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**The Graduation Ceremony**
The venue fell silent, hearts softening as the melodious recitation of the Holy Qur'an drifted through the air. **Balaraba (Maryan Ayuba Tanko)** finished the first ten verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, offered a calm prayer, and set down the microphone. As she prepared to leave the stage, all eyes fixed on her. The sudden intensity of the crowd's gaze made her stumble slightly as she walked.
**Prince Almansor (The Arrogant Prince)**
Driven by his friend Shahid’s persistent whispering about the beautiful reciter, **Prince Almansor**—known to his friends as "Sarki" (King) because of his immense pride—looked up. He caught sight of her from behind. Though he couldn't see her face, he saw a woman of impressive stature: tall, well-built, and possessing a striking figure that was evident even through her hijab. He noticed her feet—pure white in black shoes—and felt a stir in his heart. Almansor, being dark-skinned himself, had always been attracted to fair-skinned women.
His friend Shahid teased him: *"She's exactly your type! She looks like royalty; look at her poise."*
Almansor replied with a sneer: *"Whose daughter is she? Who is her father in this town that you compare her to me? Just because a butcher's soup is sweet doesn't mean it’s royalty!"* His arrogance was a shield he wore constantly, even though his father, **King Almustapha**, was known for his humility.
**The Awards**
The MC announced: *"That was our student, Maryam Ayuba Tanko, famous for her intelligence and character. We pray she finds a worthy husband."* He then invited King Almustapha to distribute gifts to the 317 graduating students.
When the King called the first name, **Balaraba Ayuba Tanko**, she approached the stage with her signature graceful, yet haughty, walk. Again, the crowd stared. She hissed inwardly: *"I hate being stared at."*
From the corner of his eye, Almansor watched her. He looked away quickly when she glanced up, not wanting her to catch him staring.
### **The Orphan’s Blessing**
The King handed Balaraba her tablet and special gifts. The MC then dropped a bombshell:
*"This girl is an orphan. Her father died ten years ago when she was tiny, and her mother passed away three years ago. She lives with her two younger siblings."*
The King, moved to tears, asked for her guardian to step forward to receive a special prize. The MC looked around for **Sallau** (Balaraba’s uncle), but he was nowhere to be found, hiding in the back because he was ashamed of his ragged clothes.
The King then turned to his son: *"I appoint **Prince Almansor** to stand as her guardian and receive this blessing on her behalf."*
Almansor was frustrated. He hated being associated with "commoners," but he could never disobey his father. He stood up with great dignity and joined the King.
The King presented two keys and ownership documents:
1. **A new house** built on the outskirts of town.
2. **A large shop** in a prestigious, wealthy market.
Almansor took the microphone and announced the gifts to the crowd, his voice cold but regal. He then added his own surprise: *"I, Almansor Almustapha, grant Balaraba Ayuba Tanko a seat for the **Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca** in recognition of her excellence."*
The crowd erupted in cheers. Balaraba took the documents with shaking hands, but she refused to look Almansor in the eye. He was annoyed by her "pride"—how could a poor orphan be so bold as to not even look at a Prince?
### **The Aftermath: Jealousy and Greed**
**Sallau’s Greed**
Hiding by a wall, Balaraba’s uncle Sallau was burning with envy and greed. He couldn't believe his niece now owned a house and a shop in a market for the rich.
**The Prince’s Departure**
As the King and Prince Almansor left, the palace praise-singers went wild. Women in the crowd pushed and shoved just to catch a glimpse of the "handsome Prince." Balaraba stood aside, hissing at the "shameless" women. Her friend Bushira was desperate to see him, calling him incredibly handsome.
Balaraba snapped: *"I don't care how handsome he is or that he's a Prince. No man is worth that kind of behavior!"*
**The Encounter with Sallau**
As Balaraba tried to leave to get home to her younger siblings (Sadiya and others), her uncle Sallau intercepted her with a fake smile.
*"My daughter! I am so proud!"*
Balaraba didn't hold back: *"Uncle, I didn't see you when the King called for my guardian. Why were you silent?"*
Sallau made excuses about his poor clothes. He then tried to take the documents and keys from her hands, his eyes gleaming with greed at the mention of the house and the Mecca trip.
Balaraba told him calmly: *"Don't worry about the Mecca trip, Uncle. I'll let you go instead."*
Sallau was overjoyed, but in his heart, he thought: *"You little brat, even if you hadn't given it to me, you wouldn't have gone as long as I'm alive."*
**The Journey Home**
They walked back to their neighborhood—a slum filled with trash, open gutters, and dilapidated houses. Sallau began cursing the local neighborhood boys, calling them thieves.
Balaraba corrected him: *"Haba, Uncle! Why curse them? How will they ever be blessed if you keep labeling them thieves? They are just trying to earn a living."*
**The stage is set: Balaraba has wealth she never imagined, but she is surrounded by a greedy uncle and lives in a house of hardship. Meanwhile, the arrogant Prince Almansor cannot get the "proud orphan" out of his mind.
*The Birth of Ayuba and a Mother's Death**
The scene opens with intense labor. **Suwaibah** is struggling. **Gwaggo Shatu** is doing her best, but Suwaibah’s strength is failing. **Atika**, a young girl, is crying as she watches the agony, realizing for the first time the true hardship of motherhood.
**Lantana** (the co-wife) and her son **Sallau** show their true colors. When Atika begs Sallau to call their father (**Malam Tanko**) from work, Sallau maliciously laughs: *"I hope she dies! You know where he works, go find him yourself."*
Inside, Gwaggo Shatu is terrified. Suwaibah is hemorrhaging—a dangerous sign in labor. Shatu begs Lantana for help, but Lantana is cold-hearted: *"Don't involve me in this! You gave her a husband just to spite me. Go find whoever got her pregnant to help her!"* (A cruel insult, implying Suwaibah was unfaithful).
Atika arrives with a spiritual protective writing (*Rubutu*) from a local cleric, but it is too late. Gwaggo Shatu finds a baby boy has been born, his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, but Suwaibah has already passed away.
Malam Tanko arrives to find his beloved Suwaibah covered in a shroud. To Lantana, he says: *"Come out, Lantana. God has taken His own. Your wish has been fulfilled."* Lantana pretends to wail in grief for the neighbors, but in her heart, she is celebrating.
**The Upbringing of Ayuba**
The baby is named **Ayuba**. Fearing Lantana and Sallau might harm the child, Malam Tanko gives Ayuba to Gwaggo Shatu to raise.
Years later, Malam Tanko passes away. Ayuba, now a young boy, faces the full brunt of Lantana and Sallau’s hatred. During the inheritance sharing, they try to claim Ayuba is illegitimate and deserves nothing, but the local Imam fights for the boy's rights.
Ayuba grows up to be a hardworking "Yaro" (boy) with a "golden touch"—everything he touches turns to money. This only fuels the envy of Sallau and Lantana. Sallau spends his time sabotaging Ayuba's business reputations, telling people Ayuba is a fraud.
*The Next Generation: The Birth of Balaraba**
Ayuba marries a modest and well-behaved girl named **Hafsatu**. They live in the family compound, where Lantana and Sallau’s wife, **Uwa**, treat Hafsatu like a slave.
Despite the abuse, Hafsatu gives birth to a beautiful, fair-skinned baby girl. Ayuba names her **Suwaibah** after his mother, but everyone calls her **Balaraba** because she was born on a Wednesday.
Lantana and Uwa are consumed by jealousy because the baby is beautiful and Hafsatu survived the birth. Uwa, who has two children (**Iro** and **Shamsiyya**), is particularly bitter because her daughter Shamsiyya is "unattractive and dark," while Balaraba is like a glowing light.
The Backfiring Curse**
Driven by ignorance and malice, Uwa visits a sorcerer. She wants to cast a spell on little Balaraba so that the girl will be hated by everyone and become a "wayward" child.
The sorcerer gives her charms but warns: *"If you make a mistake, this curse will return to your own children."*
Late at night, Uwa buries the charms under the cooking hearth. However, **Halima** (the kind wife of another relative) sees her. After Uwa goes inside, Halima digs up the charms, takes them to her own mother's house, has children urinate on them (to neutralize the magic), and throws them into a pit latrine.
**The Result:**
Instead of Balaraba becoming a thief and a failure, the curse hits Uwa's son, **Iro**.
While Balaraba grows up to be a star student at her Islamic school—loved by everyone for her intelligence and beauty—Iro becomes a drug addict and a thief.
*The Confrontation**
The scene ends in chaos. A mob of young men chases Iro into the compound. He has stolen a mobile phone. Lantana tries to defend him, claiming her grandson is "not a thief," but a boy named **Umaruru** pushes her aside and drags Iro out of his room to beat him.
Uwa screams and cries, offering to pay for the phone if they stop. Sallau stands by the wall, terrified and useless. Neighbors watch, whispering that this is "God's justice" (*Alhakin Hafsatu*) for how they treated Ayuba and Hafsatu.
Just then, **Balaraba** returns from her Islamic school, dressed in her uniform and carrying her Qur'an. She walks into the middle of the chaos, seeing the mob mercilessly beating her cousin Iro.
**The story highlights the sharp contrast between those who seek God’s path (Ayuba and Balaraba) and those who rely on envy and sorcery (Sallau, Lantana, and Uwa).**
