09:12 pm, September 7
Tokyo, Japan.
Eartha stabbed at the dish with the fork again, absently.
Her husband glanced up at her from his own meal. He'd noticed something had been bothering her since they arrived from work an hour ago but he hadn't asked, hoping she'd tell him at her own time, but he was beginning to get worried. She wasn't forthcoming with anything, so it was left up to him to ask her.
'Heart.' He dropped his fork and placed his hand over her outstretched one on the table. 'Is everything okay? Is something bothering you?'
Eartha looked up at him, pursing her lips. Took you long enough to realize, she said silently.
'Do I look like I'm okay?' she asked, instead.
Mide paused for a second, he hadn't been expecting that kind of answer. Was she in a dour mood today? He tried to r
01:32 pm, September 7Kogi State, Nigeria.Eniiyi's shoulders slumped in dejection as she looked away from the computer screen she'd been staring at for fifty seconds. It wasn't as if they didn't deserve her anger towards them, she just couldn't help wishing it hadn't ended like that. She'd have loved to hear reassuring words from them after she was done venting. She sighed. Now she'd never get to see them again till October. What with Uncle Felix leaving in two days. Ths made her miss her poor tablet more.'It's alright, don't cry now.' Her uncle pat her back.She turned to glare fiercely at him. 'What makes you think I'd cry?' She stood up, slightly cheesed up.'I'm going out.''Suit yourself, niece.' Uncle Felix was blasé about it but he looked amused.The sun had managed to get hott
Which was why, two days later, escorting her uncle to the park, she still had the woman on her mind. Despite herself, she'd felt the urge to go back to that place and help the woman, but she hadn't had the chance to leave the house since that day.She'd just have to forget she ever saw anything.'Eniiyi, are you okay? You're unusually quiet.' Lastborn observed.She looked at him. 'I'm okay.''Are you sure, maybe you should go back home?' Uncle Felix looked worried.'Uncle Felix, I'm okay.' She frowned up at him.Uncle Felix chuckled. 'Oh, I see. You're going to miss me.'Eniiyi looked blasé. 'It's not too late to take me along.' She'd spent all morning begging him to take her with him but he'd refused.Then she'd gotten mad at him and avoided speaking to him. The only reason she was escorting him now was becaus
03:20 pm, September 10Kogi State, Nigeria.It was the naming ceremony of the Mádégún twins. They'd just been named Oluwatade, Hairum and Oluwajoba, Haysam each as they were Muslims. It was a joyful ceremony as everybody wanted to bless the twins with gifts. Even non-indigenous guests from the cities had come to grace the occasion, mostly the new parents' family and friends. Gifts of different shapes and colour just kept piling up under the gift canopy to the delight of the glowing parents.The village women now busied themselves circulating food around the numerous tents in front of the house. There were varieties of local dishes; Mọ́ín-mọ́ín, ẹ̀kọ, àmàlà, jollof and fried rice, iyán, ẹ̀fọ́, and many more to feast the eyes and mouth on.Eniiyi was feeling extraordinarily happy today. Everythi
A day after . . .02:16 pm, September 11Kogi State.Eniiyi limped down the porch steps down the street towards the neighbour's house, headphones turned up to a high volume just to block out her surroundings. She was angry, frustrated and sore from yesterday.Grandma had come home later in the day, dragged her out of her hiding place by her ears with a long, slender, flexible cane in her hand meaning to flog the life out of her, but she'd been saved by the person she had least expected to: Taiwo. Why, she'd tried her very best to be extremely rude to him, but he'd obviously not taken her behavior to heart. He'd spent about twenty minutes giving Gma reasons she shouldn't punish the nine year old. Which was all good for the girl. She'd been planning to pull fainting act anyway but had doubted it'd work on her grandmother.It ha
05:00 am, September 14Kogi State, Nigeria.It was a very earlySaturday morning when the unfortunate incident happened. It was in the wee hours of the morning when the sky was inky blue and the orangish-pink tip of the sun could barely be seen struggling to peek out from behind the mountains.The village was empty at this time of the day save for the watchguards retiring from their overnight posts and one or two religious fanatics jingling bells loudly and forecasting doom.It was at this exact time that the beginning of what would spell herdoom arrived with it's family of trouble.Soon, as was tradition, pageboys were sent around to circulate the sepulchral news.Taiwo had just risen and was sweeping the house when a loud series of knocks came on the front door.He hissed and dropped the broom wondering who the dumb as a post idiot could be, that couldn't respect people's privacy. Wha
Eniiyi gulped nervous energy and futilely tried to disappear into the folds of her grandmother's wrapper. What had she done wrong? And why was it so serious as request the attendance of every pair of eyes in the village?'Grandma,' she whispered, keeping her gaze focused on the space between the ground and where the assembly was, 'I swear, I didn't do anything. Believe me.'There was a slight break in her grandmother's movement, other than that she made no indication of having heard the young girl.The escort stopped in front of the platform where the high chairs were and prostrated flat on the floor in greeting to the group of six elders decorating the furniture. A dark-faced man sat separately from them farther to the side and he so very much looked like it was all he could do from stomping down and beheading the girl.'Here they are, Baale, elders; the possessed child and her grandmother.'Eniiyi almost spit out blood at that statement. What on
'Eniiyi!' Grandma shouted in horror at her and started to stand up.'What? Grandma, let me speak for myself!'Mama Nurse was more than shocked into obedience by the commanding tone of a girl more than half a century younger than her.The elders had quiet during all this exchange. They spoke among themselves and one went to whisper something to the baale wherein a heated whisper ensued, after a while, the baale finally nodded his head in consent to whatever the request was, albeit still looking somewhat angry.The elders rapped on their table for decorum.'Iya Femi, this issue is no child's play, she has affirmed the women's accusal. We've all agreed that the girl is an evil witch but because she's still a child we shall not have her killed,' the eldest of the elders said.'Baba Agbanila paid a visit long before you arrived and revealed that he had met the evil child when she first arrived in his compound to perpetrate the murder of the poor
The crowd sat back in their seats and watched the village native doctor and his pages set up the rites for the exorcism. Nobody stood up to defend the scared, small girl bound and on her knees in the middle of the white chalk circle.It was an uncommon occurrence for a child to be exorcized; it was usually the old women that were found out as witches.The pages finished setting the oil lamps and other miscellanea according to the rules of Feng Shui. They all stepped back and let the herbalist take their place in front of the girl, forming an outer circle. The said man started to chant in a strange tongue and sprinkle a thick, black liquid inside the chalk-line — and on the girl, in the process.Eniiyi, head bowed, surreptitiously wiped her face on her sleeve. She tried not to breathe in the foul-smelling liquid. She wondered again what was going to happen to her now. The woman who gave birth to the man who gave birth to her, who was supposed to be her gran