The Confession

The hunters came at 8am. Three of them, with guns, dogs, and long sticks.

The whole village followed them to the farm - men, women, children. Everyone wanted to see the big python that locked Kafin-Leda for three days.

Jamil was in the crowd, his legs shaking. Aisha was standing at the other side, watching him. Her eyes were saying, "Tell the truth now."

The lead hunter, Sarkin Farauta, bent down near the yam ridge. He looked at the marks Jamil had made that morning. He touched the ground. He smelled it. He frowned.

He stood up and looked at the crowd.

"There is no python here," he said loudly.

The crowd became silent.

"What do you mean?" Mallam Sani asked.

"I have hunted snakes for 30 years. A python that sleeps leaves slime. It leaves a deep track. It breaks yam leaves. This - " he pointed at Jamil's fake marks, "this is made by human feet. Small feet. A boy's feet."

Everyone turned and looked around.

Jamil's father grabbed Jamil's arm. "Jamil, what is he saying?"

Jamil's heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst out of his chest. He looked at his father, then at his hungry mother, then at Aisha who nodded at him slowly.

He could not run anymore.

He fell to his knees in front of the whole village and started crying.

"Baba, forgive me! Mama, forgive me! Everyone, forgive me! There was no python! There was never any python!"

The whole farm was silent. Only Jamil's crying could be heard.

"I did not want to go to farm on Tuesday, so I lied. I said I saw a snake. I thought it would be a small lie. I did not know it would become this big. I did not know the whole village would stop going to farm. I did not know children would go hungry. I am sorry!"

His father was shocked. His mother's hand covered her mouth.

The village head, who was standing there, walked closer.

"Jamil, do you know what you have done? Because of one lie, we lost three days of farm work. Our yams are drying. Because of one lie, you made hunters leave their work. Because of one lie, you made mothers have no food to cook."

"And," the village head continued, his voice louder, "one lie always needs another lie to cover it. You had to lie to your father about where you saw it. You had to come here this morning to make fake marks. That is how lies grow. One lie gives birth to many lies."

Jamil was still on his knees, tears on his face. "I will never lie again. I swear."

Aisha then stepped forward. "He wanted to tell the truth this morning. I saw him. He was afraid, but he is sorry."

The village head looked at Jamil for a long time, then said, "We will not beat you today. Your shame is enough punishment. But from today, you will go to farm every day, even on Sunday. And you will tell all the children in this village how one small lie locked a whole village for three days."

Jamil nodded, still crying.

And that was how Jamil's lie died. But the hunger it caused, and the shame that followed him, taught Kafin-Leda one lesson they never forgot -

A lie may start small like a seed, but it grows to become a tree that covers everyone.

End of Chapter Four