying in the air, other workers got afraid too and after few minutes some of them ran away..

Yes! My idea is working, I felt proud..

But then I realized that their team head and 2 other workers were still there as they didn’t get afraid from the power of spirits and were about to cut that tree..

Ohh my God no..!! I screamed, 

We don’t have any other option now, we need to kill any of them to give them a lesson, I heard the voice of a spirit..

No, no you can’t kill anyone, it’s not a right thing to do, I replied..

We don’t have any other option left, he said and that moment I saw a very horrific and weird spirit with three eyes looked like a reptile who was about to push the team head to the trench…

Lookout mister, be careful, I shouted, the team head looked back to me and the spirit missed the chance to push him..

What you’re doing..? Don’t you realize that we need to kill any of them to make them never come back again, spirit shouted at me..

No I’ll not let you kill anyone, I shouted back..

Please cut the tree right now or you all will going to die..

They were staring at me shockingly as I immediately ran to the worker who had wood cutter in his hand, snatched it from him and tried to cut the tree, soon after I followed by the other workers who started to cut the tree with me, I heard screams, whispers but I still don’t know what kind of power I had that moment which made me extremely obsessed to cut that tree down..

I felt the anger of spirits they had because of me and then that spirit with tail and three eyes, aggressively pushed me to a big stone which made me lose my consciousness again…

After three days when I woke up again in the hospital, dad told me about how serious condition I had because I got hit by a car after collapsing on highway, it seemed like that a new life was given to me, after my full recovery I discharged from hospital but dad told me strictly to not go to the highway again.. 

I gave it a thought too and realized that I traveled to the past not because I was able to change something there but God sent me to make me realize that those spirits didn’t have any power to make my dream come true and also the incidents happened to the villagers and death of my mother were not related to the spirits, it only happened because it was in our fate and they were not the good spirits but the evil ones… 

Dad was right it was only a myth that spirits can change our fate and make us more happy and peaceful..

I thanked God to change my mind and took me there to face the reality myself which was an eye opening experience for me, maybe all other villagers had that experience as well because they moved on long before me..

When I told dad about the experience I had, he said that he’s so proud of me because I saved the life of that construction worker and didn’t choose the wrong path that’s why God helped me and guided me to the truth..!!