Jeena wanted to be rich, have fame, and be important to people. But, as much as she searched for that, she ended up on a strange path with dire consequences…

Geena had just finished enjoying the biggest performance of her musical career. As she finished her song on stage she heard a voice calling her, asking her if she wanted more of what had just happened.

“Yes, I want it all,” she breathed, sweating from exertion.

As she left and went backstage she began to feel dizzy. She saw visions of her past and her future. It all played out in front of her. She collapsed to the floor.

When she came round she was at her home in bed with her mother next to her.

“My child, you’re awake,” her mother said.

“Are we still alive?” Jeena asked.

“You aren’t making sense,” her mother said, anxiously.

“I thought, ay! Never mind.” Suddenly Jeena felt alone and sad.

“I was telling the women at church how proud I am of you. These days children don’t make it to where you are, making their parents proud,” her mother said.

“Mom, there’s something I need to tell you,” Jeena said.

“Sure, go ahead, as long as it makes you feel better.”

“I think I’m … I am living on the dark side… sometimes I feel… I don’t know… an evil presence like I’m working for …”

“No, what!? Don’t say it, Jeena. We’re servants of the Lord. You’re not feeling okay honey,” her mother said, disturbed.

“You don’t understand Mom, listen!”

Her mother got frightened, her eyes widened in shock!

“What is it?” she asked.

“Please do not disturb me until I’m done explaining… back when I was introduced to the studio…”

When she first started recording, the studio had thrown a party for its upcoming artists. All was going well until midnight, when a woman and a group of six strange men, wearing long black coats, entered the venue. They got everyone to drink a special wine they had brought with them – to celebrate the party, they said. At first, Jeena thought it had been arranged by the studio as something fun – an arranged performance. She had drunk the wine. Suddenly she found herself speaking in tongues. She had seen people doing this at some church services when they were overcome by the spirit. She started singing praises, that an ordinary human wouldn’t understand and couldn’t mimic. If you heard her you wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t the Lord she was praising, but something dark – the occult.

Right after that, the strangers promised those who had drunk their wine, never-ending successful music careers and unimaginable wealth.

Months had passed since that party and Jeena hadn’t spoken in tongues again – she had written it off as being caused by the drink – perhaps it had been spiked with something.

But then, last night on the stage, right when Jeena fainted, she had a vision of talking to the woman who was at the studio party. The woman told her that Jeena needed to make a sacrifice. She showed her a vision of Jeena’s mother committing suicide and Jeena receiving a bag full of money and a golden microphone. Jeena resisted the vision, but then it changed to her as the one committing suicide and her mother crying next to her hanging corpse.

The woman in the vision had said to her, “The choice is yours.”

“So Mom, it’s either you or me,” Jeena cried.

“Jeena, you’re imagining things. I will call pastor Khumalo to come pray for us tomorrow, it’s already late today. Please have some sleep, and pray. I won’t sleep, I’ll be praying all night too for the both of us until dawn breaks,” her mother cried, leaving her to sleep.

As she closed the door, Jeena turned to the wall behind her bed.

“I’ve already made my choice, I don’t want you to suffer mom.”

In the morning the following day, Jeena looked out of the window at the driveway. Her mother’s corpse was being carried across to a hearse that would take it to the mortuary. A hand touched her shoulder –it was hot and sweaty.

“You’re now one of us,” a voice said.

“Yes, there’s no going back,” Jeena agreed.

But deep down, her heart had been devoured by pain and regret. She couldn’t stand the images of her mother crying and suffering. The death of her mother was ruled a suicide but

Jeena couldn’t bear the guilt. She hung herself with an electric cord.

The choices we make!