1 – In The Hidden Hall

The dry leaves crunched loudly underfoot as I covered the distance between the main building and the hidden hall. Nde’nche the Younger, the chief priest and custodian of our people’s customs and history, stood at the entrance to the Hidden Hall, watching me approach. I always wondered why he was called Nde’Nche the Younger, considering there was no Nde’Nche the Elder. There had never been one. Also, the man was seventy five years old and I wondered what or who he was younger than. But like everything else in our traditional system, experience told me it was better not to ask, else I would risk a five-hour long lecture from any of the ancient ones who seemed all to eager to reel off names, places and dates to any one who was daft enough to ask silly questions.

It also struck me that for a building known as the Hidden Hall, it was quite……obvious to passers-by and was only shorter than the main building by a few inches. It was also painted in bright colors, and kept looking as bright as ever with a fresh coat of paint every two months, a task undertaken by a special group whose only function was to keep the Hidden Hall looking as brightly painted as ever with the rather imaginative name, “Hidden Hall Painters Guild”.

There was also the huge signpost right in front of the hall that read “The Hidden Hall”, spanning almost the height of the building itself. You know, in case someone didn’t know what the hall was.

Of course, I had also wanted to ask why a building that was so patently obvious was called a hidden hall but my experience from asking why the small mound at the town square was called “The Mountain Of Heights” kept my lips sealed.

“Nde’Nche, yaa wo”, I greeted as I got to the entrance to the hidden hall and stood before the elderly man who regarded me with a judgmental look.

“You’re late”. He said gruffly. “May you not be late when it’s time for the ancestors to call you”. He turned around to face the entrance door. “Well, it’s not like the ancestors have a clock that keeps the time. Let’s get this done already”.

He pushed open the wooden doors and they creaked loudly as they turned on their hinges. The doors were another marvel I would have liked to ask about if I had a few hours to spare. They looked as old as man. Nde’Nche had once mentioned something about the door having been carved from the first tree chopped down by Great Ande Dio, our first ancestor when he arrived here from…..wherever it was he came from (I always tend to space out once these lectures start). He followed that remark however with a straight-faced mutter about how it looked remarkably like one of the carved doors that were imported from the neighboring town when he was a child and how the door looked remarkably new the first time he saw it up close.

“This is the hall of our fathers. Be careful and don’t touch anything or you might anger the ancestors”, Nde’Nche warned as he stepped through the doorway into the hall. “Goodness knows they are always looking for any reason to get angry at something”, he added under his breath.

For such a large looking building from outside, the Hidden Hall looked really small inside. From the doorway to the opposite wall ran an aisle, wide enough for two slim men or one really fat man to walk through. Virtually every space was taken up with some artifact or the other, every surface covered in paintings and murals. It was impressive taking it all in from where I stood from. It was truly breathtaking.

Or it was that smell of old wood and mustiness that was taking my breath away.

“Stop!” Nde’Nche commanded as I made to step into the hall. “You must cover both eyes when you take your first three steps in this hall. I don’t know why but it apparently pisses the ancestors off if you don’t. Just know they won’t catch you if you hit your foot against something and trip yourself and fall face-down while your eyes are covered. I learnt that first hand and they probably found it funny”.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then covered both eyes with my palms. And took my first step into the Hidden Hall.

https://elpigrafa./2018/03/11/pissing-off-the-ancestors-a-short-story-series-1/