The Man Who Carried His House

There was a man named Pa Emeka who lived in Edo State.

Everywhere Pa Emeka went, he carried his house on his head.

Not a real house. A small clay model of his house, balanced on his head like market women carry garri.

People laughed. "Pa Emeka, why you dey carry house for head?"

He would say, "Because if I put it down, I go forget where I live."

One day, strong wind blew. The little house fell and broke into pieces.

Pa Emeka sat on the road and started crying.

A small girl came to him. "Why you dey cry? Your real house still dey for your street now."

Pa Emeka said, "No be that house I dey carry."

He pointed to his chest.

"This one," he said. "The house inside me. The one where my wife dey cook, where my children dey laugh. That house break when wind blow."

The girl sat with him and helped him gather the broken clay.

"You fit mold am again," she said.

So they sat by the roadside and molded a new house, together. This time, Pa Emeka made two - one for his head, and one small one for the girl.

She carried it home and put it on her shelf.

And whenever she felt lost, she would look at it and remember - home is not where you stay. It's what you carry.