And something terrible started happening.
Abseed suddenly froze. Her body became stiff. She could not move her hands. She could not move her legs. She could not run.
She stood still like a statue.
Suddenly, a powerful wind blew out of her body. It was a strong wind, huge and forceful. It moved through the forest. It blew across the trees. It left the forest and entered the village. It moved straight toward Aduke.
The moment the spirit wind touched her body, Aduke suddenly screamed.
Her legs suddenly began to move. She started running, running fast, running without control until she reached the deep forest.
The forest was calling her.
When she finally reached the deepest part of the forest, she saw something shocking.
She saw Abseed.
But this Abseed was stiff.
She had turned into a tree.
Aduke fell to the ground and started crying.
Suddenly, the spirit, the same Kuduku tree that had given her the baby years ago, appeared again.
The old woman came out of the tree. Her face was angry.
“You disobeyed me,” she said loudly. “I told you this child must not bathe for 15 years. You broke the rule.”
The old woman pointed at Aduke and said, “Now I will turn you into a tree too, just like the child.”
Aduke cried, “Please, please, don’t turn me into a tree. Please give me back my child.”
The old woman was furious because Aduke had destroyed the agreement. The forest shook. The trees prepared to punish her.
Then the spirit spoke again.
“There is only one condition, and it is a punishment.”
Aduke looked up quickly.
“If you can take care of Abseed, who is now a tree, if you can stay in the forest and take care of her with love like your child for six months, then she will come back to life.”
Aduke did not hesitate.
She agreed.
“I will do it.”
So Aduke began taking care of the tree. Every day she cleaned it. Every day she protected it. Every day she stayed near it as if it were her child.
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