The Corridor of Hell
please note that this write-up is unedited
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The hostel was so dark and quiet but once in a while you
could hear the cracking sound of the bunks when it occupant rolls on it or the
snoring coming from a corner of the room, everyone was fast asleep. The
previous night had been ‘burn fire’ where almost everyone had a lot to drink,
eat, smoke and had male corp members to keep them company for the previous
night. Lamide kept rolling on her bed trying hard to sleep but she couldn’t, she
wished she had bought a sleeping pill from ‘mammy-market’ but it was too late.
The time was 2:15am and she still couldn’t sleep, she try covered her head with
her blanket and closed her eyes tight hoping it will make her fall asleep.
Suddenly, she heard people grumbling and crying quietly, the sound was coming
from no particular direction within the room, she pulled off her blanket to see
who it was but the noise stopped. She went back under her blanket but within
few minutes the crying sound came alive again, this time it was louder. She
waited for few minutes under my blanket hoping it would soon stop but didn’t
instead it sounded louder, she slowly peeped from under the blanket hoping to
see the person, but she saw no one. Instead, the room went totally quiet again.
It all began to freak her out.
“Bekky, please wake up, I think I hear strange noise in
this room” she asked her friend whom she had just woken up underneath her bunk
“What noise?” Bekky who had just been woken asked with a
sleepy tone
“It seems as if people are crying”
“But I didn’t hear and I still can’t hear……maybe you are
imagining things” she said after waiting few seconds for the noise to come up.
“But I……” she tried to convincing Bekky
“Babe abeg, I don tired….make I sleep before this camp
soldiers kon wake us” she explained before falling back her head to sleep.
This time, Lamide
lay under her blanket with a determination not to come out from it even if the
whole hostel was on fire. After few minutes when she was gradually falling
asleep, she was suddenly woken by that strange noise of people crying. Now she
knew things were getting weird around the room and she could hear her own heart
beat faster but he was determined not to be bothered. Gradually, the crying
sound became louder and scarier, she couldn’t bear such a horrible noise no
more and was determined to confront the person who tends to deprive her right
to sleep. As she opened her blanket with fury, she saw the figure of three men
staring directly into her eyes with no cloths on them, their faces and bodied
were soaked with fresh blood like they had bath in it, they seem to be in pain
and expressed it by crying. She creamed, shut her eyes, and covered her ears
with her hands……..and fainted.
Lamide opened her pretty
eyes to see she was back in her room at her father’s mansion; her head resting
on her grandmother’s lap, she saw her mother and father sitting opposite her,
her mother looked slightly worried while her father look so calm with his
recommended glass on his face and a daily news paper in his hand.
Mr. and Mrs. Willaims are the power couples of their state;
they are both multi-millionaires through their founded ‘Wimcco construction
company’ which is one of the biggest construction company in the country. The
couple had to drop all business related issues just to be with their precious
daughter. Lamide began to tremble and
scream as she remembered the last thing she had previously seen but her
grandmother gently used her palm to rub her granddaughter’s head to comfort
her.
“I saw the….i saw the…I saw…” Lamide tried to explain to
anyone who cares to listen as gaps for breath.
“Calm down, Pele omo mi, take it easy with yourself…..I
assure you that everything will be alright” grandmother spoke softly.
“I told you we shouldn’t have let her go for that NYSC
camping, it was a bad idea in the first place but you strongly refused…..now
the tabloids will have my poor little angel to feed on” Mrs. Williams angrily
complained to her husband who looked so calm.
“What happened to her has got nothing to do with her
camping, absolutely nothing” Mr. Willams explained
“Both of you should stop ranting like mice and let my
granddaughter have her rest” Grandmother said.
Lamide seems
confused and had to raise her head from her grandma’s laps to seat properly.
She looked much traumatized and wanted to tell someone what she had seen
earlier.
“Lamide, we are sorry for what happened to you in camp, it
wouldn’t have caught you unaware if your parents had explained to you
earlier…..but there is something you need to know about your linage. Most
especially, from your paternal side which is also my linage” grandmother
quietly explained.
“Maami….are you sure she will understand what you are about
to tell her” Mr. Williams said
Lamide looked more confused as she looked into the eyes of
her parents and her lovely grandmother who had always pampered her from the day
she stepped into the world.
“Grandma, what is it you want to tell me……you are making me
scared right now” Lamide said in a fearful tone.
“you are a member of the white witches……you serve as an
intermediary between the dead and the living. In short, you have the ability to
see and hear whatever is of the spirit world” Grandmother quietly explained.
Lamide who had listened with rapt attention and great
disbelief to what was said, slowly fainted back to her grandmother’s lap.
The family doctor who had been called upon to come check
Lamide’s state of health confirmed that she is experiencing shock and
recommends she should rest after giving her some drugs. Mr. and Mrs. Williams
and grandma were instructed to give her time to fully recover before talking to
her. Lamide was left alone in her room; she was fast asleep and drifted into
dream land……dreamland……where she saw herself walking through an unfamiliar
market in the middle of the night. In the market, she saw strange and scary
things like a baby with one eye in the middle of the his head talking, a woman
walking upside-down with her hands, fresh blood was sold in sachets, human body
parts were sold like normal beef, snakes whispering clear words to one another,
some large animals wearing human outfit, dead people with decayed body part
walked across the market to purchase things. Lamide watched with disbelief, she
was not sure of what she is seeing. She wondered why she had not been attacked
by any of these creatures, as she was walking along, she saw a mad man selling
what looks like a day old babies and foetus on a tray, and the babies still had
their placentas intact. Lamide summoned courage to ask why the madman was
selling the baby. The madman took his time to dance, sing, laugh and cry before
answering her question.
“All these babies you see were all dumped here by their
mothers” the madman answered
“But how could a mother come dumb her baby here?” Lamide
asked in a confused manner
“Through abortion ooo!......through abortion!!.....through
abortion ooooo!!!” the madman began to sing and dance as he replied.
“so you mean all these babies are product of abortion?”
“Yes….yes….yes, would you like to buy one from me, if your
answer is yes then bring five stones”
“No sir, I am not here to buy anything, I just…….”
“If you are not here to buy these babies for your soup,
then get out of here?……thief!!” the madman shouted.
Lamide ran away from his presence into another side of the
market, she saw a headless man walking with his head in his hands with blood
dripping all over it, the head was crying and shouting “I have just been
beheaded by a ritualist for one of those rich men, I know the faces of my
kidnappers and the man who beheaded me…..please I need justice, justice must be
served and the perpetrators must be punished”. No one seems to care, every
strange creature minded their own business, and it seems they are all familiar
to helpless and sympathetic cry like that. The headless man stumbled pass her
to no definite destination. Gradually, as darkness turned into daylight, every
creature in sight started to vanish into thin air leaving her alone to stand in
the middle of what seem to be a grave-yard all along.
“……Grandma that was what I dreamt of, it all seem so weird
and scary…..grandma, I am so scared” Lamide began to cry after narrating her
nightmare to her grandmother.
“I am sorry all these seems to be happening to you, but you
must now embrace it”
“But grandma, I don’t want it….its evil….pure evil!!”
Lamide shouted angrily
“Not if you learn how to use it for the good of mankind”
“But what good can seeing dead people bring if not evil”
Grandmother smiled as she slowly stroke Lamide’s hair, she wasn’t sure if her
granddaughter would be ready to face the task that nature had bestowed upon her.
She inwardly sympathized with the latest witch of her linage that is still
seeing her natural gift to be a curse, but she was determin to help the new
witch find her path.
“Lamide, I want you to look into my eyes very closely and
tell me what you see” Grandmother said with a commanding tone as she looked
straight into her granddaughter’s eyes.
“I don’t understand….what do you mean?” Lamide was confuse
“Just focus your mind on my eyes and tell me what you see”
Grandmother said as she tends to open her eyes wider than usual.
Lamide noticed how serious her grandmother was, she try
focus on her grandma’s eye but all she saw was a tied looking eye-balls ready
for natural retirement attached to some wrinkled flesh. But she knew she was
meant to see something beyond the physical outlook, she looked further into
two-eye balls that gradually turned snow-white all through with no trace of
black. Like a scared cat, Lamide jumped off from beside grandmother towards the
other edge of her bed, she couldn’t tell if that was actually what she saw or
it was her imagination.
“Grandma, your eyes just turned……” she spoke in amazement
as she was pointing towards grandmother’s eyes.
“….just turned white? What you saw was not my doing; it was
you who saw the true nature of who I am”
“Does that mean you are a ghost?” she asked with a fear
“No, I am a witch just like you; I also belong to the
sisterhood. Only one female of every generation within our linage has such
gift. Your father’s cousin who had such gift died prematurely many years ago. I
knew you were one of us from the first day I saw you……I remembered how you
looked so cheeky and innocent at birth, I knew you would grow up to be a
powerful and pretty looking girl”
“Does that mean you can also see dead people?” Lamide asked
anxiously
“Not really, we all have various gifts. I for example have
the gift to know what will happen few moments before it happens. I only use it
to help whoever deserves it for the right reasons
“Grandma that’s amazing but unbelievable…….. So tell me
what will happen next” Lamide requested in a doubtful tone as she looked at the
only witch she had ever seen throughout her twenty-three years of living.
“Your mother will come in with four slices of bread, a cup
of hot tea, with your prescribed drugs she forgot one of the drugs inside her
room” Grandma calmly predicted.
Mrs. Williams entered with four slices of bread, a cup
Soji walked into the glass-house building, he was marveled
at the latest interior and state of earth design that was within the company.
Even though he had walked in some big construction companies before, he
couldn’t compare any of it with what he was presently looking at. Soji couldn’t
contain his excitement any longer; he was smiling like an unripe corn as he
walked towards two pretty looking ladies who seem to be the receptionists.
“Good afternoon Ma!” Soji greeted in a nervous tone
“Good afternoon Sir, you are welcome to Wimcco construction
company and how may we help you?” one of them complimented.
Soji was taken aback; he never expected such a warm welcome
from a pretty receptionist who works in such a big company as this.
“obviously, I am a new corps member and I have been posted
here for my one year compulsory primary assignment”
“oooh!...I see, well I am sorry, we do not need any more
corps member, we already have enough this year” the receptionist said politely
“But ma, it was stated here in my recommendation letter
that……..” he scrambled through his NYSC trouser and brought out a letter.
“Sir I totally understand you but I had been instructed by
the management not to…….” She explained calmly.
“Oh my God!!....na which kain yawa be dis one?” he grumble
as he thought of the heavy sun he had to pass through under his complete NYSC
outfit that looked so shabby and causes great heat to his body. He imagined how
life would be so convenient for him at least for a year before he starts
finding a permanent job, he was told by a friend of his in the orientation camp
that “Wimcco is the biggest company that pays it youth corps member 180,000
naira as a monthly fee apart from the nicely furnished accommodations and some
little complementary fees from big women”. Soji was determined get accepted
into the company, he pleaded to the receptionist but she kept turning him down
nicely.
Soji was more than disappointed, he wished he had the
ability to compel people into his biding but that was a though and that even
made him more angry. He walked out of the building looking like a wet rat as he
carried his traveling bags and thought of going back to ‘Kubwa’ orientation
camp to report.
As he steps out of the gate of the building and stood by
the road-side waiting for a cab, he saw a black ‘Range Rover’ drive pass him
into the compound of the company. After few seconds, one of Wimcco security-men called him.
“Kopa shun!!....Oga pikin dey call you”
“Who did say is calling me?”
“I just said the boss’s daughter is calling you, she just
drove in and requested your presence in her office” he repeated in pure English
and that really caught him off-guard. He wondered who this boss’s daughter is
and why wishes to see him; He rushed back into the compound like a desperate
beggar.
Soji was led by the security personnel into one of the
numerous offices.
“Ma, the young man is here” the security officer turned
back and closed the door behind me
Soji saw a familiar face staring at him, he try hard to
remember where……
“Are you not Soji, the guy who won the macho-man
competition in camp…..platoon eight I guess?”
“Oooh!!….and you are that pretty angel that won the miss
bold and beautiful…..platoon two I guess?”
Lamide decided to go to the nearest eatery with her newly
found colleague during her office break; she thought it would be a good idea to
keep the discussion light and informal. Lamide made an order of chilled yogurt
and a plate of fried-rice while Soji ordered for ‘anything solid’ with bottled
water.
“you seem a bit taller than the last time I saw you on that
stage” said Lamide as she was about to eat
“And you appear more beautiful than the last time I saw you
on that stage” said Soji, and the two laughed. Even though Soji was
disappointed at the cold, tasteless and poorly cooked poundo-yam, he had no
choice than to muffle-up his anger and swallow his ‘anything solid’ into his
empty stomach.
“So what University did you attend?” Soji asked after he
had finish eating, he hope to break the awkward silence around them.
“Harvard business school Cambridge……and you?” she replied
with her eyes fixed on Soji
“University of Ilorin”
“Here in Nigeria?”
“Of course! In kwara state here in Nigeria” he replied
giving her a surprising look. “It seems you aren’t familiar to Nigeria
universities?” he enquired.
“Sure, I spent most of my academic life abroad, I had to
come back for my youth service…..people say it’s fun and adventurous”
“And I am sure you had fun in camp”
“Well….sought of, the camp wasn’t as bad as I thought but
it was stressful and some of the camp officers were so cruel. Most of my
properties were stolen in the first week; I had to call my mum to send……”
As Lamide kept talking, Soji couldn’t help but admire her
beauty, she looked so fair and spotless like those ladies in ‘delta-soap’
billboards. He could see why she won the beauty competition in camp with a wide
margin. Soji fantasized kissing those cute and red lips of her as she kept on
narrating the ordeals she experience in camp.
“I might not have studied human psychology in school but I
know that look on your face…… you like what you see and you wish to have a
taste of it….admit it!” Lamide calmly whispered with a teasing look on her face.
“No!..No!!..Not at all, I was merely staring at your…your….I
am sorry if I tend to stare” Soji apologized after seeing no reason to lie. For
all it worth, Lamide was right, he was staring at her and he felt like having a
taste of it. But he was surprise of how she could be so bold to say such words
to him; he certainly respected her for her courage at least.
“Sorry if you feel uncomfortable with what I said but I get
that sought of look thousand times from a lot of guys who end up telling me how
beautiful I am and wish to have a taste of me” she said looking intensively
into Soji’s eyes
“I understand, but I wasn’t imagining of having a taste
of……” he tried to lie
“Shuuuuu!!....I wasn’t expecting you to admit it either”
she placed a finger across Soji’s lips.
Both of them stared at one another in silence, Soji could
fell his heart beating faster and his head making a funny noise while Lamide kept
her cool, hoping that the handsome looking guy in front of her would do
something silly to her lips……….suddenly, Lamide’s phone rang and it reactivated
them to the moment.
“wow!!, I can’t belived its fourty-five minutes already,
that must be from the office…..we need to be on our way” they both stood-up to
leave after looking through her wrist-watch.
TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO
Twenty-three years ago, Bankole had thought of himself to
be a hopeless husband and irresponsible father. Its being three and half months now since he had being
sacked from a construction company and since then he had been unable to get
employed to any construction company. Bankole was only good at construction, he
was a genius at erecting powerfull and wonderfull structures but he was sacked
from his job due to a aligation that he was planning to lead his fellow
co-workers on strike action.
Bankole was disappointed in himself, he couldn’t provide
for his pregnant wife Rebecca and his only son Olajuwon who couldn’t go to
school due to his inaffordability to pay school-fees, Rebecca who was expected
to put to bed soon had nothing in place for the unborn child. She had almost
sold all her belonging including her wedding gown and her only pair of outing
shoe which she had promised to keep forever as a symbol of love and commitment
to her husband but it was that same husband who had convinced her in selling it
when he needed money to pay the house rent.
Bankole thought of how life could be so cruel to some
people such as him and so favourable to some people such as chief Owonikoko who
is extremely rich with a lot of wives, children, companies, friends and
followers everywhere in the community, people say he is just a lucky man who is
fortunate to have money come his way through anything he lay his hands on while
few whispered that he is a ritualist who uses people’s blood for money.
One evening, Bankole
was still in the beer-parlour thinking of a better way out of his financial
problems, when he suddenly heard songs and chanting of praises from everyone
within the room, he was surprise to see how one single man can command such
respect from everyone in the community. As chief Owonikoko walked across every
tabled filled with beer, he was received with respect and treated exactly like
a mini god that he was, though he was a philanthropist, a business tycoon, an
elder in church and holder of various chieftaincy title. In the beer-parlour,
everyone struggled to have hand shake with him, he was obviously the man of the
people and he was presently the man of the moment who alone stole the show.
Chief Owonikoko who was in his early forties raised up his hands to signify
‘silence’ and immediately the room was dead silent. He proceeded to lash out
his usual god-like speech.
“My people, I see you are all enjoy yoursef and I see the
love you are all haf for me and that is why I am use dis oposunity to order
two-two beer for all of you dis night……and also all your drink dat you haf
drink before is upon my head!!!” he shouted in a very typical Yoruba
intonation.
Every single creature in the room hailed and sang more
praises of Chief Owonikoko who was then busy adjusting his big ‘agbada’ outfit.
Bankole wondered how such an illiterate could be so influncial while an
engineering graduate such as him is finding life so difficult. As he was
grumbling to himself, Chief Owonikoko sat on the vacant seat next to him to
gulp his ‘Big-stout’.
“Why you are not look happy……what is your problem?” Chief
Owonikoko asked the trouled looking man next to him.
Bankole who was naturally an outspoken person poured out
his entire financial problem starting from how he was sacked for by his former
employers upon a just cause to how he now find it difficult to provide for his
family. Chief Owonikoko was emotionally moved with what he heard and gave
Bankole his business card and bundle of naira notes telling him to come see him
in his office the following week. Bankole ended up joining fellow drinkers in
praising Chief Owonikoko as he majestically walked out of the room.
Exactly one week later, Bankole visited chief Owonikoko in
one of his building-block manufacturing company, the Chief promised to take him
somewhere; they both drove towards a remote part of the community. After
driving through forest, they dropped and had to continue with their foot into a
thicker part of the forest.
“Chief, if I may ask……Where are exactly are we going?”
Bakole looking skeptical at Chief Owonikoko
“Haf no fear, Shebi you want to be rich?.......Just follow
me, we will soon get there” said the chief smiling.
Finally, they sighted a hut in the midst of the forest;
Bankole was persuaded to enter the hut by chief Owonikoko since going back
while be of no good to him either. Inside the hut was an old man who seemed
expectant of them, the room was filled with all kinds of natives and diabolic
items including human skulls, blood stains on walls and charms which got
Bankole really scared as he sat down on the mat beside chief Owonikoko.
“Old one, we greet you!” Chief Owonikoko looked calm as he
greeted the old man
“My son Owonikoko, the gods greet you too” the old man
reciprocated
“Old one, I am sure you already know why we are here” said
chief Owonikoko
“Don’t be in a hurry Owonikoko, because I can see that your
friend here hasn’t decided yet” the old said pointing to Bankole who looked
lost.
“Sir, I want a good job. In fact, I want to be employed by
one of the largest construction company in the country” Bankole spoke
ignorantly.
“Ishe ko lowo!!…..Young man, in this life, hard work alone
does not guaranty you success…..that is why I will make you are so rich to the
extent whereby you will be the one to own that biggest construction company in
this country if only you are willing to pay the price ” said the old man
“Price?, but sir I don’t have any money to pay you, you can
ask chief Owonikoko he knows exactly how Bad my condition is!!” he explained
with confusion and sincerity written all over his face.
“You are not to pay money……instead, you will haf to pay
somtin dat is more faluable dan money” Chief Owonikoko explained to Bankole in
his usual Yoruba intonation.
“….something that is more valuable than money!….. And what
could be more valuable than money?” Bankole asked looking more confused.
“you must sacrifice someone very dear to you for a start……I
would have asked you to sacrifice your mother but I see she is a white witch
hereby making it impossible, I would have suggested you sacrifice your wife but
I see she is pregnant making it an abomination, now the only option you have is
your only son” the old man spoke swiftly looking into a big calabash filled
with sand in front of him and acted like he could see and hear thing through
it.
The old man’s words hit Bankole so hard that it caused him
a sharp pain in his chest, it then dawn on him that chief Owonikoko had brought
him to make a deal with the devil, he wondered why he never saw that
coming.
Truly, Bankole had forever wished to own a construction
company of his but he knew that would be very impossible going by his financial
status and poor family background……but now he strongly doubt if he would do
anything just to actualize his long time dream.
....to be continued......
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