Firewood VS searchlight

The thunder was rumbling like mad, cracking with an atom of fire as if some kind of cosmic war was happening somewhere in heaven. It must have been how it was on that faithful rebellious day up there. Unfortunately, no human was around to witness the wonders. Flashes were flying here and there at the rate Ugoo, the apprentice stoking the fire in the kitchen was wondering if it was what his master was muttering in the parlor at work or if the rate he was adding firewood in the fire was at work. He had been with his master Mr. Chika Iyi now for a year plus, and he had never seen or witnessed the sound at this high pitch. Little confused, he removed some firewood from the fire, and the rate of the flashing and thundering remained the same. He crept to the parlor door and peeped at his master who remained undisturbed nursing his local gin his eyes glued to the door. He crept back to his post and added the firewood back. 

What was delaying the stupid man doing the wedding from coming to see his master and stop all this noise, Ugoo don't understand. It has now been almost one hour since all this started and the silly man is yet to knock on the door. This is the first time any organizer of anything delayed this much to start hammering at the door and asking for what to do to prevent the calamity. But most of them had always been traders, not civil servants like this stupid man from this village that his parents just like every other villager knew that once there was any celebration of any kind going on in their compound, the first thing had been to come and see his master and they always get a better bargain to compare to others from other places. But not that compound and inhabitants of it. Whether they even believed that his masters were truly behind the thunder, lightning and rains that threatened their wedding celebration, Mazi and his boy are yet to know. Observing the rate at his master muttering is getting rapid, he knows that it will be a long standoff. Both are stubborn.  

His master is still focusing on the door expecting to receive a knock he knows something is wrong already somewhere. “take a short and return to your post. Add more firewood and stoke them well. We are being tried and since that family wants to make an example of us, we are going to do that to them first in a way this prophet will be respected in his home village”

He poured a shot for his boy who hungrily pushed it down. "are you sure the main gate is not locked sir, we can't hear any thing under this noise and rain pelting at the rate it’s doing, it would be hard to hear any other sound. Do I have to check the outer gate? I mean they are supposed to be here for long now”  “I checked the same gate twice before everything started. It is that guy wedding and his educated brain at work. It should be time to teach them all a lesson in this village. After this, all of them in this village will think twice before ignoring me next time. But if you like, you can recheck. But am sure it’s open”

Ugoo went in search of an umbrella and dashed towards the compound gate, within seconds, he rushed right back in and the fear on his face and the speed that propelled him inside that he nearly crashed on his master at that high speed but the man managed to get out of the way. He collided with the sofa and both tumbled over. His master peeping from where he stood through the open door saw nothing yet, the boy couldn’t stop pointing in that direction. Mazi decided to check things out. The boy had dropped his umbrella at the gate. He went and brought another one and inched his way to the gate looking here and there without seeing anything out of ordinary. It was when he raised his eyes towards the gate that he saw the sight that halted him and his umbrella nearly fell out of his hands. About fifteen people gathered not far from their compound wall, observing him and none had an umbrella, and not a single rain was dropping where they stood. Thunder and lightning were still flashing and thundering and rain dropping at the rate that he was waddling not walking. His eyes and balls nearly pop out. He stood there observing those observing him and the surprise on their faces compounded. For almost two hours he had believed the rain he thought was wrecking devastation at the wedding celebration at the compound of Mr. and Mrs. Pius Okafor had fallen only in his compound all along. He raised his face again when he heard a noise and was surprised to realize that the number of the people women, and children had joined the number that had quadrupled standing there and watching him. He was surprised to hear the sound of music blasting from the wedding venue. How come for more than one hour he had been inside, it was only thunder and lightning he heard? The water in his compound seems to be rising at an astronomical rate, he was wondering what was happening. He had stopped uttering the magic words and he is sure that any time he has done that in his mind, and said the right words, rain, and thunder always halted. What’s happening today? He turned around and waddled back inside. He headed directly to the kitchen planning to tell his boy to cut out all fire. He was surprised to see the kitchen empty and the fire blazing like the one in the story about the hell you read in children's books. “where are you?” he shouted and got no reply. He went and started removing the woods from the fire himself while muttering curses on the body for his lackadaisical attitude. In this line of work, you can't afford carelessness. I am wondering if this boy is suited for this work. You can make fire and keep water nearby, but what would you keep near when this type of rain is dropping from on high due to your handiwork? When he heard water dripping in the kitchen, he went there and was surprised to see that all the flour had been covered and rising. 

      “What’s happening here?” he asked aloud “Why is the rain not stopping and where is this nonsense boy?" 

He stormed out shouting his name and going room by room without result. He was surprised to see the whole room had the same treatment as the kitchen. “Ugoo" he screamed and his voice echoed back to him. The crack that sent him taking covers behind the sofa had rattled the window pans so badly that he thought all were broken. He was surprised to see that they were all still standing. Fear of coming into an open place seized his heart he wondered if he had overdone anything out of hatred or if he wasn't the one that initiated the rain in the place, how come it refused to stop? Then he heard his name being called from outside the compound. He is sure it was his boy's voice and hesitated and yet wanted out of the house by all means. He dashed to the door and found out that something extraordinary was happening in all this. How come the water in the compound is still rising and yet not overflowing the house? It’s like an invisible hand is holding it at a bar in some places. He swims his way to the gate and has to be helped up the gate for the flood has risen and opening the gate is almost impossible.

 On the other side dripping like hell while burning with anger and shame. His boy muttered something about the yellow men to him and was almost dragging him towards the house of the celebrant he was waiting to come and talk business with him, now he was the one heading towards the same man's house to talk business. 

   The shame was overbearing. He was nothing anymore in the eyes of those who stood watching his house being swallowed. If he can’t save himself, can he save anyone else? He knew at the back of his mind that as far as this business of rain-making was concerned, it was finished. The only thing he knows how to do. He is now a tale that would outlive generations. He was still dripping seriously when he entered the wedding compound. He took one look at the face of the celebrants, he is sure he saw disdain there. He died twice within twenty minutes and still counting from the look of things. 

He saw a searchlight set up in two places and wondered why they put on the light in the blazing sun that made many take covers under the canopies. Inside the one, the celebrants were, behind them were three Asians two with the torchlight in their hands. He wondered why. It was when his boy beckoned the father of the celebrant and he took them to another empty canopy. And when talk started he got the whiff of what was happening. He could not believe it when Pius Senior addressed him as:

   “The poor fellow” in his speech to the Asians who were eyeing him like a dirty dustbin with that annoying smirk on their faces. After about half an hour of talking and pleading, his boy who had been doing much of the talking agreed to pay three times, the equivalent of the amount he had planned to charge them had they come to talk business. While he stews in anger and confusion about the whole thing. When he saw the two Asians switch off the torches one went outside to turn off the searchlight. Immediately, he stopped hearing the rumbling upstairs. “So, I will give them the money or do you go back home to collect it for them?” He was still moping without seeing or hearing much. His boy answered for him. “ Sir, you can pay them after we pay you back” “It sounds intelligent my boy. Always good to settle things when all the parties are in a happy mood, don’t you believe me Mister?” he was eyeing Mazi Chika disdainfully in a way that sent frightening thrills down his spine.

“Yes sir it’s very, very good” his boy answered again. “I need the money back before tomorrow evening. Do I make myself clear?” “yes sir, very clear” “Then tomorrow” he got up and his Asian friends followed him and the meeting ended.

  Mazi and his boy shuffled out, the way they had entered.