Kanwar Maza 1&2 Complete Hausa Novel

The Wilderness of God’s Reserve

God’s wilderness! Late in the afternoon, when the sunlight began to fade, she hurried because the evening was about to fall, and the darkness of dusk was trying to take over the remnants of daylight before it completely disappeared.

The forest was a mix of tall and straight trees, intertwined with grasses of various roots, coming together to decorate the wilderness. It could be a fascinating sight for a visitor unfamiliar with the forest’s secrets. But for someone who knew what it held, it was a place of terror, fear, and chaos.

She ran between life and death, holding a bundle against her chest. From afar, it was impossible to tell what she carried. Her feet were bare, her body uncovered; even though the weather was mild, her lips were as dry as a rock untouched by rain. There was no sign that she even knew where she was stepping. Despite her dire situation, she treated what she carried with utmost importance.

Unknowingly, she collided with something she could not immediately identify, but the weight and force of it caused her to fall, releasing a helpless cry as blood began to flow from her private parts.

It was then that the bundle she carried let out a cry too, startled by the fear it had just experienced. It was a newborn infant, undeveloped, whose spine had not yet straightened. Its body was covered in the dried filth of birth, showing it had been born just two days prior, yet it had never seen water, let alone been cleaned.

In the City of Kano

In Kano city, in the Dorayi Tinga neighborhood, around 4:00 PM on a Thursday, there was a modest house in a small row of homes. At first glance, one could tell the residents were of modest means, given the state of the buildings—some patched up, others not, no proper drainage, no paved roads, houses stacked close together as if one could climb onto another.

“Won’t you come and deliver it to me, or will you wait until the charcoal burns out first?” said an elderly young woman, seated on the porch, her hand holding a pestle and grinding while a silver plate with cornmeal dough rested nearby.

A girl came out from a room behind the woman, holding her hijab in one hand and wiping away tears with the other.

The woman looked at her and asked, “Why are you crying?”

Like someone anticipating punishment, the girl replied, “It’s not Huzaifa, it’s not…”

“Be quiet! You only know how to cry, as if seeing your own intestines! If I forbid you from going there, you won’t go. Take this money and deliver it to Laure’s house. Take sixty kobo, forty daddawa, and a hundred naira of oil; bring the change. Hurry before evening prayer, or I will beat this soup over you!”

The girl grimaced and said, “So today too, we’re making kuka soup… Innalillahi wa innalillahi raji’un.”

The woman glared at her and said sternly, “If I make the soup for you to stir, will you take the money and leave, or shall I deal with you here?”

The girl knelt, took the money, tucked her hijab, and headed out, thinking to herself that with this cornmeal dough, there would be nothing to eat today, as if it were an act of devotion.

The woman warned, “If you see an opportunity, sit and don’t rush. See how I handle you, or join the children and act foolish on the way.”

Without further hesitation, the girl walked on, glancing around as she went.

Her friend Habiba’s house was next. She found Habiba’s mother combing hair in the courtyard, greeted her, and asked where Habiba was.

Habiba came out smiling, and the girl asked, “Ruma, where are you going?”

In a worried voice, Ruma said, “Please Habiba, can you help me wake Sani? My mother sent me, and I want to go quickly and return.”

Habiba said, “Ruma, you know Sani is stubborn. I won’t let you go and cause trouble. You, me, and her will end up in a mess.”

Confidently, Ruma said, “I swear, she won’t make trouble. Just help me, I’ll hurry and come back.”

Habiba guided her to the coop, looked over the small fenced area, handed Ruma the young Sani bird, and said, “Ruma, be careful. Make sure nothing happens to it. Hurry and return.”

Ruma smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go and come back. I want this young one to know I left it here; just a little fondness for it. You’ll see, I’ll come back.”

Habiba smiled and said, “Alright, hurry before he returns.”