And the night fell over Okunde...

Gradually, a bright half-moon began to appear and enlighten the dark sky as the evening was progressing.

Babida the lumberjack finished his meditation, grabbed his steel ax and walked away from his former military tent. He began to seek out the young maiden Suzie and her uncle, and spotted them on the esplanade of the administrative headquarters beside the Okunde's garden.

The rescue operations had ceased and the woodman's companions were about to dine along with the rest of the lifesavers after many hours of restless work.

Generous donors of the village brought some food to the troops and the benevolent civilians among which the young maiden Suzie and Uncle Bibi, so they could get back a bit of the huge deal of the energy that they had spent on healing the injured, removing the corpses of the deceased littering the ground, and tidying up the lawn of the Okunde's garden.

"Well done work, dear companions!" Babida the lumberjack said to his two associates as he met them and bent to fill in a space on the long wooden public bench where they were sitting. The logger sat on the left of the young Miss Suzie while Uncle Bibi was on her right.

"You did a very good job today. I'm sure Governor Kola II is at peace in the heavens seeing you making sacrifices for others," the logger confessed to his co-adventurers.

"It's quite amazing that you are holding no grudges against the late ruler whereas he unjustly threw you in jail," the young Miss Suzie made a remark on the woodsman's forgiving heart while handing over to him an apple.

"Thank you, dear!" He told her as he took the juicy fruit and bit on it.

"Hey, the two lovebirds! Have you looked at the sky? There is a moon and that's the first of the three before the nomination of a new Okunde Governor by His Majesty Batang V," Uncle Bibi jumped into the conversation of the two lovers before slicing a piece of flatbread that he combined with toasted salted peanuts. He then voraciously devoured the tasty mixture.

"Yes, albeit it's a half-moon," Babida the lumberjack replied to him.

Uncle Bibi ate up his meal and expressed with signs of worries his deep thoughts regarding the appearance of the luminary in the heavens.

"Indeed, the moon is not at its fullest yet, meaning that if the appointment of a new Governor in Okunde were to take place today, it would be without the blessings of the ancestors. Hopefully in two moons, there will be a fully round and shining satellite in the sky," he said while frowning.

The young maiden Suzie who had her eyes directed toward the firmament hence asked: "But what if in the T-time the moon is not a whole?"

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The relevance of her question froze Uncle Bibi and Babida the lumberjack to the degree that the two men temporarily lost their ability to speak.

"We shall see. We shall see," Uncle Bibi then responded to his niece as he overcame his muteness before imploring the ancestors for their favor upon the Batang people.

"Oh Loba, God of the gods, protect us against our enemies!" He whispered to the divinities while glaring at the sky.

"Alright! Let's finish up our dinner now, and get some sleep!" He then commanded his companions.

The young maiden Suzie took a piece of flatbread and an avocado that she passed on to Babida the lumberjack then from her uncle she took for herself some toasted salted peanuts.

Though she was very hungry she didn't eat much, for it had become an habit she had cultivated so as to always maintain a slender body. Whereas her two male companions swallowed everything they had in light speed and even shared her leftovers.

Finally, for a smooth digestion, the young maiden Suzie beheaded a coconut that she handed over to her uncle. She thereupon broke another one for the woodsman before opening a third one for herself and together they made a cheer by knocking the hard outer layer of their palm fruit against each other.

And like in a well-coordinated musical band, they drank up the delicious sweetened liquid inside.

"It's time to go now," Uncle Bibi uttered while getting on his feet and holding his coconut layer.

"Suzie, come with me darling!" He enjoined the young maiden as he marched toward Babida the lumberjack, placed his right hand on the latter's shoulder, and mumbled: "Good night, intrepid warrior! See you tomorrow morning shall our ancestors grant me life again."

"Good night, My Commander!" The lumberjack replied as Uncle Bibi walked away with his niece Suzie.

The two next of kin moved out of the Governor's headquarters' esplanade and arrived in the center of Okunde which was drowned in a very morose ambiance after the earthquake and last night's deadly bats' attack.

The downtown was unusually asleep whereas in the days before the unfortunate events, by this time of the evening, barely midnight, locals wandered across the sandy streets, and musicians beat tambours from which mesmerizing melodies came into existence.

Uncle Bibi saw an auberge and told his niece Suzie: "Let's find accommodation there for the evening!" while pointing in the direction of the hotel with his right index finger.

They walked up to the place and found an aged lady at the reception who was delighted by their visit.

"Praise to our ancestors!" She exclaimed.

"I had almost lost hope to see any visitors here today since death and destruction have afflicted the village," The old woman explained the reason for her apparent joy.

Uncle Bibi removed his fedora hat, slightly bowed his head to greet her, and responded: "Ma'am, we are enchanted that our coming into your home brings some sparks and hopefully trouble times will soon be cast out by the ancestors."

"May indeed the forefathers restore peace all over our empire!" The respectable lady sided with Uncle Bibi while binding the palms of her hands together.

"Now please let me know how I may assist you!" She then added.

"Thank you for caring! We need a room with two beds," Uncle Bibi told her.

"Fine. We have one that would fit you well for only three Batangi," the aged woman answered him.

The latter therefore inserted his right hand in the right pocket of his dusty boubou and took out a five Batangi coin.

"Please Ma'am, take this and keep the change!" he said to the Mistress of the auberge as he gave her the money.

The old lady collected the payment and was even more elated.

"Thank you very much! Shall the ancestors reward your kindness!" She declared.

Ahaaaaaaaa

Suzie yawned while rubbing her left eye with the back of her left hand.

"Sorry!" The young maiden excused herself, for she was extremely tired from her long day in the rescue operation.

"Please, don't be sorry darling! That's totally normal and it's a bit late already," the aged runner of the auberge addressed the young Miss Suzie.

The Mistress of the house thereupon unhung a key from the mural cupboard behind the reception bamboo desk and said to the visitors: "Follow me, dear guests!".

She led Uncle Bibi and his niece Suzie to room number three in the corridor at the left of the hall.

The old woman unlocked the door and it swung open. The room was unlit and a cold wind emerged from it.

The two guests felt an abnormal extremely low temperature in the summertime. The young maiden Suzie who had been drowsy all the way to the auberge was instantly awoken.

Her sleep immediately vanished away and her eyes were now as clear as the water from the fountain of Ebuka, the god of purity.

She glimpsed at her uncle and noticed he was aphonic and immobile like a statue. She tried to move but she could not. Her body was magically affixed on the ground.