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Once upon a time, in the small and quiet village of Alam, there lived a young man named Eze. Eze was a very hardworking man who lived with his parents. As the oldest child and only son of his parents, Eze looked after his parents’ farm, cared for their livestock, and ensured that his parents’ business was thriving at all times.

Aside from being a very hardworking man, Eze was very respectful and responsible, and almost everyone in Alam village liked him. He didn’t get into fights like the other guys his age and minded his business.

Because of how humble, hardworking and respectful Eze was, sometimes, some older women would try to introduce Eze to their daughters. 

“Eze, have you met my daughter, Amara? She just finished learning her tailoring work. She is a beautiful and hardworking girl, just like you,” one of the older women said to Eze one evening.

That evening, Eze was returning from his mother’s shop in the market. On his way home, he greeted the woman sitting outside her shop, and she called him.

Immediately the woman introduced her daughter to him, Eze knew what she was trying to do. It wasn’t the first time the older woman had done something like that, so he played along, even when he knew that he would not have anything to do with the woman’s daughter.

In Alam village, there was a girl named Uchechi. Uchechi was the daughter of one of the chiefs in Alam village, and she was very fond of Eze.

Uchechi had liked Eze since they were teenagers, but despite everything she did to show him that she liked him, Eze only saw her as a friend. 

In fact, Uchechi and Eze were not just friends, they were very close friends, and sometimes, people often mistook them to be lovers.

“Uchechi, I have told you several times to leave that Eze boy alone. You’re indirectly chasing your suitors away if you keep hanging with him,” Uchechi’s mother said to Uchechi.

“Mama, but I told you that I like Eze. I’m just waiting for him to ask for my hand in marriage. Once he does, we will get married. I promise,” Uchechi said.

“Listen to yourself. You’re waiting for Eze to ask for your hand in marriage when he hasn’t even asked you to be his girlfriend? Look, you better wake up from your sleep. That is never going to happen. That boy loves you like a sister and not the way you think,” Uchechi’s mother said.

“Mama, don’t worry. Eze loves me. Maybe he is just too shy about asking me to marry him. Apart from me, have you seen him with any other woman? That’s to say that he loves me,” Uchechi said.

“Keep deceiving yourself. I will be here when you come back to your senses,” Uchechi’s mother said.

Uchechi’s mother was not the only one who had warned Uchechi about Eze; her father and senior sisters did, too, but she wouldn’t just listen.

Every weekend, Uchechi would go to Eze’s house to help clean it, wash his clothes, and sometimes even cook for his family. Uchechi did all of these things because she loved Eze and wanted him to see her as wife material.

That’s not all. There was a time when Uchechi even got into a fight with some of the village girls because of Eze. While fetching water from the stream that day, Uchechi overheard some girls talking about Eze and his good looks. Instead of minding her business, Uchechi decided to fight the girls, and unfortunately, since she was outnumbered, they beat her up mercilessly.

Precisely 7 months after Uchechi’s mother warned Uchechi about following Eze around, something happened. A very beautiful girl named Asa moved into Alam village. 

The very first time Eze saw Asa was the day she moved into Alam village. Asa’s uncle, a popular man in Alam village had invited Asa to come and live with him after her mother’s demise.

Asa was a very beautiful girl, and no one in Alam village had ever seen her kind of beauty. She was fair-skinned, and her complexion could be likened to the sun’s glow. She had a very soft and beautiful smile that could melt the hardest hearts, and when she walked in the village, she would cause men, women, and children to stop and stare.

As for Eze, the first time he met Asa was love at first sight for him. There was just something about her that he could not explain.

One day, Eze was returning from his mother’s shop at the market when Asa’s uncle called him from a distance.

“Eze, my son, please come. Are you heading home?” Asa’s uncle asked.

“Yes, I am,” Eze responded with a warm smile. Asa was standing beside her uncle, and her presence made Eze shy.

“Ah! Thank God. Please help Asa carry some of these bags to my house. If I tell her to pack them all by herself, she might pack them three times. You know how these women are,” Asa’s uncle said.

“Alright,” Eze said before carrying some of the bags.

“You guys can talk, too. She hasn’t spoken to anyone else apart from me and my children since she came here,” Asa’s uncle said at the top of his voice after they walked away.

“Uhhhm! My name is Eze,” Eze introduced himself formally to Asa after they left her uncle’s shop.

“I know already. I heard my uncle call your name. I’m Asa,” Asa answered.

“So, do you like our village? Is it like your village?” Eze asked shyly.

“I can’t say. You know it’s been less than a month since I moved down here, so I’m still getting used to the people and the new environment,” Asa answered.

“Don’t worry, you will get used to it,” Eze said.

“How about you? Do you like it here?” Asa asked.

“It’s not like I have a choice. I grew up here in Alam village, and It has been my only home since I was a child, so yes, I like it here,” Eze answered.

“Ok, I think I like the stream,” Asa said.

“You’ve been to the stream already?” Eze laughed.

“Yes, I go there every day. I enjoy the cold water and the environment,” Asa said.

“That’s nice,” Eze said.

Because Eze really loved and enjoyed his conversation with Asa, he did not know when they arrived at her uncle’s house.

“Oh! We are here already,” Eze said as soon as he walked into Asa’s uncle’s compound.

“Thank you so much for helping me. These bags were very heavy, and I didn’t know how I would have carried them all alone,” Asa thanked Eze before he left.

“Hopefully, we will see again soon,” Eze said.

Like Asa’s uncle had said, since Asa moved into Alam village, she had not made friends with anyone or spoken to anyone apart from her family members. So, when she had that conversation with Eze, she was glad and instantly liked him.

When Eze got to his house that evening, he thought about his short walk with Asa. Just as he was about to go into his room and freshen up, Uchechi ran into his compound, yelling at the top of her voice.

“Eze! Eze!,”  Uchechi yelled, “where are you?” She added.

“Uchechi, what is it? Why are you shouting?” Eze asked Uchechi in a concerned voice.

“Is it true that you were flirting with that yellow girl? Two of my friends told me they saw you with that girl this evening?” Uchechi said in a teary voice.

“I don’t understand you. What do you mean?” Eze asked.

“Stop lying. Stop it; you’re making me angry,” Uchechi said. “Is it true or not?” she added.

“I wasn’t flirting with anyone. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eze answered.

“Ok, so if you say that you weren’t flirting with anyone, why did my friends say they saw you with that stupid girl, Asa?” Uchechi yelled.

“Uchechi, I don’t like the way you sound. Asa’s uncle only asked me to help him take some bags to his house, and I did. What’s the meaning of all of this?” Eze asked.

“See eh! Eze, I will not sit down and watch that stranger come into this village and snatch you away from me. I have been with you all these years, and will not let all of my efforts go to waste,” Uchechi said in a teary voice.

“Look, Uchechi, I don’t know what effort you’re talking about. We are just friends, and that’s it,”  Eze said.

“What do you mean by ‘we are just friends? Are we not in a relationship?” Uchechi asked.

“Did I ever ask you to be my girlfriend. I thought we were just friends and nothing else. I hope you have not been going around to spread the lies that we are together because that’s a lie,” Eze said.

Immediately after Eze said that Uchechi fell to the ground and began to yell at the top of her voice.

“Eze has killed me o. They warned me, but I didn’t listen; now look at what happened,” Uchechi said.

“Uchechi, stop this. You’re creating a scene. Why are you doing this?” Eze asked. He even tried to lift Uchechi from the ground, but she pushed him away.

After crying dramatically for minutes, Uchechi got up and ran to her house. That night, Eze felt so bad that he couldn’t sleep well.

He kept thinking about Uchechi and how sad she was. Somehow, Eze had noticed that Uchechi liked him, but he didn’t think it was that Intimate.

The next morning, when Eze woke up, he went to Uchechi’s house to check on her. Upon arriving, Uchechi refused to see him, so after waiting in the cold for minutes, he left.

On his way back home, the most unexpected thing happened. Eze stumbled on Asa going to the stream, but the weird thing was that she wasn’t with her water pot.

“Ah! Eze, it’s such a surprise to see you,” Asa greeted Eze first.

” Yes, it’s such a pleasant surprise. If I may ask, where are you going to this early morning?” Eze asked.

“Oh! I’m going to the stream. I like going to the stream every morning to clear my head,” Asa answered.

“Oh, okay. I’m actually heading home. I went to see my friend,, but she didn’t want to see me,” Eze said.

“Your girlfriend, Uchechi?” Asa asked.

“Girlfriend?” Eze chuckled,” Uchechi is just my childhood friend, and most of the time, people confuse us for lovers,” Ese said.

“Oh! I didn’t know that. I thought she was your girlfriend. Some people in this village actually think she is your girlfriend. Even my uncle thinks so,” Uchechi said.

“No, not at all,” Eze answered.

“So, if Uchechi is not your girlfriend, then who is your girlfriend?” Uchechi asked.

“I’m single eh. I don’t have a girlfriend for now,” Eze said shyly.

“Do you have anything you want to do at home, or would you love to take a walk with me to the stream?” Asa asked.

“Sure, I’d love that, let’s go,” Eze said.

Eze did not know that walking to the stream with Asa would be the beginning of their relationship. He just believed that he was trying to make a new friend and help Asa feel comfortable in Alam village, not knowing that he was about to fall deeply in love with her.

After that day, Eze and Asa continued to see each other almost every day. But there was something unusual about their relationship. Each time Asa had a date with Eze or went to see him, she would go with a gift—not just any kind of gift, but an expensive gift.

The first time Asa gifted Eze a golden bracelet, Eze was shocked because he did not expect Asa to own something that expensive. In fact, Eze did not want to collect the gift because he believed it was too expensive, but Asa insisted.

After that first time, Eze did not expect Asa to give him anything again, but she did. The second time, she gave him a ring made of pearls and precious stones, and she insisted that Eze collect it.

This continued for a very long time, and whenever Eze tried to question Asa about the source of the gifts, Asa would lie about it.

As time passed, the two lovers fell deeply in love, and Eze even made up his mind to marry Asa.

“Are you sure you want to marry Asa? I know she is a beautiful girl, but we don’t know anything about her background,” Eze’s mother said.

“Mama, I already told you. Asa is an orphan, and her uncle is her only family. If you want to find out anything about her, then you can ask his uncle. At least we all know his house, it’s not like he is a stranger to us,” Eze said.

“Ok, if you say so. I know what to do. We will talk to her uncle then,” Eze’s mother said.

Weeks after Eze’s mother spoke to Asa’s uncle, they picked a day for the wedding. 

Eze was very excited about the wedding and he couldn’t wait to bring the love of his life into his home. Little did Eze know that Asa had a huge secrets he would find out on their wedding night. A secret that was so terrifying that he nearly lost his mind.

***

About a week before their wedding, Eze noticed that Asa was giving him more and more gifts. There was even one time when Asa went to Eze’s house with a box of Jewelry. The box contained gold chains, bracelets, silver, expensive rings, diamonds, pearl necklaces, and so much more. In fact, Eze refused to collect the gifts from Asa because, at that moment, he feared she must have stolen them.

“Asa, we are almost getting married, and up until today, you still haven’t told me where you get these things from. Each time I ask you about them, you tell me a different story,” Eze said. I’m afraid I will not collect this from you,” he added.

“Eze, I already told you these things belong to me. What else do you want me to say?” Asa asked in a disappointed tone.

“No, Asa, I cannot believe that. How can you tell me that all these things belong to you? How did you get them? You told me that your father was a poor fisherman before his demise, and your mother was a farmer, so how did you get all these things?” Eze asked.

“My love, why would I lie to you? Ok, the truth is that I inherited these items from my grandparents and she made me promise that I would give them to the man I love. Eze, I’m giving you all these things because I know they are valuable. After we get married, you can either choose to sell them or do whatever you want with them. You’re my husband, and I don’t want you to suffer in the future. That’s why I’m giving you all these things. I’m doing it for us,” Asa said.

“Are you sure?” Eze asked suspiciously.

“Yes, my love. I’m telling the truth. Please keep them safely in your room. No one else must see them,” Asa said.

“Okay,” Eze answered.

Since Eze and Asa had already started their marriage preparations, Eze rented a spacious one-bedroom apartment for himself and his wife-to-be, and he slowly moved his things into the new apartment.

A few days before Asa and Eze got married, Eze was still in his new apartment one morning when he suddenly heard Uchechi screaming his name from outside.

“Eze! Eze,” Uchechi screamed, ” I just saw your wife-to-be turn into a…”Uchechi stuttered while trying to catch her breath. From the way she was breathing, it was obvious that she had been running.

“Calm down, Uchechi; what are you trying to say?” Eze asked.

“I just came from the stream, and I saw…” Uchechi said, pointing at the gate.

“Uchechi, you’re not saying anything. What did you see at the stream?” Eze asked.

Almost immediately, Asa walked into Eze’s compound, and the minute Uchechi saw her, she screamed.

“Good morning, my love,” Asa greeted Eze and pecked him gently on the cheeks.

“Oh! Asa, you’re here so early. Uchechi just came here this morning, and she was trying to tell me what she saw at the stream before you walked in,” Eze said.

“Oh! Uchechi, what did you see at the stream?” Asa asked, but just as Uchechi was about to answer, something strange happened.

Suddenly, Uchechi lost her voice. She tried to speak, but her voice was gone.

“Uchechi, what’s wrong? What happened to your voice?” Eze asked in shock, but Uchechi could not answer despite how much she struggled to speak.

“What happened to her voice?” Asa asked Eze, “I thought you said she was speaking to you before I walked in here,” Asa said.

“Yes, o. She was just speaking right now. I don’t know what happened,” Eze answered.

“Ah! This is very serious and calls for serious concern. What do we do now?” Asa said.

While Asa and Eze were trying to find a solution to Uchechi’s sudden voice loss, Uchechi began to cry, and she ran out of Eze’s compound in frustration.

“Uchechi! Wait, where are you going?” Eze tried to stop her, but she had already left.

“This is strange. Do you think it had to do with her screaming? I’ve heard that when people scream too loud, they can lose their voice,” Eze said.

“If she was screaming when she came here, then it could be the reason. Don’t worry, she will be fine,” Asa said.

“I’m quite surprised you’re here so early in the morning. I thought we were supposed to see in the evening,” Eze said.

“I woke up this morning, and I was thinking of you. That’s why I decided to come and see you. Also, since this will soon be my house and you’re my husband-to-be, I think I can come here whenever I like,” Asa answered.

“Yes, you’re right. Will you come inside, or do you want to return to your uncle’s house?” Eze asked.

“Naughty boy. I know what you’re trying to do. You know we made a promise to each other, and I intend to keep that promise until our wedding night. I just remembered my uncle’s wife asked me to help her peel some cassava this morning, and I want to go and do that now,” Asa said.

“No problem. I will come and see you later this evening so we can make the final preparations,” Eze said before bidding Asa goodbye.

After Asa left, Eze immediately remembered Uchechi and thought it was strange that she had suddenly lost her voice. Even though he suspected that there was also something fishy about Asa visiting him so early in the morning, he didn’t think much about it.

Later that afternoon, before going to his mother’s shop, Eze dropped by Uchechi’s house to see if she had regained her voice. Uchechi was sitting outside her house when Eze walked into her father’s compound. When she saw him, she ran inside.

“Uchechi, I just want to find out if you’re doing okay,” Eze said.

“Stay away from me, please. It’s because of you and that witch you call your wife that I lost my voice,” Uchechi said.

“Uchechi, I know we have been friends for a very long time, but I will not let you disrespect Asa. She is not a witch and should be accorded respect,” Eze said angrily.

“Eze, go away. It is not by force to talk to you. Please go before I lose my sight this time,” Uchechi said.

When Uchechi said that, Eze got very angry and left Uchechi’s house.

“She has always been jealous of Asa from the very first day when the poor girl didn’t even do anything to her. How am I sure she didn’t fake losing her voice just to make Asa look stupid?” Eze soliloquized.

That evening, just as Eze had told Asa, he went to her uncle’s house to finalize their wedding plans, and he even bought some of the wedding items that Asa’s uncle had asked for.

“I saw Uchechi this afternoon. Her voice is back to normal. With the way she acted, I think she faked losing her voice this morning. You know Uchechi can be quite dramatic at times,” Eze said.

“Oh, that’s a relief. I was even worried she had a problem, but I’m glad she’s fine. That reminds me: You said Uchechi wanted to tell you something important that morning. Did she finally tell you what it was?” Asa asked.

“For where? She refused to speak with me. Please, let’s forget about Uchechi. I don’t want to ruin my mood this evening. Let’s focus more on preparing for our wedding, which is just in a few days,” Eze said excitedly.

“I can’t wait to finally be called Mrs Eze. I’m so excited, my love. You have no idea how long I have waited for this day to come,” Asa said.

“Me too,” Eze responded.

Four days after Eze went to Asa’s house, the two love birds got married in grand style. A couple of weeks before their wedding, when the villagers heard that Asa and Eze were getting married, they expected that it would be a small wedding, but to everyone’s greatest surprise, Eze and Asa’s wedding was one of the biggest and most lavish weddings the villagers had ever seen.

There was plenty to eat and drink, and surprisingly, many wealthy and rich-looking guests attended the wedding. When the villagers saw the guests, who were all dressed beautifully and their bodies adorned with expensive jewellery, they believed they all came from Asa’s village. 

And they were right. The wealthy guests were Asa’s guests, and they had come to celebrate their special day with her. 

“Asa, you didn’t tell me you had such rich friends. See how their presence alone beautified our wedding. When I saw them, I was shocked that such people could come to our wedding,” Eze said to Asa that evening after they had returned from their wedding.

“Those are my distant relatives. Even my uncle does not know them. They are relatives from my mother’s side,” Asa said.

“Oh! Your mother must have come from a very rich family. No wonder your grandparents were able to give you such expensive gifts,” Eze said. I know you must be exhausted. Come, let’s shower together, and I will massage you after we are done,” Eze added.

“Uhhmmm! Eze, before we do anything tonight, there is something I need to show you,” Asa said in a shaky voice.

“Sure, you can tell me anything. What is it?” Eze asked.

“Before I show you this, please promise me that you will not tell anyone. My life and my entire existence depend on this,” Asa said.

“I promise I will not,” Eze answered.

“Ok, please check my box. There is a gallon of stream water in it. Once I lie on the bed, I want you to pour some of it on my body,” Asa said.

“Why do you want me to do that?” Eze asked in a confused tone.

“My love, please just do it. It very important that you see this version of me,” Asa said.

“Version of you?” Eze asked, but when he saw the frustrated look on Asa’s face, he did as she had instructed.

“Abomination!” Eze screamed after he sprinkled the stream water on Asa’s body. He was scared, shocked and speechless at the same time.

“Eze, please say something,” Asa said. 

The minute Eze sprinkled some of the stream water on Asa’s body, he saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach. Right in front of him, Eze witnessed Asa transform into something he had only heard about in myths and folklore. The very first thing that transformed in Asa’s body was her hair. The minute the salt water from the stream touched her body, her hair transformed into a head full of snakes, then from her waist down to her toes, into a snake tail.

All this while, Eze had been dating Asa, he didn’t know that she was a rare breed of mermaid—not the regular mermaids with a fish tail, but legendary mermaids with the tail of a snake.

“What are you?” Eze asked in a shaky voice. From the tone of his voice, it was so evident that Eze was very afraid.

“I’m a mermaid,” Asa answered, “Eze, please listen to me. I promise I will not hurt you. I have never hurt anyone in my life,” Asa said.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You deceived me into marrying you,” Eze said in a teary voice.

“Eze, please listen. I’m a living being just like you. It’s just that I was born different, and I’m from the water,” Asa said.

“No, you’re not like me. You’re not human. I can’t believe you have been lying to me all these while,” Eze said.

“No, I never lied to you. I just kept this part of me away from you,” Asa said.

“Was your father really a fisherman, or did you make that up? You said your mother was a farmer. How was your mother human and you’re not?” Eze asked all at once.

“Yes, my biological father was a fisherman, but his wife was not my mother. She only helped raise me after I was born. Please, Eze, I truly love you, and I don’t want to lose you. If you never want to see this part of me again, I will never show it to you,” Asa said.

“Asa, I’m afraid. I have never seen something like this in my entire life. What will people say if they find out my wife is a mermaid?” Eze said.

“There will not find out if you don’t tell them. All the wealthy guests you saw today are my relatives. They now know that we are together, and they will do everything to protect us,” Asa tried to convince Eze.

“Please, Eze,” Asa begged.

By this time, Asa had transformed back to her human body, and everything that showed she was half snake, half human had disappeared.

“Asa, you will give me some time to adjust to this, please,” Eze said 

“That’s fine. I know you will need time, but please promise me you will not leave me, and in return, I will make you the wealthiest man in the whole of Alam village. The little gifts I gave you were just to show my love to you. Now that we are married, everything I own automatically becomes yours,” Asa said.

“Look, Asa, whether you make me rich or not, I’m choosing to stay with you because I love you,” Eze said.

“Thank you, my husband. I will never forget your kindness,” Asa said in a teary voice.

Before Asa revealed her secret to Eze, she feared that he would never accept her. Luckily for her, he loved her way more than she had imagined, and he didn’t judge her by her identity.

Although it took Eze a very long time to accept that his wife was not human, he finally embraced her, and the two lived happily ever after.

As Asa had promised, about a year after their marriage, Eze suddenly became rich, and he gained a lot of respect in Alam village.

As for Eze, he never told Asa’s secret to anyone, and he kept it to himself until his old age.

The end

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