The
air was thick with the smell of manure and the distinctive scent of horseflesh.
In the stall at the far end of the stable, a thorough bred neighed and stamped
his hoofs. It was getting dark and the crickets were starting up their special
rendition of the night’s symphony. With the setting sun came a light breeze,
which lifted the heat and humidity that had settled like a smothering blanket
during the day.
I
stood very still, my eyes adjusting to the dimming light, taking in the sounds,
breathing in deeply. I didn’t pay the mosquitoes buzzing around my head any
mind. I loved this place with the last drop of blood in my veins. I had been
born here, had played in the open fields that sprawled for miles and miles as
far as I could see with my siblings and numerous cousins until I grew too old
for frolicking. When I was old enough, I’d started my lessons right here, going lap after lap around the tracks that circled the property. This place
was all I’d known and all I cared to know.
I
heard a familiar neighing in the distance and I stilled my breathing, straining
to hear, listening with more than my ears. I recognized his voice immediately, he had returned! In contrast to my
stilled breathing, my heart started a gallop that matched that of the fastest
and strongest of the horses. My galloping heart pounded in my chest, just as it
had done that day when I’d first set my eyes on him, and every single time
since then. I finally let out the breath I’d been holding and took another
deep, long one, a feeling of contentment and serenity settling over me. I let
my eyes drift shut as I listened intently to the sounds of his footsteps as
they approached. The air seemed to tingle with a charged sense of electricity
as he drew closer. He had that kind of effect. He only had to walk into a space
to set it a-buzz and everyone, both man and beast, couldn’t help paying attention. He was like a breed
set apart from mere mortals, majestic and terrifying all at once, like royalty
itself.
I
imagined his deep brown eyes on my face, intent like they always were, like he
could see right through me, straight into my very soul. I shook my head
slightly, letting my beautiful mane of hair cascade and ripple down my long,
beautiful neck. He’d sought me out in the dark, not needing any guidance or
beacons to light the way, one heart calling silently to another, their thudding
synchronizing like ukulele strings in resonance.
My lover was home!
He
blew through his nose and circled around me, prancing in the dominant strut of
the alpha male. I was his and he was mine as surely as there was night and day.
The
Horseman came in after him with a hurricane lamp, which he placed on a stoop.
He watched us for a few moments with reflective eyes. If I hadn’t been so
excited, I would have noticed the air of foreboding the Horseman had brought in
with him. I would have noticed that he didn’t speak to us in that affectionate
way that was characteristic of him. In fact, he didn’t speak at all, he just
watched us with unseeing eyes. Even the stable boys seemed subdued and stood
afar off, like they were giving the Horseman a sacred moment alone with us.
In
the distance, I could hear the beating of drums and a horn belting out a
mournful song. It sounded like a dirge and a celebration all at once, mournful
yet jubilant. The sound was the one that planted the seed of unrest in my belly
and it grew with the sound.
“Oba
waja.” Elésin finally said, in an almost reverent whisper.
Esin Oba whinnied
against my neck and stamped his hoofs. I could feel the pent up energy within
him. It poured out on me in waves and waves, increasing my feeling of
foreboding.
“My friend, this is the moment we were
both born for, the moment we have lived for.” Elésin said, running a hand
through Esin Oba’s mane. Esin Oba threw back his head and neighed loudly,
stirring up the other horses in the barn.
I
looked at him, trying to catch his eyes. I knew something was afoot, but I had
no idea what it was.
Quietly,
Elésin took off Esin Oba’s bridle and harness and handed it to one of the
stable boys. He ran a gentle hand down his leg and lifted his foot to pick
his hoof and remove his horseshoe. One by one, he lifted and un-shoed all four
hooves and then proceeded to brush Esin Oba down while I just looked on. As Elésin
wiped Esin Oba's beautiful, magnificent face with a damp cloth, man and horse locked
eyes on each other and something passed between them, an understanding that
knotted their destinies together. I couldn’t have felt more afraid and alone
than I felt in that moment, standing in that crowded barn while Elésin combed
Esin Oba’s mane and tail. The stable hands stood reverently around us
in the eerie glow of the hurricane lamp, hands clasped in front of them and eyes
down. Someone struck up a dirge, humming gently under their breath while Elésin
finished up his little ritual. It was after that that Esin Oba finally looked
at me.
This is how it must be my Love.
No it isn’t!
This is destiny, mine and his.
We must make haste to join our king.
Says who? We didn’t ask for
this!
It is a gift, the highest honour
bestowed by the gods. I shall journey on with my king and we shall conquer in
the afterlife as we did in this one.
What about me? Where does all
this leave me? Who finishes my journey with me?
You my Love will remain always,
the Bride of the Conquering One, the Mother of my children. You will be the
envy of all, the pride of our clan.
But I don’t want to be envied,
I don’t want to be a hero. I just want you…
With the dirge swelling up to fill the
barn, bursting my head and shattering my heart, Elésin led Esin Oba out of the barn into the
dusk.
Ojúróngbé Àrèmú
Commander of the
King’s horses
Akínkanjú,
Esin Oba
You, between
whose ears the wind of heaven blows
Today you shall
soar with him
And trot the air
With you his
companions, he shall ride the sky
The earth shall
sing no more at the touch of your hoofs
Àjànàkú lo, ó
dìgbère.
