Must Read: The Claw, The Tail, And The Cross. - Season 1 - Episode 4

7 years ago

Must Read: The Claw, The Tail, And The Cross. - Season 1 - Episode 4

Leemen’s Consulting is an establishment that
helps clients create new ventures including
subsidiaries, coalitions and business products.
Currently I had helped them close a 12million
naira deal with a developing oil company
coming in from the states and the management
wanted my say in thier business plan
development. I say ‘my’ because jenny said so.

I had tried to correct her by saying that it was
the input of the firm I worked for that they
wanted but she was quite specific.

The management wanted me.
“That was why we asked for you to come and
not any of your bosses. You personally followed
the case relentlessly; You did all the hard work
and brought about adequate exposure for us.

They were highly impressed and wanted to see
you live.”

i closed my mouth and tried not to feel too
proud of myself.

The building itself was a makeshift from a
duplex apartment. The entire front side of the
compound was tarred with some imported
trees, about the height of a human being,
growing in two rows down to the main entrance
of the house. The building itself was painted
white with a singular brown stripe across the
ground and first floor. Two other official cars
were in the copound and there was some bustle
of activity as employees moved in and out,
engrossed in their daily chores.

I was ushered into the building and upstairs
where i met with the managing director and
some foriegn partners from the english-french
district. They were all very pleased to see me
and Jenny did a good job in making me feel
comfortable.
the meeting lasted till 5pm and a working plan
was la!d to bring in the new company gradually
into the country. Afterwards i was escorted
downstairs and asked to wait for my designated
driver who would return me back to my hotel. i
decided to use the opportunity to walk around
and explore the compound. As i had said earlier
most of the front was tarred, but as I moved
round to the back of the building, i came across
a miniature garden. The place was beautiful.

Elaborately hidden by a high fence and an even
higher gate, i doubted if any of the people living
in the vicinity knew there was a place like this
in the town. The garden was outlined by granite
stones and the grass that bedded the soil
within was luscious and well cultivated giving
the backyard a wonderful lemon-green texture.

Two rose bushes, obviously imported, were to
be seen in full bloom. I touched one but dared
not pluck it for fear of annoying my hosts.

Maybe i could ask jenny if i could collect a
specimen for Nina when going back to Lagos.

And then i saw the leopard.

At first i thought it was a painted statue, part of
the decoration for the garden, one of those live
size animal mannikins. It was sitting on its
haunches at the far end of the garden, almost
hidden behind one of the rose bushes. It had a
beautiful spotted yellow and black fur coat that
shone like it had just been groomed. i was
looking at it and wondering how it could look so
life-like when it suddenly turned its head to look
at me.

A chill ran down my spine as I watched it
quickly get up on all fours. My eyes scanned its
neck for some sort of chain or restraint but
found none. it remained deathly still, watching
me, and then i reasoned that there was no way
they would leave a leopard roaming freely in the
compound. This was obviously a manifestation. i
relaxed and stared hard, looking to see if i
would be privy to any more revealing
manifestations, but the leopard remained still. i
knelt on one knee and whistled gently to it, to
see if it would approach. it tilted its head to the
side in curiosity and i couldn’t help but admire
the creature. It continued to watch me with
interest, then suddenly gave a low growl and
ambled towards me. Before i knew it, it was
beneath my hand and i was petting its large
orange-yellow head. it purred like a kitten and i
laughed as i gained the courage to tickle it
further. it felt so real.
that’s because it is real
The thought floated through my head. It was
true that since the awakening of Chukwudi the
stronger, I could make contact with
manifestations but this…this was looking too
real. On impulse I looked down at the green
grass where the leopard had been standing and
the one it stood on now as it pawed the ground
with its claws.

The grass was indented where it had lay
previously. The blades of grass moved as the
leopard raised its foot.

this creature was making contact with the
ground.

This wasn’t a manifestation.

The chill on my spine came back full force and
my heart skipped several beats.

I was petting a real life leopard.