06:30 am, September 15,
Kogi State.
Waking up before the sun Eniiyi rubbed lightly at her eyes and tried to stand up but she was very weak and couldn't push her weight down to. So instead she settled for sitting up, pulling the blanket aside.
Everywhere was still cast in a misty blanket that filled the air thickening to fog in the distance.
Come to think of it, she was feeling a little okay now, still sick nevertheless, but not as worse as the previous night.
Then she remembered the events of the previous day. She sighed. Her suffering couldn't continue like this, she had to do something about it as soon as possible. The Decorated Bull had promised her more punishments for today. She'd only survived yesterday's by luck, if it continued today she'd die before the sun reached overhead.
She had to think of something if she wanted to live. If only she could find a way of communicating with her parents, maybe she could ask Lastborn for a phone when next he came. She sighed, by then it might be too late. Another thought travelled through her head and she sat up straighter. Or she could do what she'd done best in situations like this: faint. It had never failed to work, well except with her nannies, but then that had been because they knew her too well. This village people didn't. Maybe when she fainted the villagers would finally have pity on her and order for release her from this place to, hopefully, a hospital.
Or they could think she had died from her 'evilness' and throw her into the forest for sacrifice.
She shuddered at this thought. The latter thought seemed more likely.
Her sharp hearing picked up dull footfalls coming towards the single room. Somehow she knew it was the native doctor. He was coming to resume his child abuse again. She could feel her heart start to hammer faster against her breast. But it was barely sunrise!
Why me?
She had failed to ask herself that question since, because she couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why couldn't it have been a villager? An older person? Why did it have to be her, she was just a child, for crying in the beer! She wasn't even a native of the village, and she definitely wasn't an evil person.
Fuck this village! Why were they so intent on labeling her the culprit of something they'd brought upon themselves? Why wouldn't they just let sleeping dogs lie, even if she truly was at fault? Her head was an endless road through which different befuddled thoughts wafted through.
Eniiyi got angrier at each answerless question as her mind started to overflow with them. She simply had to put a stop to this and get the hell out of the village!
With the bubbling anger came renewed violent energy. She stood up, wobbling on her foot then steadied herself. Although she had no plan at hand, she could still try to defend herself before the herbalist started his torture again.
The door slammed open and a moment later the native doctor came in through it. The man did a double take at the sight before him. The child he saw was very different from the one he'd last seen yesternight. That one had been so weak she couldn't stand but this one was standing firmly, her hands planted on her hips.
He started to mutter incantations. 'I see that the devil inside you has renewed your strength. I shall beat it out today.' He raised his whip to bring it down on her. 'Èsù*, I command you to leave this vessel right now!'
Eniiyi sidestepped so that the whip lashed the empty air where she was a second ago. She glared angrily at the native doctor, feeling the urge to jump at him and claw his large, yellow eyes out but the thought of touching him disgusted her. 'I've had enough of your shit already. If you raise your fugly, pudgy arms at me again I'll curse you to grow elephant ears, you dirty, scruffy child molester!' Eniiyi said hotly in one breath.
The surprised man lifted the whip again, but Eniiyi stood her ground this time, staring him straight in the eyes.
She scoffed in anger. The Bull Man's face looked so uglier than it already was it seemed funny to her and despite the situation she was currently in she couldn't hold back the peal of laughter that was forcing it way up from her core.
If it was possible the man's face would have gone red in anger. He didn't know when he dropped his whip and took a step back in fear.
'By the gods! This child is possessed by the evilest of them all! ' the native doctor shouted in trepidation and turned on his heels, bolting out of the room and hastily throwing the lock over. He pushed a confused page boy out of his way and made for the council of elders.
Back in the room Eniiyi couldn't believe it was over just like that but after a while of silence, waiting for the man to come charging back in with reinforcement and nothing happened she accepted the fact and aspirated a sigh enough to launch a boat.
'Whew, that was easy.'
11:48 am.
Later in the day found Eniiyi walking down the road escorted by two pages walking distantly behind her. She could feel numerous pairs of eyes on her as they walked the dusty, untarred road. Although she couldn't see anyone she knew there were people peering out behind those moving curtains, half open shutters, open windows, slightly ajar doors, holes in the walls and so on.
She looked rather blasé about her surroundings considering she had just been banished by the village chief on the pronouncement of the village doctor that the oracles have ordered her to be banished before the rising of the next sun or death would be cast on everybody in the village, children and adults alike. Seriously, were the villagers so dumb that they'd believe everything that came out of the mouth of the Bull Man? If he ordered them all to sacrifice their children to those stupid gods, would they? They probably would, she answered her own question.
A murmur made her look over her shoulder. Of course, those two human beings had been murmuring about her while keeping as far away from her as possible. The pages stared back, slightly scared she'd curse them for murmuring about her.
She sighed, she was so weak and tired and didn't have time for their nonsense. 'Please, stop staring at me,' she said. The two pages quickly looked away and pretended to be busy with something else.
She sighed again, feeling that urge the nth time to just fall down and die, but she knew she must not. She had to be strong for herself. Everything would be alright soon. They'd soon reach her grandmother's and she'd pack her belongings and travel to Uncle Felix's place in Lagos where she could get through to her parents.
Oh, how she ached for her red tablet, this was where it's service would really be useful.
'Heyss! Padà síbí!' a page boy shouted at her, when after reaching her grandmother's compound she kept walking on.
She stopped and rolled her eyes. She hadn't even realized they'd reached the place. As if she'd try to run away without her stuff.
A worried looking Grandma was stood at the porch, Taiwo, equally worried at her side.
The pages were greatly relieved that they had actually arrived at their destination uncursed and alive. They hurriedly took their leave after relaying their master's instructions to Mama Nurse.
Eniiyi was left at the bottom of the steps staring awkwardly at her grandmother and her houseboy. She simply didn't have anything to say to her, she was a traitor for all she cared. Yes, she'd pleaded that the council give her more time to get Eniiyi safely to Olufemi herself, but it was feeble, the village chief did not grant her request. And it was not enough to Eniiyi to make her forgive the old woman. If she'd fought for her tooth and nail that day, in the first place, she wouldn't have to face all that torture and then this, banishment.
She was too jaded to try to have any form of conversation with them. She was dead tired, dirty and gritty from spending a whole day and night of torturing in the same dress and wished she could at least have a bath and change out of her knee-length dress but there wasn't the time. The pages, whom she knew wouldn't be far off would burst into the house and drag her out for taking too long.
Avoiding both of them, she set to packing all that was necessary into her holdall. It was the only luggage she could take with her, it was her luck that it had wheels beneath with which she could drag it.
She zoned out when her grandmother was talking to her, collected the money she gave her for transport fare and started the long journey to the pack, dragging her holdall behind her.
Again she ignored the eyes on her and trudged up the road. She wished taxis ran the village she would have flagged one down and avoided the harsh sun but the only means of public transport available were those metallic monsters called okada, and rickety lorries.
She had been walking for almost fifteen minutes when she got that feeling that someone was watching her, following her. It wasn't like the sensation of all those hidden eyes inside their houses, no it was different. She confirmed her suspicions when looking subtly behind her she caught a shadow just diving out of her vision. She continued on, pretending not to notice anything. But worry was slowly creeping up her gut, she would soon reach the remote, scarcely inhabited part of the village which led to the village outskirts and she feared her stalker might easily overpower there.
She started to think of how to lose him her tail when someone stepped out of the bushes. She opened her mouth to scream thinking it was the stalker come to axe-murder her then quickly shut it, letting the unborn scream drown in her throat.
It was only Lastborn.
She put a hand over her heart to calm it and aspirated a sigh. 'What are you doing here?' She noticed he was out of breath and had a bulging bag strapped to his back. 'And where are you going with that?'
Lastborn put his hands on his knees and heaved. 'Sorry,' he said when he gained his breathing back. 'I heard of what had happened to you and quickly packed my load to go with you.'
Eniiyi stared at him, mouth open.
He misinterpreted her surprise.'Don't worry, I'm not going to be missed until it is too late. Father has gone out again and won't be back till night fall.'
Eniiyi regained her composure and dragged him into a nearby thicket that'd hide them from the open.
'Are you crazy? God, do you know what you're doing? What —?'
'Ah, I never liked my village, anyway, I've always wanted to leave but I can't till it is time to start senior secondary school, but look at me now, I'm just starting junior secondary school next week and for three whole years! I'll die before that time.'
Eniiyi was kind of relieved he wanted to keep her company but he couldn't possibly pull this off, her stalker had probably already seen him and would report them before they could even reach the park.
'You mean Brother Taiwo?' Lastborn said, when she voiced her worries to him.
Eniiyi was confused. 'What?'
'I've noticed him following you at a distance since, I assumed he was going with you to the garage but was keeping his distance because he was scared of you or something. And I was going to come out to him before o, thank God I did not.' He added wistfully.
Eniiyi bit her lower lip in thought. Gma must have sent him to ensure she arrived safely at the motor garage. But she didn't want his protection, she was still angry at them. Moreso she could reach the garage on her own.
'We have to lose him,' she said, her face in a scowl.
Lastborn peered at the road. 'I see him, he's pretending to have a conversation with a girl but he's looking here.'
Eniiyi pulled him back. 'Stop.'
'Baba's brother's house a stone throw from this place. I could beg him for a lift on his lorry.'
'And why would he leave his business in his house to attend to your wish?'
Lastborn smiled. 'Just so you know, he came by our house today and I overheard him telling Father he was going to the third village by noon today.'
But Eniiyi still had her doubts. 'What if he already left? What if he sees me and then refuses to help us?'
'I hope he hasn't left o.' Lastborn started to go towards the road.
Eniiyi hissed and pulled him back by his bagpack. She almost fell at this attempt. She'd forgotten for a moment that she was still weak.
'I said, what if he sees me!'
Lastborn frowned. 'He lives on the outskirts of the village, he probably never heard of you, and if he has he wouldn't know you by face.'
'You want me to go out there on a probability? Hello, we're not in a maths class. If he sees us together you're in trouble.'
Lastborn who was already on the road turned back. 'Would you rather stay here and hope in vain that Brother Taiwo leaves?'
After a moment's hesitation Eniiyi threw all caution to the wind and ran after her cousin.
They were lucky to arrive just as the man was preparing to take off. Lastborn lied to him that they'd been asked to drop the luggages at the park for someone. The cheerful man smiled and waved them on. Then he helped them to put the bags at the back of the lorry, among the huge crates and boxes he was transporting.
Once they were safely ensconced in the passenger seats the car turned out of the compound, unto the road the children had come from. They looked out the open window to see Taiwo looking frantic and confused. He had seen the children dash off the road to that side where there was no road but hadn't seen them come out since.
When they were a good distance away from the road the two youngsters burst into uncontrollable laughter to the bemusement of the lorry driver.
Eniiyi found the man to be very nice, Lastborn had some resemblance to him in his nose and stature and skin lightness, although the man was lighter.
They spent the whole of the journey listening to the man's stories and soon they reached the motorpark. They declined the man's offer to wait for them while they dropped the luggages and waved him on but not before he gave them five hundred naira.
The park was a large open place roughly rectangular in shape with the smaller side of the rectangle being the main entrance through which humans, luggages and vehicles alike entered and exited. Rows of buses lined around the three corners all under corrugated sheet shades. Different people loitered about the place each with their own purpose, it felt like that market she'd gone to with her grandmother if a little quieter and neater. Some bus drivers were calling out their vehicle's destination, some passengers waiting for their bus to be filled, some people alighting from vehicles with luggages, some hawking their wares, but most people looking for buses .
'Now,' said Eniiyi, 'all we have to do is find a vehicle going to Lagos.' Eniiyi put her hands on her waist, already feeling faint. 'And food.'
'That's easy, we ask,' Lastborn said simply. 'Wait here.'
The boy wandered into the middle of the crowd and looked around. Under the shades each bus was separated from the next by wooden or iron pillars so that each had it's own individual space and lintel. On each lintel was painted the vehicle's destination. He looked around till his eyes caught a lintel to the right. Kogi—Lagos.
'Good,' he said then sprinted back to his companion. 'I found a bus, let's go.' He picked up his bagpack and Eniiyi dragged her own behind.
It was the bus driver they'd encountered the other day they'd come with Uncle Felix, Bastard, or what was his name again.
The man finally agreed to let them board after Eniiyi convinced him that her mother was also coming to join them. Eniiyi didn't want to sit in the stuffy bus till it was full so they opted to stay out. Then Eniiyi remembered food and they went to buy something to eat with the money Lastborn's uncle had given them taking their loads with them because of Eniiyi's insecurity.
Lastborn got spaghetti and beans with stew and a soft drink. Eniiyi had never eaten out anywhere before that wasn't a restaurant and she was disgusted to do so now, so she forced herself to get wheat bread and butter. It was the only kind of bread she could actually try to let down her stomach. They bought bottles of water and made for their bus.
Eniiyi saw the bus already pulling out of it's park and hurried to it. The driver stopped a few feet outside, apparently almost full. Lastborn wasn't sure it was their bus but Eniiyi was convinced that it was, after all it was the only blue bus around.
They sat down and stuck their bags beneath their seats. She was sat beside a voluptuous woman who immediately struck up a conversation with them, wondering why they were traveling alone. They told her the same lie they had told bastard.
The bus driver glared at the voluptuous woman talking to the children, she should just have told him that her children were coming along, it'd have saved him the trouble of shouting about for passengers. Anyway, his bus was full now and that was all that mattered to him. He'd reach the destination state quickly and reload back to Kogi State. Business was looking good today.
Lastborn was still unsure if it was there bus, why had Bastard switched with another person? He turned back to look at the lintel behind but the passengers at the back obstructed his view so he turned back and shrugged, Eniiyi was right, it was the only blue bus they had seen in the park.
If he had looked back a little longer he'd have seen a passenger at the back bend down to pick something on the floor and in the process, seen the sign on the lintel.
Kogi—Enugu.
* The devil