Must Read: Faith Works

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Faith Works

The night was dark as the moon went to ‘sleep’,
the crickets were busy screeching away, there
were occassional cooes from some forest birds.
Each time a hooting sound was made, it reminded
Lara that Deji and her fetish oldman would be
there any moment.


Slowly she walked to the window, peeped
outside- there was light enough for her sharp
eyes to see clearly. After several attempts, she
jumped out through the window- escape on her
mind.

She tip toed gingerly away from the main
building…


“Not so fast”
she felt a gun noozle on neck.
She froze for a moment, different plans flooding
her mind.
“so you want to escape? Ehn?” a masculine man
asked, his gun still on her neck.
“No” she whispered turning to face him.
“I actually came to see you…” she said quitely.
“See me?” he chuckled.
“yea, I..erm..erm…need..to talk…to …to..you.”
she stammered.
“hmn.” he grunted
“you are not smart, get back inside!” he ordered.
“please…” she edged closer to him, making the
gun slip off her neck.
“I..errm…you know…I might be killed tonight…”
she said slowly placing a hand on his shoulder.
He pushed her hand away, but she brought it
back to its place.


“I just want one thing from you.” she said
sweetly.


“I’m sorry…I don’t do pregnant women.” he
protested trying to push her away.


“Don’t mind my bulging tummy,
just…let’s..just…savour…some…you know….”


she let her fingers run on his broad chest.

Lara smiled to herself as his breathe became
faster, she edged closer to him, her protruding
belly pushing against him.

He held her close,their face touching.

Lara held him with one hand while the other hand
worked out her plans.

Cunningly, she let him drop his gun, she kicked it
far away from them with her legs.

Just before he recover from his gust, she gave
him a sharp jab between his legs, her knee cap
devoured the ‘position’. He collapsed with a yelp.

Lara turned swiftly, and ran as fast as her
pregnancy would allow her.

She ran blindly into the forest, she knew one way
or the other she would escape.


She heard several gun shots, they were coming
after her, she increased her pace.


The gun shots came closer, she knew they would
overtake her, so she decided to hide.


She looked around her, no where to hide.


She scrambled up a tree not minding the sharp
pains on her waist.


Just as she relaxed on the tree, she saw them,
many of them.

“That daughter of a b-itch!” one of them cursed.


“I’ll kill her with my barehands.!”
Lara held her breathe, she put her hand around
her mouth. Her Baby was fluttering violently, it
kicked hard against her that she felt like
screaming.

A sharp pain below her abdomen almost gave her
away.

“Ouch!” she said.

“Did you hear that?” the kidnappers asked
themselves,
“She’s around here, disperse and look for her, I’ll
wait here” one of them suggested.


They all dispersed in different directions, except
for the one standing beside the tree.


Lara’s eyes widened with terror as she felt
something crawl on her legs. She sat still and bit
her tongue. Snake! She almost fainted.

“Haaaaa!” she screamed as she fell off the tree.

She landed on the man under the tree, he served
as a cushion.

“Snake o! Snake!” the man screamed in terror a
the snake wrapped round him.

That gave Lara the oppurtunity to crawl away
under some bushes to hide. She was in deep
pains, she wondered if she would die.

The pains around her waist increased in
momentum.

“Wetin happen?”
the group asked rushing back.


“e be like say that girl don turn snake o” the man
exclaimed in terror.


The whole group stared at the dead snake in fear.

“Make we go call Baba” they said before running
away.
Lara hid herself properly under the bush, her face
washed with tears.
“God please help me.” she wept silently.
Thunder rumbled loudly with lightening
flashing.Lara looked at the sky with fear, it was
dark and pregnant with rain.
“Yekpa! Rain? Not yet please.” she muttered.
The rain poured heavily, Lara thought she would
die. She wept and prayed as long as she can.
“God please, not for my sake…but for this
baby…please.” she shivered under the rain.
It seemed God answered her, the rain stoped.
Lara began to crawl farther into the forest in
pains, she could no longer stand up.
She wondered what part of the world she was.
“help will come” she muttered to herself. She had
faith in God.
Somehow, she suddenly felt; she won’t die in the
forest
::::::*****:::::::

Lara lay-sprawling on the ground till daylight
came, she remained fixed to her position too
weak to move. She was surprised she survived
the night.
She felt her belly; the contractions on her pelvis
had stopped. Maybe her baby ls dead-she
thought.
“God forbid” she thought aloud.
She won’t go through all this troubles in vain.
With difficulty, she sat up to survey her
surroundings.
She was sitting in what looked like a small farm,
behind a house.
She held her breathe; was she back to square
one?
She saw a young boy walk out of the house to
empty his bowels. She shuffled behind some
cassava plants…
The shuffling sound got the boy’s attention, he
looked around, walked towards the farm.
“Who be you?” he asked angrily.

Lara kept her eyes fastened on his, too scared to
speak.
“I say who you be?” he asked again.
Lara kept mute,what would she tell him.
Her abdomen contracted painfully, she let out a
shrill
The boy looked scared. He ran towards the
house.
“Maami…maami…come and see o, one woman
like that.” he shouted as he ran.
“Obirin-woman? What is she doing there? Ehn?” a
fat woman ran out of the house.
“Who be you?” she asked bending to peer at Lara.


Lara couldn’t reply, she kept pointing at her
abdomen as she writhed in pains.
The woman got the message.
“Jide! Jide o! Go and call your father.” She
shouted at her son
“Yee! Mo ku!” Lara screamed as she battled.
“So you be yoruba?” the woman asked quitely.
“My waist! My legs…my….yeee!” Lara screamed.
She was in labour.
The woman’s husband came out, and they both
helped Lara into the house.
::::::*********:::::::
Tony gazed at their mini-gardem from his
bedroom window. Another day without any news
from Lara.
He’s been having nightmares lately, everything
was filed with bad omen.
“I wonder why that girl is so ill-lucked.” he said
aloud.
He hoped to see her alive.
Some noise coming from the parlour jolted him
back to reality. Some people were quarelling.
“so after all your son did to my friend, he still had
to use her for rituals!” Deji screamed
“Useless Igbo people! Weere! Awon Olori buruku!”
Funke clapped her hands.

“Mum? What’s going on here?” Tony asked his
mother.
“These people just came in and…” Amara tried to
explain.
“Useless impotent eediot!” Deji spat at him.
“Produce my friend for me oooo!”
“What’s this chaos all about? This shouldn’t be
happening.” Tony tried to be calm.
“May Sango strike you down! Oshi! Who is
chaos? If you know what is good for you, produce
my friend o!” Deji shrilled.
“Yes o! Deji omo mi! Show this useless Igbo
people that Yoruba’s are not cool!” funke
gingered her up.
“Please, for the sake of peace, you should leave
now.” Tony said authoratively.
“Leave where? I’ll show you, I grew up in
Ajegunle! It seems you don’t know me wella, I’m
the ‘Deji toh badt’, the female version of an
agbero!” Deji demonstrated before them.
“Mum please go inside” Tony told his mother who
was shedding tears.
“You are not going anywhere o! Produce Omolara
o! Dead or alive, we want her now!” Deji ranted.
Tony felt his head spin, he was too weak to face
such trouble. To think that Lara isn’t there to
support him..
He slumped slowly to the ground.
“Tony…To…” Amara rushed to her son.
“you’ve not seen anything yet, Sango will strike
you down, one by one.” Deji clapped.
“Lets go!” she told Funke who followed her out of
the house.
“Tony, are you okay?” Amara shook him.
He shook his head slowly in pains, sobbing
silently. He just hope his greatest fear won’t
surface.