Mugunta Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

In the Dead of Night
It was very late, almost two in the morning, in the dense Hazdabe forest in Dan Masaki town under Bagwai Local Government, Kano State.
She sat before the man in front of her, an old and large man, dark-skinned, and rough-looking. His body was filthy, as if he had never bathed—his skin coated with dirt, sweat, and grime. He raised his head, stared at her in surprise, and asked:
“Did you bury the charm I gave you?”
She nodded fearfully, sweat covering her face. He glanced at a bowl in front of him, made from a donkey’s horn and stitched with black thread.
Raising himself, he looked at her, opening his mouth as if he had never seen anything like a brush or toothbrush before. He laughed and grimaced at the same time, a laugh that didn’t seem his own.
“BARQAAANNN!!”
He shouted in an unpleasant voice that echoed through the cave, which was decorated with ritual items, animal skulls, and human figures painted on the rock walls.
He picked up a small doll resembling a human. “Look at this doll,” he said, handing it to Ladiyo.
“Just as you wish, Ayaman will face struggles in life, but she will have a good ending,” he warned.
Her mouth open, she received the doll, and the words of the sorcerer—about her having a good ending—stuck in her mind, though she didn’t yet believe it.
Ayaman’s Hardship
“Wasshh, God, I’m tired.”
A beautiful young woman, no older than 20, sat on a small chair in the middle of the yard under a mango tree. The house was a traditional Hausa-style home with two rooms, a boys’ room, a large communal latrine, and a big cooking hearth. A pleasant breeze came from the mango tree as she settled herself.
Though it was a poor household, everything seemed orderly. “Kulululu,” she exclaimed, looking at the cooking pot, a flask of rice porridge with spices and palm oil. She glanced at the pile of washing in the yard.
Remembering her mother’s words before leaving—that she should never touch the food or wash what she was told not to—her eyes welled with tears. Looking at the yard reminded her of when her mother’s body had been laid to rest. Death had been unfair, taking her mother when she needed her most.
Even now, she wondered at Ladiyo, her mother’s friend, who had once shown her love and care, though everything had changed after her mother’s death.
She got up to wash, remembering the pain in her hands from earlier, kneeling as she pondered whether her life would end serving Ladiyo and her children. Seeing this thought as futile, she returned to the food, opened the flask, and began eating, ignoring the heat of the rice.
“AYAMAN!”
A shout from behind startled her. Turning, she met Inna Ladiyo, nostrils flaring like a lion.
Inna Ladiyo’s Wrath
“Who told you to touch my food after I told you not to?”
Inna Ladiyo shouted, her face thunderous. Ayaman trembled, trying to protect herself, but felt the sting of a well-aimed slap on both cheeks. She broke down crying, seeing Ladiyo’s mother-like strength in action.
Ayaman cried loudly, her voice echoing, until Ladiyo finally grew tired of scolding her and left the room. Not long after, she returned from bathing, shivering from the cold, as her husband, Malam Isyaku, entered.
Meanwhile, in the sorcerer’s lair, he sat before his ritual items: a large bowl of water-like substance with two white dogs and a black one circling it. The dogs transformed into a grotesque creature, bowed before him, and disappeared after speaking in a strange language. He laughed, observing a black smoke emerging from the bowl.
A horrible woman appeared from the bowl, similar to the sorcerer. She asked, “What business do you have with BARQAAANNN?” Her face like thunder, she disappeared after making a strange sound, moving along the cave wall.
Back at Ladiyo’s house, a woman no older than 35-40 entered the room, inquiring about Ladiyo’s whereabouts. Inna Ladiyo responded angrily, mentioning that Ayaman had eaten food meant for her husband.
Delu, a friend, observed the scene in amazement. Ladiyo expressed her frustration over the chaos caused by Ayaman, mentioning the sorcerer’s mysterious work and the misbehavior of other children like Nabila, Inusa, and Nafisa.
Delu warned, “Could it be Ayaman who cast spells on your children?” Ladiyo pondered deeply, realizing the complex trouble surrounding her household.