“Can someone just get me out of these ropes, I am not
possessed”. My voice echoed. I could
feel some presence and then something removed the veil. I tried to adjust my
vision to the room.
It’s a slightly lit room. The amber light slimmed down from a
corner. There was a big jar of blood positioned at the center of the room. The
floor was designed in a way to depict ritual activity.
I was blindfolded before
entering the room. Aside the people that brought me into the room, whose faces I
couldn’t see; there were no sounds of life. Ropes were tied around my legs and
hands. I was in so much pain.
Vigil was what they called it before I agreed to follow them
but what I saw juxtaposed my thought. Is anybody there” I screamed out. As if I
had said the wrong code; the light, I mean the only illumination in the room
went out. That settled it. I became scared the more.
Suddenly, I started perceiving awful smell, like a rotten
body. “Somebody help me!!!”. Oh that was
the right code because immediately; lights came up in sequence. The light was
so bright it could blind the eye if fully opened.
“Thank God”. I confessed.
I looked round to see the size of the room and it was indeed large. Images started
appearing through the walls. Their faces were covered, my heart pounded so much
that I started shaking. As they walked towards me humming, it sounded like they
conjured something demonic. The light
dimmed. As they moved closer, they
increased in number. They were just a step away from me.
I opened my mouth in a long scream and all of a sudden; they vomited into my mouth. I only wished it
was a dream, but no, it was as real as day that breaks and sun that sets.
AN HOUR EARLIER
My grand dad was my favorite before he died at the age of
hundred. He was so wealthy that the king of our village made him the second- in-command.
Though we were Christians, but the
things I saw my grandfather did made me to conclude that I wasn’t going to
accept any chieftain title from any one. At least the ancestors favored him. I need to gist you a little on how close I was
with my granddad
Right from age 10, my parents traveled out of the country. Been
the only child, my parents wanted me to stay back in the country. Some neighbors
can so not mind their businesses. I could remember the fateful day the judgment was passed, solely
influenced by our neighbor whom we took in as family. They never minded their
business.
No wonder I had to plant sharp objects under the-welcoming-foot mat.
They came to poke nose into my affairs the day my dad was supposed to take me
out for shopping. What was that they even said? “E ti n ba omode yi je ju” (you
spoil this child too much). Haba,is it their spoiling? A month before my parent traveled, they were
with them discussing about me and then they advised them that they should not
let me go with them that I would become like those bad children raised in
abroad.
That was how I ended up with my grand pa. Anyone who had his or
her parents in abroad would understand what I felt.
Now, I am a full grown man. My grand dad was the backbone for
me. Many a times I went out of my way to cause trouble outside, but he stood by
me. He gave me the spoil my parents feared. Now he is dead. My parents came to
see us once in a while and immediately they heard of his demise, they flew in.
The burial date was fixed. We spent so much. I cried all
day and nothing anyone said could console me. “But you are a man now, you
should not be doing this in front of prospective wife” my mom consoled. That did
not change anything. Let me not forget
to tell you that I made sure I checked his corpse every day at the mortuary till
I was banned from doing so.
It was time to lower the casket. I cried out “ nooooo,
nooooo, I must see my granddad……..papaaaaaaaaa”. They persuaded me to stop
crying, but it was like they poured water at the back of a calabash. The ifa
priest did some rituals around the four corner of his tomb. When they all saw
that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer, one of the ifa priest gave the
order for the casket to be opened. He had been lowered fully, so the wonder men
opened it.
I knelt down to take a long look at his now-very- dark- face. “Ooh
oh death”. I wailed. And then one of
grandpa’s concubines ran from nowhere shouting and screaming. “oko mi oooooo” (my husband). Please
who called her? That was how she pushed
me and I landed inside the coffin with my grand pa which made it the last thing
I remembered.
PRESENT
I could feel needles piecing my body as I gradually opened my
eyes to a very white room. “Where am I?” I asked weakly.
“Shhhhhhhhh, don’t talk, you will be fine. You fell into your
granddad’s coffin and then you lost consciousness”.
I am very tempted to kill that silly woman that pushed
me!!!!!!!!
Proudly written by : omolarawrites
Picture source: GOOGLE
Copyright 2018
http://naijaport.com.ng/2018/12/06/music-g-heritage-christmas-fuji/
I was at the
verge of committing suicide that I met Tonye.
Most times I asked myself, can men just take their eyes off me. He was
there all the way admonishing and encouraging me not to give up. And then I started
healing. He actually got me another great job.
“I forgive you”. That I said as I looked
deeply into the eyes of the man who made me a woman. It was a very quiet night;
we sat close to Wave beach. Sitting nose to nose to me is the man whom I had come
to love. 
“We are here again, 
“Can someone just get me out of these ropes, I am not
possessed”. My voice echoed. I could
feel some presence and then something removed the veil. I tried to adjust my
vision to the room.
