The Mysterious Prayer Room

Chapter 13

I got into the Pastor's office and my dad walked up to me to beg me. "Ibukun mi, I am sorry. Please find a place in your heart to forgive me"

"I thought you said the Pastor was blackmailing you", I fired back.

"Baby, I am admitting my offence now. Please forgive me". I kept quiet and sat beside my wailing mother.

"Can we continue?"

"Pastor, please help me beg my family"

"Mr. Bright, don't worry. The Lord is in control but let's continue. You haven't finished your confession".

"I had a choice to pay off Deina. But I felt giving her money as a means of buying her silence, will lead to more blackmail from her. So, I resorted to silencing her forever. Few days before my family returned from their vacation, I built a gazebo on the spot where we buried Deina to avoid suspicions about the freshly dug and covered soil. When my wife returned, she asked about the gazebo, of which I told her it was a gift to her".

"You gave me Deina's grave as a gift? What an audacity! Haaaaa... Donald, you are evil"

"Calm down madam. So, Mr. Donald, didn't anyone ask questions about Deina's whereabouts?"

"Remember she had told her father that she was travelling. When he did not hear from her after some days, he mourned and concluded that she must have entered into the hands of ritualists. That was what the entire household believed including my wife".

"It is true. She really entered into the hands of a ritualist because that's who you are!", my mum interrupted.

"What happened next?"

"I gave Boma fifty million naira and told him to go on leave to mourn his daughter with his family. He thanked me for my generosity but in actual sense, I did it out of guilt. When he returned from his leave, everything went back to normal and our lives continued", my dad concluded.

"Mr. Donald, how were you able to convince Temi's father to assist you in killing Deina?"

"Falana's wife was having a kidney disease and she needed a surgery. I volunteered to pay all the hospital bills and promised to send her abroad for the surgery. I also gave him additional payment of twenty-five million naira to keep our secret safe. He couldn't resist my offer so, he succumbed".

"Oka", the Pastor said.

"Now, let's get back to Laura... When did she resume work as Adel's nanny?"

"I employed her 4 months after Deina's sudden disappearance", my mum replied.

"She worked as a salesgirl in a supermarket. She was a very lively girl and I liked her. One day, she narrated her story about how her step mother usually maltreat her and she begged me to employ her as a maid so that, she can leave her step mother's house. I felt sorry for her. So, I employed her", my mum said.

"Okay. Deina's spirit was hovering in your house before Laura's arrival. When Laura arrived, Deina's spirit became very upset. She felt betrayed that she was forgotten and replaced quickly. Hence, she started tormenting her. Deina was responsible for Laura's wounded arm when Laura was at the infestation stage of demonic possession. Eventually, Laura became possessed by Deina and Deina led to her commit suicide", the Pastor explained.

"If I may ask, why did you decide to name Laura's room a prayer room", the Pastor asked.

The same question I have always wondered.

"After, Laura committed suicide, we buried her at a private cemetery. The Pastor who anchored the funeral gave us instructions never to open Laura's room and for the safety of our daughter, we should name it a prayer room to transform the negativity of the room into positivity. Though, the instruction sounded absurd but we obliged", my dad explained.

I hissed under my breath. I was expecting it to be something serious and genuine.

"Okay. Pastor what's the solution to the oppression on MY daughter", my mum laid emphasis while claiming me as her daughter.

"I will come to the house tomorrow for the exorcism. Before then, gather whatever belongings you have in the house which belongs to both Deina and Laura. Also, I will like Temi's dad to be present", the Pastor said. He prayed for us and pleaded unity to reign in the house till he arrives the following day for the exorcism.

We thanked him and drove home with Temi, in silence.