Paranormal House: Hargeisa

The Exorcists of Karinhegane

Iman Yusuf, Maulana Abdi, and Sheikh Ahmed were a team of Somaliland clerics who specialized in investigating and combating the supernatural. They had traveled across the country, helping people who were afflicted by jinn, evil eye, witchcraft, or other mysterious phenomena. They used their knowledge of the Quran, the Sunnah, and the ancient scriptures to perform exorcisms, ruqyas, and other rituals to protect and heal the believers.

One day, they received a letter from a village elder in the Sanaag region, asking for their urgent assistance. The letter said that something evil had emerged from an old archaeological site near the village, and that it was terrorizing the people and animals. The letter also said that the site was believed to date back to the 4th millennium BC, and that it contained strange symbols and carvings that no one could understand.

The clerics decided to accept the invitation and set off for the village. They packed their bags with their books, tools, and weapons, and hired a driver to take them to the remote location. Along the way, they discussed what they knew about the site and what they expected to find there.

"I have read about this site in some of the ancient scriptures," Iman Yusuf said. "It is called Karinhegane, and it was once a sacred place for the people who lived there before Islam. They worshipped many gods and spirits, and made offerings to them in exchange for blessings and protection. They also practiced magic and divination, and carved images of their deities and animals on the rocks."

"What kind of gods and spirits did they worship?" Maulana Abdi asked.

"Some of them were benign, like the sun, the moon, the stars, and the rain. Others were malevolent, like the snake, the scorpion, the lion, and the hyena. They also believed in a supreme god called Waaq, who was the creator and ruler of everything. He was sometimes depicted as a bull or a horned man."

"And what do you think has emerged from the site?" Sheikh Ahmed asked.

"I don't know for sure," Iman Yusuf said. "But I fear that it may be one of the evil spirits that they invoked or angered. Maybe it was trapped or dormant for centuries, and something disturbed it or awakened it. Maybe it is seeking revenge or domination over the people who abandoned its worship."

They arrived at the village by nightfall, and were greeted by the elder who had sent them the letter. He welcomed them warmly and thanked them for coming. He then led them to his house, where he offered them food and drink. He also told them more about the situation.

"It started about a month ago," he said. "Some archaeologists came to our village and asked for our permission to explore the site. We agreed, thinking that they would respect our land and our ancestors. But they did not. They dug up the ground, broke the rocks, took away some of the carvings, and even burned some of them. They said that they were doing it for science and history, but we knew that they were doing it for greed and curiosity."

"What happened then?" Iman Yusuf asked.

"Then we heard a loud roar from the site," he said. "It sounded like thunder or an earthquake. We saw a dark cloud rising from there, followed by a flash of light. Then we saw something flying out of there. It was huge and black, with wings like a bat and eyes like fire. It flew over our village, screeching and howling. It attacked our animals, killing some of them and injuring others. It also attacked some of our people, biting them or scratching them with its claws. Some of them died from their wounds or from fear. Others became sick or mad."

"Did you try to fight it or stop it?" Maulana Abdi asked.

"We tried," he said. "We prayed to Allah for help. We recited verses from the Quran. We threw stones at it or shot arrows at it. But nothing worked. It seemed to be immune to everything we did. It only laughed at us or mocked us with its voice."