C24

Title: The Fire and the Ashes

In the small village of Ikoto, the air always smelled a bit like smoke. The villagers were known as "coal makers," but making coal was their family tradition, passed down from their ancestors.

Ikoto was surrounded by two rivers and deep, dark forests. The trees were the village's treasure. Long ago, the villagers made a promise to the forest spirits: "Only take what you need and respect the rest." This agreement had kept things balanced for years.

However, things were starting to change.

Cities nearby were growing and needed more charcoal. The demand meant the villagers worked harder and the forests became thinner. Chief Olagbade, who managed the trade, saw this as a chance to make money. He believed that trees were only valuable when burned to support families.

Tade, a young man in the village, worked as a charcoal maker. Every day, he and his friends went deep into the woods to cut down big trees. The older villagers noticed the forest was quieter, but Tade didn't worry about it. To him, a quiet forest was a controllable one.

One day, Tade and his friends found a new part of the forest with very old, huge trees. It felt different there—the air was cooler and even the birds sounded quieter. Tade's friend Sanya wondered why they had to go so far for wood. Tade explained that they had to follow where the work was because the trees closer to home were already gone.

They worked quietly, cutting down trees. They then built kilns from the wood, covered them with leaves and soil, and lit them on fire. The smoke from the burning wood filled the sky.

That night, a strange sound woke Tade up. He saw shadows moving between the trees and the ground shaking slightly. Then, he heard a whisper calling his name but saw no one. He walked to the forest edge, drawn by a mysterious force.

There, under a giant tree, stood a woman with skin as dark as coal and tangled hair. Her eyes glowed softly. Tade was startled.

TO BE CONTINUED

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