"There is too much green vegetable," she said.
"Don't you see the pot is full of yams?" Ekwefi asked. "And you know how
leaves become smaller after cooking."
"Yes," said Ezinma, "that was why the snake-lizard killed his mother."
"Very true," said Ekwefi.
"He gave his mother seven baskets of vegetables to cook and in the end there
were only three. And so he killed her," said Ezinma.
"That is not the end of the story."
"Oho," said Ezinma. "I remember now. He brought another seven baskets and
cooked them himself. And there were again only three. So he killed himself too."
Outside the obi Okagbue and Okonkwo were digging the pit to find where
Ezinma had buried her iyi-uwa. Neighbours sat around, watching. The pit was now so
deep that they no longer saw the digger. They only saw the red earth he threw up
mounting higher and higher. Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, stood near