Long ago, in a small village of the Efik people, there lived a woman named Nkoyo, who was pregnant with twins. She did not know this, for she had never seen or heard of twins before. She only felt that her belly was bigger than usual, and that she often felt two kicks instead of one.
One day, as she was walking to the river to fetch some water, she met a huge python on the road. The python was hungry and wanted to eat her, but it also sensed that she was carrying something special in her womb. It decided to spare her life, but only on one condition.
"Listen, woman," the python said. "I will let you go, but you must promise me that when you give birth, you will bring me one of your children. If you do not, I will come and devour you and your whole family."
Nkoyo was terrified and agreed to the python's demand. She ran back to her hut and told her husband, Edem, what had happened. Edem was angry and wanted to kill the python, but he also knew that it was too powerful and cunning for him. He decided to wait and see what would happen when Nkoyo gave birth.
A few weeks later, Nkoyo went into labor and delivered two beautiful babies: a boy and a girl. She was shocked and confused, for she had never seen such a thing before. She wondered if they were human or evil spirits, as some of the elders had told her. She also remembered the python's threat and feared for their lives.
She decided to keep the twins hidden from the rest of the village, and only told her husband and her mother about them. She hoped that the python would forget about his bargain and leave them alone.
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But the python did not forget. He had been watching and waiting for the right moment to claim his prize. One night, when Nkoyo and Edem were asleep, he slithered into their hut and snatched the boy twin from his cradle. He then quickly escaped into the darkness, leaving behind the girl twin and a trail of blood.
Nkoyo and Edem woke up to the sound of their baby's cry and saw the horror that had happened. They wept and wailed, and cursed the python for his cruelty. They also blamed themselves for bringing such a curse upon their family. They decided to get rid of the girl twin, for they feared that she would also bring them more trouble. They took her to the bush and left her there, hoping that some wild animal would eat her.
But the girl twin did not die. She was found by a kind old woman, who lived alone in a hut near the river. The old woman was a wise and powerful healer, who knew the secrets of herbs and magic. She also knew the truth about twins, and that they were not evil, but special. She took the girl twin to her hut and raised her as her own. She named her Eka, which means "mother" in Efik.
Eka grew up to be a beautiful and smart girl, who learned everything from her foster mother. She also had a strange gift: she could communicate with animals and plants, and sense things that others could not. She often felt a connection with someone who was far away, but she did not know who it was.
Meanwhile, the boy twin also survived. He was taken by the python to his cave, where he expected to eat him. But when he looked at the baby, he felt a strange emotion that he had never felt before: pity. He decided to spare his life. When the boy came of age, he told him:
"Listen, boy," the python said. "I will let you live, but you must promise me that you will never leave this cave, or tell anyone about me. If you do, I will come and devour you and your whole family."
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The boy twin had no choice but to agree. He grew up in the python's cave, where he learned everything from his captor. He also had a strange gift: he could speak the language of snakes and other reptiles, and control them with his mind. He often felt a connection with someone who was far away, but he did not know who it was.
He also did not know his name, for the python never gave him one. He only called him "boy".
One day, when the boy twin was about fifteen years old, he decided to disobey the python and sneak out of the cave. He was curious about the outside world, and wanted to see what it was like. He also hoped to find his family, and the person who he felt connected to.
He waited until the python was asleep, and then quietly crawled out of the cave. He was amazed by the sights and sounds of the forest, and the warmth of the sun. He also saw many animals and birds, and tried to talk to them. But they were afraid of him, and ran away from him. He wondered why they did not like him.
He wandered around the forest, until he came to the river. He saw a group of children playing and swimming in the water. He recognized them as humans, and felt a strange attraction to them. He wanted to join them, and make friends with them. He also noticed that one of them looked very familiar to him. It was a girl, who had the same face and eyes as him. He felt a surge of emotion, and realized that she was his twin sister.
He approached the girl, and called out to her. "Hello, sister," he said. "I have been looking for you."
The girl heard his voice, and turned to look at him. She was shocked and delighted, and felt the same emotion as him. She knew that he was her twin brother.
"Hello, brother," she said. "I have been waiting for you."
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They ran to each other, and hugged. They felt a bond that was stronger than anything they had ever felt before. They also felt a power that flowed through them, and made them glow.
The other children saw this, and were amazed and afraid. They did not know who the boy was, or why he looked like Eka. They also did not know why they were glowing, or what it meant.
They ran to the village, and told their parents and elders what they had seen. The parents and elders were also amazed and afraid. They recognized the boy as the son of Nkoyo and Edem, who had been taken by the python. They also remembered the girl as the daughter of Nkoyo and Edem, who had been left in the bush. They realized that they were twins, and that they had made a terrible mistake.
They decided to go to the river, and see for themselves. They also brought weapons, for they feared that the python would come and attack them.
When they got to the river, they saw the twins, still hugging and glowing. They also saw the python, who had followed the boy and was angry that he had broken his promise. He was ready to devour them all, and end his hunger once and for all.
He opened his mouth, and lunged at the twins. But before he could reach them, something amazing happened. The twins raised their hands, and unleashed a blast of light that hit the python and turned him into dust. They had used their combined gifts, and their love for each other, to destroy the evil that had separated them.
The villagers saw this, and were stunned and awed. They realized that the twins were not evil, but powerful and good. They also felt ashamed and sorry for what they had done to them. They begged for their forgiveness, and welcomed them back to their family and community.
The twins forgave them, and accepted their apology. They also thanked the old woman, who had saved and raised Eka. They decided to stay with their people, and use their gifts to help and heal them. They also decided to teach them the truth about twins, and that they were not a curse, but a blessing.
And so, the twins and the python became a folktale that was told and retold among the Efik people, and later among other tribes and nations. It was a story of love and hate, of light and darkness, of life and death. It was a story of twins, and their destiny.
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