She poured the dry maize into the mortar and began to pound.
Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.
The sound travelled through the darkness.
At first, nothing happened.
Then she heard wings.
One bird appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments, birds began arriving from every direction.
Some were familiar to Ego—small forest birds, pigeons, doves, and other birds she had seen around the village. Others were strange creatures she had never seen before. Some seemed ordinary enough until they flew past the light of her torch, revealing unusual colors and shapes that made her wonder whether they belonged entirely to this world.
They descended around the mortar, pecking eagerly at the grains that fell onto the ground.
The junction soon became a strange gathering place.
Birdsong filled the darkness.
Chirps, screeches, whistles, and cries mingled together until Ego could hardly distinguish one sound from another.
Yet she continued pounding.
Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.
Her arms grew heavier.
Her palms burned.
Sweat trickled down her back despite the coldness of the night.
Still, she continued.
She searched the gathering birds with anxious eyes.
The Nza was nowhere to be seen.
Ego refused to become discouraged.
The old woman had warned her that patience would be required.
So she pounded harder.
Louder.
Faster.
She had already come this far. Nothing was going to make her give up now.
After what felt like an age, a sudden hush passed through the birds.
One after another, they began moving aside.
Even the larger and more fearsome birds retreated.
The eagles shifted backward.
The strange birds that had been fighting over the scattered maize suddenly became quiet.
Ego stopped searching.
She had finally understood.
Something was coming.
Then she saw it.
A bird emerged from the darkness.
At first, Ego thought it was another ordinary forest bird. But as it approached, she realized there was something profoundly different about it.
The Nza was usually a small bird.
This one was enormous.
It was almost the size of a young African fish eagle, yet its features were unmistakably those of the Nza.
It descended slowly and landed before the mortar, raising its wings upright as though announcing its superiority over every other bird gathered there.
Ego's heart began pounding.
She looked carefully at its legs.
There it was.
A short, shining white cord was attached to its left leg.
The bird from the old woman's instructions.
The bird she had nearly died trying to find.
The bird that could change her life forever.
Ego's grip tightened around the pestle.
She increased the rhythm.
Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.Ko ko kokoo.
The Nza tilted its head.
Then it began moving toward her.
Ego kept pounding.
Closer.
Closer.
She dared not stop too soon.
The bird continued advancing until it was finally within reach.
Ego's heart leapt.
She dropped the pestle and lunged forward.
Her fingers closed around the bird.
She had it.
The other birds scattered immediately, beating their wings furiously as they disappeared into the darkness.
But the Nza did not struggle.
It made no sound.
It did not attempt to bite or scratch her.
It simply remained in her hands as though it had known all along that Ego was not its enemy.
Ego stared at it in disbelief.
She had done it.
She had actually done it.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh, sing, or dance.
Instead, she closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the heavens.
"Thank you, my Chi," she said silently, tears of relief gathering in her eyes.
Then something changed.
A faint glow appeared above her.
Ego opened her eyes.
The darkness was beginning to retreat.
The moon was moving away from the face of the sun.
A narrow crescent of sunlight appeared first, then gradually widened.
Light began spilling across the earth.
The strange colors of the eclipse faded.
The darkness lifted.
Birds began calling again.
Animals stirred.
Far away, she could hear people emerging cautiously from their huts.
The world was returning.
The warmth of the sun slowly touched Ego's skin.
She stood there holding the mysterious bird against her chest, hardly able to believe what had happened.
She had survived the journey.
She had found the Nza.
She had returned alive from the darkness.
The villagers were beginning to emerge from their homes. Some stood outside their compounds looking toward the sky. Others were pointing at the sun and speaking excitedly among themselves. Their fear was slowly giving way to relief as daylight reclaimed Umudibia.
Ego could not stop smiling.
She quickly gathered her things and carefully placed the Nza inside the mortar. She covered it with several broad leaves, making sure there was enough air for the bird to breathe without allowing it to escape.
Then she lifted the mortar onto her head.
She picked up her torch.
And began the journey home.
Under different circumstances, she would have danced all the way back to Umudibia, singing praises to her Chi and ancestors.
But her injured leg would not allow it.
She dragged her left foot behind her, wincing with every step.
Still, she smiled.
The old woman had warned her that she would not return from the journey whole.
Perhaps this was what she meant.
If the price of changing her life was a wounded leg, Ego was willing to pay it.
She could endure the pain.
Soon, she would have everything she had ever wanted.
She only needed to wait for the full moon.
Then she would make her request.
For the first time, however, Ego realized that she had never seriously considered what that request should be.
What could she ask for that would make her happy for the rest of her life?
Money, certainly.
With wealth, she would never again worry about food or poverty. She could build a bigger home, own vast farms, and become a woman of influence in Umudibia.
But was money enough?
She thought of Nnanna.
She remembered his laughter.
His strength.
The way he looked at her.
The patience he had shown her when the years passed without a child.
Perhaps what she truly wanted was another husband.
A man who would love her as Nnanna had.
A man who would make her feel alive again.
A man who would give her the children she had always longed for.
Her thoughts drifted toward the possibility of having many children running around her compound, helping with farm work, fetching water, and filling her home with the noise and laughter she had been denied for so many years.
A smile spread across her face.
Then another thought occurred to her.
Twins.
Ego's smile disappeared.
She remembered the old beliefs surrounding twins and the terrible fate awaiting children considered an abomination.
She immediately shook her head.
"Please, my Chi," she prayed silently, "anything but twins."
She continued walking, clutching the mortar firmly against her head.
She had no idea that the greatest danger of the journey was not the ghosts, the dead couple, the snake, or even the darkness.
It was the wish she was about to make.
And unlike the journey she had just survived, there would be no warning about the price she would have to pay for it.