EP - 3 CHRYSANTUS DISCOVERS A TELLING SECRET AND A HIGHER PURPOSE.

-- “God, I know I am a sinner but please, forgive my sins. I no fit suffer for here, go suffer for hell.” Chrysantus mutters, rubbing his hands in plea, giving up resisting his impending death.

As the figure is about to drive the dagger through him, he yells, shutting his eyes as he curls his knee to the chest, putting out his arms to cover his frame like a shield.

He returns to the physical and while still asleep, he continues whimpering. Still cowering in the same fetal position. His heightened shriek cuts through Angela's sleep beside him on the bed. Nonso’s eyes jerks open on the couch. They rush at him.

“Abeg no kill me, no kill me. I go return the money, I promise. I go return the money.” Chrysantus muttered, eyes shut, so frantic.

“Chrysantus! What’s going on?” Angela wears a concerned look, as she tries to take his hands down.

“Guy, calm down. You de alive. We de with you.” Nonso is also frantic, though highly confused.

“Guy, I de return the money. ASAP!”

Angela stares at them, folds her arms, looking lost.

“Calm down first. Wetin do you? Na bad dream?”

“My soul travelled somewhere. I was fully conscious. I heard you both telling me to return the money. A native doctor was chasing me, almost going to stab me. I thought I had died.” Chrysantus said, gasping and sweating.

Angela can’t hold off her curiousity any longer. “Guys, I’m out of the loop here. Return what money?”

Chrysantus starts, about to bring her up to speed but Nonso makes a funny sound so he gets the hint. But he could care less. “E don be already. She might as well know the truth. See Angie, someone made a wrong transfer to my account. Of about 15 million. That’s the money we have been spending.”

Angela looks dead at Chrysantus.  “So na wrong transfer you take whine me say you don make am?” Angela breaks into laughter. “But 15 million naira? You be tiff o!” Angela continues cackling.

“Nothing de funny. Na me know wetin my eyes see for that place.” Chrysantus said, wiping off sweats from his face.

“No wonder the person say make you no sleep.” Nonso has his index over his lips, reflective.

“Guy, I de go return this money. I want no part in this.” Chrysantus yelled.

“And we go back to being broke? We don even chop 1 million inside.” Nonso retorted.

Angela placed her hands at the back of her head. “Ahh! For one night?”

“If I slap you, like say you no chop inside.” Nonso can’t seem to calm down.

Angela inhales and exhales sharply, trying to think. “Okay guys, let’s calm down and do the math. The logical thing for him to do will be to report to his bank and have them freeze your account. They could track your location with your BVN...”

“This house is not the location on my BVN.” Chrysantus interrupted. “And thinking about it now, when he called, he said the money wasn’t pure. And when someone says that, you likely think of...”

“RITUALISM.” Angela and Nonso helped to chorus.

“So I think since he is using jazz to get to me, he probably has no reason to report to a bank.” Chrysantus concludes.

“But if na wetin happen, how you take survive? I know say God no really like you like that.” Nonso is serious. Angela laughs.

“Well sorry to burst your bubble. See, I don’t know, I just know I got back here.”

“Maybe it’s just a bad dream, or actually... a spiritual warfare.” Nonso says, tuts and shakes head.

“Which is way worse. If he tried to find me physically, I might find a way to escape, but this... nahh, I am calling him right away.”

“Wait. I know a baba.” Angela admits. Chrysantus and Nonso exchange glances, shocked.

-- The trio enter the shrine of a native priest. They hear sounds of incantations behind the shrine curtains. Angela urges them to sit on a mat to wait for him.

Chrysantus and Nonso’s eyes sweeps through the mystifying eerie space. A long white fabric tied at the hem to bamboo sticks behind spreads across the shrine with sacred beads decorated on them. At the centre, is a sacred wooden sculpture representing a god. It is bordered by a calabash to its right and a bottle of gin to its left. Chrysantus and Nonso exchange glances and look at Angela together.

“What is it?” Angela asks when she catches their eyes on her.

“How do you know this...” Nonso is interrupted by the Priest whose voice rises now into a crescendo as he staggers his way into the shrine like one drunk. He walks in with two shrine boys beside him. The incantation soon distils into a decrescendo.

“What can I do for you my children?” He says in a ragged voice, clearing throat.

“Greetings baba. We have a problem. My friend here...”

“Were you attacked last night?” Priest squints his eyes observing Chrysantus as his left index points towards his direction.

Chrysantus is taken aback. Hesitates before answering. “Ye- yes I was.”

“What did you do?” Priest asks going to sit on a stool in front of them.

“A wrong transaction entered my account. About 15 million naira. I didn’t return the money and the owners attacked me at night.”

Priest laughs, jiggles his staff and shakes his head. “Children of nowadays. Did you spend out of it?”

They all share glances. “Yes.” Chrysantus finally responded.

“That is why the enemy pursued you. The money isn’t clean because it is from the sacrifice of school children.”

They all shriek out in horror. Each expressing varying exclamations “Baba you say wetin?” Chrysantus asks, his mouth wide open. “Baba I will find the money and replace it back. I want nothing to do with this.

Nonso looks at Chrysantus, failing to hold back laughter. “You say you go find wetin?” Nonso teases. Angela chuckles.

Chrysantus shuns him. “Baba, will I be chased again tonight and what if I die in this dream?”

“You will be chased again tonight and if you die in the dream, it would reflect in real life.” Priest admits in low tone.

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!” They all bawl out.

Angela edges closer to him. “But Baba, there must be something we can do. That is why we are here.”

Priest chuckles. “He is not powerless.” He whispers into the ears of the boys and they go in and return with a heavy stone weighing 100kg. They go in back and bring out two pairs of white plain shirt and short. They pass to Angela and Nonso. “Why do you think he is still alive?” He continues, signalling the boys back to their sitting positions on a stool beside him. “What is that on your neck?”

Chrysantus strokes the neck piece round his neck. “It is from my mum. She said it will always protect me.”

“And it did. But this person or persons will come again tonight, and will want to kill you. Their power is strong so you must fight it. This stone is how you two will help him. As long as you two carry that, you keep him in the fight and he has a higher chance of winning. If it drops, he loses and becomes weak. Which means he could die in no time.”

The trio exclaim in trepidation. Nonso shakes his head pathetically with his arms folded. Angela rests her head against the wall of the shrine, looking up, despaired. Chrysantus has his head bowed.

“Baba this stone is heavy and I am just a lady.” Angela cries.

“It is sad but you all must bear the consequences of your actions,  and since he is your friend,  you must help him.”

“What if I try not to sleep?” Chrysantus asks.

“You just might escape but for how long? The body gives in when its tired.”

Nonso gets up on his feet. Exhales deeply and attempts to carry the stone himself.”

“No, don’t bother. It’s a traveling stone. The stone will be waiting for you at home.”

They all exchange glances, puzzled.

“Okay baba, thank you very much. We will get on our way now.” Angela says getting on her feet and turning to leave with Chrysantus and Nonso.

“You are welcome Angela. And if it’s worth any motivation, you should know you all will be saving the lives of innocent children when you end those terrors.”

They nod and leave.

TBC... (Chrysantus prepares for war)