by Jimoh Kamaldeen
PureTravel Writing Competition 2023
“If you see some of those holes in Mijibri, the oil in your head will suddenly go frozen. You will never believe they were dug by human beings!”
All you need to get a perfect picture of Gosere is to look for a penguin, remove his head, and replace it with that of a human. Then you will see Gosere staring at you.
Except for the small tiny bag he used to hang on one of his shoulders like that of Fulanis. Where he used to keep a palm-size mirror and the comb he used to comb his bushy hair from time to time.
He’s always on a long, white colour-abused jalamia. You know the kind of white you will continue to wash with a bar soap until it gradually degenerates into the colour of a muddy water.
What I don’t really understand about Gosere is how he became so knowledgeable about many things. He was not that educated, and never really stepped out of Kereku, but Gosere will be telling you things about overseas. About things that are happening in countries like UK, America, France and more.
It was even worst during Barack Obama’s time. If Gosere starts talking about Obama here, you would think Obama is one of his uncles who japa from village to America.
Sometimes you would think Gosere is one of those architects who designed White House, the way he will be talking about White House as if it was their family house.
But at all, you will always find an element of truth in most of his narratives. And, for Gosere to even know the name of an American president, that’s a plus.
For a while now, he has been pestering me about going with him to one bush in Mijibri, where he said people are making money as if when you are plucking mangoes from the tree. No stress, no sweat.
He even talked about one guy from his mother’s village who was lucky to find an emerald worth of 50 million. And after he sold it, he was able to build a mansion for himself, bought a car, and marry two sweet girls together in one day.
“But that one na madness sha! How im go take browse two girls together?”
He said, and we both bursted laughing.
“I know if na you strike that kind oil, na to japa straight to Maldive!’
“I no go even bother to come back home, na to take the next available flight!” He replied, and we continue to laugh.
Before you know it, my head has suddenly become clouded with thoughts of Mijibri. And my reasoning now began to start counting from 7-digits and above, like one of those young Alhaji in Abuja. I began to see it as an opportunity to make cool money without stress.
At around 7pm of that day, we were already waiting at the train station. You would see people coming one by one, in twos and threes like that. Buying tickets and taking positions, and continued to heap their loads here and there like mounds of water yams.
It’s not the fact that their loads were heaped closed to the rails that truly bothered me, but the fact that they were sitting on the loads; some women even slept on their own and covered themselves with rappers. Because it later began to get cold as the train did not arrive until midnight.
The moment the train slowly ground into the station, people began to run towards it, scrambling and continued to throw their small bags and luggage through the windows onto the seats, in order to secure a better sitting position.
And some barbarians had soon begun to climb, and continued to enter the train through the windows even before it stopped.
The whole scene was like when the bees are hovering above their hive.
I was still standing, thinking that one of the railway’s officials would come and arrest the situation, but before I could realize it, the train was already filled up, and Gosere was no where to be found.
Then I noticed someone has been stretching hand, and continued to beckon towards my direction from one of the windows. As I drew nearer, I was surprised to see Gosere. He has already balanced himself in one seat, and used one of his hands to occupy another seat for me.
That’s how the hullabaloos continued until around 1 am, before the train finally took off. But people still continued to trot up and down the aisle like soldier ants on patrol. Even the buzzing still continued. But now mixed with some kind of scents and body odours, together with smokes coming from cigarettes. Everything continued to mix together and bubbling like sour egusi soup on fire.
The journey that was supposed to last for 10 hours continued until after three days. Aside the frequent mechanical faults, the train has kept losing its track. There was a time it went completely derailed.
We were so exhausted that some passengers started sitting on the windows as to be able to receive some fresh air.
And just before we came down, as the train began to slow down; right from afar, you would start seeing different clusters of human beings. It was just like when you are looking at stars in constellation. The more we rode on, the clearer the view.
You would see the way human beings have become completely black, and continued to sweat from heads to toes. You know when you mix grinded charcoal in water, and continued to use it to darken a chalkboard.
If you see some of those holes in Mijibri, the oil in your head will suddenly go frozen. You will never believe they were dug by human beings!
They were so terrifying! I couldn’t even go closed to some, talk more of taking digger to start digging.
Photo by KAMAL IG on Unsplash
