Dubem [A NIGERIAN STORY]

Chapter 11

««« Chapter 11 »»»

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I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It only triggered rotten thoughts into my mind. Certain questions relating to issues like death.

“Oh my God!” I had screamed and lunged backwards. I found his back and hid behind it. “Blood of Jesus, Buchi! Brother Buchi this is evil! We are looking at evil, we have to do something about it. Let's run and pretend like we never saw this.”

Buchi swayed his right arm before me and had me maintain silent. He turned around to face me, but I reached for his back again. This rotation went on for minutes before he stopped. “You will not speak of this to anybody. No one can hear of this!”

I was midway through the stair leading to our flat, when I felt a pebble hit my back. “Ow!”

“Where do you think you're going?”

“I’m going to bring bible naa..” I said.

“To break some kind of curse or what? Get back here!”

He'd led me downstairs because he thought he had seen something intriguing. There we stood, feets apart from what appeared to be fetish contains.

There were dirty whitish beads, like corals, spiraled out to the edge of a calabash. And pieced cross bones everywhere, with a cranium-like doll lodged firmly in the middle. All of these, mystically laid upon a thin crimson sheet.

It was then the confusion hit me hard. “H-how did you find this place?”

He leaned towards me and searched around, like he could sense if the neighbours would jump out from the door any minute. “When I was doing the dishes.” I prodded him with a doubtful look.

He sighed and finally admitted. “The dish soap slipped from my hands. When I came to grab it, I met...” He eyed his feet profoundly. “..this.”

“So whose is this? I mean this JuJu stuff.” Quite alright we were at the neighbours backyard, and we didn't have any explanation nor right for wandering around if we had gotten caught.

“It’s an unresolved issue I haven't given much thought to, in my head of course.” He scratched his chin severally before looking up.

“Where would you think mom and dad would put something like this, if not inside the house?” Buchi asked.

“Ahahn, brother Buchi, haba! How can you think like that. Why would my dad ever want to partake in spiritual activities like this. Someone that is even against me wearing shorts!”

He gave me a look. “And my mother?”

I crossed my arms around my back and let my eyes wander of into the distance. He was right, though he didn't say it directly, but I knew I had outright hinted his mother.

She'd been harshing my mellow, everybody was aware of that, even my dad. Things hadn't worked out perfectly between my mom and dad, and whenever I was around them, they would put up an act, like everything was fine and the world was perfectly okay.

Their world, rather. It crashed right in my face, and I couldn't bear another minute with my dad after he'd brought another woman into the house.

I looked down. “I’m sorry.” I could feel water around my eyes.

“It’s okay. Totally understandable. I mean I don't know why she's mean to you. And I know you don't like her either.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry about your mother. Do you still hear from her?”

“No! She promised to call and text, and it's been.. how many years since then?” I asked.

“Four? Yes, four!”

“Four.” I thought on the word many times. “Four good years! Maybe she's dead, who knows!”

“Who used the guest toilet without flushing?” I could hear my mother's shrill from the window frame that stuck out. It was the washroom meant for guests.

“We have to go now! Come with me!”