A Dark Trade - S01 E03

Story 3 months ago

A Dark Trade - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Episode 3: A Dark Trade

The sun was very high in the sky. It was midday, and the market was burning with heat. Usually, this was the time when sellers sat under their umbrellas and fanned themselves. But Chidi did not feel the heat. He did not feel the sweat dripping down his neck. He was too busy. He was so busy that he forgot to drink water. He was so busy that he forgot to sit down. His small shop, which used to be full of leather bags, was almost empty now.

He had sold almost everything. He used to have bags on the floor. He used to have bags on the walls. He used to have bags hanging from the wooden ceiling. But today, the bags were gone. One by one, rich men in fine clothes had come to buy them. They did not even ask for the price. They did not argue. They just threw thick bundles of money at Chidi.

Chidi looked at the floor of his shop. It was not covered in dust anymore. It was covered in money. There were piles of green paper money. There were piles of red paper money. There were even heavy bags full of shiny coins. Chidi felt like he was standing on top of a mountain of gold. In just four hours, Chidi had sold more than his friend Emeka had sold in four years. It was a miracle. It was a strange and scary miracle that made Chidi’s heart race with excitement.

Just then, Chidi heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of whistling. It was a happy, slow tune. Chidi knew that whistle very well. It was Emeka. Emeka was Chidi’s best friend. They had worked side by side for a very long time. They had shared their food. They had shared their secrets. Emeka walked over to Chidi’s stall. His eyes were very wide. He looked at the empty shelves. He looked at the piles of money on the ground. He looked at Chidi’s face.

"Chidi! My brother!" Emeka shouted. He sounded very, very happy. "Look at this! This is amazing! I have never seen anything like this in my whole life. You have sold everything! Every single bag is gone! This must be a blessing from God. You must be very lucky, my friend. I am so happy for you. My heart is full of joy because you are finally a rich man."

Emeka walked closer. He reached out his hand. He wanted to pat Chidi on the back. He wanted to give his friend a happy hug. But Chidi did not move. Chidi did not smile. He stood there like a cold stone statue. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets. Inside his pockets, his fingers were holding onto some cold metal coins. He held them so tight that his knuckles turned white. He did not want anyone to touch him. He did not want anyone to touch his money.

Emeka stopped. He saw that Chidi was not acting like himself. He thought maybe Chidi was just very tired from all the work. "Chidi," Emeka said in a soft voice. "I have a small problem. I have a customer at my shop. He wants to buy a blue suitcase. But I do not have any small change to give back to him. I am short on coins. Could you lend me a few small coins? Just a few. I will give them back to you before the market closes today."

As soon as Emeka asked for the coins, something happened inside Chidi’s mind. He saw a picture. He saw the small brown pot. He saw the old man at the crossroads with the glowing eyes. He remembered the cold voice of the old man. He remembered the strict rule. You must never use a single cent of this wealth to help another soul. Not even a starving child. Not even your own blood.

Chidi felt a sudden, crazy fear. It was a fear that felt like a cold hand grabbing his heart. He thought that if he gave Emeka even one single, tiny coin, the magic would break. He thought the money would turn into dry leaves. He thought he would become poor again. He could not let that happen. He loved the money too much. He loved the power more than he loved his friend.

"Get away from me!" Chidi snapped. His voice was very loud. It was harsh and jagged, like a piece of broken glass.

Emeka jumped back. He looked like Chidi had slapped him across the face. His happy smile disappeared. His eyes filled with confusion and hurt. "I... I was only asking for change, Chidi," Emeka whispered. "We are friends. We have always helped each other. What is wrong? Why are you being so mean?"

Chidi did not answer. He did not even look at Emeka’s sad eyes. He turned around and began to pack his money into a big sack. He moved very fast. He did not care about his friend. He did not care about the years they had spent together. He only cared about the pot and the gold.

"Leave me alone!" Chidi yelled again. "Go back to your shop! I am a busy man now. I do not have time for people like you. I do not have time for your small problems!"

Emeka stood there for a minute. He looked at Chidi like he was seeing a stranger. He could not believe that his best friend was acting this way. Then, he slowly turned around. He walked back to his own shop. He did not whistle anymore. He walked with his head down. He looked very, very lonely.

Chidi did not care. He began to lock his shop. There were still people waiting outside. There were people who wanted to talk to him. But Chidi pushed past them. He did not want to talk to anyone. He had a big plan. He wanted to buy a car. Not just any car. He wanted the best cars in the world.

By the end of the week, Chidi’s life had changed completely. He did not go to the market anymore. He did not sew leather anymore. He lived in a house in a quiet street. In front of his house, there were five luxury cars parked in a row. They were beautiful. One was bright red. One was deep blue. One was shiny black. One was silver like the moon. And the last one was gold like the sun. Their paint was so shiny that you could see your face in it.

The neighbors came out of their houses to look at the cars. They cheered and clapped their hands. "Chidi is a king!" they shouted. "Look at how rich he is! He must be the most important man in our town!"

But Chidi did not look at the neighbors. He did not wave at them. He did not invite them inside for a drink. He stayed inside his house with the curtains closed. He spent all his time in a small, dark room. In the middle of that room, sitting on a table, was the brown pot.

The pot was different now. It was no longer quiet. It was making a strange sound. It was a low, heavy hum. It sounded like a big bee was trapped inside it. It also felt warm to the touch. The hum was so loud that Chidi could feel it in the floor. He could feel it in his bones. It was a sound that never stopped. It hummed in the morning. It hummed in the afternoon. It hummed in the middle of the night.

Chidi began to feel nervous. He looked at the pot. "What do you want?" he whispered. But the pot only hummed louder.

That night, Chidi went to bed. He was very tired, but he could not sleep well. He finally fell into a deep, dark dream. In the dream, he was lying in his big, soft bed. But the bed felt cold. He looked at the floor and saw the brown pot. The pot was growing. It was getting bigger and bigger. It grew until it was as tall as a man. Then it grew until it was as big as a house.

In the dream, the pot opened its mouth. It had a big, black hole where the opening should be. The pot began to swallow everything. It swallowed his expensive shoes. It swallowed his fine clothes. Then, it began to swallow his bed. Chidi tried to run, but he could not move. He felt the cold clay of the pot touching his feet. He felt himself being pulled into the darkness.

"No!" Chidi screamed in his sleep. "Stop! Please stop!"

He woke up with a loud cry. He was shaking. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt. He was covered in cold sweat. He looked around his room. The sun was just starting to come up. Everything looked normal. His bed was still there. His room was still there.

But then, he looked at the floor. He had not cleaned the floor in a few days, and there was a thin layer of dust on the wood. He saw something strange in the dust. It looked like someone had used a finger to write words on the ground.

Chidi crawled out of bed. He knelt down on the floor. He looked at the writing. His eyes went wide with terror. The words were written in the dust, right next to his feet.

The words said:

The first year is a gift. The second year is a debt.

Chidi felt the air leave his lungs. He looked at the brown pot on the table. The low hum was still going on. It sounded like the pot was laughing at him. He realized that the year was almost over. The time of gifts was ending. The time of the debt was about to begin. And he had no idea how he was going to pay it.

Why do you think the pot is making a humming sound now? What is happening inside it?

If you were Emeka, would you ever forgive Chidi for being so mean?

What do you think "The second year is a debt" means? What will Chidi have to give back?

Chidi has five cars, but is he really happy? Why or why not?