DEATH SPELL
Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
Lamentations 5:7
The room is silent except for the beeping heart monitor. He lay like a living corpse, stable and peacefully quiet. But the worst could still happen. She sat inches away from him, her eyes wet with tears. The headgear that completed her expensive clothing had fallen off, loosened and hung on her neck. She wiped her tears with the cloth and rose to meet the doctor immediately the latter walked into the room
He was a young man with a calm and understanding look. He hid his hands in his overall pocket and stood six feet before the middle-aged woman who was afraid for her son.
"Doctor, what is wrong with my son?"
She asked. The doctor shook his head and told her to come into his office.
When they had both sat down, the doctor spoke.
"Mrs Benson, we have done all the tests we know to do but there is nothing wrong with your son. At least, medically. You may have to consider other options."
She stared at him as though he was speaking a language she didn't understand. How could nothing be wrong with her son? How could nothing be wrong when falls in and out of nausea and weaknesses? How could nothing be wrong when he screams out of his sleep? How could nothing be wrong when he holds his neck as though an invincible force was trying to snuff life out of him?
"What I mean madam is that you can go seek some spiritual help. This case is beyond modern medicine".
She sighed and the tears began to fall again. She had lost her husband and her first born son five years apart from each other. The symptoms were similar and it defied all medication.
They were standing on their toes, surrounded by corn stalks occupying the length and breath of the lush land. The veins on their necks shoot out as if about to burst. Their voices rose like contradicting metal sounds. One heavy and rancid. The other, wheezy and spontaneous.
"You have no claim to this land", spat the
one with the wheezy voice who is ill-favored both in body size and in health.
The other laughed a long contemptible laughter that is capable of making the one being laughed at cover his face in shame. But this wasn't the time to allow shame. It was the time to disdain it as though it never existed.
"Oh! And you that have the claim to this land, how much longer do you think you can live?"
He shot back at him. "Will you kill me then like you killed your wife and your son for rituals?"
That statement was the last straw that broke the camel's back. He jumped at his opponent who collapsed at the impact of the blows that jumped at his face and every other part of his body that stood in his way. The rage that engulfed his entire being blinded his eyes to the plea of his defenceless contender. His hands mastered the thin neck of the helpless victim. And like Samson, he bowed all his strength and strangled him to stillness. He waited until the man ended his frantic struggle to be free until he lay still; stone dead before sanity returned to him. He sprang away from the lifeless corpse. He turned to look for any careless onlooker. Satisfied at seeing no one, he dragged the corpse to the untrodden part of the land and left it there to rot.
No one knew where Mazi's body was nor were they aware of the rift between him and Maduka. All they knew was that he died a painful death according to the dibia they consulted.
"There is not much time", he said, submitting gradually to the darkness sweeping over him.
"Stop saying that. You 're not going anywhere!"
His eyes were dilating and something was choking his breath. She screamed his name but then remembered that the doctor was within reach.
"Doctor...doctor...please...come quickly".
The doctor came in to witness a lifeless body foaming in the mouth. He pronounced him dead and she fainted at once.
The news came to him in Okah like a lightning bolt. He was opening a new hotel from the booty of the land. When the emissary of death told him the news, he collapsed backwards from where he sat and died on the spot. The feasting instantly changed into heavy mourning. Someone even suggested that the messenger be beaten up for coming with such evil news to an old man. But there was no way the news could have been kept from him. It was his first born son that just died under unknown circumstances.
Five years later, she was in her house when a group of young men came, carrying an almost lifeless young man of their age.
"What happened to my son?", she asked with that look of a mother whose world is threatening to crash on her head.
One of them explained with fear in his eyes.
"We were playing football in the field when he suddenly collapsed and we had to bring him here".
She immediately called for her driver and they went to the hospital. Her son was pronounced dead on arrival.
The memory brought tears to her eyes and she wailed loudly.
"We can't just sit and watch death take all your children", that was her friend, Nkechi who had suggested they visit a dibia to know what to do.
"Welcome, my daughter's", a springy old man greeted by flicking his fly whisk about the room as though there were invincible mosquitoes or house flies around. He brought out a kolanut, cut it in two, gave her one part and asked her to say her pain on it. He collected it later and casted both on his divination mat. He paused, shook his head, retrieved the kolanut and threw it down as before. He heaved a heavy sigh. Folded his hands on his bare chest and was silent for a long while. When he eventually spoke, Mrs Benson knew intuitively that her son was already dead.
"Poor boy...poor widow...hmmm. An innocent soul has died, a spirit has been offended and now, it must be appeased".
"What does that mean, wise one?", asked Nkechi.
The old man stared at her and her friend.
"Your father in law has brought a curse on his family. The cause is after men because a man was killed by him. We will offer sacrifice but I am afraid for your son. If you had been here earlier, we could have saved your ...."
She didn't wait any further for more explanations. She was already on the floor, rolling and wailing.
THE END
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We commiserate with the family of Fasasi on the passing of their son, Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi (Sound Sultan), a music legend aka Naija Ninja. May his soul rest in peace.
Until next time, I am Yours Truly,
Julius Topohozin.
