Welcome To The Family

"The Yemoja (fish people) has always been a vital part of the Yoruba belief system. The Yoruba's believe that there are worlds within our world and the underwater realm of the Yemoja is just one of them. What you would call myths and superstitions are indeed stories lost in time.

Most African languages had no written form, so our ancestors passed down their knowledge, wisdom, and documentation of their experiences through oral tradition. The people of this town have always had contact with the water people and they have always lived among us," Baba Fatomi explained.

"But how can you be so sure, Baba," I asked.?

"If a youngling possesses more new clothes than the aged, he or she can't possess more rags than the aged. I am a chief priest of Orunmila the god of wisdom, you don't think I know what I speak of?

"You wouldn't be here asking me about the Yemoja if you haven't had a glimpse of reality, child." 

"I told you, it's for a school project," Zaynab interrupted.

"You are both terrible liars. You forget that Orunmila knows all and he shows me everything," he chuckled loudly.

"Here we go again with the bragging," Zaynab whispered and rolled her eyes.

"Go get me my pipe, girl! You're like your mother, headstrong and always doubting the truth in front of your eyes, but you'll believe eventually."

"I probably won't,"Zaynab replied.

She stood up and walked into the old man's room, stomping her feet on the floor in protest. The old man waited for her to leave and suddenly, he grabbed me by the hand and whispered;

"You be careful, Bisi. Most of them cannot be trusted, they are too impulsive and wild, especially the pleasant ones. It is their nature and most times it ends in people around them getting hurt."

He let go of my hand immediately Zaynab walked back into the room, holding his pipe, and didn't say another word till we decided to leave. He collected the pipe from Zaynab and started smoking. The smell of tobacco filled the room as the old man stared into space, chanting the praises of his gods.

"Here we go again! He's going to continue doing that until he falls asleep. He's been told severally to stop smoking but he wouldn't listen," Zaynab complained but the old man just kept smoking and chanting. He seemed like he was at peace.

"Let's get out of here, Bisi. The smell is killing me."

"But you do smoke," I whispered.

"Yes but I'm not the one smoking now, am I?"

"Well that's how it feels when you smoke and I complain."

We both left the house and went into town. It was on a Friday, three days had passed since I last saw Lokun. I couldn't go to school because I thought running into him would make me scream or faint again, I felt sick after what he showed me, I kept feeling queasy, and I was vomiting for two days. Everything I once heard my uncle describe to my mom he felt after he ran into a Yemoja at the beach a long time ago. Of course, everybody thought uncle Ade was full of shit. He was an irresponsible drunk with at least four wives, more than a dozen children, and even more bastards. He was funny but that was his sole importance to anyone. When he told us of his encounter with a Yemoja everybody thought it was just one of his silly stories, but after Lokun showed me his gills I realized how my uncle's story might have been true.

Port Nambunis wasn't a very big place, but since a lot of the people who lived there were rich people, it was a very developed place. It was like a small city with a lot of things most of the locals couldn't afford. 

I thought of visiting my Uncle Ade in Laje street since asking Baba Fatomi left me with more questions than answers. Zainab convinced me to attend a frat party at the Bankole university instead.

"The university is named after your grandfather anyway," she said jokingly.

"Zaynab I have that project, and since your uncle wasn't very helpful, I have to go see my uncle."

"Your uncle stays in that Laje street, and the place is filled with people like him. You don't want to go there at this hour, Bisi."

"What do you mean people like him?" I asked smiling.

"Errrm crazy people?" She replied.

"God! Zaynab my uncle is a drunk, he's not crazy."

"What is the difference?" She laughed.

"You are crazy too, you know."

"Sometimes, yeah. But he's really crazy all the time, "we both started laughing.

"Okay then we go to the party but not because the University is named after my crazy grandfather."

"I'm starting to think there are a lot of crazy people in that family of yours," she laughed loudly until I started laughing too.

We went to the frat party and it started nicely, the party was just like every party I attended then, it was a good escape from reality. Zaynab was being her normal cheerful self and I just found the less crowded and most quiet part of the building to sit. The music and voices of people at the party wouldn't let me think and although, I hated the crowdy nature I hated being alone even more,  which was why the parties were such perfect escapes. I was there without really being there.

Some minutes passed ten and I decided it was time to leave. I went to look for Zaynab but I couldn't find her among all the drunk, people passed out everywhere in the building. 

"She left without me?" I whispered.

I asked around but most of the people were not interested enough to give me an answer. The few ones who bothered to say anything were too drunk to make any sense or they simply just didn't know her. After looking for a while, I decided to go home. I made my way to the front door and someone called me.

"Hey, you're the one looking for Zaynab, right?"

He had a smile on his face and he wasn't drunk. "Oh thank God," I thought to myself, thinking it would be better to know Zaynab was okay before just leaving. I knew she wouldn't have just left without me like that.

"Yes, who are you? You know where she is," I asked.

"I am Maleek and yeah, she's just outside in my car, she was calling for you but she was too fucked up, so we just put her in the car."

"We?" I asked.

"Yeah me and my guys. She said you girls were from Oceanside."

"Yes?"

"We're going there too so we offered to her a lift, she accepted but wouldn't leave without, Bisi."

"Okay then, let's go."

We went to the car and it was actually a space bus parked a short distance away from the frat house. Zaynab and another girl from the party were in the vehicle, when I tried to talk to her she appeared unconscious. There were three other men on the bus, including the driver.

"Told you she was fucked up, didn't I?" Maleek said and laughed lightly.

"Is she coming or not, we don't have all day," the driver who appeared to be in a hurry screamed.

"Of course she's coming," Maleek replied.

"Oh but I am not, we are not coming with you guys. I'll just get Zaynab and we'll be on our way now."

"I told you! You shouldn't have gone back for her but your greedy ass wouldn't listen!" the driver appeared to be even more frustrated.

"Shut the hell up, fool!" Maleek shouted angrily. The smile disappeared off his face and he looked furious.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch! You either get into that bus now or I throw your corpse into the bus," he pulled out a gun under his shirt and pointed it at me.

"Calm down, Maleek," I whimpered.

"My name is not Maleek, you stupid bitch! And don't you tell me what to do, just get on the fucking bus now!"

I saw no other choice, no hope and at that moment I felt defeated. We were getting abducted and there was nothing that I could do to prevent it. The unfortunate fate that awaits us is one I have read about many times in the news. The pictures with missing boldly written on it, the wailing of the families when they realize their children were gone. "At least I have no family that'll go through that terrible feeling, my father wouldn't even feel that bad, and uncle Ade has his own problems," I thought as I took a step onto the bus.

My thought was interrupted by the loud sound of shattered glass and then the driver screamed in pain. It all happened so fast. Maleek rushed to the front to check the driver and the other two guys rushed out of the bus, they started shooting and I fell to the ground. The sound of gunshots was interrupted by screams from the guys and in just some minutes there was stillness.

I felt a hand touch me and I screamed "Please don't kill me!"

"Open your eyes, Bisi." the familiar voice said.

A black jeep with tinted windows pulled up beside us. I opened my eyes slowly and Lokun stood in front of me, smiling.

"You really get scared easily, are you going to pass out again?"

"Loku? I wanted to ask him what he was doing there but the words wouldn't come out.

"Are you okay? Are you damaged?" he asked.

"No," I replied. I had a glimpse of the driver and he was dead, something went through the glass and into his chest. There was blood everywhere and I couldn't stop staring.

"Good, let's get you out of here," Lokun said.

The front door of the black jeep opened and Shunbunmi came out, she went straight onto the bus and grabbed Zaynab who was still unconscious, and took her to the jeep, she came back for the other girl and took her to the jeep too.

Lokun and I made our way to the jeep too and for the first time, I realize Kunbi was there too. He stood over the corpses of the kidnappers, holding what looked like a spear made of ice.

He was coming to the jeep when Maleek who appeared to be dead regained consciousness and started running. Kunbi threw the ice spear at him and it struck him in the back, he fell to the ground and stopped moving as the spear melted immediately.

Kunbi got into the jeep and as Shunbunmi zoomed off, he looked back at me and said, "Welcome to the family."