Seeing it from that angle, she had the advantage over her counterpart, but she had to be leery of any other surprise that would be put up by Uju again. But what would be her reply to the first blow?
"You are the biggest dreamer. If I wanted any man to myself, I would have taken Ifenna back from you, the way you did to me, but I allowed it to be a choice for him to make and not mine, even though it was painful for me to relinquish our union to you," her voice was eccentric in tone but wouldn't be noticed by her loquacious counterpart.
"Oh, now I see where your bitterness is rooted. Ifenna, of course. You are strongly wishing that you have him to yourself but that is impossible. Have you forgotten that you are going to die a shameful death tomorrow?" She laughed unconventionally until she was getting carried away by her laughter. It was Uju's reciprocal laughter that made her reneged, and wondering what made her join the string of laughter when she was at the receiving end, or was she laughing at herself?
"See, Akwanwa, you can wish what ever you want for me, I don't care but let me tell you one thing," she appeared more stern while wanting to say her remaining words, Akwanwa however, would pay rapt attention,
"I would rather kill you right here myself than go out to fulfil your wish."
After saying this, she stood and walked out of the room shading her out of her way.
*****
Uju walked out of the room, leaving Akwanwa behind in her mirage. That what the only thing she could do at the moment in order to stop hearing some annoying words from her. But where she was going to, she didn't know. She had to take her sit in the living room until her mind had calmed down because at the moment, the rage in her was burning like an inferno. Akwanwa just knew how best to get on her nerves, even if she tries hard to suppress it by pretending not to be moved a bit. She just hoped that Akwanwa wouldn't follow her up to where she was because the way it was in her mind, she could give Akwanwa a resounding slap not minding if she was her sister or not.
Her thought was suddenly interrupted by cold hands that gripped her breasts curtly. That was the most rude and disgusting act that she had seen all her life. She could surmise who it was. Who else but Ocheogo, with his usual sexually alighted approach. He had been on her neck all through the day, looking for all means to lie with her. She would just have to end this madness once and for all, and face whatever that may befall her.
Ocheogo held grip her bosoms from behind her with her body compressed on to his in a way that she couldn't move one bit because of the grip.
She was waiting patiently to be let loose, but the hòrny old man wasn't looking like he was ready to let her go. He whispered something to her ears, she didn't even shook it off.
"You look so beautiful this time around but you have no choice than to open your door for me before you will be made to die that shameful death you chose to die rather than have me lie with you," he gave an ugly grimace with a wild chuckle.
She felt slight dampness on her breast cup, it was really liquid cascading from her nìpples that had made it so. This was the most annoying part. Her mind was totally burnt up in fury that she now made an effort to jostle him belligerently, off her side. He let go her bosoms but was going to proceed to his main aim, starting with falling with her upholster. But Uju acted fast by releasing her left palm to sound the thunderous slap on his right cheek. That was what she had been waiting for long to execute.
She watched as he gradually let go off her holding his cheeks with his two hands. She thought that he was going to retaliate but far from that, he subconsciously collapsed on the ground, wriggling in pains. Uju wondered if it was only a slap that made him writ like he was hit by a collapsing building. She had no iota of remorse for her action. He could die and rot for all she cared. She spat on him, and surprisingly it dropped straight on his manhood. He screamed like he was feeling a burn down there, a burning sensation.
The helpless man left his face to rub the part where he was getting fresh pains, the gap he made uncovered on his face had gone rot, and had became a threading haven for caterpillars and tapeworms. Ocheogo screamed aloud as he saw the appalling size of one that had stuck to his palm when he pulled out his hand from his face. He, however, felt another massive bulge down his wrappers, it was exactly the spot were Uju spat on, and it had already grown as big as half of the length of his legs. The stench of his ailment was oozing to the extent that Uju could no longer bear it.
She ordered him to crawl on his back outside the house. The man was pleading in tears, promising heaven and earth if he was made free but Uju had turned off her listening ears, invoking a diabolic force to sweep him along outside the gate of the palace.
It was then that Akwanwa rushed into the scene, and was appalled by what she saw. Could it had been Uju who had done that? If it was true then she might be wrong for underestimating Uju's potential, but she still believed that she would have done something better than Uju. She would try that by obstructing her diabolics.
She stretched forth her hands to reverse the force that Uju had invoked, but it was repellent on her hand, hence Uju prevailed.
Immediately Ocheogo was swept outside, the door shut itself, and all the light went off.
Uju gave an eccentric laughter the second time, and to Akwanwa's surprise,
"A lesson for you!" she said finally, patting her shoulder with a sardonic smile.
It was a day of mystery, with the strange outlook of the day. The sun seemed weak and couldn't scorch the surface of the earth any longer with its intense it. The full face of the moon was visible, and its light seemed to have overpowered the light of the supposed greatest light of the world. The cloud had begun ensanguining the earth surface making an unimaginable scene.
Ulumma found herself trying all she could to run out from where she was but no matter how hard and fast she ran she still couldn't get past that region she was standing. She was very confused as to where she was running, she didn't even know what or who she was running from.
Momentarily, she saw the shadow of weird apparitions moving after her, and she ran so as not to be submerged by the shadow. Her arms and legs were getting feeble, as she bore the burden of her child which she held to her bosoms in her right hand and a basket of unknown items which she in the other hand.
She had gotten to the extent where she could no longer move her legs, and with fear she was stuck at a position and the shadow had already begun coming upon her. She suddenly felt an overwhelming force that dragged her out far away from the horrific shadow of the strange apparition. She looked behind her to see who had such cold hand that brought her out from her terror, she was still holding her baby close to her. The hands were that of Agumba. She wanted to kneel and thank him but he stopped her without uttering a word. He pointed out to a figure standing afar, it was that of a man dressed in his royal outfit. The strange man gestured them to come closer, then Agumba nodded. Ulumma was worried that none of them was saying anything but just passing signal, she was quite doubtful of Agumba's genuineness that she started threading cautiously with him. They went closer to the man and immediately Ulumma was shocked to her feet at what she saw. The similiarity between the man and Agumba was striking, they were liked identical twins. Could Agumba have had a twin brother and not tell her? She wondered if she had ever seen twins that are so similar in this manner.
She wanted to ask about their identity but none of them were mentioning a word to each other or even her. She couldn't decipher what was going on between the two, but she had to personally assure herself of her safety since Agumba was there with her.
Agumba showed her way into the court of the strange man dressed in royal robe but she went in reluctantly and sat beside the strange man. She didn't have the power in her hand to object to any command that was given to her, so she had to follow orders accordingly. Immediately, she sat and felt comfortable where she was, Agumba varnished into thin air and she screamed aloud.
She stood from her bed with face covered with sweat. She looked beside her, her baby was sleeping peacefully, but where was Agumba, whom she hadn't dreamt well of?
Ulumma cried aloud, raving on the sand, while she watched this going on. She made a jostle to go and stop them but the hands that were holding her were too many for her to break loose of.
She kept on screaming,
"My baby! My baby! My baby is there!"
"Nothing will happen to your baby, all the men there are wise spiritualists and they know what they are doing. Surely they will get your baby out safe and sound," this was the assurance she was getting from the women there. She looked up and found Inene and Olieze standing amongst them. She had lost control of her actions, saying all sort of words that would make people think that she had gotten mad.
She quickly moved to Olieze and fell on her body, hugging her tight in a way that she felt uncomfortable with,
"My son is in that smoke, your nephew, your brother's son," she said to Olieze, losing control of her total action, even Inene was shocked at how carelessly she had revealed this secret to the Olieze and the hundreds of people who knew nothing about the baby or the mother. Inene was more worried that she was doing this unconsciously and may regret her words when she recover from the shock, then she would know how she will tell Olieze that she killed her brother. The reason why Olieze and Uju had been at loggerheads, was because one thought the other was responsible for her brother's death. If she comes to know this time that it was Ulumma, she could even kill her herself.
The most appalling discovery had just occured. The men finally found Agumba's body lying lifeless but had no trace of burn on it. But the most amazing there was that it was the body that was generating the whole smoke that had engulfed the entire building. They had searched every nook and cranny for the baby but they couldn't find him. Ulumma would surely go wild if she heard this.
Strong diviners did several incantations before they could stop the smoke that was coming out from the body. Surprisingly, when the smoke had stopped oozing from the corpse, smoke varnished from the entire building, as if nothing of that sort ever happened there. But the building was still in its dilapidated state.
They wrapped Agumba's body immediately as they proceeded for its interment.
Meanwhile, they broke the sad news of the missing baby to Ulumma, and just as they anticipated, she went wild but they had to curb her wildness by all means.
"Don't worry, since he have not been declared dead, he will soon be found," this was the assurance she was getting from her sympathizers. But how possible would that happen when the building where the baby was lying had been broken to pieces. They had her taken out of the compound.
Meanwhile, Agumba's body had been prepared and wrapped for burial. It was called for that seven human heads be provided for the burial of the great spiritualist. Who would do that? Taking life away from seven innocent souls was absurd and nobody would like to be there, or even his or her relatives.
The whole area was struck with grave silence, some of the sympathizers skedaddled from Agumba's compound so as for none to be amongst the sacrificial lamb.
Soon, the whole compound was empty, leaving only Ulumma behind. She rushed to where Agumba's body was laid,
"Please use my head, I'm tired of living," immediately Agumba's body gave out a large black smoke signal. The diviner present there was popular and known to be able to communicate with dead people. He usually worked for people whom their dead ones didn't leave a message for before their death, and he was paid handsomely.
He told everyone present about Agumba's message,
"He says he don't need any blood to be shed that he will surely come back," he announced.
Many felt relieved on hearing this message but what of Ulumma? Could the same be said of her? She was still persistent in her ferocious search for her baby. She didn't want to know if her demand to see her baby immediately would be feasible, all she wanted was to see him and have him back. People were still trying to calm her while she moved from one man to the other, asking about her baby. In tears, she true herself up and down, but the diviner of the dead was going to give her an answer.
She had to calm her pent-up a bit by getting to here what the spiritualist had to say.
"I am the messenger of the dead, I dine the dead, speak with the dead and give their message to their kins in the land of the living," he paused and made an incantation, for a short time, mixing several concoction to help boost his spiritual sight.
"The land of the dead have received different people from all over the earth, but no baby from Aro have been received so far, today." there was a deafening silence that struck the ambience. This word could mean one thing, that the baby was still alive.
TBC TOMORROW AT 1PM
