CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“Oh God! God, please save her,” Amadi muttered under his breath as he pressed down the accelerator.

He was driving fast, his mind far away in Umuebe, his village. His car swerved as one of the tyres jumped in and out of a deep pothole. He muttered angrily and increased his speed without minding the deep potholes and gullies that littered the dusty road to his village.

The news of his mother’s sudden illness has destabilized him. All through the day, Amadi was speaking on the phone with his younger brother, who was looking after their mother, to get updates on her health situation. So far, the news he received showed that she was getting worse.

When Amadi got close to their compound, he saw many sad-faced villagers trooping out of it.

“God, where are you?” he screamed with a shaky voice, his heart beating uncontrollably.

He broke into a cold sweat and started gasping for air. His palms became too slippery to hold the steering wheel but he gripped it tightly, almost breaking it into two. He drove into the compound like a person pursued by the devil and swerved the car sharply around a coconut tree at the middle of their compound. He used that same speed to drive to the front of their house, sending all the villagers into an unprepared hundred-metre race.

The house of Late Mr. Benjamin Ibeabuchi, Amadi’s father, was newly renovated. It stood magnificently at the far end of the compound like a guardian looking after small dirty children. The house looked out of place in the compound, where small old rusted-roofed houses belonging to Amadi’s uncles scattered everywhere. It will be difficult for one to believe that Late Mr. Benjamin’s house was once like these other smaller old ones until Amadi renovated it. The house was once known as “The Basket” because its roof leaks in several places whenever rain falls. Then, Mr. Benjamin was too poor to fix his house so his family had to endure the pain of living under a leaking roof.

Amadi’s father was a pious man, who raised his children in the ways of truth and piety. Amadi, being his first son, went to town to learn a trade with their kinsman when was just twelve years old. But before he completed his apprenticeship, his poor father died from heart failure. Immediately after he completed his apprenticeship, Amadi changed the roof of their house so that his mother and younger siblings will no longer battle with a leaking roof. And now that he had the means of making life easier for his dear mother he was greeted with the shocking news of her sudden illness.

As Amadi was parking his car, his only brother, Ikem, came out to greet him.

“Brother, mama…,” Ikem fought for words.

The sight of Ikem’s tear-stained face was all Amadi needed to understand the situation of things. He jumped out of the car while its engine was still running and rushed to the house.

“Mama did what?” Amadi asked as he trotted into the house. He went straight to his mother’s bedroom and stopped immediately he saw her lying lifeless on the bed.

“No! No! Not now. Mama! Mama, it’s me, Amadi. I bought a new car for you. Mama, please answer me. God, where are you? Mama, oya, open your eyes naa. Please don’t do this to me,” Amadi talked incomprehensively, tapping his mother on the shoulder as if he wanted to wake her from sleep. He continued talking to her, allowing tears to flow freely down his cheeks.

Amadi was heartbroken. It was just a few weeks after fortune smiled on him that he lost his dear mother. He had plans of building a better house for her and making her life more comfortable. But all those were lost.

Amadi made sure his mother’s burial was like an Ofala Festival. He believed that since he couldn’t make her a queen when she was alive, he will treat her like one in death. He, therefore, did everything that would have been done in a queen’s burial at his mother’s own. This decision of his, however, attracted criticisms from people, who believed it was unnecessary. The height of it was that his only brother, Ikem, suspected him of using their mother for money ritual. People were surprised of his sudden wealth and, therefore, believed that Ikem might be right. Few days after the burial, Ikem confronted him with the allegation of killing their mother.

Amadi has heard the rumour from outsiders but he was much displeased to hear it from his own brother. He engaged him in a fight which was separated by some elders present. Both of them were summoned by the village council to look into their differences. Ikem stood his ground before the elders and insisted that peace will never reign between him and his murderous brother. As far as Ikem was concerned, Amadi will always be regarded as a murderer unless he comes out openly to confess his crime.

Amadi declared his innocence before the elders. He told them that he wanted peace to be restored between him and his younger brother. He was ready to forgive his brother for the allegations he leveled against him. But then, he insisted that his brother must apologise to him publicly and retract his words.

The elders tried to reconcile the two brothers but Ikem wouldn’t hear of it. When he felt that the pressure was getting too much for him, he stood up and walked away from the meeting.

“My son, I plead with you not to give up on him,” one of the elders spoke up. “He is but a child. I am sure that with time, he will once again see you as his brother.”

After they have tidied up all the rites involved in their mother’s burial, Amadi returned to his life in the Lagos. However, Ikem remained in Umuebe, taking care of their properties there.

Amadi’s house in Lagos was magnificent. It was a mansion that stood in a compound that was well decorated with flowers and other ornamental plants. A large statue of St. Anthony stood beside the house. The compound was fenced with high concrete walls and barbed wires were placed on it to prevent intruders from scaling the walls into the compound. At the parking lot were fleets of exotic cars, which Amadi acquired for himself.

Inside the house, Amadi was staring at his mother’s portrait in the sitting room. He remembered all he wanted to do for his mother before death snatched her away. He allowed tears to flow for some minutes before he wiped them off and walked over to one of the executive cushions in his living room. He picked up a remote on the side stool beside the chair and switched on his television.

“Akpan!” he called.

“Yes Oga,” Akpan, Amadi’s gateman, answered and came into the house.

“Have you finished washing the car?” Amadi asked.

“Yes Oga. But, e remain small,” Akpan answered.

“My friend, will you hurry up. I told you since yesterday that I will be going out with that car,” Amadi chided him. “‘Yes Oga. E remain small’. Go school you will not.” Amadi mimicked Akpan and then turned his gaze back to the television. Akpan stood there, watching the programme on the television. “What is he still standing there for? My friend, will you go and finish up with that car!” Amadi yelled at him.

“Yes Oga,” Akpan said and ran out.

Later that day, Amadi went to one of his factories to supervise productions. The factory he went to that day was the one that produced paints. Amadi had no knowledge of paint making, so he hired twenty-four workers, including two Indian professionals, to make his paint making business a success. He went round the different sections in the factory, encouraging his workers and pointing out some things that he thought were not done well.

When he saw that everything was going on well in the factory, he left the factory and drove straight to Crystal Garden Restaurant to have his lunch. He ordered his usual bitter leaf soup and semo. As he was doing justice to the food, a young damsel walked in. She was dressed in cooperate wears and wore a light make-up. Amadi froze when he beheld this beauty. He forgot to close his mouth that was opened in readiness for the ball of semo that was already midway between the plate and it destination. The hand transporting the semo was frozen midair and so were the rest of his body, except for his two eyes that followed the young lady’s movement.

The cause of Amadi’s frozen state went to the table close to his and sat facing him. She then looked around, caught the eyes of the waiter and signaled him to come. All these while, Amadi was still holding the arrested ball of Semovita in between his place and mouth. He finally remembered himself and quickly dropped back the semo into the plate. He was already self-conscious and felt that his semo balls were unceremoniously too big to be swallowed.

Amadi tried to concentrate on his food but it was too hard to achieve. For unknown reasons, he found it harder by the second to form his semo balls, dip them in the soup and send them to his mouth. Even in the mouth, he had to make efforts to swallow his food. He has never been this tensed up for a woman before.

When he couldn’t bear the tension anymore, he washed his hand and decided not to eat again. For him, lunch was over. He picked his two phones and car key from the table and walked over to the cause of his tension.

“Hi,” he said with an unsure voice.

“Hi,” the young lady responded as she continued eating without looking at him.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Amadi asked. The young lady dropped her spoon, looked up from her food and sized up Amadi.

“I don’t mind,” she finally said and went back to her food.

Amadi pulled a chair and sat facing her. He introduced himself briefly to her, hoping that she would do the same.

“Ok,” she responded, still eating.

“Honestly, I must confess,” Amadi continued, “I have never seen such a paragon of beauty in my life, not to talk of one that is decently dressed. What’s your name dear?”

“What do you need my name for?” she asked.

Amadi was about to answer when a waiter approached him and handed him his bills. “Please get me hers also,” Amadi told the waiter.

The young lady looked at him as if she wanted to say something but decided against it. She grunted and continued eating. “Perhaps, I will wait for you to finish with your food,” Amadi said.

She pretended not to hear him. The waiter returned with the bills and handed them to Amadi. He settled the bills and was expecting her to say something but she didn’t.

When she finished eating, she looked at him and said, “Thanks for the meal.”

Amadi’s head swelled and his heart melted. The manner and the tone she used to say those words registered firmly in his heart. He nodded as he struggled with the right words to use. His mind was bugled by different kinds of words so that he didn’t know the one to pick. As he was still contemplating on what to say, the young lady stood up and began to leave. By the time he gathered himself, she was already at the door.

He went after her and came up to her at the parking lot. She was walking towards her car, her fingers rummaging her purse in search of her car keys.

“Please, can I see you again?” he asked.

“Why?” she asked, walking over to the driver’s side of her car.

“Let’s say, it’s because I really want to know you better. How about tomorrow evening?” he offered.

She ignored him, unlocked her car, opened the door and sat behind the wheel. She was about to close the door when she realized that Amadi was holding it.

“Ok, at least tell me your name.” he asked. The young lady sighed and sat back on the driver’s seat. “Please tell me your name,” Amadi pleaded.

She looked at him and said, “Olaedo. Please, can I go now?”

Amadi smiled and gently closed the door for her. He stepped aside and watched as she drove out.

Amadi became consumed with the thoughts of Olaedo. In the morning, he thought of her. In the afternoon, the thoughts of her overwhelmed him. And at night, he dreamt of her. He began to visit the restaurant frequently, hoping to see Olaedo again.

_______———Ω——————

Ikem sat alone in the sitting room. He was gazing at his mother’s favourite chair, now empty. He was clearly lost in thought, wondering why his mother suddenly became ill and died shortly after.

When he couldn’t bear it any longer, he shouted, “Hei! O ka uwa di! Is this how life is?”

He then remembered his brother and a sudden wave of anger and hatred passed through him. It is obvious that he hated his brother. He still believed that he has a hand in their mother’s death. If not, he thought, how did Amadi become rich all of a sudden?

“Amadi, no matter how long it takes, you will still pay for using my own mother, my very sweet mother, a woman that suffered for you….no … no….Amadi, you will never go scot free. I will make sure of that,” he said, jumping out of the chair, fuming.

He was still pacing up and down the sitting room when Okonta walked into the compound.

“Is anyone at home? Good afternoon ooo. Who is home?” Okonta greeted. He was carrying a gallon of palm wine that was covered with leaves.

Okonta was a well-known palm wine tapper in the village. His palm wine is famous because they were the best in their village. He doesn’t adulterate them like most palm wine tappers do. Okonta was very honest with his business and people patronized him for his honesty.

“Yes, somebody is at home. Who is asking?” Ikem spoke from within, before coming out.

“Ah! The great Okonta himself, I salute you,” Ikem greeted.

“Ike eji eje mba! Omeka nna ya!,” Okonta hailed him. Both exchanged a handshake and sat in front of the house.

“How are you coping with life?” Okonta asked.

“I am managing, my brother ooo. I am managing. How else will I do?” Ikem lamented.

“Managing kwa? When your only brother is living like a king in the city,” Okonta asked, puzzled.

“I have made it clear to him that I don’t want any part in his blood money. I am ok with what I have here,” Ikem said.

Okonta shook his head and said, “Anyway go in and get two glasses. We will continue with this talk later.”

Ikem went into the house and came out later with two tumblers that he just washed. He kept them on the chair he was sitting on and went back inside. He then returned with a side stool. He placed the glasses on the side stool and sat down. Okonta brought the gallon that contained the palm wine and kept it beside the stool. They took their turns in pouring out the palm wine into the tumblers.

As they were drinking, Okonta cleared his throat and asked, “But are you sure of what you are saying? I mean, are you sure your brother’s hand is in your mother’s death?”

“It’s very clear for all to see. How else can you explain his suddenly wealth shortly before our mother died. He used her for money ritual and nothing else,” Ikem said vehemently. “I keep praying every day that her spirit should haunt him until he confesses,” he continued. “He’s just lucky that my mother is gentle. If not, by now Amadi would have run mad.”

“In that case,” Okonta said, “there is a way to find out the truth.”

“How?” Ikem asked eagerly.

Okonta whispered into his ear.

“Are you sure?” Ikem asked.

“Yes, I know what I’m saying,” Okonta reassured him.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Ikem asked enthusiastically.

Okonta took a sip of the drink and revealed his brown set of teeth. “Ehee, now you are talking. I will take you there first thing tomorrow morning. Please do not let anybody hear about this,” he warned.

“You can trust me,” Ikem assured him.

The following day, as dawn was creeping into the earth, Okonta sneaked into Ikem’s compound and knocked softly at his door. Ikem opened the door without asking who was there. Both of them left the house for an unknown destination. After hours of trekking inside the forest, they came to a shrine. There was an elderly half-naked man seated at the front of the shrine. He was saying some incantations and offering liberations to the gods by pouring palm wine on the ground. He sensed the presence of Ikem and Okonta but he ignored them and continued with what he was doing.

Ikem used that period to study the environment. He shivered at the sight of the seven skulls that were coated with fresh blood. Behind the skulls were a mortar and a pestle that were also stained with blood. There were three huge ugly wooden carved images of beings with human bodies and monstrous faces. Different sizes of calabash lined one side of the shrine. Behind these calashes was a giant mirror covered in red.

“Osuorji welcomes you, sons of the soil,” the Chief Priest’s greetings brought Ikem back to the present.

“Eyes of the gods, the one that dines with the spirits, we greet you,” Okonta eulogized the Chief Priest.

The sight of the shrine gave Ikem mixed feelings and he wished that he didn’t allow Okonta to persuade him to go there. But he didn’t want Okonta and the Chief Priest to know that he was afraid. He sat beside Okonta on the bare floor and gaped as the Chief Priest told them their reasons for coming to see him. He has heard of things like that before but he never believed it was possible. Okonta hailed the Chief Priest the more and nudged Ikem to present the money he came with. Ikem brought out the money and stretched out his to give it to the Chief Priest.

“Taa!” the Chief Priest barked at him.

Ikem’s jumped and he began to shiver with fear. Okonta quickly came to his rescue and showed him where to drop the money. They both apologized to the Chief Priest, who was glaring at Ikem. He then turned back to his divination materials and began to make some incantations. His words sounded unintelligible but eerie to his visitors, who watched him with awe.

The Chief Priest stopped the incantations, stared into a calabash beside him and picked up a short blood encrusted staff that was covered with red and white pieces of cloth. He dipped the staff into the calabash and then pointed it at the giant mirror in the shrine. Ikem and Okonta turned to the mirror and watched as it became alive with moving images. It was as if they were seeing a movie. Only that this time, the mirror showed what happened in real life some years ago.

Amadi was seated inside a compacted luxurious bus, chatting with other passengers beside him. They were embarking on a journey. They bus was dimly illuminated, showing that it was nighttime. Amadi wore a simple blue T-shirt, black jeans trousers and pam slippers. Ikem could tell that Amadi was going to Maiduguri because he remembered the day Amadi wore those clothes. It was shortly after he finished his apprenticeship and his master fulfilled his agreement by providing him with some money as the capital for starting his own business. Ikem remembered that day vividly because Amadi’s master came to Umuebe to perform the ceremony to show that Amadi was longer an apprentice. Amadi left Umuebe for Maidurguri the following day with all the money he was given to buy goods for his new business.

The mirror showed that Amadi was travelling in a convoy of three luxurious buses. He was inside the bus at the middle. As they were negotiating a bend, they saw a big log blocking the road. It was just a short distance from the first luxurious bus. The driver of the first bus suddenly marched his break, almost causing the bus to somersault. The other two buses were able to stop without colliding with the first one. As everybody was wondering what was going on, three gunshots were released into the air. That was all the passengers needed to jump out of the bus and scamper into the forest.

More gunshots were released to motivate people to run harder. Those that could run did so without looking back. Those that couldn’t, stayed back in the buses, hoping that fate will be lenient with them. People ran helter-skelter, each person taking the direction his mind told him to. People were more concerned about saving their lives and so they left their belongings, including their money, in the bus. Some dropped their own in the forest so they can run without disturbance. Amadi, however, held his bag very tight as he ran for his dear life.

The constant gunshots caused Amadi to run deeper into the forest until he found himself in the middle of nowhere, alone. He was so afraid for his dear life that he did not stop running. He saw a narrow footpath that passed under a canopy created by branches of big trees. Without thinking, he took his right knowing that he will definitely find a town or village.

Amadi walked deeper into an unknown zone until he realized that the path led to nowhere. As he was about to turn, he saw what looked like an object shinning down the path. Curious, he walked cautiously towards the object and realized that it was a metal reflecting the thin rays of the moon that filtered through the thick cover of trees. He searched his trousers and brought out his phone. He turned on the torchlight on his phone and flashed it on his surroundings. That was when he saw them.

A short distance from where he stood laid skeletons of two men. They wore dark shirts and trousers that were yet to decompose. Lying careless beside them was the object that attracted Amadi to the scene in the first place. It was a briefcase.

Amadi was too shocked and afraid to move. He stood there gazing at the spectacle before him. He realized at that moment that he must have taken the path of death instead of life. But what worried him most was the cause of those men’s death and why nobody has seen their bodies. It occurred to him at that moment that those men must have been declared missing by their people.

As Amadi turned to leave, his torchlight flashed on the briefcase again. He walked over to it and picked it up, hoping to find the identity of the dead men inside it.

But who will believe me if I tell them I was not the one that killed them, Amadi wondered. He knew that if he goes to the police, he will be arrested as a suspect. He therefore decided to find the contacts of those men and describe where their corpses are. But where am I to start with? He looked around and decided to go back the way he came. He knew that the robbers would have left by then.

Amadi managed to find his way back to the road only to realize that the buses have left without him. Remembering that they were attacked by robbers on that road, he headed back into the forest so that he will find a safer place to stay until daybreak. He climbed a big tree and spent the rest of the night there.

In the morning, Amadi decided to check his belongings before finding his way back to the road again. He opened his travel bag and saw the briefcase. He decided then to check for its content to see how he can be of help to the dead men. Fortunately for him, the lock of the briefcase had broken so it was not difficult for him to pry it open. Amadi opened the briefcase and was surprised to see only a small pouch inside it. He dropped the pouch on the floor and searched every pocket in the briefcase but it contained nothing else.

“Unlucky people, there is nothing I can do for,” he said and dropped the briefcase beside him. As he got up to leave, his left foot kicked the pouch. He bent down, picked it up, unzipped it and quickly zipped it back. He looked around him before he unzipped the bag the second time. The bag was filled with diamonds.

He went to one side of the bush and sat down so he can recollect his senses and also allow his racing mind to slow down. When he felt less disoriented, he picked up the diamond-filled bag and put it into his travel bag. He then stood up and headed back to the road.

Amadi waited for some minutes at the road before he saw a vehicle. He flagged it down and explained the robbery incident to the driver. The Good Samaritan dropped him off at a nearby park, where he boarded another bus to Maiduguri. He later sold the diamonds in bits and used the money he generated from them to set up five factories that produced different things. He equally invested in other reliable businesses that yielded lots of profits.

The mirror went blank again

“So this is how my brother came to wealth,” Ikem said with quivering voice.

“Chai! Poverty gbakwa oku,” Okonta remarked.

The Chief Priest chuckled sarcastically. Ikem then looked at Okonta and signaled that it was time to leave. They thanked the Chief Priest and left. On their way, Ikem could not utter a word. He was truly remorseful.

________———Ω——————

Two days after the shrine incident, Ikem called his brother, Amadi. He first apologized to him for wrongly accusing him of killing their mother. Amadi accepted the apology and was happy to make peace with his brother. Ikem then told him that he had no money for feeding. Amadi assured him that he will send some money to his account before the day runs out. But Amadi forgot to send the money as promised so that Ikem waited angrily all day for the money.

“Ok e ee! Now I understand. He wants me to beg him for money everyday, abi?. The money he did not work for o,” Ikem grumbled.

The following day, Amadi remembered his promises to Ikem and so ran to the bank to make the payment. After paying into his younger brothers’ account, he called him and apologized for not sending the money the previous day as promised. Ikem pretended to be happy with him and thanked him. When the bank alert came, Ikem saw that it was fifty thousand naira that was paid into his account.

“I said it!” he yelled at the top of his voice. “I said it! Amadi is so stingy and wicked. With all the money he has, he only sends fifty thousand to me. The money he did not work for o! It is not as if he worked for the money o!” Ikem said and stormed out of the house.