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"Dije Ƙarangiya" by Hadiza D/Auta.
Part 1: The Prank on the Village
The five of them walked along, each carrying a tightly bound bundle of grass on her head, harvested for their livestock. Beneath the bundles, they wore small head-pads (ganwo), walking in single file along a narrow path cutting through the tall bushes. They chatted and laughed merrily as they went. The girl leading the pack held a small whip in her hand, playfully striking the grass along the edges of the path. Suddenly, she let out a loud shout and began to sing:
"Listen up everyone, today if I so please..."
The others immediately joined in, matching her rhythm and singing back:
"Dije Ƙarangiya, what mischief have you cooked up today?"
The girl called Dije hopped so high her bundle of grass almost slipped off. Catching it quickly, she continued her song:
"Today, I want us to go and tear down the Village Head’s town shed!"
Hansai’s eyes widened in sheer terror. With a trembling voice, she cried out, "By Allah, count me out, Dije! Why should we just bring trouble upon innocent people for no reason..."
Before she could finish, Dije aggressively cut her off, snapping, "Get out of here right now before Inna Meramu feeds you dirt today! And by Allah, if you dare repeat those words, I will smash your mouth until it bleeds!"
Knowing exactly what Dije was capable of, Hansai quickly split from the group and took another path, constantly looking back to ensure Dije wasn't following to give her a beating. She knew all too well that Dije wouldn't hesitate.
Dije turned to her remaining friends. She dropped her grass, prompting the others to drop theirs as well. Brandishing her whip, Dije struck one of her friends, Lanti, and said:
"As for you, Lanti, if you're going to show your cowardice and get our plan exposed, you might as well just go home right now. We will finish this without you."
Trembling, Lanti pleaded, "Please let me participate! I won't let anyone suspect a thing."
Dije looked at the rest of them and burst into a wicked laugh. She pulled them into a tight circle and began to whisper the plan into their ears. They all burst out laughing. Mune, giggling uncontrollably, said:
"I can already picture how the Village Head (Mai Gari) will..."
Dije quickly slapped her mouth shut. "Quiet! You're going to expose us before we even step into town!"
Mune shut her mouth instantly, her eyes darting around guiltily. Dije announced that everyone should be ready; the moment they reached the outskirts of the town, the plan would commence. They picked up their bundles of grass, placed them back on their heads, and walked on, chuckling.
Just as they approached the entrance of the village, they began practicing the eerie, howling cry of a hyena. Then, they snatched off their sandals, held them in their hands, and Dije took off at a frantic sprint, holding her grass down, howling like a hyena and screaming at the top of her lungs:
"Help! A hyena! There is a hyena in our village! Help us, it's right behind us, it's almost here!"
Her friends bolted right behind her, mimicking the wild hyena cries and screaming that a beast had entered the town.
The moment the townspeople processed what was being yelled, they panicked and ran for their lives. Dije and her friends raced straight toward the Palace of the Village Head. Hearing the terrifying commotion from afar, the elders at the palace square scattered. Seeing the girls running frantically and panting heavily, the remaining people fully believed the threat. Only two men were left standing when Dije skidded to a halt. Panting heavily, she gasped out:
"Mai Gari! A rabid hyena is in our town! It has already started devouring people at the village entrance! It's almost here—we barely escaped with our lives!"
The Village Head's eyes popped out. "You, Dije! You know I know your tricks, right? By Allah..."
Before he could finish his sentence, another villager came running toward them out of nowhere, screaming, "Hyena! Hyena, Mai Gari!"
That was all it took. The Village Head bolted, clutching his turban. But just as he was about to cross the threshold of his house, he tripped over a gutter, losing his balance entirely and hitting the ground with a massive Tim! His turban flew east, his cap flew west. Letting out a horrific shriek, he scrambled up in pure adrenaline and dived into his house, completely ignoring his abandoned headgear, shouting from inside:
"Every man for himself! The day is ruined! Save your own heads!"
Dije and her friends, who were hiding behind a massive tree right outside the palace where the Village Head and his cabinet usually relaxed, kept making the hyena noises. Seeing that everyone had locked themselves indoors, they stepped out and burst into uncontrollable laughter—especially after witnessing an old man sprint past, clutching the back of his neck, diving into his house, and slamming the door shut.
From the palace gates, Dije told everyone to head home. Each girl ran to her respective house. Dije walked down the street, laughing wickedly. Whenever she spotted someone in the distance, she would fake the hyena howl again, hold her grass, and run, shouting:
"It's right there! By Allah, it has already eaten five people at the village entrance!"
Terrified, the townspeople ran even faster. By the time Dije reached her own house, she found the front door shut tight. Another wave of laughter washed over her. She looked at their neighbor’s house—closed shut as well. After enjoying a good laugh, she began banging furiously on their wooden door, mimicking a hyena like a maniac, crying out:
"Baffah! Open up! The hyena is going to eat me for cheap!"
The door flew open instantly. Her father grabbed her arm and yanked her inside with such force that her bundle of grass tumbled to the ground. He bolted the door shut, panting heavily, and dragged her deeper into the compound.
"Hurry! Go hide in your mother's room! If it breaks in and eats me, at least you two will survive. Just pray for me!"
Dije burst into laughter at the sight of her father staring wide-eyed at the entrance. Just then, a stray goat outside went Meeh! Meeh!
In a panic, Baffah bolted toward his room, crying out:
"Salamun qaulan min rabbin rahim! (Peace! A word from a Merciful Lord!) It's over for us today! Pure martyrdom in the village of Kiriu!"
He dived into his room and was about to slam the door when he caught sight of Dije standing there, stifling her laughter. Raising his voice, he yelled, "What on earth are you doing standing there? Why aren't you hiding?!"
Hearing a loud shout from the neighbors, Baffah slammed his door shut and began reciting Islamic prayers at the top of his lungs. Dije walked up to his door and said, "By Allah, Baffah, calm down. There is no hyena."
When he refused to open up or stop his loud prayers, she went to the front gate and opened it. It turned out her own young goat had returned from grazing and was the one bleating. She grabbed its rope, pulled it inside, and walked over to her mother's room.
"Inna, open up. By Allah, there is no hyena. It’s all a lie."
Hearing the goat bleating, Inna called out from deep inside the room, her eyes wide with fear, "Dije, are you still alive, or has it started eating you?!"
Dije clutched her stomach, laughing hysterically. "It’s my goat, Inna! Come out and see for yourself!"
Inna shouted back, "By Allah, if you want to see me, it will have to be in the afterlife! I am not walking out there on my own two feet!"
Hearing her endless laughter, Baffah thought she was crying in distress. He cracked his door open slightly and peeked out with one eye, his entire body trembling with fear. Instead of a monster, he saw Dije rolled over on the floor, clutching her stomach in wicked amusement.
He threw the door wide open and stepped out. "You wretched girl! With all this terror throwing the whole village into panic, you have the nerve to sit there and laugh? By Allah, if that beast had broken in, it would have eaten you first! Before I could even come out to save you, you’d be nothing but raw meat!"
Dije covered her mouth, trying to stop her giggling. "By Allah, Baffah, it’s just a prank. There is no hyena. Mune and the girls planned the whole thing."
Baffah’s eyes widened. He stepped completely out of his room. "Mune and the others? You girls did this? By Allah, if this is truly a lie you cooked up, I am washing my hands of whatever trouble you’ve brought upon yourself this time! Because let me tell you..."
Before he could finish, a loud, angry uproar erupted outside their front gate. A mob of townspeople had gathered, shouting furiously:
"Today, we must take decisive action against this girl!"
Dije jumped up, her eyes darting around. She spotted the large tree standing in the middle of their courtyard. Sprinting toward it, she nimbly scaled the trunk like a monkey, climbing to the very top branches where she curled up quietly, waiting to see what actions would be taken against her. She knew that this time, she had truly struck a hornets' nest.
Part 2: The Angry Mob
Baffah stared up at the tree, utterly frustrated by the reality that you can give birth to a child but you cannot choose their character. He headed toward the front gate. Seeing a massive crowd packed outside, each holding weapons and wearing fierce expressions, he quickly backed away, catching his breath in pure panic.
The crowd began to shout:
"Malam Buba! Bring her out before we break in and drag her out ourselves! The Village Head himself is demanding your presence along with that troublesome daughter of yours!"
Malam Buba (Baffah) clapped his hands together imploringly. "For the sake of Almighty Allah, please have patience with Dije. As we speak, I haven't even seen her. She hasn't returned home!"
A giant palace guard (Bafade), his face twisted in rage, stepped forward. "Are you going to bring her out to face judgment, or do we have to come in there and drag her out ourselves?"
Malam Buba pleaded, "Please, for Allah's sake, have mercy. I don't even know what she did to you all."
The guard lunged forward as if to strike Baffah. "With all the running and chaos caused by the 'hyena' in this village, you claim you don't know? Let me tell you—the Village Head's chief wife (Uwardaki) has broken a limb, all because of your daughter Dije! The Village Head has ordered her brought to him dead or alive for severe punishment!"
Hearing this, Baffah’s eyes widened. "For Allah's sake, please understand, Dije is not in this house. If you don't believe me, I give you full permission to enter and search for her."
Before he could even finish his sentence, the mob shoved him aside and barged into the compound. They searched every nook and cranny. Finding Inna’s room locked, they assumed Dije was inside. The giant guard raised his foot and kicked the door open.
Inside, Inna was huddled in a corner, praying frantically because she thought the hyena had broken into the house and the villagers were chasing it. Hearing the door blast open, Inna shrieked:
"Oh, my mother! Oh, my father! I am coming to meet you without any spiritual provisions! Oh my Allah, help me, the hyena is going to tear me apart!"
Inna had squeezed herself deep under her metal bed, screaming at the top of her lungs. Hearing someone approach, she yelled even louder:
"Help! People, help me before it takes a bite out of me!"
Baffah bent down to look under the bed where the screaming was coming from. The moment Inna saw his head, she mistook it for the hyena. She kicked a heavy metal bowl (fanteka) lying under the bed straight into Baffah's face.
Baffah reeled back in pain and anger. "You crazy woman, get out from under there! There is no hyena! Your daughter has brought ruin upon us, and the Village Head has sent men to arrest her!"
Inna, in a state of fresh confusion, asked, "Is that true?!"
Furious, Baffah snapped, "No, it's just another lie I decided to tell you!"
Trembling, Inna crawled out from under the bed, knocking over metal bowls as she made her way out. Seeing that Baffah had already left the room, she stepped into the courtyard, only to find it packed with an angry mob of men and women. Terrified and confused, she asked, "What on earth is going on, everyone?"
An old woman in the crowd shouted, "What do you mean what's going on?! Dije has caused injuries all over this town because of her utter lack of respect! Hand her over before the Village Head takes it out on your entire family! They always say a troublesome child brings stones raining down on their mother's head—well, today she has brought you a disaster bigger than usual!"
Baffah said in frustration, "I already told you she isn't in the house, but you refused to believe me."
Up from the top of the tree, Dije had finally had enough. Her voice boomed down:
"Let them be, my Baffah! If they refuse to believe you, let them kill me when I come down!"
The entire crowd looked up at the tree, bewildered as to where the voice was coming from. Dije locked eyes with the old woman who had spoken, glaring at her fiercely.
"By Allah, if you push me, I will dive from up here straight onto your head, you old crouching hag!"
Realizing she had been hiding in the tree the entire time, the guard marched over to the trunk. "Come down peacefully before we chop this entire tree down and leave you broken!"
Dije quickly shot back, "By the Quran, I will not come down! Whoever wants me down should climb up and get me! But let it be known—whoever makes the foolish mistake of climbing this tree will not return with both eyes intact! I will command my jinn (spirit) to pluck your eyes out on the spot!"
A collective chill ran through the crowd. Everyone knew Dije’s notorious reputation and her knack for chaotic witchcraft and mischief. The mob began debating who should climb up. Finally, they forced her father, Baffah, to do it. Seeing his compound filling up with more angry villagers, Baffah decided to climb up and bring her down himself, hoping it would secure a lighter punishment for her.
As he grabbed the trunk to climb, Dije called out, "Wait, Baffah, let me just come down myself. My life is in Allah's hands anyway; none of these people have the power to kill me."
Baffah sighed, "Come down carefully. You brought all of this upon us. We were living our lives in peace until you made us the talk of the town."
Dije slowly climbed down. The moment she neared the ground, she jumped, and *Caraf!*—the guard grabbed her firmly. He began dragging her away while she resisted violently, trying to make it as difficult as possible for him. A massive crowd followed them all the way to the Village Head's palace, where an even larger crowd was waiting.
The moment she was sighted, the palace square erupted into curses and angry murmurs. Exhausted, the guard dragged Dije before the Village Head. One look at the chief's face revealed a massively swollen, protruding upper lip—the result of smashing his mouth into the ground while fleeing the fake hyena.
Dije refused to sit down. She stood defiantly, hands on her hips, glaring at Hansai, Lanti, Mune, Jummala, and Ladiyo. Her heart was bursting with rage, waiting for the slightest trigger to unleash a fresh wave of chaos.
The Village Head ordered her to sit, but she acted as if she hadn't heard him. The guard barked at her:
"Are you deaf? Is he not speaking to you? Or do I have to force you down myself?"
Dije rolled her eyes dramatically and threw a furious glare at him, speaking in a hilarious, nonsensical blend of broken Arabic and Hausa:
"Laisal matsi bi gairi haza takura ka barni inyi ijlis da duwawuna! (Stop forcing me with all this pressure, let me sit on my own buttocks!)"
Infuriated, the guard swung his hand and delivered a ringing slap across her face. The force of the blow knocked her straight to the ground. Holding her cheek where she had been struck, Dije’s eyes instantly turned blood red. In a flash of pure rage, she sprang to her feet, let out a piercing, demonic shriek, and yelled:
"Yihuuuuuuhuu kurunkus kan dan bera!"
Part 3: The Fake Possession
With a wild leap, Dije lunged straight at the giant guard, wrapping herself around him and gripping his neck in a death-grip! She began babbling incoherently like someone possessed by powerful spirits, screaming:
"We will snap this neck today! By the gods, this head will be our dinner tonight! This throat will be our whistle! And these eyes—we shall plant them on the rear of our donkey! Mulkutus barakus, hold his nose for me!"
The entire crowd leapt to their feet, pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of Dije and the guard. The guard, feeling the fierce grip on his throat, became entirely convinced he was fighting real demons and not a young girl. Despite her small, skinny frame, he couldn't break free from her grasp. In a panic, he began clumsily reciting spiritual verses to cast out the demon:
"Innahu min Sulaimanu lak'ada kawas... cast away this black Jinn, so I can happily crush this wretched girl into the dirt!"
With great effort and covered in sweat, the bystanders finally managed to pry Dije off the guard's neck. By then, the guard's neck had swollen rapidly, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face was completely covered in deep scratches from her fingernails.
Once separated, Dije collapsed onto the ground, twitching and speaking in tongues, perfectly mimicking a person possessed by genuine spirits. Baffah, trembling, stepped forward to touch her, but she quickly snapped in a deep, altered voice:
"Jinn Danduna! Grab his hand! Do not let him touch us! If he touches us, his hand will burn to ashes—burned completely kurmus, just like fire devours dry grass!"
Baffah scrambled backward in fear. The Village Head signaled the Chief Imam (Liman) to step forward and recite prayers over her, hoping to calm the spirits so she could face her legal punishment. As the Imam cautiously approached, Dije made a sudden, violent movement that startled everyone, including the Imam himself.
With shaking hands, the Imam placed his palm on Dije's forehead and began reciting prayers. Dije let out a loud howl and shouted through her fake possession:
"We will not leave! Stop your prayers! We are going nowhere! We will remain right here until the Village Head drops his charges against our favorite girl, Dije! If you touch her, we will tear this village apart! We will reduce this town to ashes!"
The Imam kept praying fervently. Finally, Dije dropped her voice and said, "Fine! Have mercy, we will speak! We will speak!"
The Village Head signaled the Imam to pause. Dije, acting as the voice of the Jinn, began her elaborate fabrication:
"We are the ones who transformed into the hyena! We took the form of the beast and followed these girls! And right before her very eyes, we killed five of our own spirit people at the village entrance—but they weren't your humans, they were our own kind! Because she accidentally stepped on our spirit babies, we pursued her and her friends. Right now, my fellow spirit warriors are wounded from the battle we fought among ourselves. Let me manifest in my true form so you all can see and pity me!"
Everyone in the square panicked and shouted in unison, "No! Don't manifest!"
Some yelled, "May Allah grant you peace! Just take your spirit kin and leave this place, we have completely forgiven her!"
Dije, still in character, threatened, "If I leave and you dare beat her or take any action against her, I will summon my entire army. We will return as a pack of real hyenas and slaughter everyone in this village! No one will survive!"
Pure terror gripped the compound. The Village Head quickly promised, "No one will touch her! But for the sake of Allah, please take your kind far away from this village, and promise you will never interfere in our affairs again!"
Dije replied, "We shall leave, but not before we return the head of the Palace Guard that we decapitated!"
The guard, completely terrified, clutched his own head, which felt entirely numb from the trauma. "Your Highness! My head is back on my neck, I can feel it!"
Dije snapped her eyes open, glaring at him with her bloodshot eyes. "Who told you that is your real head? Let it be known—to you humans, it looks like your head, but that is actually our small spirit beast sleeping on your shoulders! Your real head is currently at the edge of the world, by the River of Zumburbur, and they have already started prepping the pot to cook it! If you make a mistake, by tomorrow morning you will be dead, as your head will be tossed into the boiling pot!"
The guard jumped up, clutching his head in absolute hysteria. "Please remove the beast and bring my real head back! For Allah's sake, save me!"
Dije let out a maniacal, chilling laugh. Then she fell silent, tilting her head toward the sky as if listening to a distant voice. Finally, she spoke:
"Your Highness, King of Jinns, I hear you. Forgive me, I am coming right now to deliver it."
Turning back to the crowd, she yelled, "My father, the King of Jinns, has commanded me to gather all of you right now so we can meet at the riverbank for judgment!"
The villagers' eyes went wide with fear. Instantly, Dije began chanting gibberish words rapidly:
"Ya zajisu ya zurmukus banbaradusa ya zamburkusadduna ya..."
Before she could even finish, the entire palace square erupted into absolute chaos. People ran for their lives, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The guard ran frantically, clutching his head and screaming, "Please wake up from your sleep, for Allah's sake, and bring my head back before they start cooking it at the edge of the world!"
Within seconds, the crowd evaporated. Only a few daring souls remained, including the terrified Village Head, the Imam, and Baffah, who was standing at a safe distance, panting. Dije let out one final shout:
"We are leaving! But if anyone so much as glares at our favorite girl Dije, we will return with the full force of our spirit army! Palace Guard, we are gone with your head—tomorrow, go join the house of the heartless! But know this: if you dare step outside to urinate at night, we will come and drag you away! We are gone, come along, King of Sleep!"
With that, Dije collapsed heavily onto the ground (Yaraf). She twitched violently a few times, rolled her eyes backward, and then went completely still, appearing to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The Imam cautiously stepped forward, sprinkled some spiritual water, and began calling her name. Dije cracked one eye open, locked eyes with the Imam, and suddenly sat upright, pretending to be utterly confused. She cried out:
"For Allah's sake, forgive me! By Allah, we really saw a hyena! Me, Ladiyo, and the others—ask them, they will tell you the truth! I wasn't the only one who saw it, they saw it too! Right before my eyes, it ate five people at the village entrance!"
The Village Head stood in stunned silence, analyzing the situation. Finally, he sighed and said, "You are incredibly lucky. Everything is forgiven now that you have been cleansed of the spirits. Stand up and go home. But consider yourself banned from ever going into the forest to gather grass again."
Dije’s eyes widened in genuine horror as she gasped:
"Oh, I am ruined! Then what on earth is my goat going to eat if I stop going out?!"
