Ododo na moni yoh!
There once was a man who had three beautiful daughters, and a champion rooster who was his beloved pet. This was the biggest rooster ever in the whole of the land. Whenever he was returning to the homestead from anywhere, he would first call out to his rooster. On hearing his name Kileru would come running to him.
One day, one of the man’s daughters got hold of the rooster and slaughtered it. She trussed it and cooked a big feast which she ate all by herself. When her father returned form his trip, he called out to the rooster. Like he did all the time. But the rooster did not come running to him. He called the rooster again. There was no rooster. So he called his three daughters and said to them, “Assemble here. All three of you.” When they were assembled before him, he asked them, “Where is my rooster?” The first daughter to answer denied killing the rooster. Then they all chorused, “I did not kill it.” Then another repeated, “I did not kill it.”
He was disappointed in them all. So he resolved to test the strength of their word. Since it was the dry season, he had a brilliant idea to catch the guilty daughter. So he threatened them hoping to learn the truth saying, “Whoever has killed my prized rooster will be drowned in a flood. But if none of you have killed my rooster, you’ll all live.”
With that, he led them straight to a dry river valley and told them stand at the shore. Each of the daughters was instructed to go and stand in the path that the water took when the river was full and the water was high. So the first girl left her sisters and stood down in the valley.
The father motioned, and she started to sing:
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
There was no water. Only the dust of the river bed danced in the air around her feet. So the first daughter had won the trial. She was not guilty of killing the rooster. She left the spot and the second daughter took her place in the valley. The man motioned and the daughter began to sing his song:
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
There was no water. So the man said, “You’ve got no fault.” So the second daughter came out of the path of water.
Now it was the turn of the last daughter. And like her two sisters before her, she walked to the dry river bed as her father waited. When she had reached the spot where her sisters had sang from, her father started to sing.
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
He paused. She earth under her feet had became soft. But she continued singing.
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
As she sang the second time. The mud rose higher and covered her ankles. Soon the murky water was swirling around her legs, and rising up. She could not flee as she was now stuck fast with guilt.
At the shore, everybody watched as she was being swallowed up by the water. They hoped that she would confess and be set free. But no confession came from her lips. Instead she started crying:
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru.
The water rose even higher and faster this time. It reached her chest and she cried more than ever. As the water rose to her head, she sang knowing that it would be her last song.
The one who killed father’s rooster
The one who killed father’s rooster
Ting ling ling
Ting ling ling,
Kileru…
The water now rose and covered her head. While the family stood and watched, the water welled up and swallowed every trace of the liar. They hoped she would confess and be free, but she did not. The water carried her away. She had eaten the rooster, but her actions were in denial of guilt.
This ododo teaches us that if you do something. No matter how grave it is, you must confess and get help. This girl died because of her foolishness.
