The king mumbled, “Blood-sucking vagabonds! I went all the way to useless Towa to find an ally, when all along my every move and my people are being watched like sitting ducks! Well, I never!”
The queen seeing the distress in her husband interjected, “Dear, King, don’t be troubled, didn’t you hear what Mara said that if we pray, we shall be safe? So you need to take heart and trust that we can conquer this problem once and for all once we learn how to pray.”
The king scoffed, “And you think this prayer will work? Praying to a God we don’t even know? I have never prayed in my entire life and I don’t think reciting a few words standing there unarmed can protect us from these vicious creatures when they mean business. If they have done it before successfully, then what chance do we have?”
“Oh, King, if you give up before you even try then what chance will your people have? They all count on you for counsel and direction, don’t you know?” Mama Haga added sorrowfully.
“Mama Haga is right, my King, nothing ventured, nothing gained, what have we got to lose if we pray? At least, if anything happens when we know we have prayed, then what chance do we have if we don’t pray? Let’s cooperate with the Angel of the Lord and see what we can do to protect ourselves from this impending calamity,” said the queen convincingly.
“Okay, let’s go and tell them, but if it all goes wrong, I am not part of it!” said the king. As they got to the centre or the compound, every household began to emerge from their houses and their chores with concerned looks on their faces. The Goza people rarely had the king’s address unless if it was very important. Anything else he usually sent Tamura to pass on the message. Tamura frantically made sure all who were within the compound were informed. He also sent the younger boys to call back those were down the river, except for the herdsmen who would be further in the woods by now.
When the crowd had gathered around in total silence and anxiety, the king cleared his throat standing in the middle of the circle of his subjects, clutching his wife’s hand tightly as if for support from the weighty matter he was about to disclose. He said firmly, “My people, you know how peacefully we have lived here for many generations, but now it seems our peace is at stake!”
The whole crowd sounded a loud ‘wooooo’ and murmuring ensued, sounding like a large swarm of bees. The king continued, “It seems our peace and tranquillity was just too good to be true; we have an imminent threat and we have to pray to evade the evil spirits residing in the Baminga Mountains.” Another murmuring from the crowd of sheer disbelief swept across the crowd.
The king continued nonplussed by the crowd’s noises as he needed to get the message across by all means possible. He said, "Now you listen carefully to Mara and do exactly what she says, you and your families. Whoever chooses to ignore or not to follow her instructions will face the consequences of their actions when that gloomy day befalls us and our neighbours.
“As your king I will do my very best to ensure you are all not going to fall victim to these creatures, so long as you heed to the instructions of the Angel of the Lord! I need all the men to drop their daily duties with immediate effect and start building a safe shelter. From today, no one is to venture into the woods alone and must pray before they go anywhere! Before you do anything, wait for my instruction of where and when you will build this safe house. Understood?” He didn’t stop to discuss the matter further but turned sharply and headed straight towards his palace without uttering another word.
For a few minutes later, the humdrum among the crowd stopped and everyone seemed dumbstruck and shocked to the bone at the news. Mara and Mama Haga started their mission to tell about how quickly they all needed to get stuck in learning the prayer. They knew the damage the news had caused was catastrophic and they tried their best to minimise the damage.
Equally they knew there was no room for sentiments and the fact that the king delivered the message in a sharp and no-nonsense manner meant everyone would take the prayer seriously, which somewhat made it easier for Mara to try and convince them.
Each family wrote the prayer down on a piece of paper and Mara instructed them to get together first thing each morning and at night before bed and learn the prayer. She emphasised that they needed to pray earnestly and not just as a command but with sincerity from their hearts. After what seemed like a long lecture Mara said, “Any questions?”
One of the women said, “What about the children who can’t read, how are they going to learn this prayer?”
Mama Haga interjected and said, “I am sure you can find a way of making them repeat after you as they will learn quicker from what you say than what is written, I think.”
After this, there was a silent pause and Mara added, “Oh, and make sure that you always plead the Blood of Jesus during and after each prayer and every in between. There is power in the Blood of Jesus!” Everyone except Mama Haga looked perplexed.
Zuka
