Fiction: The Fool’s Wisdom

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In the town of Akankan, there was chaos, the market remained stagnant, and hunger was knocking on the door of the rich people. The atmosphere of the village had been derailed.

The King was confused about the way out of the problem at hand. Many people had relocated to the neighboring village where they were sure of getting a livelihood.

Soliloquy.
“Hmmm, what will be the way out of these things now? The majority of people who are supposed to be the members of my village have left for another village. Ah! Maybe I should seek my cabinet's attention, after all, we are the leaders of the village. This thing should not be only me who will be thinking about it.” Said the King.

As he was in deep thought, some members of his cabinet entered the executive chamber. Peace on you Sir. You shall live long and witness the good fortune of this land. But he couldn't respond until one of them tapped his lap where he was seated.

He was shocked.
“Hey! When did you arrive here? I am very sorry, please. I am happy to see you, you are welcome.” The king welcomed them.

One of them cuts in.
Good day once again. Sir, you are the hope that we have in this town. What is the matter with you? Please, if you don't mind confiding in us, we can be of help. We are your chiefs. Problem shared, problem solved. We don't know who is who. He stopped.

The king was furious.
“Oh, you want to tell me that you don't know what I am going through? In fact, don't let me personalize it. It is what all of us are passing through in this town. Do you want me to fold my arms and watch till bad things happen? The problem at hand is that it is audible to the deaf and visible to the blind.”

“Hey yeah we don't know, we thought something else was disturbing you. We are sorry. According to our little knowledge, if something like this happens in the town. We must consult Oracle to find a solution for us.” Said Chief Agbabiada.

The King said If that is the case, let us invite Adifala to help us consult the Oracle on our behalf.

Adifala was invited to the palace where all the cabinet members gathered. When he got there. The king said, You are welcome to our midst. We need your help; because we have been experiencing many things badly nowadays. We want to consult Oracle to know the solution to our hardship.

First of all, Adifala paid homage to the gods, then he consulted the Oracle on their behalf. He said the gods have spoken. I want to ask one question. Where is the staff of authority of this land?

The king said, “It was stolen from the palace a long time ago when bandits invaded our town. We can't say the exact location we can get it now.”

“There is no alternative to solutions to this problem, because in the same way we climb a palm tree that is the same way we come down. Let us look around the town to see if anyone spotted it.” Said Adifala.

A kind of relief set in.
The King said, Alright, town announcer! Go to the nook and cranny of this town, tell them that anyone who can find a staff of authority should come with it to the palace because there is a reward for whoever finds it.

Meanwhile, Prince Adeolu was the late King's child. He was in the palace when bandits invaded the palace. They did not touch him because of his physical condition.

However, Prince Adeolu heard the rumors about the loss of staff of authority which people were saying that there is a reward for anyone who finds it.

Prince Adeolu was smiling and dancing. People who were passing by were laughing. Look at the imbecile, what did he know that we were talking about?

The following day, in the morning precisely, everyone had gathered in the palace to know what was going to happen next. Prince Adeolu was coming with something he wrapped with rags to the palace. He managed to get to the front side where he would present the staff of authority to the King.

Excitement moment.
Hey, the gods of our land thank you. How do you manage to hide it? Everyone was dancing and full of joy. King asked.

See, see, I was just playing on my own and I knew that they were looking for it, and I just used these rags to cover it and threw it among the firewood our maids parked beside the palace. I heard their conversation and they did not know that I was the one who hid it. That is all.

“Wow! Wow!! This is amazing. Now, people will be saying imbecile people are not sensible. Look at this one now. Who can say Prince Adeolu will be our savior in this land? This is my reward, first, you are going to remain with me in this Palace. Second, all the benefits we have decided to give to anyone who finds it will pass to you completely. Who can imagine that “the fool’s wisdom” can save us from calamity?” The king concluded.

                  The End