Year: 2028, Location: Jandun Forest.
“Frog legs, anyone?!” Meredith shouted.
The other children who were already farther ahead turned. The sky that had been overcast for so long began to weep slightly. It was drizzling. The tall trees that had been shading them from the sun seemed otiose as they could feel the raindrops landing on their heads and clothes. It was six days since they left their houses and found themselves marooned in this forest. Hungry and without food, they turned to things they wouldn’t even dare near if they weren’t lost. Anything, it turned out, could actually be food. Frogs, birds, rats, anything that could make a tasty or crispy meal. They were salivating for these foods like Adam and Eve for Eden’s forbidden fruit. Meredith was the one who often kept the meal bag which she often carried on her back. It was a unanimous decision. She had announced that their roasted snacks were finished before calling out to them. Surprised, the hungry children began to run back. They were marooned because their school excursion helicopter heading to an archipelago had a pancake landing. And the pilot died the following day getting caught by an animal trap when he went to urinate upon a spruce.
“But you said the meat had finished.” It was Kate’s voice. The children had surrounded Meredith now. “Didn’t you?”
“I did. But look, there’s still plenty meat left.”
The other children began to grumble and mumble.
“Don’t play with people’s lives. How could you lie through your teeth?” said Wole.
“I am sorry for the joke that I was carrying wood for fire instead. Okay, let’s line up.” Meredith was the oldest, the more reason the other children felt she should be in charge of the bag of meat. The children had already lined up when Meredith produced a roasted frog leg from the bag. “This is for you,” she said and handed the meat to Peter who was first in the line. Peter, also known as Blue Jay, didn’t look too happy.
“Meredith, could you please add another leg to this! Don’t give me food as though I’m an ant.”
“You are not. But the food isn’t enough,” Meredith said politely.
“Add some more, sister. A brother is sick with ravaging hunger.”
“Step aside, Blue Jay. Let others have theirs,” Adaeze said and pushed him away. His meat almost fell from his mouth. He complained and left the line.
“Greedy boy,” Aisha said from behind Adaeze. “Always wanting some more.”
Peter turned to her and scowled.
“Here’s yours, Wole. Here’s yours, Kate. Here’s yours, Akwaeke…” A sudden violent movement that shook trees in the distance took words out of Meredith’s mouth and left others shaking with fright.
The children clustered at a spot, packed like sardines, and watched carefully. The trees and grasses were still shaking, so the children were still shaking with fright. Still shaking when a wild boar appeared from the thicket. Still shaking when they saw the boar and its piglets.
“It’s a wild pig,” said Wole. “It’s just a pig!”
“What do we do?” Adaeze asked.
“What do you think we ought to do? Of course, ignore it,” Hilda said.
“Did you say ignore it? A little milk to spice up our diet will do no harm.” Fred said.
“What?! Nono banza! – nonsense milk!” Aisha said.
“How do you even intend to milk the thing? Kill it first or just go to it?” Peter asked.
“Nice question,” Meredith said.
“Go to it,” Fred replied with a smile.
“Ha ha,” Hilda laughed. “You are a joker. That thing will just mangle you. Don’t mess with it, unless you have been yearning for some harm. I was even thinking in the line of making meat out of it, but we don’t have the weapon that can kill it without us being harmed in the process.”
“Alright, people, let’s have a detour. We will still get to the hunting ground by the longest route, only that we will waste time that could have been saved,” said Meredith.
“God knows, I am tired of all this. I just want to go home!” said Kate. “I miss my family.”
“Nobody wished to be here.” Meredith said. “We are only here by circumstance and must act like a big family until we are rescued. I will keep sending out radio signals hoping that we will be rescued soonest. We will all make it out of here alive. Let’s keep faith alive.”
“Aye, captain!” Peter said. “Now, let’s head to the hunting ground. Those animals have been waiting for us to grab them.”
Everyone turned to the new route and the journey to the hunting ground began.
***
“Be careful. Look out for animal traps!” Meredith warned.
“Let’s hope we meet any of these hunters. They will definitely be of help.” Hilda said.
“Nice! Nice!!” exclaimed Wole. “None of us even thought of that, even though I presume they will be primitive. But I think they can still be of immense help.”
“I totally concur.” Kate said, throwing a dead rat into their bag.
Still drizzling, the weather became sunny again. Hilda looked up and said aloud: “It’s a monkey’s wedding. And don’t these shade of leaves look just like the Sistine Chapel?”
“Sistine Chapel my foot!” Peter said and threw a frog into their bag. “Is it by painting or by what exactly?”
Hilda, ignoring his rude first sentence: “I mean the leafy ceiling over us is so beautiful with the illumination from the sun. Isn’t it in any way beautiful?”
“Don’t mind Peter, it’s quite a beautiful sight to behold.” Akwaeke said. “Too bad I left my camera at our makeshift tent.”
“Please,” started Meredith. “We must return early so that we can repair our broken tent. Plus we need to roast all of these before dusk. Peter, you must keep the lighters and matchboxes safe. We can’t afford to lose them or have them spoil. Alright, family, it’s time to go home.”
They ensured all their dead prey were inside their bag. They set about to go home.
***
Before sunset, the children had repaired their broken tent and ensured that their meats were properly roasted. The meat consisted of sixty percent frogs which were easier to get than rats and birds. It was not that the children wholeheartedly opted to make a meal out of frogs at the first suggestion from Kate. They had argued and refused. But Kate said she had a Chinese neighbour whose number one meat was frog. And that she had enjoyed it on several occasions. So since someone who had tasted the meat was in their midst, they gave in. They gave in and started enjoying frog meat. Taste buds accustomed, hunger a constant. Deprivation not an option, the children kept enjoying their frog meat. Sometimes they even preferred to eat their frog meat last. They could do anything for the love of frog meat. Anything. And so, like they usually do before it became dark, they gathered in front of their tent and sang and prayed. When they were done praying, they told riddles and jokes and laughed. Though on some occasions they remembered their predicament and cried afterwards. But overall, they were stronger for children their ages. Who amongst them knew they would land in someplace not an archipelago, in someplace filled with burgeoning disillusion? Anyways, they were very hopeful. They had great belief that they would soon return to their respective families. Soon, night came and they built fire in front of their tent and sat by the fire eating and talking and laughing. And just like they had been doing, by seven-thirty p.m they would never be found outside their tent. Strong children. Plucky lads and lasses.
***
It was the morning of their ninth day in the forest, in someplace not an archipelago. Half of them were already greatly frustrated, especially Akwaeke. As the morning chorus of birds rose, the children came out of their tent and built a fire. All of them sat down except Meredith who stood and observed the countenance of the others. Most were looking pensive. Meredith shook her head and sat down afterwards. She began to tell them things she felt would console them and uplift their spirits:
“I observed how sad most of us are. I know we have reasons to be. It is understandable. But I do not want us to let frustration get the better part of us. We must be strong. We must remain strong. I am still sending out signals. Today we all shall enter into the abandoned helicopter. We are going to pray in there. We are going to pray that God will hear the yearnings of our heart and save us, at most a day after tomorrow. We can’t continue like this. This was not what we bargained for. This is not the archipelago we set out to visit. This place is not for us and we must leave it. I want us all to have faith. I want us all to be strong. We shall pray to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now let’s pray.”
The children closed their eyes. And prayed.
***
Afternoon of the ninth day. The children had finished having lunch. The girls were playing hopscotch, while the boys found a heavy wood and were tossing the caber. Wole said he felt he could tell where there is a river in a forest as they tossed the caber. Believe it, the children had gone without water for seven days! The only liquid that served as water for them was the coconut milk they got from harvesting coconut fruits from the coconut trees they discovered earlier on. The boys did the harvesting. But now, the fruits were no more as a result of popular demand. Now they must find another source of water, unless they could eat their meat without water. So when Wole announced to his fellow boys that he could discover water, everyone of them paid attention.
” So where can we find the universal solvent?” Peter asked.
“I think if we go this way we will find a stream.” Wole said, pointing.
“Are you sure about this?” Fred asked.
“Maybe I’m sure. Last night I heard running water sounds. I just might be right. Do we go now?”
“Sure!” Peter and Fred answered at once.
“Then let’s inform the girls,” Wole said and carried the heavy wood on his shoulder.
“Where are you taking that to?” Peter asked.
“To the tent. We still need it, don’t we?”
“Sure, we still need it.” Fred said. “I have proved I am the strongest and want to do it again.”
“Mr. Muscle. Your head is swelling with pride, right?” Wole said and walked on.
“Let it swell, man. I deserve it.”
“Alright. Enough of your bragging,” Peter said.
“Girls, girls!” Wole shouted and dropped the heavy wood in front of the tent. “I think I know where we can find water.”
“What?!” they shouted.
“Water where?!” Meredith asked, hurrying towards the boys.
“I’m not sure where. But I know the direction we must move towards.”
“Then let’s start going right away,” Kate said.
“Yes, we shall go right away.” Wole said and carried the heavy wood inside the tent, with obvious aplomb, and closed the door. “Let’s go.”
Excitedly, they hearkened unto Wole’s command and followed his lead.
***
Deep into the heart of the forest they eventually went, blazing a trail that could lead them back to their tent. They walked on with Wole telling them that they had come too far to go back. And so, tiredly they walked on until Adaeze fell into a—a stream! And with a gasp of excitement, the other children rushed into the stream drinking and shouting. Girls were shouting Wole’s name and praising him. The boys were shouting, Water at last! Water at last!! And it was not long before they started grabbing frogs by the stream. Fat, healthy frogs! Sumptuous-looking things. They were grabbing them by the dozen.
“So how do we take some water to our tent?” Hilda asked.
The children looked at themselves.
“Well, I have an idea.” Wole said.
“Let’s hear it.” Meredith said.
“When we return we shall go to the helicopter. There is a metal container inside it, I don’t know what it is for. We will use it to save some water. But, actually, the distance to this stream is not much; we can always return here before thirst becomes a killing thing.”
“Okay. Settled,” Akwaeke said. “Let’s stay here a little longer. I mean I have been dying to have a bath.”
The children sighed and agreed with Akwaeke. The boys left and allowed the girls to bathe first. They agreed to go away, but Meredith suggested that she go with them to ensure they didn’t hide to peek at their naked bodies. She also suggested that a boy do like her too. The remaining boy and girl would take theirs with the boys and girls protecting them respectively. It was settled. So the children were able to have their first bath since being marooned in this forest. When they returned to their tent, they brought out their frogs and roasted them before going to fetch some drinking water.
***
When they returned from the stream, where they wasted time talking and trying to see if they could find fish, they were exhausted and sleepy. But before they went into their ventilated tent to sleep, most of them tasted their newly roasted meat. They went in and lay their tired bodies down. And that was how they slept off, how they didn’t know when a rescue jet came hovering above their tent. It was already evening and the rescue team were eager to take them away before it was night. The men went into the tent and tried to wake the children. Only Hilda was able to wake. They gave the waking thing more trials but the remaining eight children did not wake.
“What happened to them?” one of the men asked.
“I don’t know. We just ate and went to sleep. I mean they.”
“What did they eat?”
“Meat. Frog meat.”
“Goodness!” another man said.
“Maybe they ate a poisonous species,” his colleague added.
“Oh, no!” Hilda cried.
“And why didn’t you eat with them?”
“I wasn’t feeling hungry, but my own share of the first tasting was given to me. Here it is.”
The men shook their heads and began to carry the unawakened children to their jet. Hilda went in afterwards and the pilot drove off.
***
TNN Interviewer: “Okay, viewers! I know you all must have been dying for this. Here in the studio with me is Hilda Achebe, the only survivor amongst the children who were marooned in Jandun Forest. Welcome to the studio, Hilda.”
Hilda: “Thank you.”
TNN Interviewer: “So how did you feel when you realised you had escaped death?”
Hilda: “Confused. Just confused.”
TNN Interviewer: “Can you describe the species of frog that led to the tragedy?”
Hilda: “Yes. They had fine colours. I found out they are called poison dart frogs. Their toxicity is said to come from the plant poisons which are carried by their prey such as ants, termites and beetles. Some nonpoisonous frogs have evolved to have similar colouring of the poisonous frogs to avoid being eaten by predators.”
TNN Interviewer: “Gosh!”
Hilda: “I guess we were just too carried away by our growing love for frog meat to think about the possibility of having a poisonous species for food.”
TNN Interviewer: “How did you guys turn to frogs as food? Whose idea was it?”
Hilda: “Well, it was Kate’s idea. She said she had a Chinese neighbour whose best meat was frog’s and that she had enjoyed it on most occasions.”
TNN Interviewer: “Yes, before I forget. What happened to the helicopter taking you all to the archipelago?”
Hilda: “The pilot complained of some technical problems associated with the engine and some other things, so he landed the helicopter in the forest and tried to repair it.”
TNN Interviewer: “Quite sad. How did he die?”
Hilda: “He was caught by an animal trap.”
TNN Interviewer: “That’s really sad to hear. You are making a documentary whose title should be The Orchestra of Frogs: A Brief History of Dying. Can you say a thing or two about the project?”
Hilda: “Sure. The documentary is about how we danced to the tasty tune of the frogs and how my friends died by it. Everyone was expecting everyone else to get home to loved ones and friends. It’s a tribute to my friends, my late friends.”
TNN Interviewer: “Today is December 18. What are your plans for Christmas?”
Hilda: “I plan to join The Merciful Carol Singers. I will also give to charity.”
TNN Interviewer: “So before we wrap up the programme, what do you have to tell viewers?”
Hilda: “Death was slightly hiding in plain sight. I am just lucky to be alive.”
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About
Marvel Chukwudi Pephel is a Nigerian writer who writes poems, short stories and other things besides. A graduate of Applied Biochemistry from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, he combines scientific thought with literary art. In 2021, he was invited to the Sixth Chinua Achebe Literary Festival. His poem “Ogene” appeared on 10, 000 socks printed in Sweden which resulted from a collaboration launched as a project to tell African stories through socks. Apart from literary art, he has a keen interest in artworks (especially the works of Salvador Dali). He is the author of I, Robert’s Robot and Other Stories.
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