Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty by Amos Tutuola Page B

of people who were black, white, and light blue people. They were uncountable in number and all were dancing, singing, eating, drinking, etc. when we met them. The merriments in which we met them were so much that one could not describe them.
    But as we stood at a little distance from them, I was so anxious to mingle with them and share from theirhappiness but as I started to go to them, I saw that something which was quite invisible prevented me on the way. It pushed me back to the spot on which the head of the drummers, Ojo and Alabi stood. Of course when the head of the drummers saw that I was pushed back by an invisible thing, he told me that I was a sinner therefore, I was pushed back by my sins which were invisible agents. He told me further that a sinner could never be shared from the happiness, etc. of these righteous people but the only people who could share from their mirth were the people without a slight sin. But the head of the drummers hardly explained to us like that when I hastily told him that I had never murdered people in my life. But he hastily replied: “Yes, not only the murderer is a sinner but also the people who are misanthrope, misadvisers , misadventurers, deceivers, debasers, etc. etc. etc.!”
    Then after one hour that we watched these righteous people with their fascinating merriments, the head of the drummers told us to follow him and we did so. When we came out from the residence of these righteous people, he took us round the town and there we saw that there was no a single person without great joy. But we were afraid that whenever we met the people on the road they would branch to another part of the road at the same time. They did not want us to meet them on the road. But when I asked from the head of the drummers that why the people were running away from us as if we were their enemies who wanted to kill them. He explained to us that these people were running away from us just to protect themselves from sins because we were sinners and they did not want to become sinners.
    This town of the Creator was very beautiful and clean. There were uncountable of mighty buildings from which we heard the people shouting, singing, etc. with great joy. So having gone round some part of the town, the head of the drummers took us back to his own residence when he noticed that we needed some rest. He gave us a separate flat which contained a big sitting room, bedrooms, etc. As soon as we entered the sitting room and we rested for a few minutes, one lady came to us, she told us to go to the dining room. When we went there, we met variety of delicious food and drinks on the long table. Then the three of us, Ojo, Alabi and myself, ate the food to our entire satisfaction. After that we started to enjoy ourselves with the drinks. We could not even finish the drinks when the head of the drummers came in to us and he joined us to drink the drinks as he was discussing with us how to become sinless fellows. But as soon as we finished the drinks by eight o’clock in the night, he went back to his flat and then the three of us went to the bedrooms and we slept with happiness.
    By six o’clock in the following morning, we woke up, but as soon as we went to the sitting room and sat down quietly, he came in to us. Having greeted us, he asked us to dress up and follow him and we did so at the same time. Then he took us to a very wide field where the various kinds of beautiful animals which they were riding were kept. They were riding animals in the town of the Creator instead of motor cars. We met more than ten thousand various kinds of beautiful animals in this field. This field was about five miles distance from the residence of the Creator although this town (as called) of the Creator had no an end at all.
    When he took us to this field, he told each of us to mount one animal which he preferred most. So I mounted one of the beautiful horses, Ojo mounted one beautiful camel while Alabi mounted one fine zebra, and the