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Nneka The Hunchback by Chinyeremma A Nwakanma
Friday, June 29, 2007
Rated "G" by the Author.
Nneka The Hunchback tells the story of a young girl whose disability disappears with love from her husband. The hunchback returns when she strays from the path of rectitude due to concerns with cares of the world.
Nneka, The Hunchback
Chinyeremma Augusta Nwakanma
Blue Flower Books
*** *** ***
Long, long ago, there lived a beautiful girl in an African village. Her name was Nneka. Though she was beautiful, Nneka had a hunchback.
As she grew older, Nneka observed that most of the men in the village ignored her because of her hunchback. This made her very sad. She was suspicious of every one because she did not know who truly liked her or who just wanted to make fun of her.
Nneka prayed to God every day for healing. One day, as she prayed, she promised God that she would always worship Him if he healed her. She said she would love people and never make fun of any body the way they did to her.
There was a man in the village who had long admired Nneka. Onyechi was a humble farmer. One day, on her way back from the stream, Onyechi followed her.
“Nneka, Nneka”, he called, running to meet up with her.
Nneka stopped to see who it was. On seeing Onyechi, she asked him what he wanted, for it was rare for any young man to ask her anything.
“Well”, Onyechi replied, “I have been watching you for sometime now. You are so beautiful and well behaved. I would like to marry you”.
Nneka was surprised! Could this be true ? No man had said a nice word to her before. Here was Onyechi proposing to make her a wife. Nneka, a wife? All her age mates had married long ago. She had prayed for someone to come for her but it never happened.
Nneka was very upset because she believed Onyechi just wanted to make fun of her. “If you don’t mind”, she retorted, turning away. “I don’t like such jokes”.
“But I am not joking,” Onyechi exclaimed. “I am truly serious. I am going to inform my relatives to come and discuss with your parents. Be expecting us”, he finished and rushed off to his home.
“Could this be true ”, Nneka thought to herself. “I will just have to wait and see.”
* * * * * * ***
Onyechi was truly serious. Several days later, his parents and relations brought palm wine to meet with Nneka’s parents. Her father was very happy when they told him the purpose of their visit. He had prayed for so long for a man to marry his daughter.
“Nneka, my daughter”, he called out to her. “Come and kneel before me. I am so happy and I thank God for keeping me alive to see my daughter marry. I know Onyechi. He is a good man and I pray both of you will be happy together.” Onyechi’s relations were very happy their proposal was accepted.
Soon after, Onyechi and Nneka held their wedding.
Shortly after they married, God answered Nneka’s prayers and healed her. The hunchback she had been carrying all her life disappeared. She was very happy. Her husband, too, was very happy.
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Reviewed by Louisa Middleton-Blake
6/29/2007
Oh what a sweet story, and written with such feeling and compassion. It really has something to say, and there's a moral to this story, which is so rare in story-telling these days. I like your name too, if only I knew how to pronounce it!
Good luck in your life, and may you have much success with your work.
