The Marine Power

6 Chapter 6: The Marine Power

"No, it's a lie. Who told you I was with another man?"

"Someone took a picture with their phone and sent it to me, but I won't tell you who it was."

Mr. Hope showed her the photo on his phone. Mrs. Hope was stunned and struggled to defend herself.

"It was my boss—sorry, it was my customer. We went to discuss something at the hotel..."

"About what? First, you said it was your boss, then changed it to your customer."

"Please, I'm telling the truth. It was my customer."

"I don't want to hear anything else. Pack your things and leave!"

Mrs. Hope begged him to listen, but he remained adamant and packed her belongings outside.

Mrs. Hope went to stay with one of her friends and shared the story of someone lying about her.

In the middle of the night, around 3:00 AM, Mrs. Hope transformed into a malevolent mermaid and vanished into the ocean.

In the depths of the ocean, she met other malevolent mermaids and formed a circle.

Now in her mermaid form, Mrs. Hope recounted the events to her fellow mermaids.

"Please, I'd like to know who was involved in capturing me and the man who took me to the hotel," she said.

One of the mermaids, known as the Great One, stretched her hand toward a large mirror opposite them. Thunder crackled from her hand, striking the mirror.

A vision appeared in the mirror, and all the mermaids focused intently on the scene unfolding before them.

As they watched, Mrs. Hope recognized the person in the mirror and was shocked.

When the vision faded, the Great One asked, "Do you know the person shown in the mirror?"

"Yes, she is one of my neighbors."

"Good. What do you want us to do with her?"

"She's pregnant. I'd like to lock her womb so she won't give birth for the next three years."

"Your wish shall be granted," said the Great One.

The Great One swam to a small house nearby and returned with a padlock and its keys.

"Come and take the padlock from my hand," she instructed.

Mrs. Hope took the padlock and returned to her position.

"This padlock represents the womb of the person you saw in the mirror. You can lock her womb now," the Great One explained.

Mrs. Hope held the padlock and declared, "I lock Angelina's womb today for the next three years. So shall it be." She then locked the padlock immediately.

All the mermaids proclaimed together, "By the power and authority of the marine, your wish is granted." They all laughed together.

Mrs. Hope then threw the padlock and the key away.

*****

Three months after Mr. Hope had thrown his wife out of the house, his work had become stagnant.

He couldn't find any customers or work and had been borrowing money to feed himself and their child at home for the past three months.

Mr. Hope thought about possible solutions to his problem and decided to consult a native doctor.

When he arrived, he explained his situation to the man, who then consulted the oracle.

"Where is your wife?" the native doctor asked.

"I chased her out because she cheated on me," Mr. Hope replied.

"Well, the oracle said that if you want things to improve, you must call your wife back home and apologize to her."

"You mean I should apologize to her?"

"Yes. Do as I instructed, and everything will improve."

"Okay, thank you so much," Mr. Hope said and left.

On his way home, he tried calling his wife, but her phone was unreachable.

He tried again when he arrived home, but she didn't answer. Over the next three days, he repeatedly dialed her number, but she never picked up.

On the third day, in the afternoon, he used another person's phone to call her, and she finally answered.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello, good afternoon," he greeted.

"Good afternoon."

"I've been trying to reach you for the past three days, but you haven't answered."

She recognized her husband's voice.

"Yes, what do you want from me? You chased me out of the house because of my client who I was discussing business with at the hotel, and now you're calling me?" she asked and hung up the phone.

Mr. Hope tried her number again, and this time, she answered.

"Hello, please don't be angry with me. I realize my mistake in not listening to you. I'm sorry for chasing you out. I want you to come back home."

"Home? You want me to come back home?" she asked in surprise. "Sorry, it's too late. I've decided to be with someone else."

"Please don't do that. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? I never thought you'd do this to me. You left me hanging when I should have been home taking care of our child. You've done the worst thing you could."

"Yes, I know. Please come back. I'm sorry for what I did. Forgive me."

"Alright. For the sake of our child, I'll come back home."

"Thank you. I'm expecting you."

"Okay, bye."

Later that evening, around 8:00 PM, Mrs. Hope arrived home with her luggage and found her husband in the sitting room.

As soon as she entered, her husband received a notification for a three million Naira deposit. His phone rang after he checked the notification, and he reached for it.

"Hello, I've sent you the money we agreed upon. As you mentioned, the work will take two weeks, and I don't want to be disappointed."

"Okay, sir. I'll go buy materials and start the work tomorrow."

"Alright, bye." He hung up his phone.

"Wow, thank God. Welcome home, my wife," he said, helping her with her luggage and bringing it to their room.

Mrs. Hope followed him.

"Who called you?" she asked.

"It was a client who just gave me a contract."

"Really?"

"Yes. Tomorrow, I'll send you one hundred thousand Naira. Use eighty thousand Naira to buy foodstuffs at the market."

"Okay."

"You can use the remaining twenty thousand Naira to buy anything you like."

"Thank you. I'm really grateful."

"You're welcome."

*****

In the middle of the night, around 3:00 AM, Mrs. Hope woke up and got out of bed. She instantly transformed into a mermaid and disappeared into the ocean.

She found other mermaids in the ocean who welcomed her. They were waiting for two more mermaids to begin their meeting.

After a brief wait, the remaining two mermaids arrived. 

The Great One sat on a high chair, and the others surrounded her. 

They began the meeting with singing and dancing. A magical drum in their midst played a rhythmic beat as if someone were striking it.

After the songs, they honored their gods and the Great One. Then, the Great One asked, "Does anyone have something to share?"

Mrs. Hope raised her hand and was given permission to speak.

"My husband has called me back home and apologized. He has received a significant contract for his business. I want to thank the Great One for making this contract possible. He was even fed up with being alone."

"As you've returned, I see more blessings coming. But when he chased you out, an agent of poverty came in," the Great One said.

"Yes, he told me he hadn't received any contracts since I left, but now he's found favor," Mrs. Hope confirmed.

"Let's thank the Almighty for empowering us. Now, is there anyone else with something to say?" the Great One asked.

No one responded, and the meeting came to an end.