Warning: For the Non-Nigerians, this chapter might be a bit difficult to understand. Explanation is below.
Nwanyieze's POV:
He looks surprised.
"What's so funny?"
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this, Adeyemo Richard."
My voice has changed, grown a bit deeper and it's all I can do to keep myself from laughing more.
"What is the meaning of this, Queen? What kind of play is this now?"
I touch his face. "Wasn't it obvious to you?"
"What?"
"You're the Chosen One."
He frowns, confused. "Chosen for what?"
I turn away from him, shed my coat and let it fall to the floor in a dark pool around my feet. Dramatically facing him again with a swirl, I observe his expression when he sees what I'm wearing underneath. His eyes widen in shock, and then horror.
I'm wearing only a red piece of clothing, which is wrapped around my body. On my arms and legs above my ankles are intricate markings, done with chalk and black marker, swirls and arches and stars and moons.
"Gaze upon your new wife-to-be, Richard. By midnight I will start performing the ceremony of initiation."
"I am not understanding, Queen."
"Are you so daft?" I ask with a laugh. "I came to University of Lagos just for you. You're the perfect husband for me, to rule my spiritual kingdom with me. Why do you think I've been on your mind all this while? Everything was planned!"
I open my tote bag, bring out a cluster of feathers, a small clay pot, some chalk, a bottle of water, a drinking horn and a knife. The knife is more for protection in case he tries anything.
Shifting the rug aside, I draw a circle and other silly meaningless things on the wooden floor, muttering nothings just like I'd seen the dibias and babalawos do in Nollywood movies. I pour the water into the clay pot, raise it up in my hands, and whistle.
Thank you, Nollywood, for instilling fear of rituals in Nigerians.
To my surprise, he begins to plead for his life.
"Shut up, let me concentrate on my ritual," I bark at him. Then out of the blue, I throw my head back and burst into laughter because the situation is so damned ridiculous and I can't believe he's fallen for this.
"In the next fifteen minutes, you will be all mine, forever," I say, widening my eyes and baring my teeth.
"I have a wife and children," he wails, causing me to almost keel over with laughter.
"You won't need them in the marine kingdom. I'll be your everything."
I'm swaying my body, moving to a rhythm only me knows.
He tries to free himself and I hold up the cluster of feathers and knife threateningly at him.
"If you move again, I'll slit your throat and drink your blood, did you hear me?"
He actually whimpers. My heart sings for joy.
I should've been a movie star, I muse inwardly.
I move towards the bed holding the pot and feathers. He recoils, but I ignore this and dip the feathers into the pot, then sprinkle the water on him.
"I now consecrate you with water from the ancient lagoon where my kingdom lies. Tonight, after consummating our marriage, we will project ourselves there for a party. You'll love your new tail. My parents can't wait to meet you. I've told them all about you, Richard."
"Queen, p-p-please," he sobs.
I'm surprised that he's actually terrified and I'm beginning to enjoy myself. I hiss like a snake, roll my hips sprinkle more water on him.
"I have already consecrated you. There's no turning back."
Five minutes of more dancing and chanting of senseless words, and Mr. Adeyemo is reduced to a wailing mass of terror.
"I'll do anything, I swear it!"
"You can't do anything," I sneer. "It's you I've always wanted."
"I'll pass you on that course!"
Finally! What I want to hear.
"That course is not important to me. It was part of my plan."
"Hay God, please save your son," he whimpers. Sweat shines on his skin, his tremors are visible.
"God doesn't save you when you've spent your life making people miserable. You've led many girls astray, pushed them to the wall. He won't answer you. I need corrupt people like you in my kingdom, that's why I chose you."
He wheezes, breathless from fear.
"I'll pass all the girls. I'll pass everybody, I promise!"
"I'm not here for the girls, only you."
Suddenly I jerk a bit and cock my head to the side, still swaying to no rhythm, pretending to listen to someone, my face now serious.
"Mother, it's this one I want," I say.
He sobs, reminding me again that he has a wife and children.
"It's Richard Adeyemo I want, mother. No one else."
This dialogue with myself is quite funny but I have to be serious now.
"I can't let him go. It's almost midnight and he'll soon be mine."
I can hear him calling upon Jesus and the whole host of angels and saints, Mary included. He begins the Our Father prayer.
I stomp my feet in annoyance, frown and growl. "I want Richard, mother. It's almost midnight."
Humming, I move backwards and then reaching behind me, find the switch and turn off the lights.
Mr. Richard Adeyemo, Bsc Journalism, Msc Mass Communication, and PhD Mass Communication, screams like a girl and then I hear a dull thud.
When the light comes on, he has rolled onto the floor and is trying desperately to get to his feet. Tears are now streaming down his face which is contorted from crying.
"Please reject me. Reject me let me go. I promise, I won't do this again. I don't know how to rule a kingdom. Queen, please let me go. I'll make sure you graduate very well. In fact, I'll resign from my job."
I move towards him, holding tight onto my knife.
"Jesus, Jesus," he screams.
I cut the rope binding his legs and feet.
"Pick your clothes and leave before I change my mind," I bark, eyes wide. "I'll be watching you. Even while you sleep, I'll always be watching you."
It takes him less than fifteen seconds to awkwardly pick up his clothes and literally fly from the room. Immediately, I use some tissue paper to wipe off the chalk marks from the floor, replace the rug, and arrange the bed.
Richard Adeyemo had left his shoes behind.
Maduka's POV:
I am laughing so hard.
Pulling off the bluetooth ear piece from my ear, I quickly leave my assigned room, rushing into the hallway and knowingly bumping into the man who had planned on harming Nwanyieze.
He is shaking terribly, dressed only in boxer shorts and holding tight to his chest a bundle of clothing. His face is wet from perspiration and tears, his eyes are wide with fright.
"Are you okay, sir?" I ask nicely, looking genuinely concerned.
"Marine spirit," he mutters before running in the opposite direction, feet slapping against the marble floors. I grin.
Now I know what Richard Adeyemo looks like.
I knock on the door of the next room and let myself in as it is unlocked. Sitting on the bed is Nwanyieze, fully dressed and drinking from a bottle of water.
"You're a better actress than most out there," I tell her admiringly.
She rises, walks over to me on bare feet, and gives me a hug.
"Wouldn't have discovered that without you."
"You scared the living daylights out of that man, you know."
"I enjoyed doing it." She laughs out loud.
"He didn't touch you, did he?"
"No."
She seems to discover that she is still in my arms, and then withdraws, picks up her bag and slips on her shoes.
"I'm actually tired, you know. A good night's sleep will do me a lot of good."
At the reception, the receptionist and bell boy give us strange looks, but say nothing. They will probably tell the rest of the staff about the strange sights they have seen tonight.
"I'm sure he'll dream of me for a long time," she giggles when we get into my car.
"Definitely not good ones, though. He might give his life to Jesus on Sunday."
Her giggles turn to laughter. "That would be great!"
After five minutes on the road, she sleeps off, snoring softly, face towards me. She looks so relaxed, and from her snoring, I know that this issue has been giving her sleepless nights and she has finally decided to let go. Lights from the street lamps dance off her face while I drive past them.
What does she dream about? Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, is there an image of me, the boy I used to be, waiting to be recalled by some kind of event?
And how pitiful is it that I know close to nothing about her, Nwanyieze? She's unpredictable, never ceases to surprise me. Her laughter is music to my ears, I enjoy time spent with her, I love to listen to her speak, but ask me something personal about her and I don't know a thing except the basics- name, address, school, favourite food, et cetera.
From the first moment, she's always struck me as wise, too wise for her age; and it's all the more confusing because beneath all the sass and attitude I sense an undercurrent of vulnerability and sadness in her that I can't explain and can't ask her about because she's likely to clam up.
What had happened to her after I'd left the orphanage?
She moves a bit and moans in her sleep. Then a hand rises to rub her left eye, smearing the eye shadow and mascara down her cheek. A sigh escapes her lips but she doesn't wake up.
What I'd give right now just to hold her.
But I know that with her, I have to be careful. I have to take my time, gain her trust completely, show her that I'm not here to play. Then I'll have to tell her the truth as well.
What scares me is that in telling her the truth about her, I have to face the truth about myself.
The truth I've been running from since I was seven.
A/N: if you totally understood, don't laugh too much!
If it felt weird reading this, I apologise.
That may be because you don't know much about African superstition. Most Nigerians (Africans I suppose) believe that marine spirits exist. These are known as evil spirits from kingdoms underwater, who come to land in the form of very beautiful women (and men) to wreak havoc in the lives of humans and initiate them into their kingdoms. They are sometimes called "Mammy Water/Wata", and are linked to Mermaids (We believe mermaids are spiritual and evil, but I've watched the documentary on NatGeo and for now I'm kind of confused lol). Once a person is suspected of being a part of the marine world, people begin to fear/avoid such a person, hence Mr. Adeyemo's fear when Nwanyieze started her prank.
You could always Google 'Mammy Wata' and read up on it for more clarification.