I am called Tem Brayan and my father is the ruling chief of the Zhoa chiefdom. Our family has been at the head of the Zhoa chiefdom for more than a century now. My father inherited the throne from my grandfather who also took over from my great grandfather. Some years backward we moved into the newly built palace at the center of the Chief's compound. The new palace was built with all the modern facilities and designs. The main buildings overshadowed the old palace which had all the characteristics of past civilization. The building had served all the other Chiefs before my father. It's external face was of typical African style with carves of Snakes and Lions on the walls, indicating the strength of the Chiefdom. The roofs were of spear like shape with some pointing up the sky, while others pointed at the extreme right towards the secret forest. The interior comprised of a wide parlor and several rooms and corridors. Many areas of the house had remained closed for several years.

My father was always delighted seeing his compound full of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He always smiled to his legacy and supremacy our family name. One morning while I was taking a nap, the younger children came to me pleading on me to help search for their ball who felt inside the old palace. I search all the know corners and entered the open rooms. I forced open one room closed for many years today. I was attacked immediately by an aggressive odour of moisture and congested air. I stepped backward for a while then moved in with nostrils half covered with my hands. I saw a bag hanging up attacked and molested by dust and hide out walls creatures. I began wondering what could be inside and climbed on two supported sticks to bring it down. I was mid on my climbing journey and failed to assess the fact that the sticks were of aged and dilapidated. I heard the sound "craack" and realized myself heading down. I felt on the wooden surface on the floor and the place shattered almost taking me down into a deep hole as I thought. My right leg went into the surface down the floor, floating in an empty space down. My heart heart ran out of control and my senses were troubled. I drew out my leg and realized the wooden surface was the door of a downward entrance. I opened the wooden surface with trembling hands and realized a dark frightful surface continuing down. I was caught by fear and ran out of the room. I saw the ball waiting for me at one end under an old stool. I took it to the kids and went directly to my room.

I couldn't sleep that night. My thoughts kept troubling me with what might be under. What if it was something dangerous for my family I asked myself. The next day I took a touch and went back to the house. I opened the wooden surface and touched under. I realizedit was a secret passage with stairs leading under. The woods were all rotten to be used. Boasted with courage and determination, I got a rope which I tired to one end and went down. The passage was a narrow earthen pathway with a terrorising darkness. I pointed my touch and it's week light,pushed thewild darkness to some distance away. I examine the walls and a vivid though glanced my mind that the walls will tumble and covet me if I moved forward. I resisted this thought a d moved on. Tge further I went, my face and body were arrestedby cobwebs and my bones chilled with cold in the hot slimy earthen pathway. I was certain something fishy or mysterious was ahead.The heat under me and I had difficulties to breath. I became week for want of air. I heard a rapid sound and a high screeching noise that made my blood turn to ice. I was in high alert and prepared for the worst. It became certain to me that it was a passage for spiritual people and the custodiansof the tradition to the spiritual world.

"How did they look like? What were they doing right now? Certainly they had seen me coming." I said to myself.

Instantly, rats began passing at every direction and I skipped up to escape from their attacks. I had certainly disrupt their habitual intimacy. I hurried my tired legs and saw rays of light piercing from a tiny hole from a wooden outlet up. The passage ended right in front of me and I clarify my thoughts about a spiritual passage. I carefully went up through the shabby rotten stairs and lifted the wooden covering. A bright sun light flooded my face and illuminated the area under me. My eyes were deemed due to the prolonged darkness under the pathway. Helplessly I sat and breath in the free gift of God. I took off my tee-shirt to bring down my temperature. The secret passage was leading towards the river besides the secret forest. I had mixed feelings about my discovery because it left me with no answer as to the origins and usage of this passage. The fact that it headed to the secret forest was clear to me of its importance. I closed the wooden covering and followed the river back home. "Never will i get back into this passage." I concluded but was determined to know why it was dug and it usage.

I reached home and went directly to my father. He was surprised when I talked about the secret passage. They had kept it a secret to children for several generations now as no one used it again. I insisted to clarify my douts. He called some elders and brothers present and we went back there. Many saw it for their first time and had the same curiosity as I. My father promised he'll bring someone the next day to tell us everything about the secret passage. My brothers ans sisters came to me and troubled me with questions. They spoke all at the same time, each wanting to know "what was in the passage? Where it let to? How it looked like?" After recounting all the panic and trauma I went too, I went to the kitchen to fill up my lost energy.

I went to bed proud of myself and eager to hear from the old patriarch as my father called him. Early in the morning, an old man with oldness all over him came to the palace. He greeted the chief with due respect and all of us present. I realized my father himself could not narrate with assurance the origins of the secret passage. Certainly this secret passage was proportious to this man's age. The old man narrated a library full of passionate stories. What Iretained was that this passage was dug for the Chief and his family to evade during the attacks from enemy tribes. The secret passage saved many of my forefathers during the "Age of Barbarism." He recounted that one my ancestors was delivered in that passage during a raid. The pregnant Queen passed more than a week with her new born baby in the secret forest guided by the gods of the village. Again during the era of slave trade, the passage was used by run away slaves from Neighboring villages who seeked refuge in our chiefdom. Our great grandparents denied to involve into slave trade. Instead they helped some slaves to have their freedom through the secret forest. I felt a great pity for them since they had to hid themselves in the passage with all the horible conditions patiently waiting for the midnight.

I felt a tender breeze passing all over my body when I heard this. I was happy of my brave ancestors. My father ordered that the secret passage be re-arrange and cleaned. The stairs and doors were well finished and the passage became a touristic site and a historical heritage of our village.

The End