Chapter 4

M ichael on the other hand did not rest on his oars to find out how exactly Folake got t to know of his plans. He put a call across to his friend, Larry, who had since refused to pick his calls and had been dodging him since the incident. Larry finally picked the call.

"Guy, why have you been avoiding my calls? And by the way, what's the meaning of that drama you acted in my house before those girls?" Michael asked his friend.

"I should be the one asking you that question. What did you expect me to do on seeing you kneeling down before those small girls, trembling like a leaf? I didn't understand what was going on then and even now, I am still confused about it. So I had to find my way and to be honest with you, that is why I have been avoiding your calls," Larry replied.

Michael paused for a while before he resounded.

"Nnaach, you won't understand," he said scratching his head.

"Understand what? What actually

happened?" Larry asked with an itching ear.

"It's a long story. Where are you?"

Michael asked to gain time. "I am in my house. As a matter of fact, I have not been coming out that much because of fear of the unknown. I just couldn't imagine what made you kneel down in tears before those small girls. Were you people acting a movie without a camera?" Larry asked again in his usual comic manner. Michael could not stop himself from laughing.

"This one is more than movie. Anyway, I'm coming over to your house now so I can gist you very well. I really need you to help me unravel this mystery," he said.

"Mystery? What mystery? Anyway, until you come. I'm waiting and I hope you are not coming with those girls," Larry said the line. and cut

eid grinde Michael hastily dressed up and drove straight to Larry's house. Larry received him with some element of suspicion. He was stil not sure of his friend's antics, and actually ready for the worst. "Boy, what do you mean by all this melodramatics," he asked, searching for possible hidden law enforcement agents "I was scared to my marrow and took out the law before the son of somebody falls victim to some crooked deals," he stated, still uneasy with his friend.

"So you will just abandon me anytime something goes awry? Oh! So you have forgotten all the conquests we made together. It tells volumes on how to comport in the future. In any case, this is not why I came here. There is more to this matter than meets the eye," Michael said.

He narrated his experience to Larry, omitting no important detail. Larry stared at him incredulously, disbelief written all over his debonair face.

"Impossible! How could she have known? Even if she's a witch. How?" Larry asked shaking his head in disbelief. "That is what I have been racking my brain since to unravel. You needed to see how bold she was, telling me that she knew about my plans. And the irony of the whole thing was that her friend was unaware of what actually transpired between the mysterious girl and myself," Larry said, looking mystified.

Larry shook his head in confusion. "This is certainly beyond us. I can't fathom it. It is either that she is a witch or a mystic child," he said thoughtfully.

"Yes. I thought as much, but I must find out who and what this girl is," Michael said, searching his friend's face closely.

"How will you do it?" Larry asked.

"To tell you the truth, I don't have the faintest idea but somehow I will do it. A possible lead could be Benny who seems to be as confused as the rest of us. I will warm myself into her trust once again and perhaps, she could penetrate her friend and relate her findings to me. Don't worry. You will hear the story as soon as I get it. Meanwhile, I am now a changed man and I oblige you to follow suit," he said and left, bingo of ero on bed

"Okay o! If you say so, it is okay by me. Good luck brother, but be careful with that girl. She sounds deadlier than a rattle snake," Larry said, and bade Michael good bye.

While all of this happened, Benny closely monitored Folake's movements to see if she could get anything suspicious from her character. She noticed that Folake had suddenly become very quite. Her ways had changed so much that no one understood her again. Meanwhile, she did not like what was happening to her, but she could not control it. Folake was now seeing the future and she could not explain why or how. It was preventing her happiness and there was nothing she could do about it.

The date the Man of God was to come, pray and deliver the students from the power of the marine spirit was fast approaching. This gave Folake sleepless nights.

What if the Man of God asks me to come out and sing? Should I accept the request to sing and face the consequence as was shown in my dream?" she asked herself.

WO Perhaps, her worst problem was that she had no one to confide in, or rather that she could not confide in anybody without attracting suspicions about herself. People

may see her as a witch, or worst yet, they may assume that she was part of the marine world. So she just carried the burden alone without any source of refuge in sight.

As she was still in deep thought, Benny walked up to her. Seeing Benny startled her. She tried to act normal but she knew that the cat was already out of the bag. She greeted Benny in a tense voice trying to hide her discomfort.

Benny stared at her for while and shook her head before speaking.m "You must tell me what I want to hear now or you cease to be my friend," Benny told her seriously.

"There no way you will understand what is going on in my life right now," Folake replied, equally serious.

"How would I understand when you have refused to relate them to me? Yet refuse to talk to me still claiming that I am your friend," Benny said in a hurt voice.

Tell me Benny, how do I begin to explain the mystery that I can now see the future?" Folake asked her worried friend seriously. "You now see the future? How?" Benny asked sharply, wide-eyed.

Folake took time to explain to her how she suddenly realized that what she saw in her dreams were turning into reality.

"That was how I saw Michael's plan to drug us. Everything appeared as if I was watching television," she explained.

Initially, Benny did not believe Folake, but their experience at Michael's house argued against her doubts.

"This thing is making me mad. I am very scared. Worse still, I don't even know how to explain it to people when I see misfortune coming their way," Folake said.

"This is really serious! I suggest we meet the school's guidance and counselor for his counseling," Benny suggested.

No, this is beyond ordinary counselors. Something tells me that I am on a mission to save people but how I am going to do that is not yet clear to me. I will pray over it so that God will direct my paths especially on the man of God's visit"

"The Man of God's visit? What about it?" asked with keen interest, and Folake Benny arrated that part of her dream to dream.

"If he comes and I go out to sing as I did the dream, all those problems I encountered n will now happen in real life," Folake explained.

Benny became more confused and scared because she was involved in the dream.

"Another thing that disturbs me is that they do not happen exactly as I see them in the dream. There is always a slight change in the event, and the characters also change sometimes. This makes it difficult for me to a interpret the dream with accuracy at times," Folake explained.

As they were discussing, Folake saw a junior student approaching. She observed her very well and saw where she hit her leg on a stone. Folake shook her head and told Benny what she saw.

"This girl will injure herself now," she told Benny

Benny looked back and saw the girl approaching.

"How will she injure herself?" Benny asked. "Just watch and see. I have seen that

already," Folake replied. They watched the student closely as she walked towards their direction. After a short distance, the girl hit her toe on a stone and fell down. There was a big gash on her toe and she cried painfully. Folake and Benny raced to her and helped her stop the blood that was gushing out. They took her to the school's dispensary for proper medical attention. They ensured that she was well taken care of before they left the dispensary. On their way back, Benny kept thinking of the incident and how it happened and decided to question her friend closely now that she too had seen her power.

"How did you see it?" Benny asked her simply.

"Just the way I saw Michael's own," Folake replied without hesitation.

"Hmmmm, this is really serious. How would you cope with this because you have to find a way of stopping the ugly incidents?" Benny asked again .

"That is what I have been thinking about especially when the Man of God comes," Folake replied.

"Will you stop him from coming if you do not want to carry the burden you saw in your dream or what?" Benny asked with concern.

"Who am I to stop him? I will just make sure that I do not sing on that day," Folake replied but Benny disagreed with the idea.

"That may not work. What if the Man of God singles you out to sing as he did in the dream? Of course you must sing.

"No, he did not single me out in the dream. I went out on my own. You know it's Esther that normally sings for us but unfortunately, she was not in 'school that day. But I have seen what caused her absence in school that day. So my job now is to ensure that she comes to school on the appointed day," Folake said.

"So, how do you intend to do that?" Benny asked.

"I don't know yet but God must make a way where there seems to be no way," Folake replied with conviction

"So, help you God," Benny answered and Ben they chorused, 'AMEN' and parted ways. Before parting, Folake warned her strictly not to tell anyone what was going on.

Benny promised to keep it a secret. She really pitied Folake and prayed that God would help her overcome her predicament.