Those words planted fear inside Abseed’s heart.
Then Aduke would add, “Have you ever seen me bathe before? Since I was born, I have never bathed.”
Meanwhile, Aduke bathed secretly, but she did not let her child know.
Every day, the shame grew heavier.
As the villagers mocked her more, Abseed tried to endure it, and slowly, a dangerous curiosity began to grow inside her heart.
What would really happen if I bathed?
As Abseed turned 14 years old, a very powerful and mysterious force entered her body. It was not ordinary, and from that day, Abseed could do what no other person in the village could do.
One day, a man in the village became very sick. His body was weak. His family had taken him to different herbalists. They tried many roots and many mixtures, but nothing worked. He was almost dying.
Then the spirit inside Abseed told her to visit the man’s hut.
Some people laughed.
“The smelly girl.”
They all covered their noses.
Abseed simply walked to a small bush around the man’s house and plucked a common leaf, the same leaf the man’s wife used every day to cook soup, a leaf nobody respected.
She squeezed the leaf carefully and pressed the juice into a small rubber container. Then she gave the liquid to the sick man.
Within moments, the man sat up. His strength returned. His breathing became normal.
He was healed instantly.
The villagers were shocked.
How could an ordinary cooking leaf heal a dying man?
From that day, fear and respect began to grow for Abseed.
Another day, a farmer was confused. He stood on his farmland talking to himself.
“Should I plant yam or maize?” he wondered. He did not know which crop would succeed or fail.
Abseed walked past him and heard him speaking.
She picked a leaf. She gently rubbed the leaf across her face. Immediately, her eyes changed. It was as if she could see the future.
She looked at the soil and said calmly, “Plant cassava.”
The man obeyed.
Months passed. After a year, the man became very rich. The cassava business was booming in the market.
People began to talk.
Abseed was not ordinary. She had power.
Now some of the villagers respected her, but some still mocked her. When she walked past, they still covered their noses. They still whispered. They still laughed. They could not sit close to her because of the smell.
Yet whenever they had problems, whenever they were confused, they ran to her.
The same people who mocked her.
The same people who laughed at her.
They needed her power.
And Abseed would sit quietly, listening to them.
But among all the villagers who mocked Abseed, one girl was different.
Her name was Lolad.
She was a little older than Abseed.
When Lolad’s friends mocked Abseed, Lolad did not mock her. Lolad watched her. She admired her power. She wanted to be like Abseed. She wanted people to talk about her name in the village. She wanted people to respect her, but she did not want the dirty part. She did not want the smell.
So one day, Lolad went to meet her mother, because her mother was a witch. She knew many secrets.
“Mama,” Lolad said, “I want to be like Abseed. I want to do magic. I want people to talk about my power.”
Her mother looked at her seriously.
“That is not possible,” she said.
“Why?” Lolad asked.
“Because Abseed is not ordinary. The reason she can do those things is because she has never bathed. The day she bathes, her power will be destroyed.”
Lolad’s eyes widened.
Her mother continued, “That is her secret.”
Because she was a witch, she knew everything.
From that day, Lolad made up her mind.
She started getting close to Abseed. She became her friend.
At first, their friendship was smooth. It was peaceful. They laughed together, even when the villagers still mocked Abseed. Lolad did not care. They talked together.
But as Abseed’s power became greater, and people kept talking about her miracles, jealousy began to grow inside Lolad’s heart.
Everywhere in the village, it was Abseed’s name.
Abseed healed this.
Abseed saw the future.
Abseed saved him.
The jealousy became too much.
Lolad wanted to destroy her power.
One day, Lolad spoke carefully.
“Abseed,” she said softly, “why can’t you just bathe? You smell. You should bathe.”
Abseed shook her head.
“I cannot bathe. If I bathe, I will die. That is what my mother told me. Even my mother does not bathe.”
Lolad quickly replied, “That is a lie.”
Abseed looked at her.
“Your mother bathes,” Lolad said. “If she does not bathe, she would smell like you.”
Abseed felt uncomfortable.
“No, that is not true,” she said.
But doubt had already entered her heart.
For the first time, she began to question everything.
After that conversation, Lolad became more serious. She needed proof.
And she started secretly monitoring Aduke.
Every day, Lolad would hide near Abseed’s house and watch quietly. She would wait patiently.
Then one night, she saw something shocking.
Aduke carried a bucket of water. She looked around carefully to make sure nobody was watching her. Slowly, quietly, she walked away from the house. She went deep into the bush, far from her hut.
Lolad followed from a distance, hidden behind trees, silent.
And there, in the middle of the bush, Aduke bathed.
Lolad’s eyes widened. She smiled in the darkness.
Now she had proof.
The next day, Lolad went to Abseed.
“I saw your mother yesterday,” she said boldly. “She went to bathe.”
Abseed frowned.
“That is a lie,” she replied immediately.
Lolad shook her head.
“Tonight, come with me. We will hide. I will show you.”
That night, Abseed followed Lolad quietly. They hid near the house. They waited.
After some time, Aduke carried a bucket of water again. She looked around carefully. Then she walked toward the deep bush.
Abseed followed quietly with Lolad.
And there, in the darkness, she saw it with her own eyes.
Her mother bathed.
Abseed felt something break inside her.
Anger.
Pain.
Betrayal.
She felt her mother had been punishing her for nothing. She felt her mother had allowed the villagers to mock her for years for no reason.
Tears filled her eyes.
All the years of shame.
All the years of suffering.
The following day, Abseed made a decision.
She carried a sponge. She carried soap. She walked deep into the forest where nobody could see her.
Her heart was beating fast.
“If my mother can bathe and nothing happens,” she thought, “then nothing will happen to me.”
She fetched water from a small stream in the forest. Her hands were shaking.
Then slowly, she poured the water over her body.
She began to bathe.
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