The demise of the old king sent shock waves into the spines of every living soul in the land. He was a great king. The entire land had wept and mourned for years at the loss. The king was a respecter of the law and many argued that the law was imbued in his blood. He ruled the land with the sceptre of mercy and justice. His sense of dignity and truth was felt in other kingdoms. 

His only weakness for which his subjects never ceased to excoriate him was that he never possessed a magic wand that would at once give them the wish of their lives. His true strength as many philosophers of his time argued was that he was often quick to publicly admit his failings and imperfections.

The savants, seers and great diviners of the land revered him for his act of publicly admitting his flaws and more so, they extolled him as he made tremendous efforts to not to repeat them.

After the burial, the land prepared feverishly for the investiture of Azamah the heir apparent. Having lived with the old king and having run a lot of errands for the king in many capacities, there was no modicum of doubt in the minds of the people that this new king was the one to wipe away the mournful tears that had made every eye rheumy. They anticipated he would be the living memory of the old king.

There were great blessings in the first few years after the investiture of king Azamah. The land produced at it has never before. The granaries were full. One successful village farmer swore he personally witnessed his fowl lay three eggs in a day. Another complained the udder of his cow was producing much milk than was needed. 

Everybody in the land was healthy in mind and body. Evil thoughts were hardly conceived much less committed. The name king Azamah was on the lips of every living creature. The neonates yet to experience the full light of the world would sing praises of Azamah for making a comfortable kingdom for them.

The success of the king brought in its wake, many advisors some of whom were just bootlickers and enemies of the kingdom. Day by day, the bootlickers would feed Azamah with disturbing news of plots of some of his bloodline advisors and old friends. Power has its own sickness. It confuses the mind and those who are too obsessed with it make the most terrible of mistakes. Quickly and hastily the king on hearing this news would relieve his true and trusted servants of their duties and in some circumstances transfer them to the farthest part of his kingdom where certain benefits cannot be attained.

One fateful morning, the kingdom woke up to the appointment of new leaders. Monkey and owl were to serve as ministers of spy and gossips respectively. Wolf and Hyena were to take charge of all domestic animals and billygoat counsellor of all females. Crow and vulture were tasked to look after the abattoirs of the kingdom.

A lot of the subjects were awed by this strange and startling appointments. Between the rulers and the ruled one was not comfortable. As the rulers gloated over what gains to make on the ruled over a short time, the rulers were intimidated by the very choice and calibre of persons that were tasked to take rule them.

The savant, the seers and diviners of the land made kingAzamah aware that his fluffy feathers would soon be pricked out leaving him naked. These words he failed to heed.Too many words do not fill an ear and the wise rarely say a lot. In the recesses of their homes, true friends of Azamah grieve of what was to come. At that period clouded by his sycophants, Azamah could hardly see beyond his nose.

It was not long before the ruled started to complain. Severe hunger had struck the land. The people were reduced to merely a collection of bones. Subjects of the land trekked through different kingdoms in search of food but never to return. Some were swallowed by the sea, and others the scorching sun of the sand dunes of the desert evaporated their last breath, and a lot more were enslaved. There was weeping and wailing everywhere in the kingdom. It was hard for the females to conceive. Those who managed to conceive never hold their babies in their hands for even three passing days. The breast was simply too dry to offer any milk.

 All over the kingdom, young subjects were seen smiling and chasing imaginary creatures.The seers concluded they were afflicted by the sickness of the mind. Learning from the relishing he-goat, teenagers were busily copulating with their sisters and women old enough to be their grandmothers. The land was cursed.

The people worshipped and drummed all night to their god but their cries were never heard. At the same time that they were howling in prayer, they were looting, raping, murdering and cheating. King Azamah who was held in high repute was insulted by small boys young enough to be his grandchildren. It was only then that he realized the damage was enormous, and his nakedness too glaring.

A little late it was. For in this era, the sycophants had already plundered the land and the remnants of their damage could hardly survive a generation.

Going back to the savant, seers and diviners and to those who had shared their blood with him, in the days of yore, Azamah pleaded that they cover his nakedness. In their wisdom, they agreed that it was better to have him who had been rejected in the land of the dead and now stand before them, the living, to clothe him. In covering the nakedness of Azamah, the trio agreed, their own nakedness was shielded.