Kofi Strange

KOFI STRANGE

by Uncle Aaron

Once upon a time, there lived a rich man called Andoh.

He had a wife called Oforiwaa.

They lived in a beautiful village called Bomofo.

Mr. Andoh and Oforiwaa lived for many years without a child. This made them very sad indeed. Mr. Andoh had a junior brother called Bentum, who had two wives and ten children.

Mr. Andoh took two of Bentum’s children and lived with them. He did everything for them. They all lived in Mr. Andoh’s beautiful home.

Mr. Andoh and his wife were convinced that they would never be able to have children.

This made Bentum very happy. He did not want his brother to have any children; he wanted all the wealth of Mr. Andoh to come to him after his death. Bentum, therefore, kept wishing that Mr. Andoh and Oforiwaa would die.

However, to everybody’s surprise, Oforiwaa became pregnant!

Mr. Andoh was so excited and happy. He couldn’t wait for Oforiwaa to give birth.

Bentum and his two wives, Esi Kor and Esi Ebien were very sad indeed. They had had dreams of inheriting Mr. Andoh’s wealth. Now they knew it was in vain. Mr. Andoh would leave all his wealth to his child.

After eight months, Oforiwaa’s stomach was very huge indeed. She had just one more month to go before she gave birth. Yes, she was so excited! She couldn’t wait to hold her baby!

However, alas, something awful happened!

Mr. Andoh died on the first day of the ninth month of Oforiwaa’s pregnancy!

Oh, it was such a sad day in Bomofo. Mr. Andoh had been kind and generous to everybody and the people of Bomofo loved him so much. His death shattered them, and made them all very sad.

Oforiwaa could not stop crying. She was so sad! She had wanted Mr. Andoh to see his baby before he died.

Bentum and his two wives, of course, were jumping with glee! They were so happy! All of Mr. Andoh’s wealth would pass to Bentum now! Oforiwaa could not oppose him.

A great funeral was held for Mr. Andoh. Many wealthy and famous people came from far and wide to mourn him. It was a very sad occasion. After he was buried, the Elders of Mr. Andoh’s family called a meeting.

The meeting was attended by Asew (Mr. Andoh’s mother), Oforiwaa, and Bentum.

Bentum had secretly promised the Elders that if he was allowed to inherit Mr. Andoh, he would give them a lot of money. The Elders, therefore, wanted Bentum to inherit Mr. Andoh.

The Elders told Oforiwaa that Bentum would now inherit her husband’s wealth. He would come to live in the beautiful house she had shared with her husband.

Oforiwaa was not happy. She knew that Bentum was not a good man. He was a wicked man. She began to cry silently, but no one paid heed to her. Even her mother-in-law had no pity for Oforiwaa. This was because Asew had always felt that Oforiwaa prevented Andoh from giving her a lot of money.

In the end, Oforiwaa had no choice. Bentum inherited the wealth of his dead brother Andoh.

Bentum moved into the beautiful house with his two wives and ten children.

He moved into the huge bedroom which Oforiwaa had shared with her late husband.

“The house is too small for all of us,” Bentum told Oforiwaa fiercely. “My ten children shall each have a room, and my wives shall take two rooms. I, being the master of the house now, shall use the whole of the top floor of this house. You will have to move out, Oforiwaa!”

“Move out?” Oforiwaa asked with shock. “But this is my home!”

“Not anymore!” Bentum thundered. “Didn’t you hear what the Elders said? Everything my brother owned now belongs to me. All his buildings and livestock, all his farms, all his property…they all belong to me! You shall move out right now!”

“Yes, move out, you useless woman!” cried Esi Kor and Esi Ebien.

Oforiwaa tried to protest, but Bentum and his wives threw her out of the house and hurled her things after her.

Poor Oforiwaa was so heartbroken. She went around looking for a room. She found a room in a crowded place. The landlord took all her money from her before giving her a small and dirty room.

The following morning Oforiwaa went to her former house to take some money, but Bentum would not let her in.

She next went to some people who owed money to her late husband, but they all told her that Bentum had ordered them not to give any money to her.

Oforiwaa was hungry and weak. She went back home dejectedly. Some kind people came and gave her a little food in the evening.

The following day Oforiwaa went to the Elders and complained to them about what Bentum had done, but they pushed her out of their homes. This was because Bentum had given them a lot of money to keep Oforiwaa away from the house.

Next, Oforiwaa went to her mother-in-law’s house, but Asew insulted Oforiwaa and drove her out.

Once again, Oforiwaa returned sadly to her room.

Bentum became proud and pompous. He rode around in the finest carriages and surrounded himself with bad company. He married five more women. And he gave away some of Andoh’s buildings to his wives and friends. He wasted money day in day out, and yet he never gave anything to the pregnant Oforiwaa.

Oforiwaa began to sell fruits in the market to take care of herself.

Then, one Friday evening, Oforiwaa gave birth to a baby boy!

He was a handsome, bouncy baby.

Oforiwaa was both happy and sad when her baby was born.

She was happy to have a baby. It had been her dream for a long time.

She was sad because she did not have money to look after her son.

If only Andoh had been alive, everything would have been good.

Oforiwaa called her baby Kofi Andoh. 

There was one thing about Kofi Andoh which Oforiwaa didn’t like.

Kofi Andoh neither smiled nor cried! And, what was even stranger, he never made any sound!

There seemed to be a frown on his young face. This was very strange indeed. All the people who came to look at him were baffled at how the baby never made any sound at all.

Asew, Oforiwaa’s mother-in-law, heard that a baby boy had been born. She was happy that she had a grand-son, and decided to go and visit Oforiwaa and the baby.

When she got to Oforiwaa’s little house, she saw that Oforiwaa was hanging clothes on the line. The little boy was lying in a cot in the room.

Asew did not greet Oforiwaa. She entered the room and looked down at the little boy. She was amazed at how much the baby looked like Andoh. Asew bent down, intending to pick up the baby.

“Oh, my handsome grandson!” she said as she held the baby.

“Wicked!” the baby shouted.

Asew stood up with a little cry of surprise and fear. She wondered if she had heard right. Had the baby spoken, or was somebody playing a trick on her? She laughed shakily.

“What nonsense!” she exclaimed. “Whoever heard of a baby speaking? My mind is playing games with me!”

Once again, she bent to pick up the baby. She was shaking with nervousness though. Suddenly the baby smiled…and this time Asew screamed with fear.

She saw to her horror that the baby had full teeth in his mouth!

Before she could flee the baby reached out and grabbed her hand tightly. Asew kept on screaming.

“Let me go! Please let me go!”

“Wicked!” the baby cried again. “Wicked!”

Oforiwaa heard somebody screaming in her room. She ran hard and entered the room. Her neighbours who had heard the screams also ran into the room behind her. They found Asew sitting on the floor, shaking with fear.

“Mother-in-law!” Oforiwaa cried with concern. “What is wrong?”

“The baby has teeth!” Asew screamed. “He spoke to me!”

The people in the room began to laugh. It was so absurd to hear the old lady claiming that the one-week-old little boy had teeth and could speak.

They looked at the baby, but he appeared to be sound asleep.

“The old woman is going mad!” somebody said.

Asew got to her feet and fled from the room, and the people laughed at her. Oforiwaa shook her head sadly. She picked up her sleeping baby and began to rock him.

Asew ran all the way to Bentum and narrated her ordeal to him. Bentum and his wives laughed uproariously.

“You’re growing old, Mother,” said Bentum. “You’re imagining things!”

“He said I was wicked!” Asew cried. “He’s blaming us for taking Andoh’s things and driving Oforiwaa out of the house. Please give everything back to Oforiwaa!”

Bentum was angry with his mother and drove her out of the house.

The following day, Bentum and his wives decided to go and see the baby.

When they got to the house they were told that Oforiwaa was taking a bath. They decided to go in and wait for her.

 

They found Kofi Andoh lying on the bed, eyes closed.

“Why was Asew afraid of this baby?” asked one of Bentum’s wives.

“My mother is getting old,” Bentum said.

Suddenly the baby turned and looked at them.

“Hello!” he said, and as they screamed with fear, Kofi Andoh bounced off the bed and ran to the door. He swung it shut and locked it.

“Wicked!” he shouted, and suddenly a long, hard stick appeared in his hand.

Unexpectedly the baby began to whip Bentum and his wives. They screamed with fear and pain and tried to get away, but everywhere they ran, the stick fell hard on their backs.

They screamed and begged. Bentum finally fell on his knees with tears coursing down his cheeks.

“I shall give back everything to your mother!” he shouted. “Please let us go!”

“Wicked, wicked, wicked!” Kofi Andoh shouted and went on giving him a severe beating!

Oforiwaa and a lot of people were gathered outside. Finally, they pulled down the door and went inside. They found Bentum and his five wives writhing in agony on the floor and weeping uncontrollably.

“What happened here?” Oforiwaa asked with surprise.

“The baby whipped us!” they cried with fear.

People began to laugh.

“These people are mad!” somebody said.

Oforiwaa looked at her baby. He was sleeping soundly on the bed. She bent to pick him up.

“Don’t pick him up!” Bentum screamed harshly. “Wait until we leave!”

He and his wives stood up and fled from the room, and the people hooted at them.

The following morning, Oforiwaa decided to go and talk over what had happened with Bentum and his wives. 

As soon as she entered the house, things began to happen rather swiftly!

One of Bentum’s wives saw Oforiwaa, and began to scream. One of the senior wives looked out of the window, and saw Oforiwaa holding Kofi Andoh.

“The baby is coming!” she screamed.

When Oforiwaa came to the house, she was surprised to see that all seven wives of Bentum were sitting in the hall, looking really frightened. They told her that Bentum was sick and was sleeping.

“I came to pay you a visit,” Oforiwaa said.

The seven wives of Bentum gave her silly smiles. Oforiwaa didn’t understand.

“I have to straighten my hair,” Oforiwaa said. “Please hold my baby for me!”

She gave Kofi Andoh to Esi Kor, but she shied away with a cry of fear. None of the other six would hold Kofi.

“Why are you doing this?” Oforiwaa asked sadly. “Why wouldn’t you touch my son?”

“Auntie Oforiwaa, I shall hold your son for you,” said Ama, one of Bentum’s children.

Oforiwaa gave Kofi Andoh to Ama, and hurried to the bathroom.

“He is a handsome boy,” Ama said and giggled happily. “He is sleeping soundly. Why wouldn’t any of you hold him?”

Her mother and step-mothers failed to answer.

Ama began to sing to Kofi and left the hall.

“Father would want to look at Kofi,” Ama said, and happily knocked on her father’s door. There was a mumbled answer, and Ama went inside cautiously. She found her father in bed with the blankets pulled up around his chin. His back was turned to the door, and so he did not see that Ama was carrying Kofi Andoh.

“Papa, Auntie Oforiwaa is here,” Ama said.

“Just get me some fresh pineapples, and let your mother explain my absence to Oforiwaa,” said Bentum crossly.

“Yes, Papa,” Ama replied.  She hesitated. She couldn’t take Kofi Andoh to the kitchen to cut up the pineapples, and so she put Kofi down beside Bentum and went out.

“Wicked!” came the soft voice, and Bentum froze.

His whole body began to shake, and he sat up slowly. He couldn’t believe his ears. Had he heard correctly?

“Wicked uncle!” came the voice again.

Bentum screamed and turned around. He looked into the face of Kofi Andoh. The baby reached out and took Bentum by the wrist. He hurled Bentum into the ceiling, and as Bentum came down, Kofi the baby caught him by the arms, whirled him around, and smashed him against the wall.

“Wicked!” the baby said, and jumped from the bed, coming toward Bentum with clenched fists.

Bentum screamed and dashed out of the room. He raced out into the hall still screaming. Ama came out of the kitchen, looking after her father with surprise. Bentum’s seven wives looked on with dismay as their screaming husband ran out of the front door.

“Take your house!” Bentum screamed as he fled. “Take your buildings, and take your farms! I won’t come near you again. Tell Kofi Strange to leave me alone!”

Kofi Andoh, meanwhile, rushed into the hall, and with cries of fear the seven wives of Bentum raced out after their terrified husband.

When Oforiwaa came back to the hall, Kofi was lying on a chair, sleeping soundly.

“What happened?” Oforiwaa asked. “Why did they run away?”

“I don’t know, Auntie,” Ama said with surprise. “Something seemed to have scared them. Are they sick?”

Bentum went to the Elders and told them that he wanted to give all the wealth he had inherited back to Oforiwaa. He told them how afraid he was of the new baby. He told them what the two-week-old baby had done to him.

And so, Oforiwaa went back to the house she had built with her husband, and she got back all the farms, houses, and livestock Bentum had taken from her.

Kofi Andoh grew up in a normal way. He never again did anything strange. His mother never knew about how her baby had helped her get her properties back.

No one ever could explain how he came to act in such a strange way.

Those who believed the strange story Asew, Bentum, and his wives told about Kofi Andoh just said justice always came in strange forms!

Hmmm, a little scary, isn’t it? What a strange baby! Anyway, it served Bentum right. He wanted to reap where he had not sown! In the end, he lost everything. If he had been nice to Oforiwaa, she would have shared her wealth willingly with him. This should teach us that it is bad to be jealous of people!

 

Uncle Aaron. Kofi Strange. Uncle Aaron. Kofi Strange. Klever Magg. Kofi Strange. Full stories. Kofi Strange. Uncle Aaron. Kofi Strange. Klevermagg. Kofi Strange

UNBREAKABLE (Children Version):: Auntie Eunice::Episode 1 

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