The beautiful Suzie couldn't believe what had just happened in the office of Governor Babida.
The lumberjack had at last proposed to her and they were going to tie the knot in three moons.
She was swirling around her room in the administrative headquarters.
First, she pretended that she had wings like a butterfly. So she jumped in the air and landed on the soft mattress of the bed while reproducing the wingbeat of the insect with her hands.
Then she imitated a hunting lioness. She lurked behind the bathroom door like it was green grass and spied the pillow on the bed like it was prey and went on all fours at the slowest pace possible.
She neared the bed and sprung on the poor pillow that she scattered with her teeth, causing the cotton inside to pop out.
And she laughed as she realized what the joy of an upcoming marriage could make the bride do.
It was now afternoon in Okunde and Governor Babida had so much work to do. He inherited from his predecessor a lot of unfinished matters.
However, there was one that was particularly preoccupying. The logger read the file thrice and his analysis was always the same though he thought he would get different results, for what was written in the report was unbelievable.
The file mentioned that the land's existence was under a threat far greater than the newborn Monster of the forbidden mountain. Nonetheless, there was a possibility to annihilate the danger in its early stage.
Unfortunately, the report wasn't complete and looked as if it had been deliberately cut in two parts and the other half had been hidden and classified as top secret.
But that was going to be for a later time. There was a wedding to organize.
Therefore Babida the lumberjack closed all cases on the desk and left the office.
He went to the henchmen's bureau so he would ask them to be witnesses for his upcoming union.
Governor Babida knocked at the door and opened it. As he entered the circular room, the henchmen Polo and Baba who were working in tandem, paused to greet the Supreme Commander.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" They said in unison as they gave him a military salute.
"You may sit down," replied Babida.
"I have to talk to you about a matter of great importance." He then added.
The two aides-de-camp were surprised by the Governor's declaration and couldn't wait to hear what he had to say that was so meaningful.
"I'm going to marry in three moons with the pretty young maiden Suzie and I wish you be our witnesses." The woodsman revealed.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! You can count on me to carry the groom's ring." Polo expressed vigorously.
"Congratulations, Superior Commander, you can rely on me to hold the bride's ring," said Baba as powerfully as the henchman Polo.
"Well, that's perfect! Now it remains to select among the troop five lucky imperial warriors that would attend the wedding ceremony. I assign you to do that for me." uttered the lumberjack to the two men who nodded.
"Alright, I may live now. See you later!" Babida concluded his visit and left the henchmen's office.
Governor Babida went to his private apartment, and the henchmen Polo and Baba hastened to execute what they had been instructed to do by the Okunde's ruler.
They had to select five lucky imperial warriors among the troop in Okunde's garden so that they take part in the wedding ceremony of the Supreme Commander Babida.
However, the woodsman hadn't given them any criteria on which they had to base their choices.
Knowing that most of the men would be happy to be among the five special guests of His Highness Babida, Polo the cunning suggested to the interim aide-de-camp Baba that they organize a game from which the five lucky attendees would emerge.
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So they thought about making the men in uniform go through a stamina contest that consisted to test the latter endurance during particularly difficult military exercises.
The two henchmen thus left their office and headed straight to Okunde's garden.
At their sight, the troop understood that there was news either from Emperor Batang V himself or from Governor Babida.
So they waited for the two henchmen to close the gap that was between them so the latter would announce them the news that they were carrying with them.
Meanwhile, a bunch of impatient warriors began to make upfront assumptions.
"My Commander, are we going back to the main barracks?" said some of them.
"My Commander, has the Emperor ordered that we go home and see our families?" asked others.
"None of that, comrades!" responded the aide-de-camp Polo.
"The reason that brings us over here is that we have received a command from His Highness Babida," Polo said to the men in uniform while the interim henchman Baba stood behind him and silently approved his words.
"The lumberjack is going to wed in three moons. However, only five of you are allowed to attend the event."The henchman Polo explained.
"Who then is invited and who is not, My Commander?" interrogated an imperial soldier in the troop.
"Well, all interested candidates will go through a stamina contest that will take place tomorrow early morning right after sunrise.
"Alright, I'm going to take part in the contest. I wouldn't miss for all the gold of the world a chance to be by the side of the killer of the Monster of the forbidden mountain on the happiest day of his life." declared an imperial warrior excitedly.
"So do I" began to repeat one after another a group of tens of prospective competitors.
"Well, so now that everything is clear for everyone. See you therefore tomorrow by the grace of the ancestors!" Polo concluded and along with the youngster Baba, went back inside the imperial headquarters.
It was now evening in Okunde and the sky was marvelously enlightened by a beautiful and round moon.
For the two lovebirds Babida the lumberjack and the young maiden Suzie, the appearance of the satellite had a particular meaning. It meant in the next two moons, they would get married.
So each lover was burning with impatience in their respective room and was coping alone with the coldness of the night.
Babida was lodged in the most spacious sleeping room of the administrative headquarters, the Governor's chamber.
The nights in the Commander's private apartment began to be endless and boring, for he dozed all by himself, without his other half Suzie who was staying in one of the guest rooms of the building.
Nevertheless the bachelor's life was soon going to end for the two soul mates.
"Only two more moons!" said Babida the lumberjack to himself before falling asleep.
The night flew by in its slowest pace ever, however the morning finally came up.
The henchmen Polo and Baba woke up and rapidly prepared themselves to go to Okunde's garden where men in uniform hoping to be selected for the private marriage ceremony of Babida the lumberjack and the beautiful Suzie, were waiting for them.
As the two aides-de-camp stepped on the lawn of the garden, over a hundred competitors were already boosted.
They screamed and slapped themselves on the cheeks and chest to give themselves courage.
The henchmen Polo and Baba challenged them to marathon, deadlift, heavy loads pulling and pushing, push-ups, and arm wrestling.
The military exercises unfoled under the hot and energy-consuming sun over the firmament of Okunde.
At the of the mid-day, the organisms were sucked up. The challengers had nothing left in the tank.
However, five of the competing men in uniform who were braver and more enduring than the rest were declared winners and therefore got their passes for the wedding ceremony of their hero Babida, a man they looked up to.
As the night was falling and the sky was lit by another incredibly full moon, the henchmen Polo and Baba hastened to go back to the administrative headquarters.
They went to the Governor's office to give to him the list of the five imperial warriors they had chosen to be among his guests for his marriage with the pretty young maiden Suzie.
The latter was spending her day in front of the mirror of her room, trying on the most extravagant female robes of the empire.
Finally, she had found what was fitting her to perfection and couldn't wait to make the sand of the coast dance as she moved toward the groom Babida the lumberjack.
Two moons had already passed by and only one was remaining for Babida the lumberjack and his crush the young maiden Suzie to be united for life.
The morning started joyfully. The birds over the sky of Okunde sang the most mesmerizing melodies ever sung, for the most beautiful young miss of the Batang empire was going soon to tie the knot with the second mightiest man in the land, the killer of the Monster of the forbidden mountain, Babida.
Though the latter was thinking about the big moment, he managed the best he could to fulfill his stateman's duties.
Governor Babida had risen from his bed before dawn and rushed to his office to deal with some hot paperwork.
In the complete silence of his bureau, he was trying to find a solution against a looming danger upon the empire. His predecessor, the late Governor Kola Il, had started to study the case and made it a top defense topic.
The idea was certainly great, there was an issue though. A piece of the document was missing and Governor Babida couldn't find it anywhere, nor could he ask anyone about it.
For the serenity of the population and the troop, no one had to even suspect that such a thing existed.
However, since he had looked at the village from every part and wasn't detecting any apparent threat, the lumberjack supposed and hoped that his deceased predecessor, His Highness Kola Il, had somehow solved the problem.
So he decided, at least for the time of his wedding with the young maiden Suzie, to cease bothering about a danger he didn't know and couldn't see.
There were at the moment more important things to focus on, that was to say, his forever alliance with the beautiful Suzie.
And hopefully, in the upcoming night, the third moon was going to appear so he would marry the next day in the afternoon by the riverside.
Therefore, just before sunset, the lumberjack stopped his long day of work and went to his room.
Tired, he took nap until...
"Your Highness! Your Highness! You may come quick." A panicking voice invited him to hastily wake up.
Governor Babida blenched and got off his bed.
"What's going on?" He asked with a scolding voice to the imperial sentinel who came to disturb his rest.
"Your Highness...we are attacked. You may come fast." The imperial guard insisted with more intensity.
Then...
Nooooooooooooo
Someone suddenly screamed outside of the administrative headquarters. Babida rushed to his room's window and noticed a vast moment of the troop and civilians running frantically in all directions.
The woodsman measured right away the gravity of the situation. So he grabbed his axe and commanded the imperial sentinel to come with him outside.
And as they moved out, they withnessed the other imperial sentinels of the administrative headquarters in total panic.
However, the moment was not appropriate to ask them questions about what was going on. The situation was dramatic and it was essential to react fast.
And moreover the logger preferred to go himself assess the situation outside, and hence make sure that he would come up with the most suitable counteraction.
He continued his way and went down the stairs, then speedily crossed the hall and stepped outside, followed by the imperial sentinel who came to inform him about the chaos.
As he set his foot on the yard, he saw people that were propelled in the air before landing dead on the ground.
There was a powerful tornado that behaved as if it has a spirit in it, surely a bad one, and was running consciously and indiscriminately behind civilians and imperial soldiers, killing the weakest, the unluckiest, and the unwisely defiant.
"Oh my goodness! What is this again, declared Babida the lumberjack as Okunde village was turning into shambles.
TO BE CONTINUED...