Withered Flower - Episode 17

“Nwa daddy, how are you today? You look sad, what is wrong?”

“Papa one girl in school said she was going to kill because I looked at her”

“My daughter, nobody can kill you. You are an “Agu” and all “Agus” live long lives”.

“But Papa, she is a witch and everyone is afraid of her. She looked at one bird and it died. I am worried that she would do the same to me”.

“Ogochukwu Nwannem, the next time she stares at you, I want you to look her in the eye and tell her that you are an Agu and so you cannot die but her”.

That was thirty something odd years ago when Adanna Ugwunna, a girl in her class had threatened to kill her. She had ran home crying to her father, who told her what to do. The next day at school, she had done exactly what her father had proposed and then Adanna fell ill and died a month later.

Deep within her, Ogochukwu knew she was the cause of Adanna’s death but her father told her otherwise. There were times she sensed something and it will come to be. On that particular day, she had wished that Adanna will die soon and it had happened the way she had imagined.

Most people in Agu land knew that she had some powers and made sure to tell their children to avoid her.  Needless to say, she had no friends growing up and even as an adult, only strangers who knew nothing about her powers were friends with her.

“What did you say?” Iyeke asked, looking at the strange woman. How did she know she was expecting a child? As far she knew, she wasn’t even showing but this woman knew a baby was growing within her.

Ogochukwu could see a baby growing in her daughter’s womb. It was part of the “gift” she had. As a matter of fact, the foetus was male.

“You…you… are glowing and so I guessed you were with child” Ogochukwu said with relieve and hoped that Iyeke will believe her. She didn’t know why she said allowed the words leave her mouth.

“Iyekoetin, you been get belle you no tell ya ma… me” Madam Edosa quickly corrected herself. After all that had transpired, she didn’t know if Iyeke will be happy for her to address her as her granddaughter.

“I was going to tell you at the right time but it was…why am I even telling you this? You are not related to me so you have no right to quiz me about my life”. Iyeke knew she was stepping out of line but she was really unhappy with her grandmother at this time.

Ogochukwu looked at her daughter and became emotional. She needed a little time with her to explain to her about the family she comes from. It was a chilling story and sometimes, she wished she was never told the deep dark secrets of her family but she must admit that it did help and the powers that came with it albeit at a cost.

“Iyeke, I really need to talk to you. If you do not want anything to do with me after this, so be it but I need to speak to you now”. Ogochukwu spoke as soon as she had Iyeke’s attention. She hoped it would work.

Iyeke couldn’t understand what came over her. One minute she was really upset with this woman that claimed to be her mother and the next, she just wanted to sit and listen to all she had to say. It must be the emotions that come with having a baby.

She willed herself to get into the car that was already opened but she couldn’t stop her legs from walking towards the strange woman.

Ogochukwu wasn’t sure it would work but she was happy when Iyeke started walking towards her and she stretched her hand to guide her towards the chair at the front the house. She could see the look of surprise on Madam Edosa’s face from the corner of her eyes.

They will never understand why she had to resort to this but that is another story and definitely not for now.

She watched her daughter pick the chair closest to the one she was sitting on.

Well, here goes nothing.

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Kizito tailgated the girl in the black Corolla. He has been following her for days now, studying her movements, locations she visited, whom she was with etc. He had not seen her with Chief Mezu but she attributed that to chief being out of the country.

Today, she was alone. He watched her drive round the Car Park looking a suitable place to park. He slowed down and parked close to a black S Class and waited for her to alight from her car. She was a very beautiful girl with a smallish stature. Another time, another circumstances, he would have been all over her, as she was his spec

“Get your head back in the game” he told himself. Over the years, he has learnt not to mix business with pleasure, as the two never went together and was definitely a recipe for disaster.

Tap!! tap!!

Kizito turned to look at a gentleman tapping on his window.

“Sir, can you please move forward, as you are holding up traffic”.

It was then that he heard all the horning from cars behind him. Slowly, he pulled out and started driving towards the black corolla, whilst apologising to the man.

He found a parking space a few cars away from the Corolla and waited there. He went over his plan again and when he was sure that he had covered everything, he got down from the car and started walking into the Supermarket.

Withered Flower - Episode 16

Ogochukwu could not believe she let the words slip out of her mouth. It was like a word vomit she couldn’t stop, despite the fact that she tried to keep it down.

In all the previous years that she had seen her daughter from afar, this was the first time that something stirred in her. The moment she saw her step out of the vehicle, she knew she was looking at her daughter, even though the last time she saw her she was twelve years of age. If not for the fact that she was lighter in complexion than Iyeke, she could have thought that she was looking in the mirror.

Ogochukwu watched the young beautiful girl walk towards them. It took the grace of God for her not to run towards her and give her a hug. She must admit that she was a bit jealous when the girl ran towards madam Edosa and greeted her in their Benin language. This was an Igbo girl for goodness sake and my daughter. She should be calling me “mama” and not this stranger, she thought.

Why did I even give her up? I didn’t think it would hurt this much to hear her call another person “Mama”. When she left Iyeke years ago, her intention was to keep moving and not look back but looking at this young woman had brought all the emotions that a mother is expected to feel and she will be damned if she kept quiet and allow this “Old Hag” play “house” with my daughter.

Madam Edosa had thought the best way to break this unpleasant news to Iyeke was to beat around the bush a bit and then just ease in. Ever since she asked Iyeke to come home, she had had a number of practice on how she was going to break the news to Iyeke and had even come up with different reactions she would expect from Iyeke and how she would counter them.

The saying that it is always better to tell the truth, no matter how difficult, as lying always comes back to bite you in the bum is actually very true. Years ago, she had wanted to tell Iyeke the truth when she always came home crying that other kids were making fun of her in school about not having parents. But somehow, a lie was more comfortable than the truth and so she told Iyeke that her parents had died in an accident. It was painful watching her being bullied but it was still better than telling her that her mother had abandoned her one cold night.

Why did Ogochukwu come back? What was it that she wanted to tell Iyeke that could not wait till…well never and now she has ruined a life or lives as it may by just blurting out that she was Iyeke’s mother…some mother.

Kene felt like he was in one of those Nollywood movies that Iyeke was always trying to make him watch. It was filled with mistakes and was always very painful to watch.

He had seen some semblance between Iyeke and this woman claiming to be her mother but he didn’t really think anything of it because Iyeke had told him that she was an orphan, her parents had died in a car crash when she was just a baby.  

Iyeke thought she had heard the strange woman say that she was someone’s mother. It couldn’t be her because she was told that her parents died when she was a baby, so it had to Kene that she was talking to.

She turned and looked at Kene, expecting a reaction from him but all he got was this look of surprise on her behalf. She directed her attention to her grandmother and felt nauseous immediately for the look in her grandmother’s eyes said it all.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, looking at the strange woman who was already sobbing. “I thought I heard you say something about being someone’s mother”.

Ogochukwu couldn’t keep the tears from flowing. She used the edge of her wrapper to clean her eyes.

“I wish there was a better way to say this but there isn’t, I am your mother” Ogochukwu replied.

“I don’t understand, like…like.., I mean how?” She turned to her grandmother “My parents died in a car crash when I was a baby, so there is no way that you are my mother, unless you are a ghost who came back to life”. She said with laughter on her lips. It was the only thing she could do to herself from bursting into tears.

“Iyekoetin my daughter, siddon abeg make…” Her grandmother started to say.

“You have no right to speak at this moment!!” she screamed. “For 27 years, 27 frigging years and you are telling me now that this stranger is my mother? I trusted you all these years and you betray me like this? I’m sure you can see why I say that you have no right!!”

She couldn’t hold the tears anymore and she allowed it flow freely. Kene got up and she placed her head on his chest. She felt betrayed by her grandmum that is if she was even her grandmother. She turned to her.

With a broken voice she asked the dreaded question “Are you my grandmother? Are we even related?” She asked, hoping that she was wrong about the answer.

“Iyekoetin, you are my daughter. You sucked on this breasts of mine”. She held her breast for effect. “All I have ever done was love you like mine. I may have told a few lies here and there but trust me, the truth would have been more painful”

“And you didn’t think that I should have the choice as to whether to hold on to the truth or lies?” She blew her nose into a tissue she found in her bag. “You should have told me the truth and let me deal with it the only way I knew how to. All I want to know now is if you are related to me”.

Madam Edosa looked down. She couldn’t believe she was in this position. She never expected that it will all come to this and she caused Ogochukwu for ruining a perfect relationship.

“No, I am not related to you but that doesn’t mean that you are not my daughter I…” she didn’t get to finish.

“But I am not your daughter am I?”

She couldn’t take this anymore. It seemed like she had been living a lie for the past 27 years.

“Kene, please can you take me home”

Ogochukwu, who had been sobbing on the side suddenly stood up and ran to Iyeke.

“Please you cannot go, I have to tell you why I left and why I am back…please”

“I do not know you and there is nothing you can tell me that will make this whole episode any better, so please leave me alone”. Iyeke replied.

“But I am your mother” Ogochukwu said kneeling on the ground.

“Don’t you dare. You abandoned me for 27 years and you come here saying you are my mother? Don’t you dare”. She turned and started walking towards the car.

“Iyeke, I need to speak to you, please just listen to me”. Ogochukwu begged.

“You should have thought about that before abandoning your child”. Iyeke shouted back.

“What I’m about to tell you can save your life. You will die and so will the baby you are carry!!!!!”

Withered Flower - Episode 15

Iyeke stood in front of the mirror, looking at her physique. She imagined how she will look with a protruding stomach and used a pillow to under her t-shirt for effect.

“You make me laugh each time you do that, you know?”

She didn’t see him enter the bathroom and quickly took out the pillow from underneath her blouse and threw it at him, playfully.

“What are you doing up?” She said

“I should be asking you that, it is 2am in the morning”. He spun her round to face him.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you? I couldn’t sleep and…”

“And you came into the toilet to-o-o-o sleep, drink water…” he said playfully.

“Don’t be silly, I came to think and besides, I have been very worried about what Mama said, when I called”.

Earlier that day, she had called her grandmother to see how she was doing. Her grandmother sounded unusually strange and then asked that she came home for a bit. She had asked her if there was a problem but she had been unwavering, still insisting that she came home.

A lot went through her mind. Her grandmother was the only family she had, forget all those her wayward cousins, who jumped from one man to the other. She laughed at the thought of that. This was a case of pot calling kettle black, as she wasn’t even sure of who the father of her unborn baby was.

“Babe, let’s get back to sleep. Tomorrow is a long day and we have to get enough rest for the drive to Benin. Kene’s voice brought her to reality.

“We?” she looked at him. She had just told him that she was going to Benin but he didn’t say anything about following her.

“You really think I would allow you take public transport to Benin? Woman, you are carrying the son of Kenechukwu Afam Mezu, thus you cannot be moving around like the common people. We are leaving at 8, so be ready”. Kene said with a straight face.

Laying on the bed, Kene started playing with her body. She knew where this was leading and she didn’t know if she would be able to resist. Her body was tired, after all, they had just finished making love about fours ago but Kene had a gift. His love Making was second to none but that wasn’t what was on her mind.

It has been a year since she saw her grandmother, though she has been speaking to her over the phone. She didn’t know how her grandmother will take it that she had never told her about any man, even the last time she called, the question on whether she was dating anyone surfaced and she had said no. How was she going to explain who Kene was and knowing Kene, he would try to impress her grandmother.

She drifted off to sleep as Kene pounded away.

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“All you need to execute the transaction is all in there. I don’t want her killed, just scare her and if possible, give her a scar on her left cheek to act as a deterrent”.

Ugoeze was a bit disappointed, as this was not her regular “contractor”. She had expected to see him but then he called that he was out of town but would send someone else. This arrangement did not go down well with her but she wanted this done as quickly as possible.

She had called her “contractor” to ask if she could trust the new person she sent. She was a discreet person and didn’t want anything to be traced to her by anyone, especially her husband, the architect of this whole “FBI career” of hers.

Her husband was a very randy person, a dog on heat. Why do men cheat on good women? She had wondered. In the beginning, she used to cry a lot even retaliated by having a few affairs herself but she couldn’t keep up with “Mr Randy” and had to devise new means of coping with this.

It is amazing what you can learn from watching Nollywood movies. She had watched one where Nse Ikpe Etim’s character used to abduct her husband’s girlfriends and bring them home to flog. It was funny but an idea came to her from watching that and that was when she decided to abduct and torture the girls for three (3) days and then give them a stern warning to leave her husband. Of course, this was done in proxy and her “contractor” has never failed her.

Sometimes, she suspected that her husband knew she was the reason why his girlfriends’ suddenly stop picking his calls. She could see it in his face but she never gave him the chance to even trace anything to her.

“Like I said, everything you need is in there. Do a thorough job and you will get extra for successful execution”. She said to the new “contractor.

She got into her car, turned on the radio and “Chandelier” by Sia was playing. She turned up the volume and sang along. After all, with the mood she was in, she definitely wanted to swing from the chandelier.

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She knew it had only been a year but there seemed to have been a lot of difference in Benin. The streets were cleaner but still as busy, not like Lagos though.

The road leading to her grandmother’s house was tarred. She remembered how she was always covered in dust from the park to the house and would have to scrub and scrub till she was thoroughly rid of the dust that caked her body.

She could see her grandmother standing on the porch. She looked healthy, thank God. There was a woman standing with her, light skinned and very beautiful, despite her outfit. Iyeke wondered who she was.

“If not that you were an only child, I would say that that the woman beside the elderly woman, was your older sister. She looks like you, I mean a lighter version of you” Kene said.

Iyeke looked at the woman very well, she could see some semblance but she was none of her business.

“Iyekoetin, e don tay oh. Why you no dey like come see your mama?” Madam Edosa said, hugging the kneeling Iyeke.

“Mama, Ób’ávàn (good afternoon)”. She replied.

“Welcome my pickin. Who be this person?”

“Ah ah Mama, make we enter house nah”.

Madam Edosa offered drinks to Iyeke and the man she brought. Anyone looking at her, could tell she was nervous. She wondered how this conversation was going to go. All day, she had tried to convince Ogochukwu that this was a bad idea but the woman was unbending.

“Mama, are you okay?” Iyeke asked, looking at the strange woman from the corner of her eyes, wondering why she was staring.

“My pickin, I been want make you come because…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence.

“I am your MOTHER!!!” Ogochukwu screamed.

Withered Flower - Episode 14

Mazi Obe moved as quickly as he could. It had been about an hour since he got the “jolt” and the “Jolt” is something he hasn’t felt in a very long time, since he took over from his father.

Anyone looking at Mazi Obe would not only wonder what was wrong but how a man his age was able to move with so much agility. Nobody knew his specific age but if one had to estimate, they would say he was close a hundred years old.

Mazi Obe wished he could move faster than he was. However, for a man his age, he wasn’t doing badly but it could be better because it was a matter of life and death.

He got an abandoned compound that was covered with over grown weed. The mango tree at the front of the compound was in season and rotten/rotting mangoes filled the ground. Trust the fruit flies who didn’t miss a chance to get their hands juicy fruit. If not that he knew this compound, he would have turned back, thinking that no one lived there.

“Dibia Aguocha!!!” he bellowed. Time was of the essence. He waited a while and when he heard nothing, he yelled out again and started walking towards the back of the compound. The grass leading to the back of the compound was so thick that he started looking out for creepy crawlies.

“Who calls out to a Wine Tapper in the middle of a climb?” A deep husky voice replied from behind the house.

The man that came out from the compound was a few years older than him but he didn’t look a day older than thirty years of age. A lot of people believed that since he was working for the spirits, they were keeping him young until it was time to choose a new Dibia. Previous Dibias went into the Evil forest to join the spirits.

“Aguocha, Nno o” he bowed and greeted the Dibia.

“Oh, Mazi Obe. What brings you this early morning? I had barely finished speaking with the spirits. What seems to be the problem?

“Aguocha, my ancestors were promised long live. I was told that no death will befall our lineage. I sacrificed all that was needed and death still came”.

“Mazi Obe, we cannot question the spirits. I understand that you have made sacrifices, but it is not always guarant…” He didn’t finish speaking.

“DON’T TELL ME THAT!!!” He raised his voice. I will not take it. My daughter’s heart gave me the jolt and I know she is dead. So don’t tell me about what your confused spirits want” he shouted.

“Obe, watch your tongue! Just because you are under the protection of the spirits does not give you the right to slander them”

“Okay, I demand to speak with the spirits’ bridge. Summon her now”.

“Obe, you know that is dangerous, it can go either way and you may not like that”.

“I will take my chances. Summon her”.

“Okay, your funeral”.

Dibia Aguocha shuffled to the shrine, with Mazi Obe in tow. He knew this was going to be a big mistake. Summoning the spirits’ bridge was as good as placing a bounty on your head and moving in the open, expecting that you would be killed ant anytime.

The spirits’ bridge had a raging temper and could kill anyone just for summoning her. Legend has it that the first ever dibia was killed because he wasn’t well fortified before summoning her. He was dismembered, his remains had to be scraped off the ground and it took a week to clean out the shrine.

He went to the barn and picked out a healthy white goat. Grabbing the goat by the horn, he took it to the shrine and made some incantations. He plunged his knife into the neck of the goat and drained the blood into a white basin.

Grabbing his white tie-on, he dipped it into the blood and started smearing his body with it, whilst making some incantations. He sat on the goat skin in the middle of the shrine.

“Na ko ku ma joro. Me na nu ba no ko ku. Eruhpo the wise one, I call on you to come before us. Nai ka nai ka nai ka. Eruhpo, the mother of all the beautiful ones, I bid you come before us”.

He had barely finished his incantation when a whirlwind filled the entire room, scattering thigs about. Then a bright light filled the room and a very beautiful woman appeared before them. She was known as Eruhpo, the beautiful one. Legend has it that she was once a mortal being, until she was turned down the marriage proposal of Oroki the great and she was turned into an immortal being, destined to be alone for eternity.

“Who dare summons the great Eruhpo?” she screamed.

Dibia Aguocha could see the anger in her eyes and knew that she was about to make a mincemeat out of him. He quickly bowed his head without stepping out of the protection ring he had created.

“Oh beautiful Eruhpo, we have summoned you because it is perceived that a great injustice has been done”. He said with a shaky voice.

Eruhpo, knew he was scared. She loved it when people, especially men feared her. This was the source of her power and she loved making them cower with fear. She moved closer to the dibia, totally ignoring the other man.

“SPEAK!!!” She ordered.

“Mazi Obe here is from the Oguru family of Agu land and needed to speak to the spirits”.

“Does he know that speaking to the spirits is no child’s play”? She asked, still not acknowledging the presence of Mazi Obe.

“I have explained that to him but he is adamant”

“Then let him come forward and make his intensions known”.

Dibia Aguocha motioned to the now scared Mazi Obe to approach the shrine.

Eruhpo looked in his direction for the first time since she was summoned. Good, he looked scared and she liked that.

“You dear summon the great Eruhpo? State your purpose or you die”

Mazi Obe swallowed before advancing. He thought about running away. This woman was menacing yet easy on the eye.

“Oh great one, my daughter passed on to the spirit world hours ago and this contravenes the treaty with the spirits. Our family has been making certain sacrifices for long life but she was barely half the guaranteed life span for the Oguru family”. Mazi Obe stammered.

“If I recall, she was supposed to pass on the information to her offspring before she attained the age of two decades and seven but that time elapsed at exactly the stroke of noon. So what is the injustice there?” Eruhpo said.

“Oh great one, she gave out the child before she knew about the treaty herself and she has been trying to right the wrong ever since. Please sure us mercy”. He knelt and bowed his head to the ground.

“Arise and go bury your daughter for there is nothing that can be done for her and as for your daughter’s daughter, she shall die in a fortnight. Go make your house ready to bury your dead”.

Mazi Obe was downcast. He could not lose his lineage. This was not how it was supposed to end. A light bulb lit in his head and just before he could say something, he heard Dibia Agouti’s voice.

“Oh beautiful one, it is the bloodline of his family that sustains the spirits of Agu land. If that bloodline is wiped out, the spirits of Agu land might as well become in-existent”.

Mazi Obe was glad for this intervention and looked over at Eruhpo, who was still. She didn’t utter a word and seemed to be staring into space. Her eyes were white and unseeing. She must have been that way for about 10 minutes before opening her eyes.

“It is done!!” There was a rush of wind and Eruhpo was gone in a flash.

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Madam Edosa didn’t know what to do. One Minute, Ogochukwu was alive and the next she was not breathing. She called out to her granddaughter but there was no answer. As she made to go get water to pour on her.

“I have to speak to my daughter”. Oguchukwu said.

Withered Flower - Episode 13

“I still don’t understand how she escaped? This is what happens when you get incompetent people to handle your business”. Chief said.

“I still don’t get why you had her taken” Emem asked

They had just finished making love and as is customary with them during liaison, they catch up on everything.

“I don’t want her marrying my son. Mbanu!”

“Will that be so terrible? They are both single and adults…” She didn’t get to finish what she was saying.

“Mei chionu there. Don’t you know that it is an abomination for a father and son to drink from a cup at the same time?” He retorted.

“And sleeping with a married woman isn’t?”

Chief Mezu took one look at Emem, hissed and turned his back at her. She was right but he hated admitting it. Deep within him he knew why he didn’t want Iyeke to marry his son or any other man for that matter and that was because he was in love with her. He never imagined that it was going to be very hard to let her got. Ever since she escaped, she had been calling him but he purposely refused to pick because he wasn’t sure of how to act with her. Maybe it was time to let her go.

Emem laid there looking up at the ceiling. She suspected that chief was in love with Iyeke and that was why she even consented to having Iyeke kidnapped. She was green with envy but why was she? She had everything a girl wanted; a loving husband, a beautiful home albeit no kids yet but she and Nkem were happy. So how did she get here, she wondered.

It had started a few years ago. She and Nkem were having some real problems. She was so sure her marriage was going to fail. A few weeks later, she found out the reason… “Iyeke”. She had been so mad and thought of ways of killing them both. Finally, she had settled on poisoning them and had all her plans set.

Two weeks after, she was still unable to carry out her plan and found herself in the dressing room of Marks and Spencer crying profusely after not being able to get through to Nkem all day. She knew he was with Iyeke and yet she felt helpless as to what to do. Confronting them was out of the question as she was scared of losing her husband to her supposedly best friend.

After a good cry, she was on her way to pay for the items she had bought. The voice was so low and she missed it the first time.

“Excuse me please”. She finally heard it and turned round to see this older man beckoning to her. She had placed his age at early 60s or late 50s…she couldn't care less.

From the way he was dressed, she knew he was from Nigeria. He had that baggy jeans, a sweater hugging his pot belly, a face cap with the initials "NY" on it and a waist pouch.  Why do Nigerian men dress like this outside the country?

"Hi" she replied the strange man before her.

"Sorry to disturb, please can you help me pick some things for my wife and daughters? I am very lousy at these things and really hope you will oblige me"

Emem looked at him. He was kind of handsome in that daddy-ish sort of way. He also looked like he had money to help maintain whatever he had going on.

"Sure. What kind of things do you think they like?” She asked.

They had gone round for about 20 min's picking things for his wife and daughters. It was from their talking that she realised he was the father to her husband’s best friend.

He had paid for her goods, though she hesitated a bit but considering she was saving over a hundred pounds. Dinner was on him and she really enjoyed hanging out with him. It wasn't long when a harmless hug led to a harmless peck on the cheek, then a kiss and then they were meeting once or twice in a month for a "romp in the hay".

She turned and looked at chief’s form on the bed. She really liked him and wished they could take their relationship forward but both of them were encumbered and besides, she knew that chief was in love with Iyeke. She saw it in his eyes every time they made love and she could swear that she heard him call out Iyeke’s name during one of their love making sessions.

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Iyeke and Kene sat waiting for the doctor in his office. She was not being able to convince him to let her go out with his driver, so had to open up and tell him why she wanted to go out.

“Are you nervous?” she turned and looked him in the face. She wasn’t good at reading expressions but he seemed indifferent as he fiddled with his phone.

“About?” He replied, not taking his eyes off the phone.

“Kene, you are not focused and I really need your body and mind here”. She said and was glad when he dropped his phone to look at her. “I asked if you were nervous”.

“And I said about what?”

“That I might be pregnant, as this was really unplanned”. She asked, searching his face.

“Why would I be nervous? I am an adult you know and I take responsibility for everything I do”. He grabbed her hand. “Why are you nervous?”

“I…1…am not nerv…I don’t know, I’m confused”. She buried her face in her face in her hand and started crying.

“What is wrong? Why are you crying?” Kene was confused. He had heard things like this but never experienced.

“I don’t know, I guess I am just overwhelmed and besides, I have always been very careful and don’t understand how I got pregnant”.

“You got pregnant because you opened up your heart to love”. He got up from his chair and knelt beside her. “I was going to do this after getting the result from the doctor, pregnant or not. I love you Iyeke, from the first day I saw that picture of yours, I knew I didn’t want to play with you but to keep you by my side forever. Iyekoetin Osasere Erharuyi, will you make me the happiest man today and marry me?”

For Iyeke, this was a new one. Nobody has ever proposed before. Yes, they all wanted to be with her, but nobody actually asked to marry her. Then she started crying again. She held Kene’s face, gave him a kiss on the lips.

“Yes, I will marry you with all of me”. She said, still crying.

“Well, since the good news has started already, I guess I have to keep in line with that”.

None of them had noticed the doctor come in.

“Congratulations, you are 4 weeks’ pregnant”.

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The fire in the midst of the “first of Agu Clan” changed colour and they all shuddered. A curse had been activated. The child-like deity spoke up in his snake-like voice;

“Ssssecerrrss”

They all hissed, whilst making scratching sound at the fire.

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Ogochukwu screamed and held on to her chest. She knew this was the end. She could see madam Edosa running around, trying to help but she knew it was too late and she had to drop a message for Iyeke.

“Tell my daughter…that…” She didn’t finish her sentence for she had departed from this world.