"Hey, can I come in?" Vivian asked."Yeah, sure." She went to sit on his bed immediately, because there was no chair in his room."You're now a big boy, you are already growing some strands of hair." She said, as Alex sat next to her. Alex only smirked, as he was confused if it was a compliment, or if it was meant to be a joke. There were some moments of silence between them, as Vivian deliberated on the right, nonoffensive word to say. "You see, I'm glad to have you as my brother. You can't imagine how long I've yearned to be with you, or for you to know that we are siblings." She explained. "Oh no! Don't say that. What do you mean exactly? That keeping the secrets away from me until now is the perfect thing for me? Cut the crap, man!" He fumed. "Fine! The decision they made concerning all these may be wrong because I didn't partake in making the decision either, I mean, I was a fucking kid when all these mysteries happened! I accepted to dance their tune, un-willing-ly." She e
Alex also went to sleep immediately after his sister left.He dreamed about his encounter with the old woman again, but not at the same place as previously. This time, he was in a remote and perilous forest, and all he could hear were the chirps of birds. He was perplexed because he had never envisioned or actually been in a forest of this kind in his previous dreams.He was aware that he was dreaming, and that he could end it by choosing to wake up, but he resolutely decided against doing so in order to see how the dream would end and who he could run into. This was because he was curious about it due to its change in environment, contrary to the previous dream he had.He was confused about whether to walk forward or backward, due to some Nigerian barbaric belief that moving backward or doing things backwardly usually regresses one's life,so he resolved to move forward. He walked for several minutes without spotting any people or footsteps, and he wondered where he could be."Is thi
Alex couldn't sleep after he woke up from the dream. He streamed some foreign movies on his phone until daybreak.He decided to leave his phone when he heard the creep of a door, thinking it was one of his parents, so he could apologise for his behaviour, the previous night.He struggled to get off the bed for no particular reason. "Maybe it's because my night was short and because of the scary dream I had, or maybe I haven't gotten enough sleep for our long trip yesterday." He thought .He opened the door, and walked to the sitting room, meeting only the old man, doing nothing. "Good morning, sir." He prostrated half way up in the air. "Good morning, my son. Had a short night?" The old man asked. "Yes." He said, yawning. "You couldn't sleep because you had the same dream overnight?" The old man asked, to Alex's surprise. "How did he know that I had the dream, or did he guess?" He wondered. "Yes, but —" "How did I know?" The old man smiled. "You don't really know who I really
"Good morning, mom, and good morning, dad." Alex greeted his parents, who were in the sitting room with his sister, as he entered the house with the old man."Good morning, son. Hope you slept well?" His mom asked. "Yes, I did. Thanks mum" "Good morning, Baba Agba." The three of them greeted the old man simultaneously. "Dad, mom, I'm really sorry for how I behaved last night." He said, as he sat down on a sofa his sister was sitting on, behind the one where his parents were."I really didn't mean to. I guess I did that because the whole thing happened too suddenly. I'm sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me, especially you, dad. I really love you, and I'm always grateful to have you as my parents." He apologised. "Come over here." His father slapped the sofa, indicating that he should sit between him and his mother. They both moved to the edges of the seat on both sides, to create a space for him. He stood up to join them, as his father said. "We understand you, alth
"Are you in there?" Vivian knocked on Alex's door."Yes, do you want to have a discussion with me?" He replied."Yes. We need to discuss some things with you. We will be waiting for you in the sitting room." Vivian said."We? What's up?" He wondered."Is something wrong?" He asked. "No. Just come to the sitting room and stop asking foolish questions from there." She said. "Okay, I'll be with you soon." He replied."Am I safe?" He asked, seeing all of them present in the sitting room. "You don't have to be sacred. Find yourself a seat, my son." The old man smiled. He sat beside Vivian since it was the only vacant seat. "So, we invited you to this meeting, because the discussion is centred around you." The old man announced. "Okay, I am all ears." The old man cleared his throat and said, "It's been almost a week since your arrival to this town with the intention to fulfil your destiny, and I think it's high time you take the bold step." "The bold step? What does that mean? I th
Alex followed the old man to the shrine carrying a calabash, wearing a white singlet and a crimson cloth tied around his waist.The old man chanted some incantations as they approached the entrance of the main shrine."Anything I say henceforth, repeat it after me." He instructed Alex,as they entered the main shrine.If Alex had not been in the shrine before, he would have gotten frightened because the shrine was scarier than it was before. More carvings of gods were present in the shrine than before."What could this big pot be here for?" Alex wondered, as he saw a big clay pot. It was almost filled with water."Here we are, Ogundele. This is where you are going to be reborn as a true man. This is where your new journey will begin. This, is the beginning of a new dawn for you. For the umpteenth time, do you accept to carry the cross bestowed upon you?""Like I have a choice." Alex grumbled. "What did you say?" he asked. "Yes, I am.""Now, sit on this." He pointed at a wooden stool.
Alex woke up in the afternoon after the fortification in pain from the cuts. He groaned as he got up reluctantly and walked to the bathroom to shower while rubbing his migraine-ridden head. The bathroom does not have a standing shower but only a tap that runs water into buckets. He strained to lean down and use the bowl from the water-filled bucket to pour water on his body. He avoided scrubbing his back and his wrist, which had cuts from the fortification, with the sponge he had brought along from the city, because of what the old man applied to them after the fortification. "This will fasten the healing process." The old man had said, after he applied a substance that seemed like a mixture of a leaf and other things to the cuts, before they went to bed. He didn't spend up to three minutes in the bathroom, which was unusual of him because he was in pain. "2:45!" He exclaimed as he checked the time on his phone after he had dried himself up. "Maybe the painkiller I used before I
"Why does the king want to see him all of a sudden? What does the guard mean by him disrespecting the king?" Alex wondered as he followed the old man to the palace.He didn't want to ask him the reason for the king's call because the old man was fuming.Alex found it difficult to keep up with him despite the fact that he was old enough to be his grandfather, which made him question how he was still in shape at his age.Many people greeted him as he passed by, which made him wonder why people still respected him despite his exile, because he believed that exile attracted disrespect from others.His heart beat rapidly in eagerness as he saw a house ahead of them. He concluded that it was the palace to which they were headed because a crown was inscribed on its gate."Whom do you seek?" The guard questioned."If not the king, then who should I be here to see? Is it you? The guards exchanged startled looks with one another."Are you simply going to remain still and refuse to carry out you