What I see:
I saw a fair woman stretching her hand toward the sky to touch and directing the movement of the lightning to the direction of her choice, creating a lightning bolt.
What I feel:
I feel this woman has power over lightning and thunder, and she must be the goddess of lightning and thunder. I think she is also in charge of rainfall and sunshine in her area.
MY STORY
Once upon a time in the eastern part of Nigeria, in the Ngodo community, where the land and skies were showered with blessings upon the earth. From the 17th century until the 21st century, they always had great and powerful kings who understood the misery behind their annual Blessing, the revered goddess of lightning. The revered goddess of lightning and thunder popularly called Amuma must be respected and given her sacrifice at the beginning of every year for the release of that year's blessings in good health, long life, and bountiful harvests.
At the beginning of the 21st century, there emerged a king named King Obi the 2nd of the Ngodo community who refused to acknowledge the existence of the revered goddess of lightning and thunder.
In anger, goddess Amuma made a decree that there would be no rain in the land and blessings would become a thing of the past. When the chief priest heard this, he said to her, "Remember that the villagers depend on you for the balance between rain and sunshine." And she replied, "Tell your arrogant king that story."
At the 2nd year of King Obi's reign, hunger, sickness, and death struck the Ngodo people, and King Obi sent for the chief priest, whom he blamed for the calamity that befell the land. When Chief Priest Kanu came to the palace, the king said to him, "Are you still the chief priest of this great land, or should we ask the gods for another?" The chief priest replied, "King Obi, why are you calling me now? I told you what to do for the peace of this community, but you refused."
The king asked, "Do you mean the goddess—a woman has greater authority in this land than Amadioha?"
The chief priest answered, "The gods chose her; remember, their ways are not ours."
With tears in his eyes, the king said, "Amadioha, save my first son, my first blood; my daughter lies lifeless. Please, I am sorry for the problems I caused for my people and my family. Chief Priest, if consulting the goddess is the solution, please go ahead and appease the revered goddess of lightning and thunder, for I don't want any more death."
The chief priest responded, "I will try my best."
Chief Priest Kanu, with his weathered face and deep wisdom, beseeched the revered goddess of lightning and thunder and called her by the name that gladdens her heart: 'Goddess of the Tempest, and the great Amuma' we plead for your mercy. Our crops wither, and our people suffer. Please relent, and let your tears nourish the earth once more."
But the goddess, with her eyes flashing like lightning bolts, remained steadfast. "The balance must be maintained, Kanu. This land will continue to experience drought to test the resilience of your people and their faith in me."
Representing the desperate plea of the villagers, Kanu said to the goddess, the great Amuma "90% of us believe in you. Please receive my offerings of the finest fruits and prayers that echoed through the hills." Yet, the goddess, with her thunderous voice, reminded Priest Kanu that the king and his people would suffer for seeing her as an inferior goddess.
As the weeks passed, the land grew parched, and tears resounded from every side in Ngodo land. In the midst of the drought's darkest hour, Kanu ascended the highest peak, where the goddess's presence was said to be the strongest. There, under the crackling sky, he offered not just prayers, but his own unwavering faith in the goddess's wisdom.
Moved by Priest Kanu's steadfast devotion and love for his people, the goddess's heart softened. With a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning, she unleashed her torrents upon the thirsty land. Rain poured down in cascades, revitalizing the earth and bringing hope to the weary hearts below.
As the rain started falling, the goddess said to the chief priest, "Go round the community as usual, speak out the mind and the request of the people, and it shall be granted. Tell your king that one more disobedience from him, and his blood and that of his family will be required."
After the drought and calamity of the Ngodo people, the goddess and the chief priest were seen as the heroes of faith. King Obi trusted the revered goddess of lightning and thunder even more, knowing he could face anything with belief. And as the fields grew green again, surplus harvests, good health, and all-round blessings became the people's lot once more. Everyone remembered the power of hope carried in the gentle rain.
End
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