YAHUNDE! The capital city of Cameroon.
In a beautiful Fulani settlement rich in natural resources. Every part of Ardo Babayo's settlement is blessed with unique bounties, and the herders are true Fulani of Cameroon.
On a Friday evening, the herders were returning home with their cattle, sheep, camels, and goats, each heading towards their owner's herd. Even the animals knew their masters. Ardo Babayo's herd was one of the best in Africa, with forty herders.
The village was getting dark, indicating the rainy season, with greenery everywhere and a river surrounding Babayo's settlement.
Some elders were sitting under a cedar tree in front of Ardo Babayo's house. A distinguished elder was in their midst, surrounded by other notable men. To his right was a prominent man with a noble heart and signs of humanity and faith. They seemed to be discussing matters concerning their lives.
Ardo Babayo suddenly looked to his right and saw four young boys chasing a large bird, Boleru. The oldest was about 15, followed by a 13-year-old, an 11-year-old, and the youngest, around 9. They were running fast, chasing the bird, which seemed to be heavily pregnant.
As Ardo Babayo was about to speak, he noticed a beautiful girl, about 8 years old, sitting on the lap of the man to his right. She quickly stood up and, in Fulani, shouted, "Leave it alone." She then turned to the man she was sitting on and, with concern, said, "Appa, tell them to stop chasing it; they will hurt it."
Ardo Babayo smiled and said, "Gainako, leave it; you can catch it gently." Gainako quickly replied, "Baffa, Gidado asked us to catch it and slaughter it for him." The girl screamed, "Slaughter it? Appa, did you hear that? They want to slaughter it. Please, Appa, tell them not to. It's crying, and they hurt its wing; it's bleeding."
The people were surprised by her words, wondering how a bird could have a bleeding wing. The man she called Appa pulled her close and asked, "Parvina, does a bird have a wing?" She stood up and shouted, "It's not a bird, Appa; it's a person. She's crying and protecting her belly."
They all looked at the bird, seeing it struggling to run, clearly pregnant. Gidado, the youngest boy, started crying, "Gainako, hurry and catch it before it escapes." Parvina ran after them, crying from her heart, seeing not a bird but a beautiful woman with a large belly, ready to give birth any day.
She screamed, "Please, leave her alone; she will get hurt. Appa, come and save her; they will kill her." She continued to scream as Gainako and the others caught the bird and pinned its wings.
Her screams made the elders stand up and run towards them, as her voice echoed throughout the settlement. "Appa, they will kill her; they broke her wing," she cried. They arrived in a panic, and Appa quickly grabbed her as she tried to break free. Ardo Babayo shouted at Gainako, "Let go of the bird!"
Gainako released the bird, which fell to the ground. Parvina screamed and ran to the bird, seeing a woman in pain, her belly hit, causing labor to start and blood to flow. She held the woman's hand, which looked like a broken wing to the others.
Crying, she stroked the bird's head, seeing the woman's tears, and said, "Sorry, they hurt you. Tell them you're not a bird; you're a human like them." She cried more, seeing the woman not speaking, her hand like a broken wing. She quickly said, "Appa, let's take her to the bone setters."
The situation with Parvina was beyond the elders' understanding. Gidado cried, "Give me my bird; I raised it, fed it, and now you say I can't have it slaughtered?" Parvina hugged the woman, who they saw as a bird, and said, "You're a monster, aren't you? I won't let you hurt her. No one will kill her while I'm alive."
The call for Maghrib prayer made one elder, Yayari, say, "Ardo Babayo, it's time for prayer." He told the boys to go make ablution and come for prayer, telling Gidado to leave the bird. Gidado cried, "I want my bird; I don't want a goat or anything else."
Ardo Babayo sternly said, "Leave it; you're not the eldest. Let her have the bird." Gidado pouted and followed his brothers, saying, "Stop calling me Gidado if you won't give me what I want."
They focused on Parvina and the bird, seeing blood, thinking it was from an injury. Ardo Babayo gently took Parvina's hand, saying, "Let's go inside; it's late. Do your prayers and eat. Let the bird go; it will fly to its nest." She shook her head, crying, "It can't fly; it's a human. We'll sleep together."
She pointed to the bird's parts, saying, "Look, its wing is broken." She showed its legs, eyes, belly, ears, mouth, and hair. They looked at each other, wondering if Parvina was seeing a human or if the bird was a spirit.
Appa, scared, took her hand, his voice trembling, "Parvina, it's a bird, not a human. Why do you say it's a human?" She cried more, her body shaking, seeing the woman's pain. She hugged the bird, seeing a complete woman, and took her inside, crying.
They watched her until she disappeared. At the entrance, she met Gidado, who angrily hit her back, saying, "I'll slaughter my bird." She protected the bird and ran inside.
She found Seyoji telling their mother about the bird, known to everyone in the house. For eight months, the bird lived with them, eating the leftovers Gidado left for it, even drinking the milk he saved for it.