Gudu took off like a firefly, and everywhere she passed, others avoided her path like a car without brakes. After over 30 minutes of running, she reached a house and suddenly halted, as if the tires had experienced friction. She headed straight towards a house, jumping around like a frog, not stopping to greet anyone because salutations were not on her list of priorities. She jumped over the barrier surrounding the house and entered a small shop, which was undoubtedly hers without needing to ask. It turned out that when I spotted her in that wild run, Bala Mai Kifi had been following her closely. He arrived just as she reached the house, and his greeting came out like someone who had been ghosted by their debtors. “Salamu Alekum, Salamu Alekum!!!” Hearing no response made him move a bit closer to the house. “Salamu Alekum!” “Wa Alaikumus Salam.” The answer came from behind him, and when he turned, he saw nobody but Mallam Umaru Gallara. The Mallam smiled at Bala Mai Kifi and said, “Let’s go inside.” Due to the extreme shyness Bala felt towards the Mallam, he followed him reluctantly, even though he wanted to leave; there was no way out for him other than to follow. The Mallam greeted as he headed for a room where two others were lined up. Before long, he returned with a table and spread it for them. After exchanging the typical respectful greetings, the Mallam turned his gaze to Bala Mai Kifi. “Mallam Bala, I hope you are well?” Overcome with embarrassment, Bala replied, “I’m fine, may Allah forgive me, Mallam; I just came to greet.” He finished while scratching his head and ears. The Mallam smiled warmly before saying, “I’m very happy, Mallam Bala; may Allah preserve our kinship.” Bala responded with “Amin, may Allah forgive you, Mallam; I will be on my way, thank you.” The Mallam said “Amin.” Then he walked Bala to the door. Bala couldn’t help but promise to deal with the girl known for mischief if he caught her. THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES BACK (Flashback) She was returning from her usual roaming due to the hunger that had been tormenting her; her stomach was turning as if begging for food. Suddenly, the aroma of the fish that Bala was grilling hit her nostrils, causing her to race to the fish stand. Upon arriving, she saw him already pulling the fish from a metal container and placing them on the table. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she swallowed her saliva and squinted her eyes like an old witch. In front of Bala, she went down because she had heard stories about the girl and her infamous nature with the locals, especially with the kind of mischief and trouble she brought with her. He hesitated because he had never had any past dealings with her before. Upon seeing Bala offer her fish in a bag like they usually do before she spoke, she shot him a fierce look, saying, “I’m waiting for that fish; hand it over!” She said earnestly, glaring at Bala. He was confused by her brazen demand because he didn’t know her and asked, “How much should I give you?” Being stunned by Bala's casual remarks, knowing she was desperate for fish, she declared, “I want all the fish on the table.” As she said this, he turned to his grill, so she hurried and grabbed a bag, starting to scoop the fish into it. She filled three bags without hesitation and turned to leave. At that moment, Bala returned to his stand and found nothing but a clean table; his instinct kicked in, and he sped after her. Just like she anticipated he might trail her, she swiftly sidestepped and started munching on the fish without bothering to remove the scales. Within mere two minutes, she had polished off two bags (I, myself, Bhatool, was utterly shocked). She grabbed the last bag to begin eating but spotted Bala approaching. Without a second thought, she made a swift getaway, stuffing fish into her mouth as she devoured one and flung her bag back at him, effortlessly fleeing the scene. She had quickly outpaced the chase before she reached a crowd that had gathered. Seeing the girl made them move aside, as everyone knew getting in her way was not a wise choice. No matter how far she ran, it didn’t stop Bala from chasing her until she reached her house. AND THAT’S HOW IT WAS! BACK TO THE STORY. When Bala returned to his fish stand, he was astounded, for the fish he had laid out was burnt beyond recognition. He thought about how he wouldn't make any money from that venture, and a rush of frustration washed over him, compounded by the fact that he didn’t have any money left, let alone the chance to return to the river to catch more from his girlfriend... Noticing he lacked any means to defend himself, he took the remaining bait and secured it in his storage. As he stepped out, he found himself wiping away tears of sorrow that had begun to well up in his eyes. In the midst of his despair, he felt someone pat him on the shoulder; it was his friend Tanimu, who was observing him closely since noticing the tears in his eyes. Tanimu asked with genuine concern, "My friend, I see tears in your eyes, are you not feeling well?" Struggling with his emotions, Bala brushed away the tears and replied, "Just leave me be; this is not better than a wound I am nursing because of what happened." Tanimu redirected his focus back to Bala and said, "I’m all ears." Adjusting his sitting position, Bala queried, “What's up with that girl you mentioned who has such a bad reputation?” Tanimu included, “Are you referring to the Iya girl?” “Yes, that one. If she's indeed the girl of Baba.” Filled with irritation, Tanimu responded, “You haven’t even told me what she did to you.” Bala scoffed and said, “Hmmm, my friend, that girl, while I was trying to sell my fish, she came and asked for some. When I went checking my fish to see what to offer her, before I could return, she had already devoured everything.” After pausing for a moment due to how his heart was boiling with anger, Tanimu appeared at a loss about how to react to Bala regarding the Iya girl. “I’m listening,” he remarked. “Before I came back, she gobbled up my fish and took off; I chased her for a bit until I almost lost sight of her.”**