The Lumberjack And The Beautiful Suzie

"Oh Oluwa, god of the forest, what a stunning maiden I see in the grass over there!" Babida, the lumberjack, exclaimed as he took a break from chopping wood. The reason for his sudden pause: a slender, dark-skinned girl, around eighteen, with curly hair, holding a basket brimming with mushrooms in her right hand. Her name was Suzie.

She'd been sent into the woods by her grandmother-affectionately called big momma-to gather mushrooms for dinner soup.

With her back turned, Suzie was completely focused on her hunt for the white Button species, sorting through her finds. She tossed aside the ones that could make you sick and carefully placed the good ones into her rubber basket for the elderly's favorite dish.

As she bent down to pick more mushrooms, the hem of her pink silk mini-dress shifted upward, revealing more of her smooth, hairless legs. The dress was tied at the waist with cords, creating an adorable butterfly knot at the front.

Babida, mesmerized, felt his brief pause stretch into an endless moment of fascination. The steel ax he'd gripped tightly for the past two hours slipped from his hands and landed in the pile of wood shavings at his feet.

"Hey there!" he called out, his voice booming through the quiet woods.

The sudden shout startled Suzie. She turned around, her eyes wide and her left hand pressed against her chest, before letting out a deep sigh and taking a step back.

Before her stood a tall, sweaty man in his thirties, his muscular frame on full display in the afternoon sun. His chest was as broad as a mountain, and his bulging biceps were lined with distinct veins.

"Who are you?" Suzie shouted, panic creeping into her voice.

"What are you doing here?" she added, continuing to back away.

"Sorry, Miss! I didn't mean to scare you. Please forgive my manners!" Babida replied, his tone softening.

Unsure how to react to his peaceful demeanor, Suzie decided it was best to leave.

"Anyway, I'm going now," she said, quickening her pace as she headed back through the brush.

"Wait, please! Can I at least know your name?" Babida called after her, offering a bright smile.

"Why? I just told you I'm leaving! Didn't you hear me?" Suzie shot back, then took off running, her basket of mushrooms clutched tightly in her hand.

Babida reached out his arm to stop her, but it was too late. The beautiful stranger had disappeared into the forest as quickly as she could.

Feeling a wave of disappointment wash over him, the woodsman clenched his fists and let out a frustrated scream.

In the heart of Ekule, one of the remarkable villages in the Batang empire in Africa, young Miss Suzie let out a sigh of relief. She had successfully evaded the unknown threat.

"Ouf! I'm finally far from that... who knows... stalker," she said as she entered the bustling center of the imperial city, feeling a real sense of freedom.

Suzie then made her way home, where her grandmother had been anxiously waiting to whip up some mushroom soup.

"Hi, big momma!" Suzie greeted the elderly woman as she stepped inside the house.

"I'm back home!" she continued, almost rushing to the kitchen since she was running late for dinner preparations. She dropped the basket of mushrooms into the sink, and barely had time to catch her breath when a stern voice boomed from the living room.

"Where have you been, you little blighter?" her grandmother asked, sounding quite upset.

"Big momma, I'm sorry!" Suzie mumbled as she hurried over to hug the old lady, hoping to calm her down.

"There were just so many mushrooms in the forest today! I had to gather as many as I could. Plus, I made sure to pick out the best ones for your favorite soup," she explained earnestly.

"Hmmm, now you're just trying to butter me up. You always know how to make me happy, especially when you bring home my favorite dish," Grandma replied, her tone softening.

Once her grandmother was reassured, Suzie returned to the kitchen. She unloaded the mushrooms from the basket and tossed them into a pot. After filling the pot with water, she took a moment to clean the white button mushrooms.

Then, a sudden memory from her time in the woods flashed through her mind.

"Big momma, you won't believe the weird thing that happened while I was in Ekule's forest earlier today!" Suzie exclaimed to her grandmother, who was relaxing in her rattan chair in the living room.

The elderly woman paused, fanning herself with a floral hand fan, and gave her granddaughter a curious look. "Oh, not again with your tales! What's the story this time, little tattletale?" she asked, half-jokingly.

The night had completely descended upon the village of Ekule. Babida, the lumberjack, was tossing and turning in bed, struggling to sleep after a long, grueling day of work. He couldn't shake off the memories of an unexpected encounter he had earlier in the afternoon.

The image of a young woman with dark skin, swirling hair, and a pink silk robe cinched at the waist with a butterfly knot was etched in his mind.

This rugged woodsman was swept away by a wave of love that knocked him off balance. For the first time in ages, he felt vulnerable. His fascination with the mysterious maiden was so strong it felt contagious.

"I wonder where the girl in the pink dress lives?" he muttered to himself.

"I bet she's from the neighboring village of Okala to the west, since I've never seen her around here," he convinced himself.

"So, tomorrow morning, I'll head to Okala and look for her," he decided.

"I need to get some sleep first," he added, laying his head down on the pillow, stretching out his arms and legs on his ebony bed, and finally drifting off.

Before dawn, Babida woke up. He got ready and transformed his appearance completely. With the help of a mirror in his small cabin bathroom and the sharp edge of his axe, he shaved off his bushy beard and neatly trimmed his mustache. Then, he applied lemon juice on his face to refresh his skin, tackling any stubborn pimples.

After that, he took a longer-than-usual bath before dousing himself in a rose-scented fragrance on his armpits, neck, cheeks, and broad chest. He even added a few drops of perfume to his hands, gently massaging it into his face and the rest of his body.

Finally, he donned a long, crisp white boubou, paired with a brown kufi hat, and slipped on some brown leather sandals.

Once dressed, he made his way to Okala, arriving at the bustling main streets of the village, as lively and noisy as ever. Charcoal sellers, butchers, fishmongers, tailors, jewelers, customers, passersby, and playful children filled the streets with energy.

Babida began his search, asking people if they recognized a slim, dark-skinned girl around eighteen, with curly hair, who wore a pink silk robe tied with a butterfly knot.

No one seemed to know who she was. Feeling a bit lost, he took a moment to regroup, standing in a corner and pondering his next move. A trio of kids, around twelve years old, who had been playing nearby, approached him.

One of the boys, who appeared to be the leader, piped up with a commanding tone, "Hey! I know someone who can help you find the girl you're looking for."

Babida was taken aback by the boy's boldness but decided against scolding him. Instead, he focused on what the kid might be able to offer him in his quest for love.

"Oh really? I'm all ears! Tell me!" the lumberjack responded eagerly.

"Look to your left, straight ahead!" the boy pointed. "That's Witch's Street.

"Go there, and you'll find all the answers you seek!" he instructed confidently.