The Tale of Aro and His Hidden Wealth

As the narrative unfolds, we meet Aro, a man in the prime of life, hailing from an affluent lineage. Upon the passing of his father, Aro found himself the heir to a considerable fortune of money, fertile lands, and other prized possessions. One fateful evening, he sought the counsel of Osanyin, a trusted friend and the village's mystical healer, to clandestinely inter the treasure in two enormous clay pots deep within the wilderness, hoping to safeguard it from prying eyes and greedy hands. Yet, Osanyin, shrouded in midnight's cloak several months later, stealthily unearthed Aro's hidden riches, transferring them to a secret shrine to appease his deities.

When Aro, eager to retrieve a portion of his stash, discovered its absence, he turned to Osanyin for aid. Osanyin, with a pretense of divine inquiry, instructed Aro to return home, promising to beseech his gods for the identity of the thief. In a deceitful twist, Osanyin feigned a revelation, blaming the theft on the restless spirit of his own deceased father. Aro, accompanied by Osanyin, ventured to the burial site and, with a heavy heart, cursed the unknown thief. He declared, "My money will be recovered in the near or far future from whomsoever has stolen it, by my son, or my son's son, or one of my generation." Despite the facade of innocence, Osanyin returned home, burdened by the fear that his treachery might be unveiled. Aro's life, now ensnared by poverty, spiraled downwards, leading to his demise in destitution, leaving his son Jaye to inherit not wealth, but bleak hardship.

The Struggles of Jaye and the Birth of Ajaiyi

Jaye, seeking companionship, wed a woman described as "a very wretched lady." Two years elapsed, and they welcomed a son, Ajaiyi, into their world. Tragedy soon struck with the loss of his wife, and after enduring grueling years of toil, Jaye found himself exhausted and unable to labor on the farm. Thus, the responsibility fell upon young Ajaiyi to support both himself and his ailing father. As Ajaiyi reached thirty, the desire to wed kindled within him, but Jaye's empty coffers could not support such an endeavor. Thus, Ajaiyi pledged his labor in exchange for the funds necessary to unite with "a beautiful lady." Yet, soon after, Jaye succumbed to a grave illness, departing the world within mere days. With his father gone, Ajaiyi faced the grim reality of being unable to afford a proper burial, once again pawning his labor to cover the funeral costs.

Ajaiyi's Quest for the Lost Fortune

Indentured to two separate pawnbrokers, Ajaiyi's days blurred into endless toil for others, leaving scant hours for tending to his own land. The weight of inherited poverty bore down on him even more heavily. Desperate, he sought the wisdom of Osanyin, who proposed an unusual ritual: placing nine rams in sacks atop his father's grave as a trade for the ancestral treasure. Straining under the weight of his obligations, Ajaiyi managed to procure only six rams, leaving them as an initial offering with the hope that wealth would soon follow. In a secretive night raid, Osanyin and his aides seized the rams, which were then slaughtered for a feast at his home.

Discovering that their sacrificial act had yielded no prosperity, Ajaiyi returned to Osanyin, who again counseled him to offer the remaining three rams. However, Ajaiyi devised a cunning plan. Concealing himself within one of the sacks, he awaited the opportune moment. When Osanyin and his men carried the sacks away, Ajaiyi leapt out, brandishing a machete and confronting Osanyin as if he were his father's spirit. Terrified by this dramatic confrontation, Osanyin relented, relinquishing the long-lost fortune to Ajaiyi.