AISHATU INDO:
She was a beautiful but extremely dirty girl—number one troublemaker of Modirre. Everybody knew Indo because of her madness and drama.
The only thing that could make Indo behave was either the lizard called Kadangare or a flogging.
She had three close friends: Haule, Mairo, and Dijee.
When Indo reached them, Mallam Isa gave each of them five strokes of the whip. They cried—except Indo, who clenched her teeth stubbornly.
After the punishment, Mallam wrote on the board:
KITTABUN (Book),
QALAMMUN (Pen),
SAIYYARATUN (Car).
He ordered them to write it and left the class.
After closing time, Indo and her friends went home, insulting Mallam Isa along the way:
Dijee said,
“Allah ya isa! Wicked Mallam! One day we’ll make you cry just like you make us cry.”
Indo suddenly stopped at a narrow path behind the water pump, waiting for Buba. He approached, reciting:
“Kittabun littafi…”
Before he could react, Indo grabbed his neck. The girls joined and beat him mercilessly. He screamed for help.
His father, Mallam Yusuf, came running. Indo and her friends fled instantly.
Mallam Yusuf carried his crying son home, shouting:
“Indo! Today you will know who I am! You will see madness!”
---
Indo rushed home. Since no one was around, she went straight to the kitchen, grabbed her calabash of dambu shinkafa da zogale, didn’t wash her hands—just ate in a hurry. When she finished, she drank water and dashed out.
At the meeting tree, her gang was already waiting, laughing.
Indo said:
“Are you ready or not? Because wallahi I’m scared of Buba’s father. That man has no mercy. It’s better we do prevention before cure!”
They all shouted: “We’re ready!”
She brought pepper from under her clothes. They rubbed it in her eyes to force tears. Indo screamed:
“Wayo Allah! Dijee, will you kill me?! Mallam Yusuf will murder me today!”
A crowd gathered. The ward head (mai unguwa) came out.
He asked,
“Indo, what’s wrong? Why are you screaming as if someone plucked out your eyeballs?”
She cried dramatically:
“In Islamiyya, Buba insulted me. I replied. He threw a stone at me. Then we fought. When his father came, he beat me until I almost died! Ask my friends—they’re witnesses!”
The girls nodded rapidly, shocked at how Indo twisted the entire story.
Even Mallam Yusuf was speechless.
The ward head sighed and said:
“Go home. Tomorrow we’ll settle this. Be patient.”
The girls nodded. Everyone knew the ward head never punished Indo. In fact, he always protected her.
