Dagakarshe babban kofar oak din ta budu sai ga masu tsaron fadan suna takowa ciki, sunsa Godfrey a sakaninsu. Sun hankadoshi, sai Godfrey yayi tangal tangal zuwa cikin dakin ayayinda suka rufe kofan a bayansa.
Kannensa maza da namace sun juyo suna kallo da buddadun idanu. Godfrey acikin halin ko’oho, na warin barasa, ba gyaran fuska kuma rabi a tube. Ya mayar da murmushi. Da rasin hankali. Kaman yadda aka saba.
“Barka, Baba,” Godfrey yace. “Nishadin ya wucenine?”
“Zaka saya da yan’uwanka ka jira sai nayi Magana. In kaki, Allah ya taimakeka, zan daureka da sarka a cikin kurkuku da shauran talakawan yan kurkuku, kuma ba zaka ga abinciba---balle barasa---na kwana uku gabadaya.”
Darashinji, Godfrey ya mayar da kallo ido abude sosai ga mahaifinsa. A wannan kallon, MacGil ya gano wani ma’ajiyin, wani gado daga gareshi, hasken wani abu da watakila wata rana zaiyiwa Godfrey anfani sosai. Hakan zai zama, in har ya iya barin wannan yanayinsan.
Dan tawaye nakinkari, Godfrey ya jira na dakikoki goma masu kyau kafin yabi umurni yayi tafiyan ganin dama zuwa ga shauran.
MacGil yayiwa yara biyar dake gabansa kallo mai kyau: dan cikin shegen, mai dabam da kowan, mashayin, diyarsa da kuma dan autansa. Hadin da baiyi daidai bane, yarda cewa duk sun fito daga jikinsane yaso yamasa wuya. Kuma a yanzu, a ranan auren babbar diyarsa, alhakin ya fado kansa ya zabi yarima daga wanan tarin. Tayaya hakan zai yiwu?
Wannan yakasance aikin banzane; bayan ma, shima yana kuruciyansane kuma zai iya mulki har shekaru talatin nan gaba. In ta dauro duk yariman da ya zaba ba zai hau sarautanba nan da shekaru dayawa. Al’adan ma gabadaya bai masa ba. Watakila tayi amfani a zamanin mahaifansa, amma batada mazauni a yanzu.
Ya gyara murya.
“Mun taru anan yau saboda wata bukatan al’ada. Kaman yadda kuka sani, a yau, a ranan auren babbar diya, hakkin ya fada akaina na zabi magaji. Yariman da zai gaji mukin masarautan nan. Inda zan mutu, babu wanda yafi cancanta yayi mulki Kaman mahaifiyarku. Amma dokokin masarautarmu sun tanadi cewa sai haifafen dan sarki ne zai iya cin gadon sarauta. Sabodahaka, dole na zaba.”
MacGil ya riki numfashinsa, yana tunani. Wani shuru ya mamaye wurin, kuma yanajin inda wurin ya cika da nauyin zalama. Ya kalli cikin idanuwansu, yaga yanayi dabamdabam a kowanne. Dancikin shegen ya rungumi kaddara, saboda yasan ba za a zabeshiba. Idanun mai dabam da kowa sun cika da buri, Kaman yana jiran zaben ya fada kansa saboda haka ya kamata. Mashayin na kallon waje ta taga, bai damuba. Diyarsa na mayar da kallo cike da soyyaya, da sanin cewa ita ba wani bangaren wannan tattaunawan bane, amma duk da haka take son mahaifinta. Hakama dan autansa.
“Kendrick, nakan daukeka a matsayin assalin da tunda. Amma dokokin masarautanmu sun hanani mika wa duk wanda asalinsa yadan kasa sarautan nan.”
Kendrick kai a sunkuye yace. “Baba, bansaran zaka yi hakaba. Na gamsu da abinda Allah yamani. Narokeka kar wannan ya daga maka hankali.”
Hankali MacGil ya tashi da amsarsa, yaji cewa zuciyarsa ya fada da gaskiya kuma wannan yasashi jin Karin Kaman ya nadashi a yariman.
Shauran ku hudu kenan. Reece, kai matashine mai kyau, mafi kyawun da na taba gani. Amma girmanka yadan kasa wa wannan tattaunawan.”
“Haka nima nake tunani, Baba,” Reece ya mayar, da karamin sunkuyar da kai.
“Godfrey, kai dayane daga cikin asalin yara na maza uku---duk da haka kazabi kasha ranakunka a gidan barasa, da najasa. Kasamu duk wani zarafi na rayuwa, kuma ka barnatar da duka. Idan inada wata danasani a rayuwana, to kai ne.”
Godfrey ya mayar da kallo da gwayewan ido, yagagara nitsuwa wuri daya.
“To, dai, ina ganin nagama a nan, zan koma gidan barasa, ko bahakaba, Baba?”
Da sunkuyar kai da sauri, na raini, Godfrey ya juya ya fara fita a dakin.
“Ka dawo nan!” MacGil yayi ihu. “YANZU!”
Godfrey yacigaba da tafiya, Kaman bai jishiba. Ya sallaka dakin yaja kofan ya bude. Masu tsaro biyu suna saye a kofan.
MacGil ya kumbura da haushi a yayinda masu tsaron ke kallonsa da idanun tamabaya.
Amma Godfrey bai jiraba; ya bangari sakaninsu ya wuce, zuwa cikin budadiyar haraba.
“Ku tsareshi!” MacGil yafada da babban murya. “Kuma karku yarda sarauniya ta ga hakan. Bana son mahaifiyarsa da tunanin yadda taganshi a ranar auren diyarta.”
“To, maigida,” sukace, suka rufe kofar a yayinda suka hanzarta suka bishi.
MacGil ya zauna a wurin, yana numfashi, idanunsa jazur, yana kokarin ya kwantar da hankali. A karo na Kaman dubu yayi tunanin laifinda shi yayi aka sakamasa da irin wannan dan.
Ya dawo kallon shauran yaransa. Dukansu hudu sun mayar da kallo zuwa gareshi, suna jira acikin shuru mai nauyin. MacGil yaja numfashi mai zurfi, yana kokarin hada hankalinsa wuri daya.
“Shauran ku biyu kenan,” ya cigaba. “Kuma daga ku biyun, na riga na zabi magaji.”
MacGil ya juya zuwa ga diyarsa.
“Gwendolyn, zai kasance ke ne.”
Ko ina yayi sit a dakin; yaransa duk sun ji mamaki, musamman ma Gwendolyn.
“Kayi magana daidai kuwa, Baba?” Gareth ya tambaya. “Gwendolyn kace?”
“Baba, ka girmamani,” Gwendolyn tace. “Amma bazan karba ba. Ni namace ce.”
“Gaskiya, namace bata taba zama akan sarautan dangin MacGil ba. Amma na hada zuciya na akan lokaci yayi da za a canja al’ada. Gwendolyn, zucinyanki da ruhunki sun kasance mafi kyawunda na taba gani a jikin budurwan da na taba sani. Kina kuruciya, amma in Allah ya yarda, bazan mutu a yanzu ba, kuma kafin lokacin yazo, basirarki da hikimarki zasu kai na yin mulki. Masarautan zai zama naki.
“Amma Baba!” Gareth yayi ihu, fuskarsa a daure. “Nine danka na halak na farko! A ko dayaushe, a tarihin dangin MacGil gaba daya, sarauta zuwaga babban da yake zuwa!”
“Nine sarki,” MacGil ya amsa kwasam, “ni nake kirkiro al’ada.”
“Amma ba a yi adalci ba!” Gareth ya nemi ahuwa, muryarsa na girgiza. “Ni yakamata na zama sarki. Ba yar’uwana ba. Ba namace ba!”
“Yishuru da bakinka, yaro!” MacGil yayi ihu, yana girgiza da haushi. “Ka isa ka ja da hukunci na?”
“Ana hana ni saboda namace kenan? Haka tunaninka akaina yake?”
“Nariga na fadi ra’ayi na,” MacGil yace. “Zaka mutunta ra’ayin kuma kayi ladabi cikin binsa, Kaman kowa a cikin masarautana. Yanzu, duk kuna iya barin wurina.”
Yaransa sun dan sunkuyar da kawunansu da sauri suka fita a dakin agagauce.
Amma Gareth ya saya a kofa, ya gagara kawo kansa ga fita.
Ya juyo, sai, shi kadai, ya fuskanci mahaifinsa.
MacGil naganin rashin cikan buri a fuskarsa. A fili yake, ya sammani a kirashi magaji a yau. Harma: yana son hakan. Da zalama. Abinda bai bawa MacGil mamaki ba kokadan---wannan nema dalilin da yasa bai zabeshi ba.
“Mai yasa ka tsaneni, Baba?” ya tambaya.
“Ban tsaneka ba. Ina ganin baza ka iya mulkin masarautana bane kawai.”
“Kuma domin me kenan?” Gareth ya dada dannawa.
Saboda ainihin abida kake nema kenan.”
Fuskan Gareth ya juya baki. A zahiri, MacGil ya bashi labarin yanayinsa na ainihi. MacGil ya kulada idanunsa, yaga suna nuna kiyayyan da shi bai taba sammani ba masa.
Batare da wata kalma ba kuma, Gareth ya bar dakin yana buga kafafumwansa a kasa ya rufe kofa da karfi a bayansa.