NINJA

Chapter 31

"Amazing" she whispered feeling the ivory horn made from an actual elephant tusk. A man approached them. He was dark in complexion,wearing a khaki shirt and shorts. He wore huge TV like glasses and had a welcoming smile on his face

"Hello" he spoke in English

"Hello" Chris replied cheerily

"My name is Chika and I will  be your guide for the rest of the tour."

"Hello Chika. I'm Cleo" she smiled
"These are my friends, Chris and Anida"

"So nice to meet you all" he said shaking their hands.

"Which section would you like to see first?"

"The art section please" Anida said

"Of course. This way please"

The three followed the kind guide into the art section. Sculptures of African animals, abstract Nigerian painting, batik works, taffeta and tie dye works were placed on a glass table. A painting of a mother feeding her child hung from the wall. The headgear of the Ooni of Ife hung from a mannequin head. The mannequin's body was clad with the royal regalia and finally musical instruments.

"These artworks were dated back to when Nigeria solely depended on agriculture to earn a living before eventually moving to art. Nigeria engaged in trade with various countries before Britain colonized us." Chika explained

Cleo jotted while Chris took pictures. Anida spotted a flute next to her. It was very smooth and had calculated holes in them

"Can you play, Chika?" Anida asked

"Certainly. I was trained at a very young age to play musical instruments"

"Will you play for us?" Chris asked, pleading

"Of course"

Chika started playing the flute, tapping his feet as he produced rich Nigerian music. He absentmindedly started dancing. The three watched the dancing man, it was inspiring. They applauded. The man stopped dancing, rubbing the nape of his neck as color rose to his cheek.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away"

"You're an amazing dancer" Chris said still wowed by his performance

"And you play so well"

"Thank you" The man flushed. He wasn't used to people praising or admiring his talent. He sighed sadly "I have always wanted to be a musician unfortunately Nigeria is not a place where all dreams come true. You have to do what you must to earn a living and survive"

"I'm sorry" Cleo said itching to tap the kind man on his shoulder to comfort him

"We wish we could do something to help" Anida sighed

Chika shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "You three are all so kind. I appreciate your concern but I don't think there's anything you three can do. I believe God exists but I'm not sure superheroes do"

Chris grinned "I'm pretty sure they do"

Chika led them into another section. The tour would have ended ages ago and this section was reserved for rich people but he thought of the kindness of the children. He was used to being degraded and ridiculed because he couldn't make ends meet and his music was under appreciated but this kids were so kind and even tried to offer assistance. He smiled as his heart began to swell with gratitude. They deserved it.

"Would you like to see something?"

"Of course" Chris pipped excitedly

The man smiled at the boy's enthusiasm "Follow me"

They followed Chika into a very dark room. Something gleamed in the darkness. Anida gasped. Chris's camera fell to the ground. Cleo's eyes widened.

Is that it? The sword?

The sword was without a showcase. It was just held in place by metal pins. The long blade long and sharp, gleamed in the darkness. Japanese inscriptions in golden covered the blade giving it a golden tint. The hilt had a blue and red gem embedded in it,symbolizing the feudal families.

"It's so beautiful" Anida whispered.

Chika nodded. He wondered why the children are so entranced by it. Of course it is a rare artifact but most people just ignore it. He shrugged, children these days were very confusing. He smiled fondly remembering his son who was probably the same age as them. Chris quickly took a picture. The sword was coming with them.

"How did the sword get here?" Cleo asked curiously.

Chika shrugged "No one knows exactly but it just appeared at the Ooni's palace after a flash of lightening"

"I see."

The tour officially ended. They thanked the kind man for all his help. Chika smiled at them and waved goodbye which the trio returned. They got into the car happy.

They finally found it

                       ****

Yoshi stepped out of his jacuzzi. He sighed as he wrapped his towel around his waist. He teased the workers a bit with his body. He smirked as they became flustered and quietly vanished from his sight to avoid making huge fools of themselves. Yoshi was a handsome man and with that scar on his face he looked so attractive and mysterious. Unfortunately his heart as cold as his grey eyes. The phone rang. It was obviously his informant. He grinned as he listened to the black youth speak.

"Excellent"