Akpata, a small village in the west of Togo was surrounded by mountains with three main routes leading to the heart of the town. The land was enriched with beautiful plants of various kinds and the people in the land were known to be great farmers. Each month they held festivals where they celebrated bountiful harvest and they were known to be happy people. Their land was fertile, the trees blossomed with beautiful petals every summer, the clouds surrounding them had constant weather as if blessed by the gods. Famine was not known in the land, but all these were before the hyenas invaded the land.
Stephen sat with his fist locked to his chin lost in thoughts. Himself and a few others had narrowly escaped being eaten by the hyenas and were hiding in a cave far from Akpata.
"I never believed such a day would come, where something so tragic would befall our land," he Said, nodding his head gently.
Nobody said a word, they all mumbled and knotted their hands in-between the others.
"While I was growing up, my grandma told me of a fertile land they discovered in the East of Akpata as they journeyed in search of a settlement, I remember she told me it was as fertile as Akpata, we can consider going and settling there" Stephen said.
"The East of Akpata is 50km away, how are we going to survive it with no food" one of the men asked.
"We'll take the shorter route which is about 30km," Another said.
"But that means we'll have to go through the third route that passes through Akpata, the hyenas have taken over the land " the man who had earlier spoke responded.
"Let's think of a plan" Stephen suggested.
They sat in a circle sketching out plans on how to cross Akpata unharmed, among them were 10 virile men, the rest were women, children, and aged men.
"Ten men can't fight their way through, maybe we should take the route through the river" the youngest among the suggested, "we just have to risk it, it's better to drown than being eaten by the hyenas".
They sat on the log of wood that was designed by Alfred, an old man among them skilled in making craft. They were going to a land they've never seen, a land that couldn't tell of its present circumstances, they only hoped that it could be just as Alfred had told them, but who knows if the hyenas lived there too? Or if it never existed? They only hope it does as they sit still on the craft as they peddle it.
3 days later, the river became turbulent, a tide hit the craft and tumbled them into the water. They struggled to swim out to the shore and the other young men who could swim helped the women and children to the shore. They stood there and watched how the river had shattered the boat.
"Look," Stephen said, pointing at the direction of the field behind where they stood. "I think the gods had caused this to happen so we could settle on this land," he added. They all looked upon the field and beyond it was fertile and they settled there and reproduced.