After Nneka's father almost loses his life and farm, her mother mysteriously vanishes. She then moves to Lagos to live with her grandmother, but she soon finds there's more to her grandmother's life than she knows.
While hawking, she meets a boy...
Mama Agnes froze. Jide was in trouble! She had to keep Landlady from hurting him! She tried to observe the room with her peripheral vision, but Landlady caught her. "Agnes! You no hear my question?!" Mama trembled. The metal dish in her hands wobbled. The metal dish was getting warmer by the second. Mama saw some specks of powder fizzling and floating into the air. As it floated, it emitted a strong smell, like garlic. Mama choked and tried not to cough. In the process, her hands shook, and some of the powder was pouring on the ground. "Landlady, abeg, spare him. He no vex you abeg. I-" "Leave me! Stop pouring my powder, or I will deal with you!" The hairs on Mama's neck stood stiff. She could only hope that after obeying Landlady's orders, she could go and find another place to rent.
Mama Agnes could not understand how Landlady could walk barefoot on the floor. Mama was horrified at the decaying rats and lizards strewn all over the room. One of the rats had little maggots squirming in its hollow, bony chest. The smell was unbearable now! Landlady walked to a corner of the room and hauled a Ghana-must-go bag next to Mama Agnes. The bag was heavy, and as she dragged it, she left a faint white streak on the floor. "Landlady, wetin dey happen? Why you dey drag Ghana-must-go? You dey do ritual?"
Landlady pulled out a small, chipped silver key from her pant. She unlocked the giant sliver padlock on the bag. A foul stench immediately penetrated Mama's nostrils. There was a heavy swooshing sound as Landlady rummaged through the bag. She pulled out a small skull, two white candles, a transparent nylon bag of a red powder, and a large wooden calabash. A thick layer of duct coated all the items in the bag. Several black dotted lines decorated the calabash. "Bring me the dish." Mama scrambled and handed over the dish to Landlady, who dropped it next to the candles.
She pulled out a small, white jerrycan of red palm oil and a bottle of dried thyme leaves. "Hold the calabash for me." Mama knelt on her slippers. She used up all her strength to steady the calabash. Dried, crusty, red flakes stuck to the bottom of the calabash. Blobs of palm oil stained the rim. Mama was horrified on seeing dead beetles lying inside the calabash. Landlady squatted in front of Mama. Her thighs sloshed as she balanced herself. Mama couldn't look away from the dried, bloody pad dangling between Landlady's legs. The stench from Landlady's legs was unbearable. Landlady screwed off the cap of the jerrycan and poured the thick, sloshy oil into the calabash. "The smell shouldn't disturb you." Mama Agnes tried to cover up the evident disgust on her face. "Sorry ma."
After closing the jerrycan, she added the thyme and the black powder. She stirred it with a wooden spoon from the Ghana-must-go. A sickly yellow paste formed in the calabash. The room began to get darker and slightly redder. The statues trembled, and the candle wicks suddenly burst into green flames. "Put your head down!" Landlady hissed. The statues trembled. Loud, disembodied voices surrounded them. The air was stuffy and hot, and Landlady gasped like a fish out of water. An invisible claw nipped at her dress and feet. "If you move, they will kill you. Even if they take your leg, don't say anything. They enjoy tormenting your loved ones." Mama stifled a waterfall of tears. A claw was tickling her foot! Landlady kept still as her hoodie stretched wildly in the air. One hand yanked off a wad of hair off Landlady's scalp. The next few seconds were overwhelming for Mama.
A loud boom resonated through the room then a bright red light flashed in her eyes. She felt the edge of her collar getting warmer, and smelt burning hair. The tips of Landlady's hair caught fire, and her hoodie singed. The statues' eyes glowed red, and a pair of giant hands gripped their heads. Mama saw her son's face before everything went black.
Both Landlady and Mama woke up after two hours. The room was in its original state: filthy and smelly. Landlady's legs and skirt were crimson red. They both walked out of the room. Mama thought Landlady's hair smelt terrible; the choking smell was unbearable. Landlady led Mama to the guest toilet, which was surprisingly clean. She grunted as Mama tripped on the raised concrete step in the doorway.
Mama walked over to the blue sink and mirror, then picked up the bar of Cameroon (local soap made with a palm oil base) soap and washed her hands.
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An example of Cameroon soap
She noticed the unusually large toilet and an even larger shower. Landlady's size made it harder for her to fit into normal-sized items. She thought the bathroom tiles were beautiful with their deep blue mosaic pattern. Mama used some of the cherry-scented handwash to wash her face, arms, and feet in the shower. She tore off a long strip of toilet paper and used that to dry herself off. She walked out of the bathroom, but not before taking a few of the tiny decorative soaps she found in the shelf behind the mirror.
Landlady waited for Mama in her parlor. She arranged five items in the middle of the room: a black suitcase, a bottle of lavender perfume, a small silver knife, a small plastic box of toffees wrapped in gold foil, and a green bottle of a transparent liquid. Landlady handed her a small notebook and a black pen. "The book contains all the instructions and information you'll need. Make sure you complete everything inside, or you and your son will suffer."
Her life was about to change.
"Don't come to my house until you've finished everything. Get out."
If she didn't follow instructions, then she would be the one to blame for their deaths.
Mama scurried and grabbed all the items on the floor, then stuffed them into the suitcase. "Take your black bag and give me what's inside. You don't have to pay rent for three payments." "Thank you-" "Move! Osiso!" Mama ran as fast as she could to her house.
